Undergraduate

Summary of courses for prospective students

The undergraduate programme in Geosciences

In Trinity, the teaching term from 2018/19 onwards consists of two teaching terms of 12 weeks duration, each with a designated study week within them, followed by one week of revision and one week of examinations. Every module is given a credit value that links to the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS), a system that has been designed to permit easy transfer of students throughout universities in Europe with recognisable currency. One credit is equal to approximately 25 hours of projected student input which covers class contact, reading, assignments, revision and examinations. Modules typically carry a 5 or 10 credit weighting, and one year of study amounts to 60 credits. The first year to fourth year modules in the Geosciences programme are listed in the Modules Outline section. The term in which modules occur is indicated in the module description.

In years 1 and 2 (known as the Junior Freshman and Senior Freshman years) you will acquire a broad grounding in geography and geoscience with an emphasis on geology, physical geography, and human-environment interactions. In years 3 and 4 (known as the Junior Sophister and Senior Sophister years), you will deepen your knowledge in specialist areas, whilst further developing a portfolio of practical and technical skills (e.g. geochemical analysis, GIS, remote sensing). 

Some other courses that are taught by staff in geology but which are not part of this overall structure, e.g. Geology for engineers, are detailed on the website or in the appropriate course booklet.

The Department of Geology offers a friendly and stimulating working environment where students are treated as individuals and our overarching aim is that each student has the opportunity to develop themselves to their full potential. In the sophister years in particular, many of the modules are research led and deal with problems and data sets that are currently the subject of staff research. Research interests of members of staff and current events are housed on the regularly updated departmental website.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this programme a student should be able to:

• identify, formulate, analyse and suggest reasoned solutions to geological
  problems
• identify earth materials and interpret three and four-dimensional distributions of
  these materials from incomplete data sets
• apply scientific procedure to solving problems
• critically assess previously produced geological data sets and interpretations
• work effectively as an individual, in teams and in multidisciplinary settings
• communicate effectively with both the geological community and with society at
  large
• update their knowledge and undertake further study with a high degree of
  autonomy.