Geology BSc
ABB – BBB at A level, A-level Science subject at Grade B; graduates earn a median £24,000 three years on.
Typical A level offer
ABB – BBB
A-level Science subject at Grade B · 70% of entrants came with A levels · 95% stay on after year 1 · Glasgow course page, Discover Uni
Year 13 · applying
What do you need to get in?
ABB – BBBtypical A level offer
Typical offer — the grades most applicants are asked for. A contextual offer can be lower for applicants from under-represented backgrounds; none is published for this course.
Glasgow course page, read 19 September 2026 · Discover Uni entry profile
- 1A-level Science subject at Grade B
Who actually got in: 70% with A levels, 5% with the IB, 25% via Access courses. 15% arrived with 208 or more UCAS tariff points — roughly A*A*A or better. Based on 20 entrants.
UCAS tariff points — a points scale for grades: A* = 56, A = 48, so A*A*A = 160. Entrants’ totals include extra subjects.
Other qualifications2
| Qualification | Typical offer | Required subjects |
|---|---|---|
| Scottish Highers | AAABminimum from S5: BBBB | Two Higher Science subjects at AA. (AB may be considered). |
| IB | 32 (5,5,5) | HL Science subject. |
Years 1–4
What do you study?
2compulsory modules in year 1
Compulsory modules this year: natural sciences 65% · green & sustainability 18% · transversal skills 7% · language & communication 7%.
Module — one course unit, usually a term or a year long; “core” means everyone takes it. One UK credit is about ten hours of study; a full year is 120 credits.
Glasgow course page · optional modules vary by year
Year 1 · 2 core · 40 credits ≈ 400 hours
- Earth Science 1A
What you learn (13)
- explain volcanic processes and associated hazards
- explain the formation of igneous rocks
- explain how weathering breaks down rocks
- explain how sediment transport, deposition and lithification form sedimentary rocks
- explain how landscapes form and change over time
- identify different types of rocks and sediments from their textures
- deduce the origin of rocks and sediments from their characteristics
- explain sources of surface pollution and their environmental effects
- describe methods used to remediate environmental pollution
- research geological and environmental topics using diverse sources
- present scientific findings clearly in poster form
- describe geological and environmental features observed in the field
- interpret field observations to determine feature formation
- Earth Science 1B
What you learn (15)
- describe the formation and internal structure of the Earth
- explain the evidence supporting plate tectonic theory
- describe natural hazards associated with plate tectonic activity
- explain how rock deformation produces faults and folds
- interpret geological histories from deformation structures
- use fossils and proxy data to reconstruct past environments
- apply fossil and proxy evidence to interpret climate change and plate motions
- explain the causes and consequences of anthropogenic climate change
- analyse climate modelling and data for past, present and future scenarios
- identify hazards associated with climate change
- analyse geological maps, cross sections and 3D models
- apply spatial geological analysis to environmental problem solving
- research an earth science topic using appropriate sources
- create data visualisations to present scientific findings
- write a concise scientific description of research findings
Year 2 · 2 core · 60 credits ≈ 600 hours
- Earth Science 2A
What you learn (12)
- explain core processes involved in sedimentary rock formation
- explain core processes involved in igneous rock formation
- identify rock-forming minerals in thin section using a microscope
- interpret rock types and structures observed in the field
- explain how fluids move and accumulate within subsurface rock formations
- explain pathways by which pollutants enter water systems
- explain the effects of pollutants on aquatic environments
- analyse spatial datasets using computational techniques
- analyse quantitative datasets using computational techniques
- explain the formation of natural resources and their geological context
- evaluate the economic potential of natural resources
- explain sustainable approaches to resource extraction
- Earth Science 2B
What you learn (14)
- explain methods used to reconstruct past climates and environments
- apply numerical and analytical methods to interpret environmental records
- relate past environmental change to future climate challenges
- interpret geological maps and cross sections to identify spatial patterns
- analyse four-dimensional geological and environmental change across scales
- identify and describe rock types and surface deposits in field and laboratory settings
- construct geological maps and cross sections from field observations
- explain spatial and temporal relationships between geological units
- describe techniques used to investigate the Earth's internal structure
- discuss geochemical and geophysical approaches to determine Earth composition
- explain processes of rock deformation and resulting structural features
- use structural features to reconstruct geological history and landscape evolution
- explain geological and geophysical features of plate tectonic boundaries
- discuss global processes driving plate tectonics
Year 3 · 5 core · 120 credits ≈ 1,200 hours
- Sedimentary Systems and Deposits
What you learn (9)
- analyse sedimentary facies to interpret depositional environments
- examine processes and characteristics of different depositional environments
- determine basin fill history from sedimentary evidence
- explain controls on sediment diagenesis
- explain how diagenesis affects porosity and permeability
- relate diagenetic processes to industrial applications
- evaluate the use of sequence stratigraphy in analysing basins
- interpret sedimentary data using graphical logs from field and laboratory work
- apply gis techniques to analyse sedimentary basin systems
- Geological Skills
What you learn (9)
- apply field methods to collect geological data
- interpret geological data gathered from field investigations
- construct geological maps and cross-sections from field data
- interpret geological maps and cross-sections to identify structures
- apply three-dimensional geological interpretation to solve practical problems
- evaluate geological data critically for reliability and significance
- synthesise geological data to form coherent conclusions
- synthesise academic and professional literature on geological topics
- evaluate the quality and relevance of academic and professional sources
- Minerals, Metals and Materials for Sustainable Futures
What you learn (9)
- explain the geological origin and setting of ore and industrial mineral deposits
- identify economically significant minerals and rocks from hand specimens
- evaluate the geological associations of economically relevant materials
- appraise the economic viability and criticality of ore and mineral deposits
- use field, analytical and spatial datasets to assess mineral deposit significance
- evaluate exploration techniques used to locate mineral and material resources
- evaluate sustainable methods for extracting, processing and remediating mineral resources
- describe the stages of the mining life cycle from exploration to closure
- discuss the role of local communities in mining operations and closure
- Igneous and Metamorphic Geology
What you learn (16)
- describe textures and features of volcanic rocks
- infer eruption history and deposition mode from rock evidence
- explain partial melting processes that generate magma
- explain how magma composition evolves during ascent and cooling
- explain metamorphic reactions that transform rock mineralogy
- explain methods used to generate geochemical data from rock samples
- evaluate quality control procedures applied to geochemical datasets
- interpret geochemical data to draw geological conclusions
- compare geochronology techniques used for dating rocks
- critique the suitability of dating methods for igneous and metamorphic contexts
- process raw geochemical and geochronological datasets
- present geochemical and geochronological results using appropriate graphical formats
- model geochemical and geochronological data to test geological hypotheses
- interpret metamorphic rock textures at micro and macro scales
- assess pressure-temperature changes from metamorphic reaction evidence
- evaluate how tectonic settings control magmatic and metamorphic processes
- Orogens and Basins: Structure and Resources
What you learn (8)
- discuss structural features across varied tectonic settings
- explain the formation and evolution of orogens and basins
- describe three-dimensional structural geometries of deformed rocks
- apply computational structural models to interpret deformation histories
- analyse diverse geological datasets to reconstruct earth history
- explain processes forming and accumulating geological resources
- describe methods of exploiting geological resources and storage potential
- evaluate the resource and storage potential of sedimentary basin case studies
Year 4 · 12 core · 210 credits ≈ 2,100 hours
- Climates: Past and Future
What you learn (11)
- explain the physical forces shaping earth's climate and weather systems
- compare major climate events of the last 65 million years
- relate past climate trends to modern climate change context
- evaluate rates and timescales of climate change driven by internal and external forces
- explain how feedback mechanisms influence climate change
- describe common archives and proxies used for palaeoclimate reconstruction
- evaluate the reliability and limitations of palaeoclimate proxy methods
- analyse palaeoclimate and modern climate datasets to build climate records
- apply climate record findings to inform future climate action
- collaborate within a team to address climate change problems
- synthesise information from multiple sources to support climate analysis
- Independent Geology Dissertation
What you learn (9)
- design and carry out an independent research project to test a hypothesis
- gather and record relevant data appropriate to a research question
- process and interpret collected data to address a research question
- discuss processed findings in relation to the research question
- evaluate sources of uncertainty and error within collected data
- compose a technical report synthesising research findings
- present research outcomes orally to an audience
- respond to questions and discussion about the research conducted
- reflect critically on personal performance and academic conduct during the project
- Geological Hazards
What you learn (10)
- evaluate hazards associated with volcanic activity
- describe methods used to monitor active volcanoes
- explain strategies for mitigating volcanic hazards
- evaluate effects of volcanic emissions on air quality
- evaluate effects of volcanic emissions on water quality
- evaluate seismic hazards in active tectonic regions
- determine focal mechanism solutions for earthquakes
- perform probabilistic seismic hazard analysis
- evaluate landslide hazards in tectonically active and stable settings
- evaluate subsidence hazards in tectonically active and stable settings
- Engineering Geology: Geotechnical and Environmental
What you learn (14)
- explain methods and equipment used in intrusive ground investigations
- describe the set-up and logging of a trial pit
- describe soil and core samples according to recognised standards
- produce borehole and trial pit logs from site data
- explain the basis of risk-based assessment for contaminated land
- carry out qualitative and quantitative environmental risk assessments
- interpret geological and historical maps to evaluate site ground conditions
- conduct a field survey to assess a site's historical development
- identify geotechnical and environmental constraints affecting development
- calculate whether shallow foundations are suitable for supporting structures
- determine whether piling or ground improvement is needed for structural support
- outline strategies for environmental remediation of a site
- calculate the stability of slopes using quantitative methods
- evaluate suitable methods for slope and ground stabilisation
- Planetary Science
What you learn (4)
- explain the role of extinct radioisotopes in planetary differentiation
- analyse planetary surface features in remote sensing imagery
- evaluate the habitability potential of mars versus other solar system environments
- discuss evidence for a past thicker atmosphere and wetter climate on mars
- Environmental Aqueous Geochemistry
What you learn (6)
- explain how natural and human processes affect composition of natural waters
- assess the relative impact of environmental and human factors on water chemistry
- construct conceptual models of contaminant behaviour in subsurface environments
- calculate contaminant reactivity and toxicity using numerical modelling tools
- design remediation strategies for contaminated water systems
- critique sources of uncertainty in geochemical data and models
- Hydrogeology
What you learn (7)
- explain how geological processes form aquifers and aquitards
- explain how natural and human factors affect groundwater flow through porous media
- evaluate the relative impact of environmental and human controls on groundwater movement
- evaluate the sustainability of groundwater abstraction given finite supplies
- design remediation strategies for groundwater pollution using field and analytical data
- evaluate the effectiveness of proposed groundwater remediation strategies
- assess sources of uncertainty in hydrogeological data and models
- Landscape Dynamics
What you learn (9)
- describe major hypotheses explaining landscape evolution
- critically evaluate competing geomorphological theories
- explain processes that shape landscape change over time
- relate landscape morphometry to underlying driving processes
- apply numerical and geochemical techniques to quantify landscape change
- use GIS tools to analyse landscape evolution data
- evaluate the suitability of quantitative methods for landscape studies
- evaluate research methods for investigating surface and tectonic processes
- judge appropriate spatial and temporal scales for process analysis
- Advanced Geological Skills
What you learn (8)
- describe rock types found within an ancient tectonic setting
- determine the mode of formation of rocks from field characteristics
- integrate field evidence and diverse datasets into a coherent interpretation
- construct geological models from combined field and dataset information
- address an applied geoscience question independently
- synthesise geological data from multiple sources
- critically evaluate geological data and interpretations
- present findings to an academic audience
- GIS A:Applied Spatial Analysis
What you learn (9)
- explain the core principles and operation of gis
- describe characteristics of raster and vector data models
- compare raster and vector data models for different applications
- explain why coordinate reference systems are needed in gis
- describe the process of georeferencing spatial data
- explain various spatial analysis operations used in gis
- discuss how gis supports solving geographical problems
- apply a commercial gis software to perform spatial analysis tasks
- design effective maps using gis software
- GIS B:Theory & Practice
What you learn (8)
- explain principles underlying geodatabase design
- design a geodatabase for a given simple application
- explain why metadata is needed in gis systems
- discuss standards relevant to gis data
- discuss data quality issues affecting gis
- solve spatial problems using gis analysis techniques
- present results of a gis analysis clearly
- evaluate the application of gis to selected case studies
- Glacial Landsystems
What you learn (8)
- explain processes driving landscape change during the Quaternary period
- describe quantitative methods used to study Quaternary environments
- apply quantitative methods to analyse Quaternary case studies
- collect field and laboratory data on sediment sequences
- interpret past environmental conditions from sedimentary evidence
- interpret landscape data outputs generated by spatial software
- produce a geomorphological map from aerial photographs and field observations
- evaluate current debates within Quaternary science research
“What you learn” restates each module’s published learning outcomes in our own words, as short skill statements in the same form as the GCSE and A level curriculum, with the help of an AI model; fields of knowledge follow the twelve fields of the knowledge sphere. The university’s module page, linked from each title, is the authoritative description.
After graduating
Where does it lead?
£24,000median pay three years after graduating
Lower quarter£21k
Median£24k
Upper quarter£27k
Median — the middle earner: half earned more, half less. Pay is for graduates of this subject at this university who finished in 2016-18, not adjusted for inflation; based on 55 graduates.
Discover Uni dataset (HESA and Office for Students, CC BY 4.0, contains HESA data); earnings from the Longitudinal Education Outcomes data (Department for Education) · aggregation level 24, 14, 13, 23
Half of graduates earned between £21,000 and £27,000. Five years on, the median is £31,000. 95% were in work or further study 15 months after finishing; 80% of those in work were in professional or managerial jobs.
All outcome figures7
| Measure | Value | Based on |
|---|---|---|
| Continue after year 15% left | 95% | 15 |
| In work or study, 15 months on20% studying | 95% | 15 |
| Professional or managerial job | 80% | 15 |
| Pay 15 months on, median | £28,000 | 10 |
| Pay 3 years on, median | £24,000 | 55 |
| Pay 5 years on, median | £31,000 | 60 |
National Student Survey 2025-26
What do students say?
65%agreed the course was good overall (question 26)
NSS — a yearly survey of final-year students at every UK university; 77% of this course’s final year answered. Small groups can swing a lot year to year.
National Student Survey, via Discover Uni · 15 students answered
Highest: 100% agreed on question 1; lowest: 65% on question 26.
All questions26
| Question | Agree |
|---|---|
| Question 1 | 100% |
| Question 2 | 88% |
| Question 3 | 94% |
| Question 4 | 88% |
| Question 5 | 76% |
| Question 6 | 94% |
| Question 7 | 88% |
| Question 8 | 82% |
| Question 9 | 100% |
| Question 10 | 88% |
| Question 11 | 94% |
| Question 12 | 88% |
| Question 13 | 94% |
| Question 14 | 82% |
| Question 15 | 94% |
| Question 16 | 82% |
| Question 17 | 71% |
| Question 18 | 76% |
| Question 19 | 75% |
| Question 20 | 100% |
| Question 21 | 82% |
| Question 22 | 94% |
| Question 23 | 76% |
| Question 24 | 65% |
| Question 25 | 73% |
| Question 26 | 65% |
Question texts are published by the Office for Students; the dataset carries only the question numbers.
Modules, entry requirements and fees are facts read from University of Glasgow’s course page on 2026-09-19 and may change; the university’s page is authoritative. Descriptions are not reproduced. Outcome figures are from the Discover Uni dataset. University of Glasgow is a trade mark of the university; sch.today is independent of it.