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  • Environmental Geology (BSc with Distance Learning option)
  • 2012/2013 entry
  • Contact us
  • Assessment

    • A combination of reports on field-based projects, laboratory work and written examinations. Some modules include continuous assessment through written work.

  • Attendance
      • Two–three evenings a week.
      • October–July.
      • Some weekend and vacation field trips.
      • Most courses are available on our online learning environment, where you can access course materials and recordings of lectures.
  • Duration
      • Four years part-time.
  • Entry requirements
      • Over 21: flexible entry requirements.
      • Under 21: normal university entry requirements, but no specific A-levels.
      • Credit for earlier studies available.
  • Fees and funding
  • Location
      • Central London or by distance learning.
  • Teaching

    • Your study will include a considerable number of laboratory classes supported by web-based learning, and fieldwork.

      Over the four years of the programme, you will spend about 100 days on field studies, including 10–14 days over the Easter period each year, an average of three weekend classes a year (one–three days each), and time spent on your own choice of project on an environmental geology theme.

      Face-to-face lectures are supplemented by our online learning environment, where you can access course materials and recordings of lectures. Distance learning students can attend field classes alongside students taking the BSc degree by evening study.

      Find out more about our study support and student facilities.

Environmental Geology (BSc with Distance Learning option) - 2012/2013 entry


  • Overview

    • If you are concerned about the natural environment of our planet, this degree will be of interest to you. It considers issues such as pollution, water resources, planning and waste disposal, and is particularly relevant to anyone working in the environmental or civil engineering industries. You do not need any prior knowledge of the subject, but if you have some experience and an advanced qualification, you may be given exemptions from some of the degree.

  • Why study this course at Birkbeck?
  • Course structure
  • Study resources

    • Our teaching is informed by considerable research into environmental issues, which is ongoing in the department. Current research focuses on areas such as metal pollution, coastal erosion, mineralogy, earthquake prediction and palaeontology.

      We are part of the Birkbeck/University College London Research School of Earth Sciences, providing access to a large research group on earth science issues.

      Find out more about our research facilities.

  • Further study opportunities
  • Careers information

    • Graduates go on to careers as geologists, in industry, in engineering, in surveying and in education.

  • Further details

    • What will studying at Birkbeck be like?

      Many part-time programmes place a strong, if not sole, emphasis on independent study. At Birkbeck, students are immediately welcomed into a wider learning community. Whether it's sharing ideas, pooling resources or commiserating over a challenging assignment, we believe nothing can replace the benefits of interacting with like-minded enthusiasts.

      Most of our students attend classes three nights a week from 6pm–9pm. A typical class opens with a one-hour lecture followed by a practical lesson with a coffee break in-between.

      Third- and fourth-year students are encouraged to pursue their own individual interests in supervised project work. In recent years, students have conducted research at numerous sites within the British Isles, France and Spain.

      Fieldwork

      We are one of the few departments that meets the Geological Society's recommendation of a minimum of 100 days of fieldwork in the BSc programme. This is a commitment that many full-time courses do not match, and at present we are the only part-time geology programme that does. It is one of the strongest features of our degree and gives our students added confidence compared to graduates of more classroom-based programmes. No amount of classroom discussion on the subject of ancient sea-beds, for example, can really compare to the experience students have when they discover for themselves the evidence of wave ripples and fossils in a landscape.

      Each year, students attend one major residential field course of 10–14 days. They also attend numerous one-day and weekend field trips and are encouraged to undertake a substantial amount of independent field research. Read all about our fieldwork opportunities.

      Field courses are designed to complement the lecture programme and laboratory-based practical classes. In the field, students have the opportunity to cement their theoretical understanding of geology with practical experience. At the same time, they develop the skills they need to pursue independent research. We regularly update our field itineraries to keep up with changes in our curriculum. Currently, we take students to the Isle of Skye (Year 1), North-West Scotland (Year 2), Cyprus and Spain (Years 3 and 4).

      Not only do field classes provide an invaluable opportunity for students to learn in a hands-on environment, they are also an important social occasion, where students have a change to get to know each other and enjoy informal contact with their tutors. Many a topical geological debate has continued into the wee hours in a hotel bar-room in a remote location of the globe.

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