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Physics and geology at university

Hi, TSR newbie here, so do bear with me if I've put this in the wrong forum.

I started to study A level physics and geology this year - I'm in year 12. I've always enjoyed physics, but studing geology is also really interesting and is something I'd like to carry further after A level. So I'm in a bit of a dilemma - do I choose to take geology or physics to degree? I love both of them and would like to do both. I have thought about geophysics, and while that looks ideal, it doesn't include many of the parts of the non-geophysical physics that I am interested in.

I'm planning to apply to the Cambridge Natural Sciences course, which means I'd be able to do Earth Sciences and Physics, at least in the first year. However, for obvious reasons, I really don't want to be relying on the offchance that I (somehow) get into Cambridge, so I need backup plans, especially since I'll need to make five applications anyway.

So my question is this: does anyone know of any other universities which offer courses similar to the Cambridge Tripos which would allow me to study Earth sciences / geology and physics? Has anyone been in a similar position to me? I've done a fair bit of research, but I cannot find anywhere which would allow me to study both, which is surprising because I would have thought that they complement each other rather well.

If it does come down to picking one, and I aim to (one day) have a career which uses both of the subjects, which would be more beneficial to take? Physics, because it will offer a firm theoretical background, or geology, because I will have a wider range of geological skills? I know that that's a very vauge question, but I can't really word it much better.

Any advice? Thanks!
Original post by Charles Tyrrim
Hi, TSR newbie here, so do bear with me if I've put this in the wrong forum.

I started to study A level physics and geology this year - I'm in year 12. I've always enjoyed physics, but studing geology is also really interesting and is something I'd like to carry further after A level. So I'm in a bit of a dilemma - do I choose to take geology or physics to degree? I love both of them and would like to do both. I have thought about geophysics, and while that looks ideal, it doesn't include many of the parts of the non-geophysical physics that I am interested in.

I'm planning to apply to the Cambridge Natural Sciences course, which means I'd be able to do Earth Sciences and Physics, at least in the first year. However, for obvious reasons, I really don't want to be relying on the offchance that I (somehow) get into Cambridge, so I need backup plans, especially since I'll need to make five applications anyway.

So my question is this: does anyone know of any other universities which offer courses similar to the Cambridge Tripos which would allow me to study Earth sciences / geology and physics? Has anyone been in a similar position to me? I've done a fair bit of research, but I cannot find anywhere which would allow me to study both, which is surprising because I would have thought that they complement each other rather well.

If it does come down to picking one, and I aim to (one day) have a career which uses both of the subjects, which would be more beneficial to take? Physics, because it will offer a firm theoretical background, or geology, because I will have a wider range of geological skills? I know that that's a very vauge question, but I can't really word it much better.

Any advice? Thanks!


Hi Charles,

The only universities I know of which offer joint degrees in both Physics and Geology are Aberdeen and Keele. I think that Keele also offers Physics and Geology as a major-minor degree course, where you can do both subjects for the first 2 years of the degree, then specialise in one of them in the third. Another possibility is to study a Geophysics course with an emphasis on physics, such as the BSc Geophysics (Physics) course at Liverpool. That would allow you to study modules related to both geophysics and pure physics.

I would suggest having a think about which careers interest you the most, then research which degrees are the most suitable, as whether geology or physics would be more beneficial really depends on where your interests lie. Also, I know it's stating the obvious, but I'd really recommend having a thorough look at the course content for both geology and physics degrees, as not all Physics and Geology courses are the same. For example, BSc Physics at the University of East Anglia offers quite a few modules which are related to earth sciences, despite it being a Physics degree.

I hope that helps? :smile:
Original post by Charles Tyrrim
Hi, TSR newbie here, so do bear with me if I've put this in the wrong forum.

I started to study A level physics and geology this year - I'm in year 12. I've always enjoyed physics, but studing geology is also really interesting and is something I'd like to carry further after A level. So I'm in a bit of a dilemma - do I choose to take geology or physics to degree? I love both of them and would like to do both. I have thought about geophysics, and while that looks ideal, it doesn't include many of the parts of the non-geophysical physics that I am interested in.

I'm planning to apply to the Cambridge Natural Sciences course, which means I'd be able to do Earth Sciences and Physics, at least in the first year. However, for obvious reasons, I really don't want to be relying on the offchance that I (somehow) get into Cambridge, so I need backup plans, especially since I'll need to make five applications anyway.

So my question is this: does anyone know of any other universities which offer courses similar to the Cambridge Tripos which would allow me to study Earth sciences / geology and physics? Has anyone been in a similar position to me? I've done a fair bit of research, but I cannot find anywhere which would allow me to study both, which is surprising because I would have thought that they complement each other rather well.

If it does come down to picking one, and I aim to (one day) have a career which uses both of the subjects, which would be more beneficial to take? Physics, because it will offer a firm theoretical background, or geology, because I will have a wider range of geological skills? I know that that's a very vauge question, but I can't really word it much better.

Any advice? Thanks!


You need to look beyond degree name and look into the structure of degree. Some Geophysics degrees may include optional non-geophysical physics modules. I know that Edinburgh's Geophysics degree does involve quite a lot of 'normal' physics.

Durham does a Natural Sciences degree, and although you cannot combine Physics and Earth Sciences into a joint honours degree, it is still possible to study both subjects. Get in touch with the department to find out more. Durham also does a Geophysics with Geology degree which might suit you better.

Some Scottish universities allow students to take 'outside subjects' for the first two years of their degree, so you could in theory apply to study Geology but also take physics modules, then in your third year apply to create your own degree (note: this is not always possible, but it sometimes is allowed if you've taken all the core modules in both subjects).

Other options:

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/mathematical-physical-sciences/natural-sciences/core-streams/earth-sciences/geophysical-sciences (can be combined with physics)
http://www.sees.manchester.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/undergraduate-courses/geology-with-planetary-science-bsc/
http://www.bbk.ac.uk/study/2017/undergraduate/programmes/UUBSPSAS_C/
https://www2.uea.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/degree/detail/bsc-natural-sciences
Hi, Leviathan1741 and Snufkin, and thanks very much for your replies.

I've done a bit of research on the universities and courses you both suggested and I've found a few which look interesting. I can see how much the courses differ; I didn't quite appreciate that, so thanks for pointing that out. I think my main problem is that I want a career in geophysics, but I also want to learn about 'proper' physics. I'll have to do a bit more research, but the Aberdeen Geology and Physics course and the Edinburgh Geophysics and Geology course look good. However, as Leviathan said, the UEA physics course does look to have a lot of earth science stuff, and that looks good too. Would it be possible to get into postgraduate geophysics study with a undergraduate degree in physics, if that degree contains a fair bit of geophysics, like the UEA one?

Thanks again!
Original post by Charles Tyrrim
Hi, Leviathan1741 and Snufkin, and thanks very much for your replies.

I've done a bit of research on the universities and courses you both suggested and I've found a few which look interesting. I can see how much the courses differ; I didn't quite appreciate that, so thanks for pointing that out. I think my main problem is that I want a career in geophysics, but I also want to learn about 'proper' physics. I'll have to do a bit more research, but the Aberdeen Geology and Physics course and the Edinburgh Geophysics and Geology course look good. However, as Leviathan said, the UEA physics course does look to have a lot of earth science stuff, and that looks good too. Would it be possible to get into postgraduate geophysics study with a undergraduate degree in physics, if that degree contains a fair bit of geophysics, like the UEA one?

Thanks again!


I'm glad my reply helped :h:

Again, my advice would be to research the Masters courses available which look appealing to you, then check their entry requirements. If physics is listed as a suitable undergraduate degree, then yes it would be okay to take. If the entry requirements say something like 'a good undergraduate degree in a relevant subject', then contacting the subject department directly to ask which degrees are appropriate would be the best option. I know all this research is a bit tedious, but it has to be done if you want to make the best choice :smile:
Original post by Charles Tyrrim
Hi, TSR newbie here, so do bear with me if I've put this in the wrong forum.

I started to study A level physics and geology this year - I'm in year 12. I've always enjoyed physics, but studing geology is also really interesting and is something I'd like to carry further after A level. So I'm in a bit of a dilemma - do I choose to take geology or physics to degree? I love both of them and would like to do both. I have thought about geophysics, and while that looks ideal, it doesn't include many of the parts of the non-geophysical physics that I am interested in.

I'm planning to apply to the Cambridge Natural Sciences course, which means I'd be able to do Earth Sciences and Physics, at least in the first year. However, for obvious reasons, I really don't want to be relying on the offchance that I (somehow) get into Cambridge, so I need backup plans, especially since I'll need to make five applications anyway.

So my question is this: does anyone know of any other universities which offer courses similar to the Cambridge Tripos which would allow me to study Earth sciences / geology and physics? Has anyone been in a similar position to me? I've done a fair bit of research, but I cannot find anywhere which would allow me to study both, which is surprising because I would have thought that they complement each other rather well.

If it does come down to picking one, and I aim to (one day) have a career which uses both of the subjects, which would be more beneficial to take? Physics, because it will offer a firm theoretical background, or geology, because I will have a wider range of geological skills? I know that that's a very vauge question, but I can't really word it much better.

Any advice? Thanks!


The key question here is whether you're insistent on studying Physics and Geology as separate subjects, or whether you're happy to combine them as Geophysics. If the latter is the case then the solution is quite simple because there are a number of very good geophysics courses on offer in the UK. If the former is the case then it's going to be a bit more difficult. There is indeed a lot of overlap between Physics and Earth Sciences but it isn't the case that Geophysics is just doing Physics modules as part of an Earth Sciences degree - Physics in Earth Sciences is generally going to be more applied and less theoretical than a pure Physics degree. Which is not to say that it's 'inferior', it's just a different way of looking at the subject. You're studying Physics to understand an incredibly complex natural system, rather than studying Physics for the sake of it. And because of this difference, I'm not particularly surprised that Physics and Geology isn't some stock, widely offered combination.

As others have mentioned, a number of other universities do offer Natural Sciences courses. When I was applying, I think Durham looked like the next best thing to Cambridge's NatSci but I think UCL might also offer it now. So it certainly is possible to study Geology and Physics separately, however your options will be limited and Cambridge is definitely the stand-out option (which isn't really the case for geophysics).

If you're happy with Geophysics, then you've got more options, in particular, Imperial's Geophysics course is excellent. I'll also do a shameless plug for Oxford's Earth Sciences course which I would genuinely recommend as an alternative to Cambridge's NatSci course because it is also very broad indeed in terms of what you cover and has plenty of physics (in the form of geophysics).

You say that you'd like to have a career that involves both geology and physics... so geophysics. In that case, a geophysics degree would probably be the best. A straight Physics degree would be a close second or equal (or potentially even better if you want to go into something very mathematical like climate science), although this might be a bit painful if you really like geoscience. This is the situation I was (and still am) in, objectively speaking a pure Physics degree would have been the best option for what I want to do in the future but I didn't want to give up geoscience. I could not recommend a pure geology degree if you want to go into geophysics because you're simply not going to have the right mathematical background to prepare you for it.
(edited 7 years ago)
Plagioclase (nice name!) and Leviathan - thanks for the replies: again, I really appreciate them.

Original post by Leviathan1741
Again, my advice would be to research the Masters courses available which look appealing to you, then check their entry requirements. If physics is listed as a suitable undergraduate degree, then yes it would be okay to take.


Thanks, I'll have a look around. There does seem to be a tendancy for universities to offer four year 'integrated' master's degrees, which allow you to go straight to a master's without doing a bachelor's, which look quite appealing, so I might look into those as well.

Original post by Plagioclase
A straight Physics degree would be a close second or equal ... although this might be a bit painful if you really like geoscience.


That's what I was thinking: surely it must be possible to go into geophysics with a physics education: I've looked at websites which give suggestions as to where a physics degree can lead you, and all of them have mentioned geophysics. While, like you said, I'll probably have less of the applied experience than someone with a proper geophysics degree, I will surely still be able to get into the field somehow, and gain experience that way.

If I do a physics degree, then I'll also be able to study all the other non-geoscience bits of physics which interest me: I do really enjoy geoscience, but then I also really enjoy physics, so I don't think it would be too bad for me to do physics.

It might be worth mentioning that my (current) area of interest is geomagnetism, which definately uses a lot of physics, maybe more physics than geophysics. That may change though as I explore more fields.

So I think my plan is this:
Best case scenario: I somehow get into Cambridge and study physics and Earth sciences, and I'm happy because it means I can do both and specialise later.
Otherwise: get a physics degree somewhere else and then go into geophysics.

Sorry for my lack of clarity in these posts by the way: I'm struggling to get all my different options and their respective benefits and and trade-offs straight in my own head at the moment, so I probably sound very muddled, so thanks for answering despite that!

Thanks very much for your help everyone!
Original post by Charles Tyrrim
That's what I was thinking: surely it must be possible to go into geophysics with a physics education: I've looked at websites which give suggestions as to where a physics degree can lead you, and all of them have mentioned geophysics. While, like you said, I'll probably have less of the applied experience than someone with a proper geophysics degree, I will surely still be able to get into the field somehow, and gain experience that way.

If I do a physics degree, then I'll also be able to study all the other non-geoscience bits of physics which interest me: I do really enjoy geoscience, but then I also really enjoy physics, so I don't think it would be too bad for me to do physics.

It might be worth mentioning that my (current) area of interest is geomagnetism, which definately uses a lot of physics, maybe more physics than geophysics. That may change though as I explore more fields.

So I think my plan is this:
Best case scenario: I somehow get into Cambridge and study physics and Earth sciences, and I'm happy because it means I can do both and specialise later.
Otherwise: get a physics degree somewhere else and then go into geophysics.

Sorry for my lack of clarity in these posts by the way: I'm struggling to get all my different options and their respective benefits and and trade-offs straight in my own head at the moment, so I probably sound very muddled, so thanks for answering despite that!

Thanks very much for your help everyone!


If you're happy with the idea of doing a Physics degree then I think that's probably a good way to go. If you're interested in geomagnetism then I wouldn't say a degree in Physics is gong to be any better than a degree in Geophysics because you will do plenty of work on geomagnetism in any geophysics degree (I've had modules in that since year one), but you can definitely go into geophysics from a physics background.
It's worth noting that geophysics is neither geology nor physics; there are specific things you'll cover in this that you won't in either (or both) of the other two, and vice versa. You've sort of indicated an awareness of this but I feel it bears repeating.

In any case, depending on which university you go to, you may be able to take additional modules in physics alongside your core geophysics program. For example, I know you can take at least 2nd year classical mechanics at southampton (and previously some kind of crystal physics/condensed matter type module). You could probably make an argument for thermal/statistical physics type courses as well.

That said, consider exactly what areas of physics you'd like to take that aren't covered in a standard geophysics degree. While some elements of macro/meso scale solid state physics, or thermal/statistical physics could be interesting and relevant for a geophysicist (e.g. heat transfer during extraction of petrochemicals or in mantle processes, or elasticity in solid earth geophysics) some are less so. Quantum is basically useless, unless you want to understand how spectroscopy works (which won't really be relevant in your geophysics career, certainly in industry and most likely in academia). Relativity will only be relevant if you go more into a planetary science route (and not really then even), and quantum condensed matter is totally unrelated really.

So think about WHY you want to study those areas; make sure it's not due to some external factor (e.g. other peoples perceptions etc) rather than an intrinsic interest. You may find doing a straight physics degree and trying to take some geology modules as options (as physics generally have more options than geophysics will) might suit you better, allowing you to tickle an intellectual interest in geology but focusing on a primary interest for a career in physics (or vice versa, although again geology has slightly fewer options; geology and geophysics are closer to pre-professional/vocational training ala engineering compared to physics which is more general academia).
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Original post by Charles Tyrrim
There does seem to be a tendancy for universities to offer four year 'integrated' master's degrees, which allow you to go straight to a master's without doing a bachelor's, which look quite appealing, so I might look into those as well.


You probably know this but just to be clear a key benefit of a 4yr integrated masters is the funding for all 4 years is fully covered by your Student Finance. Whereas an MSc is only covered by the more limited Postgraduate Loan.

BUT there is a wider range of MSc course options than the 4th year of an MSci.

Another point is you can start on an MSci and then, after a year or two, opt to "downgrade" and graduate with a BSc and add an MSc later (or not bother).

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"Thanks, I'll have a look around. There does seem to be a tendancy for universities to offer four year 'integrated' master's degrees, which allow you to go straight to a master's without doing a bachelor's, which look quite appealing, so I might look into those as well."

Just thought I'd give you a bit more clarification about 4 year courses (in England - Scotland is a different case!). Integrated masters courses in geology are usually called MSci, MGeol or MEarthSci - all the same thing, but they are not the same as an MSc (postgraduate masters).

An MSc will usually be very specific and targeted either to further research or industry in one area - for example Hydrogeology, Volcanology, Engineering Geology. Typically, this involves studying taught modules from October-May/June and then undertaking a 3 month research project for your thesis - the whole course will take 1 year. An MSc is not covered by the student loans company (although at the moment English students can get an additional £10,000 loan). When you graduate, you will have two separate grades - your undergraduate grade and postgraduate grade.

An MGeol/MSci is included in your student finance loan, so although you'll technically have a larger debt, you don't have to worry about sourcing funding. Your 4th year is still part of an undergraduate degree so will run for 9 months (October - June). It varies between institutions but generally speaking you will undertake a major research project (50-60% of your final year) which will run throughout the year alongside advanced taught modules/ field courses. Your project will be influenced by the research areas of the department so it's worth looking into that if you have any burning passions at the moment! An MGeol might not be as geared towards a specific industry as an MSc, but you'll be able to take advanced level modules in a broader range, and they are an ideal bridging step between a BSc and a PhD as they prepare you for research and academic writing.

The key 'issue' with an MGeol is that you only graduate at the end of your 4th year, and your 4th year will be the most heavily weighted (which is why they won't let you stay on the course unless you maintain a specified grade). Therefore you could be averaging a first at the end of third year, but graduate with a 2:1 if your 4th year doesn't go so well. Alternatively (and this is often the case) people manage to push their grades up through doing really well on their projects. So long as you maintain hard work and choose a project you're interested in though there's no reason why you wouldn't do really well :smile:

*Edit* also another good point to make is that you have to complete an MGeol/MSci all in one go - you can't take more than a year out (eg for illness, year in industry). As an MSc is a completely separate qualification, you can take out as much time as you want after your undergraduate degree before returning to study.

That's quite a lot to take in, but you won't have to worry about which you want to do at the moment! Your university will let you change from a BSc - MSci/ vice versa potentially up until the start of third year (depending on grades). An MSci will typically have higher entry requirements, so if you're confident you can achieve them you may as well apply for an MSci at the outset (if nothing else, you'll get a 4 year student card regardless of if you change down to a BSc!).

I originally started out on an MGeol course, but didn't feel any of the projects were that relevant to my interests. Also, with the state of the industry when I graduated I thought it better to get a specific MSc, so graduated with a BSc and I'm going to start my masters next year :smile:


"That's what I was thinking: surely it must be possible to go into geophysics with a physics education: I've looked at websites which give suggestions as to where a physics degree can lead you, and all of them have mentioned geophysics. While, like you said, I'll probably have less of the applied experience than someone with a proper geophysics degree, I will surely still be able to get into the field somehow, and gain experience that way."

Yes, this is true. I'm not sure about going into geotechnics/near surface geophysics with a physics undergrad, but I know for certain that petroleum companies (eg Schlumberger and CGG) take on physics/engineering graduates for their graduate programmes. You can also definitely get into planetary geology with a physics undergrad.

Sorry that's ended up as a pretty long post! Feel free to PM me if you have any more questions!
(edited 7 years ago)

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