Undergraduate

All students study a very similar syllabus in years one and two.

All our courses combine a strong traditional emphasis on observational and field skills with the numerical and analytical fundamental science required to understand Earth processes and systems quantitatively. We also emphasise the development of transferable professional skills such as group working, problem-solving, drawing inferences from incomplete data, IT, and oral and written communication.

For students with a particular interest in physics and maths we offer specialist courses in Geophysics – using maths, physics and computer modelling to understand how the world works. You can also diversify your studies with opportunities to study Business, language and humanities courses if you wish.

All of our courses advocate minimal environmental impact. Students who are keen on environmental science are advised to study the geology degree and to take the specialist environmental options in years 3 and 4.
You will also need to decide whether to study a 3 or 4 year course. We also offer programmes with year studying abroad.

You may transfer between all our courses up to the start of spring term in year 1 if you meet the original entry requirements for the degree you want to transfer to. Transfer onto our Year Abroad courses is not normally allowed as places at our partner institutions are limited. Transfer to the equivalent three-year BSc course is normally allowed until the end of the autumn term of the third year.

Want to know more about the Department and studying here? Then come along to:

• One of the Department of Earth Science and Engineering open days
• An Imperial College open day
• One of the Department of Earth Science and Engineering Taster Days

Depending on their undergraduate course, our students can spend over 100 days in the field as part of their degree. This can range from a day in Leicestershire, to 10 days in the Pyrenees, and to 6 weeks mapping the geology of areas such as the: Greek Cyclades, French Massif Central, Pyrenees, French Alps, NW Scotland, and others.

ESE pays for all taught coursework (transport, accommodation) and provides basic field equipment at no cost (compass clinometer, hammer, hand lens, field notebooks). 

Find out more about our undergraduate field courses.

A degree in the geosciences opens up a wide range of career options and a world of exploration. Imperial graduates currently have a 94 % employment rate and have average starting salaries that rank among the highest in the country. One of the reasons for this is that scientists are highly skilled. Geoscientists in particular are:

• Literate and numerate, with a broad scientific knowledge base
• Critical and integrative thinkers
• Creative problem solvers, often with incomplete information/data
• Excellent at combining theoretical and practical work
• Both team players and independent workers

You can read about the wide range of careers that our graduates have gone to here.

For the current League Table rankings, please see the Teaching Excellence in Earth Science and Engineering page. 

See the Why Imperial? website for full details on the College and Department's position in league tables.