phd uk geology

Earth Sciences MPhil/PhD

London, Bloomsbury

This is the programme information for 2025 entry

If you require details of the previous year's programme, Earth Sciences MPhil/PhD (2024), click here

UCL Earth Sciences is engaged in world-class research into the processes at work on and within the Earth and other planets. The department has strong links with resources and hazard risk industries, with most graduates finding employment within academia or geoscience-related industries.

UK tuition fees (2025/26)

Overseas tuition fees (2025/26), programme starts, applications accepted.

Entry requirements

A minimum of an upper second-class UK Bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 1

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website .

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree

Our expertise spans the dynamics of the Earth and other planets, the materials they are composed of and their properties, present and past processes occurring at and below their surfaces, the evolution of life and the environment, and the applied geosciences of natural hazards, pollution and resources. Students pursuing a research degree in Earth Sciences will work in one or a combination of these areas.

Who this course is for

This programme is best suited to those seeking to continue their learning and professional development through undertaking independent research, including those aiming for an academic career or research project management in industry. The ability to think critically and to problem solve are especially useful attributes.

What this course will give you

UCL Earth Sciences is one of the leading Earth Sciences departments nationally, ranking 3rd in the UK in the QS World University Rankings 2024 for Earth and Marine Sciences .

World-class facilities are available to our students; these include the rock mechanics, micropalaeontology, and diamond anvil cell labs, the Hazard centre, NERC Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling (hosted by the department), and many state-of-the-art geophysics and geochemistry laboratories. Graduate research students are given the opportunity to contribute and develop their communication and leadership skills as demonstrators, especially in laboratory and field classes. They acquire teaching skills through specially arranged training courses, and are encouraged to benefit from wider activities available to them at UCL.

The London NERC Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) offers between 20 and 30 studentships each year in earth and environmental sciences. Its aim is to attain new standards of excellence in environmental science research training and deliver a transformative inter-disciplinary experience for PhD students in the heart of London. Our students will be trained during the first half-year by 9 of the world's leading research centres, before embarking on their specific projects in one of those institutions, including UCL. Please view the themes and associated PhD projects .

The foundation of your career

Many of our recent graduate research students have moved straight on to postdoctoral research positions at UCL and elsewhere that can then be used as a platform for beginning an academic career. Many others continue their research in government or non-governmental agencies as well as in industry.

Employability

Recent graduates have chosen either to pursue a career in academia as postdoctoral researchers, or seek employment in resource and hazard-risk industries. These have included positions as micropalaeontologists, geologists, hydrogeologists, stratigraphers, sedimentologists, and geophysicists, as well as remote sensing experts in the public (Environment Agency, National Physics Laboratory, NASA) and private sectors (Badley Ashton Reservoir Geoscience).

The department hosts cutting-edge facilities, including the UCL Hazard Centre, the Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling, a large suite of rock and ice physics laboratories, and the London Geochemistry and Isotope Centre. UCL Earth Sciences has strong links with resources and hazard risk industries, climate policy, and with the space sector including the UK's only NASA Regional Planetary Image Facility, Birkbeck's Planetary Sciences and UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory (MSSL). The department and UCL maintain an alumni network where professional events are organised to help new graduates embark on their chosen career.

Teaching and learning

Our research degree programme is purely research-based.

The London NERC Doctoral Training Partnership is a partnership of eight prestigious research organisations across London, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council. Our aim is to attain new standards of excellence in environmental science research training, and deliver a transformative inter-disciplinary experience for PhD students in the heart of London. We currently fund over 140 PhD students in the natural sciences. Find out more on the London NERC DTP website: https://london-nerc-dtp.org/.

Students are assessed through an upgrade report and viva between 9-18 months into the programme. Students are assessed by a final thesis and viva at the end of the PhD.

The research degree programme is a self-directed programme under the supervision of academic experts. You should manage your time for research activities by discussing with your supervisor(s). You can arrange a regular meeting with your supervisor(s). The supervisor meetings usually take place once per week, depending on the status of your research.

A typical full-time PhD student is expected to spend an average of approximately 36.5 hours per week working on their PhD, although this will vary, with some periods of more intensive research.

Research areas and structure

Dynamics and evolution of the crust: rock mechanics; high-pressure/high-temperature mineralogy and geochemistry
Environmental geochemistry: pollution; hydrogeology; hydrochemistry; water resources
Natural hazards: assessment of hazard and risk posed by geological events
Palaeoclimate, palaeobiology and palaeoenvironments: micropalaeontology; vertebrate palaeontology; the Earth’s past climates and environments
Satellite observation and modelling of polar climate and change
Structure, geodynamics and evolution of the Earth and planets.

Research environment

The Department of Earth Sciences is engaged in world-class research into the processes at work on and within the Earth and other planets. The department has strong links with resources and hazard risk industries, with most graduates finding employment within academia or geoscience-related industries.

The length of registration for the research degree programme may depend on types of funding received. It is normally between 3 and 4 years. If you are not ready to submit your thesis within this registered period, you may register as a completing research student (CRS) for one year to write up your thesis.

You will be registered initially as a MPhil degree candidate. Around 9-12 months after your initial registration, you are expected to transfer to the PhD programme after a successful upgrade viva where your progress will be assessed by academic staff other than your primary supervisor.

You are assigned a research panel when you begin your research degree studies, comprising of your primary and secondary supervisor and a panel chair from a different research group. The panel provides support and monitors progress through a series of regular meetings.

You are encouraged to write up your research for peer-reviewed journals during the course of your PhD. You will have many opportunities to attend and present your research at international conferences in the UK and other countries.

The length of registration for the research degree programme may depend on types of funding received. It is normally 5 years. If you are not ready to submit your thesis within this registered period, you may register as a completing research student (CRS) for two year to write up your thesis.

You will be registered initially as a MPhil degree candidate. Around 18-24 months after your initial registration, you are expected to transfer to the PhD programme after a successful upgrade viva where your progress will be assessed by academic staff other than your primary supervisor.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble . Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services team .

Fees and funding

Fees for this course.

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees .

Additional costs

T here are no programme-specific costs.

UCL’s main teaching locations are in zones 1 (Bloomsbury) and zones 2/3 (UCL East). The cost of a monthly 18+ Oyster travel card for zones 1-2 is £114.50. This price was published by TfL in 2024. For more information on additional costs for prospective students and the cost of living in London, please view our estimated cost of essential expenditure at UCL's cost of living guide .

Funding your studies

Our PhDs are funded by a variety of routes, but common ones include UK Research council funding (e.g. NERC, EPSRC, STFC), European funding (e.g. ERC), and collaborations co-sponsored by industrial partners (CASE awards); some PhD students also fund themselves. The cost of a PhD is in two parts: (a) fees and (b) stipend.

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website .

CSC-UCL Joint Research Scholarship

Value: Fees, maintenance and travel (Duration of programme) Criteria Based on academic merit Eligibility: EU, Overseas

Deadlines and start dates are usually dictated by funding arrangements, so check with the department or academic unit to see if you need to consider these in your application preparation. In most cases you should identify and contact potential supervisors before making your application. For more information see our How to apply page.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.