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Exploration Geology with a Year of Study Abroad

Entry requirements


A level

A,B,B-B,B,C

ABB-BBB (with 1 science subject) or BBB-BBC (with 2 science subjects. Acceptable science subjects: Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Environmental Science, Geography, Geology, Maths, Physics.

Extended Project

A

For applicants taking the EPQ qualification, an A in the EPQ can be recognised to lower the entry requirements by a single grade. For example, an AAB offer would be "AAB from 3 A-levels or ABB from 3 A-levels and a grade A in the EPQ". Please note that any subject specific requirements must be met.

GCSE/National 4/National 5

You must have or be working towards English language or Welsh language at GCSE grade C/4 or an equivalent (if you require a Tier 4 visa, you must ensure your language qualification complies with UKVI requirements) and GCSE Maths grade C/4 or equivalent qualification (subject and grade). If you are taking A-level Maths (or equivalent), GCSE Maths is not required. Core Maths may also be accepted in place of GCSE Maths.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

30-32

32-31 overall or 665 in 3 HL subjects (with 1 HL science subject) or 31-30 overall or 665-655 in 3 HL subjects (with 2 HL science subjects). Acceptable science subjects: Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Environmental Science, Geography, Geology, Maths, Physics.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DDM-DMM

Accepted subjects: Animal Science, Applied Science, Engineering, Health Science, ICT, or Sports and Exercise Science.

Acceptance of T Levels for this programme will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the Academic School. Consideration will be given to the T Level grade/subject and grades/subjects achieved at GCSE/Level 2.

The Welsh Baccalaureate Skills Challenge Certificate will be accepted in place of one A-level at the A-level grades specified, excluding any subject specific requirements.

UCAS Tariff

112-128

We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.

About this course


Course option

4years

Full-time with time abroad | 2024

Subject

Exploration geology

People have been using Earth’s natural resources like metals, minerals, oil and gas for centuries to build our towns and cities, power our homes, and to make the vehicles, devices and tools that we depend on. New resources are increasingly hard to find and require specialist skills and technology to locate and exploit responsibly.
On our Exploration Geology course, you will learn how the Earth’s processes have created the planet’s natural resources and how to explore for them to meet future demand. You will develop skills in fieldwork (both above and underground), data analysis and confident decision making and use modern exploration software.

We make the most of our location and take regular field trips to explore mining sites across Wales. There will also be opportunities to do overseas trips, in the past we’ve been to Spain and Cyprus.

On this four-year programme, you can spend one academic year studying at one of our partner universities abroad. Studying abroad is a fantastic opportunity to experience other cultures and viewpoints, learning the different styles and approaches to your subject in another country and exploring new physical environments, landscapes and coastlines. You will get the chance to make new friends and contacts from around the world. Plus, you will have the opportunity to develop a wealth of life skills and strengths that will help you to compete in an increasingly global workplace, such as adaptability, resourcefulness, and resilience.

Our Regrow Borneo project allows you to offset your flight’s carbon emissions by making an affordable donation to support our tree-planting project in the Lower Kinabatangan rainforest, Sabah, Borneo.

We’ve worked with industry to design our course so you graduate with the specialist skills needed to be a professional exploration geologist. Our degrees are also accredited by the Geological Society, the professional body for geosciences in the UK.

You don’t need to have studied Geology already as we’ll be starting year one with the basic principles to bring everyone to the same level.

**Distinctive Features of the Programme**

- Year Abroad opportunity - Learn while you travel and experience the landscapes or coastlines, education and culture of a different country with the opportunity to complete a year studying at a university abroad.

- History and uniqueness – We have been training mining engineers and geologists for over 100 years. Exploration Geology is the only undergraduate degree in the UK to focus on specialist training in resource exploration and we have strong links to industry through placements and through the Exploration alumni network and its mentoring scheme.

- Student satisfaction - Belong to a small and friendly community of staff and students. Exploration Geology received a score of 100% Overall Satisfaction in the National Student Survey 2019.

- Flexible degree schemes - all of the School’s degrees have a common first semester that introduce you to geosciences and geography. You can then decide whether to stay with your chosen degree or switch to another in the same School. You don’t need to commit to a university abroad until your second year, so there’s plenty of time to consider your options and decide where you would like to explore.

- Hands-on fieldwork - you will get plenty of opportunity to develop your fieldwork skills above and below ground with regular day trips and residential trips in Wales and overseas. We have a former gold mine close to Cardiff and many other outstanding natural landscapes for us to explore.

- Access to the British Geological Survey and National Museum of Wales - our school is in the same building as the Welsh office of the British Geological Survey and next door to the National Museum of Wales. We use the exhibition galleries of the National Museum and material from its collections to enhance our teaching. The British Geological Survey Wales also provide ideas for student projects.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,000
per year
England
£9,000
per year
EU
£28,200
per year
International
£28,200
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,000
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,000
per year
Scotland
£9,000
per year
Wales
£9,000
per year

Extra funding

Cardiff University has many scholarships on offer to our prospective students. Please see our website at http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/funding/scholarships for further information.

The Uni


Course location:

Main Site - Cardiff

Department:

School of Earth and Ocean Sciences

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

88%
Exploration geology

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Earth sciences

Teaching and learning

85%
Staff make the subject interesting
93%
Staff are good at explaining things
84%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
82%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

82%
Library resources
95%
IT resources
86%
Course specific equipment and facilities
75%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

96%
UK students
4%
International students
80%
Male students
20%
Female students
79%
2:1 or above
4%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
B
D

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Earth sciences

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£18,500
med
Average annual salary
96%
med
Employed or in further education
43%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

15%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
9%
Public services and other associate professionals
9%
Conservation and environment professionals

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Earth sciences

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£21k

£21k

£27k

£27k

£30k

£30k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

Explore these similar courses...

Lower entry requirements
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UCAS Points: 72-96
Nearby University
Swansea University | Swansea
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BSc (Hons) 3 Years Full-time with time abroad 2024
UCAS Points: 120-135
Same University
Cardiff University | Cardiff
Exploration Geology
BSc (Hons) 3 Years Full-time with time abroad 2024
UCAS Points: 112-128
Higher entry requirements
University of Exeter | Exeter
Resource and Exploration Geology
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UCAS Points: 128-153

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

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