Direct entry to second year Earth Sciences MGeol (Hons)

It is possible for students applying for the Earth Sciences MGeol single Integrated Masters degree to enter directly into the second year of study, meaning you will complete your degree in four years instead of five.

This option is offered to students with excellent A-Level or International Baccalaureate qualifications.

Students who enter directly into second year will take modules required by the Earth Sciences MGeol programme from the second year on, along with:

Direct entry students will have the opportunity to study abroad during their second year of study.

To find out more information, or to discuss the possibility of direct entry to second year, please contact the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences.

Entry requirements

The University offers different entry requirements, depending on your background. Find out more about Standard and Minimum entry requirements using academic entry explained and see which entry requirements you need to look at using the entry requirements indicator.

For degrees combining more than one subject, the subject with the higher entry requirements determines the grades you need. You will also need to meet any further subject-specific entry requirements as outlined on their pages.

• Standard entry grades:

  AAA, including A in Geology or Environmental Science and A in one of the following subjects: Biology, Chemistry, Geography, Mathematics and Physics.

• Standard entry grades:

  38 (HL 6,6,6), including HL6 in three of the following subjects: Biology, Chemistry, Environmental systems and societies (ES&S), Geography and Physics.

General entry requirements

All applicants must have attained the following qualifications, or equivalent, in addition to the specific entry requirements for individual programmes.

• SQA National 5 (B) in English and one SQA National 5 (B) from the following:

  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Computing science
  • Geography
  • Applications of Mathematics
  • Mathematics
  • Physics
  • Psychology.

• GCSE (5) in English language or English literature, and one GCSE (5) from the following:

  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Computing Science
  • Geography
  • Mathematics
  • Physics
  • Psychology.

Other qualifications

We accept a wide range of qualifications for entry on to our programmes. Please see our entry requirements for more information.

More information on how to apply via other entry routes or accreditation of prior learning and experience can be found on the University’s entry requirements web page.

Do I need to have studied this subject before?

For direct entry to second year, applicants are expected to have studied Geology or Environmental Science at GCE A-Level, or equivalent.

International applicants

If English is not your first language, you will need to provide an English language test score to evidence your English language ability.

Careers

The School is proactive about developing career opportunities, and career activities are provided for all students from first year onwards. Assessment styles imitate real workplace scenarios and many modules in Honours years are supported by visits to and by industry partners, and provide training in industry-standard software packages. As a result, graduates are well prepared for a wide range of career options and graduate employment prospects are consistently among the best in the UK.

There are multiple career options for Earth and environmental sciences graduates, both specifically in the energy, natural resources, and environmental sectors, as well as in wider science and policy areas.

The degrees offered provide advanced training in a wide range of transferable skills, including scientific problem solving, written communication and oral presentation. The high quality of the field training is particularly valued by employers in, for example, the geotechnical sector. 

St Andrews graduates feature amongst all the major Earth science sectors. Recent employers of graduates include:

• Accenture
• BHP Billiton
• BP
• British Geological Survey
• The Civil Service  
• Fugro
• Gemfields
• Geotechnics Ltd.
• Hinkley Point C nuclear power station
• JBA Consulting
• JPMorgan Chase & Co
• The Met Office
• National Museums Scotland
• Norsk Hydro
• Scottish Environmental Protection Agency
• Scottish Natural Heritage.

Many graduates undertake further study, both at MSc and PhD level. Recent PhD destinations include:

• Boulder
• Caltech
• Cambridge
• Durham
• ETH Zurich
• MIT
• Oxford
• Penn State
• Stanford.

The Careers Centre offers one-to-one advice to all students as well as a programme of events to assist students to build their employability skills.