BSc Geology with Planetary Science: The University of Manchester

Course description

This programme is offered over 3 years and provides students with a broad background in Earth Sciences, whilst incorporating the latest ideas from astronomy and other disciplines about how solar systems and the planets they contain form and evolve.

Planetary Science is an inter-disciplinary subject that brings together geologists, astronomers, physicists, chemists and biologists to study the evolution of the solar system.

Manchester is the only conventional teaching university with an internationally-renowned research group devoted to the analysis of extra-terrestrial materials. They are thus ideally placed to offer distinctive and high quality degree programmes in this area.

The programmes are two-thirds geology and one third planetary science and you will therefore gain a thorough grounding in geology as well as being equipped with a high degree of numeracy and the background knowledge to understand complementary disciplines such as observational astronomy.

Planetary courses will embrace such topics as Solar System Expiration, Astrobiology, Water on Mars and Extra-terrestrial Materials and their Properties.

Career opportunities

Graduates from the Department of Earth Sciences can enter employment in a wide range of occupations as well as having the opportunity to pursue further study. Past graduates of our existing courses have found work in the petroleum industry, in geological surveys, in industries that exploit minerals and increasingly in the environmental sector. These opportunities will be available to graduates of this new course, who will have the added advantage of enhanced numerical skills. Whichever area you go into there are plenty of opportunities to work overseas.

SEAES has close links with industry including oil companies (BP, BG, Shell, Norsk Hydro, Esso), mining corporations (Castle Cement, Chelwood Brick, Rio Tinto), environmental agencies (Dames and Moore, NRA, Environment Agency) and research centres in planetary science. In addition, they have close links with the Greater Manchester Geological Unit (a consultancy dealing with Urban Geology and local environmental regeneration). You will be able to exploit these links for experience and career opportunities.

Entry requirements

• A level: Grades BBB with at least 1 science. Two AS-levels are accepted in place of one A-level.
• BTEC:
  • BTEC National Diploma (18 units) DDM
  • BTEC National Certificate (12 units) DM
  • BTEC National Award (6 units) D
• Scottish: Highers: AABBC including two science subjects, one of which must be Mathematics or Physics. Advanced Highers: ABC.
• International baccalaureate: A minimum of 32 points with at least 16 at higher level and including two sciences at higher level.
• GCSE: English Language, Mathematics and at least one science required at grades C or above.
• English language requirements: 6.5 IELTS or equivalent English qualification.