Environmental Geoscience MRes
Start in: September 2022
Develop the advanced skills and knowledge required for further academic study or research-focused industry roles in environmental geoscience.
Overview
You'll choose your own unique pathway and develop your skills and interests within environmental geoscience. You'll explore these ideas in-depth via your dissertation. You'll lead and develop a research project at the forefront of research. Expert academics from across the environmental geosciences at Newcastle University will support you.
You'll gain advanced research skills from our scientific skills module. Our broad range of optional modules allows you to pursue your interests and build a unique portfolio of skills and knowledge.
You'll gain the advanced skills required to conduct research within environmental geoscience. This will provide excellent preparation for those interested in a research-focused job and/or further academic study. Potential roles include:
- environmental consultancy
- environmental management
- government agencies (eg Natural England)
- GIS / remote sensing consultancy
- further postgraduate study (PhD)
Important information
We've highlighted important information about your course. Please take note of any deadlines.
Please rest assured we make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the programmes, services and facilities described. However, it may be necessary to make changes due to significant disruption.
Given the changing nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, the commitments outlined are subject to guidelines that may be in place from time to time.
View our COVID-19 Study page, which gives information about your Newcastle University study experience for the academic year 2022-23.
See our terms and conditions and student complaints information
What you'll learn
Research skills
The programme will help develop the skills to:
- formulate and test your own research questions
- identify and evaluate appropriate research methods
- synthesise complex information and key theories
Data analysis & practical skills
The programme will give you:
- understanding of key concepts, theories and ideas, within your area of environmental geosciences
- knowledge of a range of appropriate, advanced methods used within environmental geosciences
- ability to acquire, process and analyse relevant scientific datasets
- proficiency in a range of quantitative data analysis techniques
- advanced IT skills and capability with specialist software
Modules
You will study modules on this course. A module is a unit of a course with its own approved aims and outcomes and assessment methods.
Module information is intended to provide an example of what you will study.
Our teaching is informed by research. Course content changes periodically to reflect developments in the discipline, the requirements of external bodies and partners, and student feedback.
Full details of the modules on offer will be published through the Programme Regulations and Specifications ahead of each academic year. This usually happens in May.
Optional modules availability
Some courses have optional modules. Student demand for optional modules may affect availability.
To find out more please see our terms and conditions.
Compulsory modules
Optional modules
You will take 40 credits of optional modules, which can be chosen from across a wide range of Environmental Geoscience topics. This allows you to follow your interests and build a portfolio of relevant skills and knowledge from across Environmental Geoscience.
The following optional modules are suitable for this stream, to help guide your choice. However, you may choose modules from different streams. All module choices must be approved by your supervisor before they are finalised.
Compulsory modules
Optional modules
You will take 40 credits of optional modules, which can be chosen from across a wide range of Environmental Geoscience topics. This allows you to follow your interests and build a portfolio of relevant skills and knowledge from across Environmental Geoscience.
The following optional modules are suitable for this stream, to help guide your choice. However, you may choose modules from different streams. All module choices must be approved by your supervisor before they are finalised.
Compulsory modules
Optional modules
You will take 40 credits of optional modules, which can be chosen from across a wide range of Environmental Geoscience topics. This allows you to follow your interests and build a portfolio of relevant skills and knowledge from across Environmental Geoscience.
The following optional modules are suitable for this stream, to help guide your choice. However, you may choose modules from different streams. All module choices must be approved by your supervisor before they are finalised.
- Air Pollution
- Sources, Fates and Control of Pollutants
- Introduction to Microbiology and Microbial Transformation of Pollutants
- Remediating Contaminated Land
- Environmental Inorganic Analysis
- Environmental Organic Matter
- Environmental Geophysics
- Environmental Impact Assessment
- Environmental Engineering for Developing Countries
- Business and Environmental Management
- Global health in the Anthropocene
Compulsory modules
Optional modules
You will take 40 credits of optional modules, which can be chosen from across a wide range of Environmental Geoscience topics. This allows you to follow your interests and build a portfolio of relevant skills and knowledge from across Environmental Geoscience.
The following optional modules are suitable for this stream, to help guide your choice. However, you may choose modules from different streams. All module choices must be approved by your supervisor before they are finalised.
- Quantitative Methods for Engineering
- Theory and Application in Geographic Information Systems
- Geographic Information Systems
- Introduction to Surveying for Town Planning
- Data Management and Exploratory Data Analysis
- Image Processing and Computer Vision
- Internet of Things and Wireless Sensor Networks (Coursework)
Compulsory modules
Optional modules
You will take 40 credits of optional modules, which can be chosen from across a wide range of Environmental Geoscience topics. This allows you to follow your interests and build a portfolio of relevant skills and knowledge from across Environmental Geoscience.
The following optional modules are suitable for this stream, to help guide your choice. However, you may choose modules from different streams. All module choices must be approved by your supervisor before they are finalised.
How you'll learn
Teaching methods will depend on the optional modules you choose. You’ll be taught using a range of methods, including:
- lectures
- seminars
- practical lab sessions
- group work
- computer classes
Depending on your modules, you'll be assessed through a combination of:
- Computer assessment
- Dissertation
- Essay
- Lab exercise
- Oral presentation
- Practical lab report
- Poster
- Portfolio
- Problem-solving exercises
- Report
- Research proposal
- Thesis
- Written examination
- Written exercise
For the dissertation module, you'll submit a proposal in mid-December, which is worth 5% of your mark for the dissertation module. This is to provide you with feedback on your research ideas and to act as a checkpoint for you and your mentor.
You'll submit a draft thesis in July, for feedback from your mentor. This is formative and provides you with an important opportunity to improve your work.
Your final dissertation will be submitted in August. It has a maximum word count of 25,000 words and should be an original piece of work. It is marked by an internal and an external examiner.
MRes students aren't assigned personal tutors, as they are PGR. They can contact their mentors in S2 and S3, and the DPD in the first semester.
Our mission is to help you:
- stay healthy, positive and feeling well
- overcome any challenges you may face during your degree – academic or personal
- get the most out of your postgraduate research experience
- carry out admin and activities essential to progressing through your degree
- understand postgraduate research processes, standards and rules
We can offer you tailored wellbeing support, courses and activities.
You can also access a broad range of workshops covering:
- research and professional skills
- careers support
- wellbeing
- health and safety
- public engagement
- academic development
You’ll join a vibrant research community at Newcastle University, which spans all aspects of Environmental Geoscience. Our staff come from across the relevant faculties and disciplines at Newcastle University to provide a pool of expertise in environmental geoscience research. These include:
Your development
Professional skills
During the environmental geoscience programme, you'll develop a number of key transferable skills, which are vital for your future career, including:
- being able to communicate to a high standard, via written material and oral presentations, to both specialist and non-specialist audiences
- being able to work effectively as a member of a team
- the ability to deal with complex issues, both systematically and creatively
- being able to demonstrate self-direction and originality in solving problems and tackling tasks
- having excellent time management and planning skills
- having the capacity to lead, manage and implement an in-depth project, including:
- writing initial proposals
- developing the project idea
- planning data collection
- data analysis
- producing a publishable quality output
Your future
Careers
Potential roles include:
- environmental consultancy
- environmental management
- government agencies (eg Natural England)
- GIS / remote sensing consultancy
- further postgraduate study (PhD)
Graduate destinations
The programme prepares you for further academic study or research-focused industry roles. Our recent students have undertaken a wide range of roles including:
- graduate environmental consultant at Aval Consulting Group Ltd.
- environmental research and communications intern at the ESG Foundation.
Our Careers Service
Our award-winning Careers Service is one of the largest and best in the country, and we have strong links with employers. We provide an extensive range of opportunities to all students through our ncl+ initiative.
Quality and ranking
All professional accreditations are reviewed regularly by their professional body
From 1 January 2021 there is an update to the way professional qualifications are recognised by countries outside of the UK
Facilities
The MRes in Environmental Geoscience is cross-faculty and cross-disciplinary. Access to facilities may be limited to allow social distancing and to adhere to government restrictions. We have a broad range of cutting-edge facilities, equipment and laboratories, including:
Computing and study facilities
You'll have access to a dedicated high-performance PC cluster. The cluster has appropriate specialist software, including:
- remote sensing
- GIS
- programming software
You'll be given the choice of a desktop or laptop computer to use for your work for the duration of the programme.
You'll be located within your home school (ie the school where your primary supervisor is located). This will help you to organise meetings with your supervisor and integrate into the research community. As a minimum, you'll be provided with hot-desk facilities for your daily work and may be given a dedicated desk, dependant on student numbers.
Laboratories and workshops
Our geomorphology and sediment, chemistry and biology laboratories are used for a combination of teaching and research.
Our research specific laboratories comprise:
- Biology Laboratory
- Chemistry Laboratory
- Cosmogenic Isotope Laboratory
- Geomorphology and Sediment Laboratories
- Organic Geochemistry Laboratory
- Palaeoecology Laboratory
- Spatial Analysis Laboratory
- Microscopy Laboratory
- Geomicrobiology Laboratory
- Martian Science Laboratory
- Rock eval analysis.
Field equipment
Our extensive pool of field equipment includes a range of technologies for:
- topographic survey (levels, hand-held GPS, robotic and manual total stations, laser range-finders and Leica-differential GPS)
- soil and sediment sampling (corers and augers for inorganic and organic sediment, gravity and piston corers for use in lakes)
- biological and chemical analysis (aquatic kick nets, YSI water column chemistry sonde, portable HACH-Lange spectrophotometers, ultra-meters),
- hydrological analysis (including stage recorders, rugged digital cameras and multi-parameter probes)
We also have 4x4 vehicles for field use.
Geophysical equipment:
- Ice radar 5MHz and 10MHz antenna sets (An integrated lightweight ice-penetrating radar system)
- Groundvue7 GPR with 100 MHz and 40 MHz antennas
- Groundvue3 GPR with 250 MHz and 400 MHz antennas.
Research Vessels
Newcastle University has a new state-of-the-art research vessel, The Princess Royal.
We also have a number of small inflatable boats, complete with outboard motors.
Newcastle University Farms
For the plot to farm scale research, we use the University's NU-Farms:
Nafferton Farm, which is 12 miles west of Newcastle, is home to the internationally recognised Nafferton Ecological Farming Group and a unique farm-scale comparison of organic vs conventional crop and dairy production systems.
Cockle Park Farm, 18 miles north of Newcastle, is the centre for agri-technology development for Newcastle University and is part of the Centre for Crop Health and Protection.
Dove Marine Laboratory
The laboratory has a proud history of supporting excellence in Marine Science research, education and outreach for more than a century. It has a wide range of equipment, which is detailed on the laboratory web pages.
Great North Museum: Hancock
The Great North Museum: Hancock holds the Newcastle University Mineral Collection. The collection consists of approximately 9,000 minerals from UK and worldwide localities and contains some extremely rare and valuable specimens.
The fossil collections contain vertebrate, invertebrate and botanical specimens. The collection of fossil plants is one of the most important within the museum.
Fees and funding
Tuition fees for 2022 entry (per year)
If your studies last longer than one year, your tuition fee may increase in line with inflation.
Depending on your residency history, if you’re a student from the EU, other EEA or a Swiss national, with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you’ll normally pay the ‘Home’ tuition fee rate and may be eligible for Student Finance England support.
EU students without settled or pre-settled status will normally be charged fees at the ‘International’ rate and will not be eligible for Student Finance England support.
If you are unsure of your fee status, check out the latest guidance here.
Scholarships
We support our EU and international students by providing a generous range of Vice-Chancellor's automatic and merit-based scholarships. See our searchable postgraduate funding page for more information.
What you're paying for
Tuition fees include the costs of:
- matriculation
- registration
- tuition (or supervision)
- library access
- examination
- re-examination
- graduation
Some of our degrees involve additional costs which are not covered by your tuition fees.
Find out more about:
- additional costs
- living costs
- tuition fees, including how to pay them and available discounts
If you are an international student or a student from the EU, EEA or Switzerland and you need a visa to study in the UK, you may have to pay a deposit.
You can check this in the How to apply section.
If you're applying for funding, always check the funding application deadline. This deadline may be earlier than the application deadline for your course.
For some funding schemes, you need to have received an offer of a place on a course before you can apply for the funding.
Search for funding
Find funding available for your course
Entry requirements
The entrance requirements below apply to 2022 entry.
Qualifications from outside the UK
English Language requirements
How to apply
Using the application portal
The applicant portal has instructions to guide you through your application. It will tell you what documents you need and how to upload them.
You can choose to start your application, save your details and come back to complete it later.
If you’re ready, you can select Apply Online and you’ll be taken directly to the applicant portal.
Alternatively you can find out more about applying on our applications and offers pages.
Apply Online
Open days and events
You'll have a number of opportunities to meet us throughout the year including:
- campus tours
- on-campus open days
- virtual open days
- webinars
Find out about how you can visit Newcastle in person and virtually
Overseas events
We regularly travel overseas to meet with students interested in studying at Newcastle University.
Get in touch
Questions about this course?
If you have specific questions about this course you can contact:
School of Geography Politics and Sociology
Telephone: +44 (0) 191 208 3921
Email: Geographyadmissions@newcastle.ac.uk
Online
For more general enquiries you could also complete our online enquiry form.
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