Geology and Physical Geography
UCAS Code: FF68
Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
Required subjects: A Levels: two of Biology, Chemistry, Geography, Geology, Mathematics, or Physics at B. GCSEs: English at C or 4 and Mathematics at A or 7. If you achieved a B or 6 in Mathematics, please contact the College of Science and Engineering Admissions Office.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
34 points with 555 at HL - 32 points with 555 at HL. Required subjects: HL: two of Biology, Chemistry, Geography, Mathematics (from 2021, Mathematics: Analysis and approaches only) or Physics at 5. SL: English at 5 and Mathematics (from 2021, Mathematics: Analysis and approaches only) at 6 (if not at HL). If you do not have Mathematics please contact the College of Science and Engineering Admissions Office.
Scottish Higher
AABB-ABBB by end of S5 or AAAB by end of S6. BBB must be achieved in one year of S4-S6. Required subjects: Highers: two of Biology, Chemistry, Geography, Mathematics, or Physics at B. National 5s: English at C and Mathematics at A. If you achieved a B in Mathematics, please contact the College of Science and Engineering Admissions Office.
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
How can we better understand the Earth we live on?
Do you want to know more about the processes that shape the Earth's surface, and help solve some of the key challenges facing our changing natural world?
This programme offers you the best of both Geology and Physical Geography. It integrates these subjects into an understanding of the Earth from its origin, composition and structure through to how rivers, glaciers, volcanoes, hill slopes and human impact define the modern and ancient landscape at all scales.
Many people confuse geology and geography. Both of these subjects study the Earth and have some overlapping similarities.
- Physical geography is the study of the physical properties on the surface of the Earth.
- Geology is the study of Earth's history, as well as its composition and the processes that have affected it over time.
This programme gives you an integrated scientific understanding of the Earth as a connected system, the topography of which is developed through the interaction of surface and deep Earth processes. This integrated understanding underpins research on global change and some of the world's most pressing physical environmental hazards.
You will develop the skills and knowledge to interpret the landscape as a result of the interactions between tectonics and erosion. Furthermore, you will be able to understand and predict its evolution over a range of temporal and spatial scales.
This programme places a strong emphasis on practical experience. You can explore a variety of techniques such as:
- remote sensing
- geographical information systems (GIS)
- computer modelling
- laboratory experiments
- fieldwork in a variety of settings
If you choose to study this programme at the University of Edinburgh, you will become part of an academic community in one of the leading geosciences departments in the UK, and one of the top-ranked universities in the world. You will learn from geologists and geographers who are the forefront and drivers of change and are undertaking world-leading research in a wide range of areas.
Tuition fees
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The Uni
Central area campus
School of GeoSciences
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.
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.
Physical geographical sciences
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
Earth sciences
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
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.
Physical geographical 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.
Top job areas of graduates
Geology
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.
Top job areas of graduates
The market for geologists is has been quite linked to the oil industry for some time now, and the drop in the price of oil has meant the industry has stopped recruiting as many people for the time being. Geologists are still in demand, though, so the main effect has been to reduce the opportunities - and salaries - for geologists working abroad. At home, the oil industry remains a big employer, and so are the mining, civil engineering, construction and consultancy industries, with geology graduates working as geologists, geophysicists, civil engineers and environmental professionals.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Geography, earth and environmental studies
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£20k
£28k
£29k
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.
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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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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).
You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.
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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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