Our flexible courses have been developed to meet the needs of industry and provide you with the skills you need to succeed. You will graduate with the scientific foundations and transferable skills to move directly into the workplace or to progress to a more specialised postgraduate qualification.

Career prospects for Durham graduates are excellent. Geology and Earth Sciences graduates are highly valued by employers and go on to a wide range of highly successful careers in the sector and beyond, working in industry and research, including environmental management, water management, energy and engineering geology. Some of the high-profile employers our graduates have gone on to work for include ATKINS, ARUP, Centrica and the Environment Agency.

Of those students who graduated in 2020-21:

• 88% in work or further study.

Of those in employment:

• 86% in highly or medium skilled employment.
• £31,000 is the average salary.

(Source: Source: HESA Graduate Outcomes Survey. The survey asks leavers from higher education what they are doing 15 months after Graduation. Further information about the Graduate Outcomes survey can be found here www.graduateoutcomes.ac.uk)

Our lives on Earth are at a turning point. Studying Earth Sciences provides knowledge and insight into the implications of this and explores society’s options to secure a sustainable future for the Earth, its environment and its inhabitants.

Earth Sciences is the holistic study of the planet from the core to the surface, its water and the surrounding atmosphere.

Durham is one of the UK’s leading providers of Earth Sciences education. We offer six undergraduate courses, four of which are accredited by The Geological Society of London. Our courses explore the full geological spectrum including climate change, oceans, mass extinctions, rocks and minerals, volcanoes, and the structure and chemistry of the Earth. Our multidisciplinary approach applies physics, chemistry, mathematics, biology and physical geography to real world scenarios to make sense of today's major geoscience concerns.

Course structures are flexible with a balance of formal teaching, fieldwork and active learning to put your theoretical knowledge into practice. You can tailor your degree to your interests through the wide range of optional modules and you may also be able to spend a year studying abroad, extending your degree by a year. All our degree courses are informed by the latest pure and applied research, and you can be sure your education is in sync with the latest thinking and will help you on your journey to a profession in the Earth Sciences sector and beyond.

For more information see our department pages.

Rankings

• 7th in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025

• 6th in The Guardian University Guide 2025

• 8th in The Complete University Guide 2026

Staff

For a current list of staff, please see our department web pages.

Facilities

Our teaching takes place in the modern, purpose-built Arthur Holmes Building, located on the main University Mountjoy campus, close to other departments, colleges, the Bill Bryson library and the Teaching and Learning Centre.