University of Birmingham
Palaeontology and Geology MSc
University of Birmingham

Key Course Facts

Student Reviews

Below you can see course specific reviews of 45 graduates of Palaeontology and Geology MSc and other courses in Earth Sciences at University of Birmingham for each of the survey questions in comparison to the average for all UK degree courses in Earth Sciences.

Overall student satisfaction
84 /100
45 total respondents

Primarily based on data from undergraduate degree students.

chart data
Source: National Student Survey NSS 2023. The Overall student satisfaction data point is from 2022 (latest available year). The Office for Students made the unfortunate decision to discontinue collecting overall student satisfaction data points per course.
All Earth Sciences courses of University of Birmingham
The NSS is commissioned by the Office for Students

Salary

Salary of Graduates in Earth Sciences

Important: Salary data below is not course specific, but contains data of all students of Earth Sciences at the university. Due to data collection methodology, salary data is mainly based on data related to undergraduate students.

  15 months after graduation 3 years after graduation 5 years after graduation
Median salary £26000 £24500 £29000
25-75 percentile range £23000 - £27000 £20500 - £29000 £24000 - £35000
Source: HESA - Graduate Outcomes Survey Oct 10, 2023
All Earth Sciences courses of University of Birmingham


Salary of all UK Graduates of Earth Sciences

  15 months after graduation 3 years after graduation 5 years after graduation
Median salary £24981 £24496 £28785
25-75 percentile range £21491 - £29019 £19181 - £30313 £22339 - £36076
Source: Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) by UK Department for Education Dec 20, 2022
All Earth Sciences courses in the UK

Course Description

Studying this Palaeontology and Geology MSci degree course will give you a rigorous training in palaeontology, enabling you to use the fossil record to understand the evolution and diversity of ancient life, from dinosaurs to microfossils.

You will be taught by lecturers from one of the largest and strongest palaeontology research groups in the UK, and our focus on research-led teaching will provide you with exciting opportunities to carry out your own cutting-edge research projects. The rich fossil collections of our Lapworth Museum of Geology provide a unique resource that supports our teaching and research.

This course will provide you with the skills necessary to develop a career as a professional palaeontologist engaged in research and teaching or in museum curation, or as an applied palaeontologist/biostratigrapher within the oil industry. Your core training in geology will also provide opportunities for a potential career as a geoscientist, if this is the career path you would like to take.

Our Palaeontology and Geology MSci programme offers the opportunity for you to develop your skills more fully, including more advanced and ambitious research training.

All first year modules are compulsory and span the breadth of Earth Sciences and include contributions from the Biology group. From year two onwards, there is more focus on palaeontology and an increasing amount of choice that allows you to select modules following your interests.

In year three (and four) you will also complete independent Earth Science research projects based on primary data collected in the field/laboratory or museum developing your practical, analytical and communication skills.

In addition to lectures and practical classes, you can look forward to fieldwork training in palaeobiological and geological techniques. This work is undertaken both in the UK and abroad, and is assessed by means of field-driven reports, presentations and field notebook.

The fourth year of the Palaeontology and Geology MSci includes a major research project (worth half the year) undertaken as part of active research in the school.

Accredited by the Geological Society for the purpose of partially meeting the experience requirement for Chartered Geologist.

Jobs & Career Perspectives

15 months after graduation, graduates of this course were asked about what they do and, if they are working, about their current job and their perspectives.

chart data
Source: HESA - Graduate Outcomes Survey Oct 10, 2023
All Earth Sciences courses of University of Birmingham

Current jobs

chart data
Source: HESA - Graduate Outcomes Survey Oct 10, 2023
All courses of University of Birmingham

Required skill level of job after 15 months

chart data
Source: HESA - Graduate Outcomes Survey Oct 10, 2023
All Earth Sciences courses of University of Birmingham

Jobs of graduates of this course (15 months after graduation)

Example below based on all graduates of Palaeontology and Geology MSc at University of Birmingham

40% Information Technology Professionals
15% Administrative occupations
10% Business and public service associate professionals
10% Sales occupations
10% Teaching Professionals
10% Business, Research and Administrative Professionals
10% Teaching and Childcare Support Occupation
Source: Unistats by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Oct 10, 2023

Grading Distribution

Students of the course received the following grades

chart data
Source: Unistats by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) 2016

Entry Requirements / Admissions

Source: UCAS Dec 4, 2023

UCAS Tariff of Accepted Students for Earth Sciences

chart data
Source: Unistats by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Oct 10, 2023
All Earth Sciences courses of University of Birmingham

Qualification requirements

Including a relevant subject/science @ C or above (80 UCAS tariff points)

Source: UCAS Dec 4, 2023

Requirements for international students / English requirements

IELTS academic test score (similar tests may be accepted as well)

    • 6.5
    • Graduate Degrees
    • (no subscore less than 6.0)
    • 6.5
    • Undergraduate Degrees
Get advice on which foundation courses are best for you to still study Palaeontology and Geology, MSc, if you do not meet the minimum requirements in terms of UCAS score, A levels, or English language requirements.

Costs

Tuition Fees Palaeontology and Geology MSc

Ireland £9250 year 1
England UK £9250 year 1
Northern Ireland £9250 year 1
Scotland £9250 year 1
Wales £9250 year 1
Channel Islands £9250 year 1

Additional fee information

For details of the annual tuition fee for International Students please see the course web page listed in the 'course details' section above.

If you are made an offer to study by the University, the yearly tuition fee will be stated in your offer letter.

Source: UCAS Dec 4, 2023

Average student cost of living in the UK

Rent £518
Water, gas electricity, internet (at home) £50
Supermarket shopping £81
Clothing £35
Eating out £33
Alcohol £27
Takeaways / food deliveries £30
Going out / entertainment (excl.alcohol, food) £24
Holidays and weekend trips £78
Transport within city £17
Self-care / sports £20
Stationary / books £13
Mobile phone / internet £13
Cable TV / streaming £7
Insurance £51
Other £95
  
Average student cost of living £1092

London costs approx 34% more than average, mainly due to rent being 67% higher than average of other cities. For students staying in student halls, costs of water, gas, electricity, wifi are generally included in the rental. Students in smaller cities where accommodation is in walking/biking distance transport costs tend to be significantly smaller.

Source: Own research based on surveys and university data

How to apply

Application deadline:

January 1, 2025

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Possible Entry Points:

  • year 1 (Default entry point)

University Rankings

Positions of University of Birmingham in top UK and global rankings.

Rankings of University of Birmingham in related subject specific rankings.

Natural Sciences

    • #6 
    • #9 
    Geology
    The Times Good University Guide by Subject
    [Published 15 September, 2023]
    • #11 
    • #14 
    Geology
    CUG The Complete University Guide - By Subject
    [Published 08 June, 2023]
    • #12 
    • #101 
    Geology
    QS World University Rankings By Subject
    [Published 22 March, 2023]
    • #14 
    • #173 
    Geology
    URAP University Ranking by Academic Performance - By Field
    [Published 22 July, 2023]

Social Studies & Humanities

    • #10 
    • #13 
    Geography
    GRAS Global Ranking of Academic Subjects - ShanghaiRanking
    [Published 27 October, 2023]
    • #15 
    • #51 
    Geography
    QS World University Rankings By Subject
    [Published 22 March, 2023]
    • #18 
    • #126 
    Social Sciences
    THE World University Rankings by Subject
    [Published 19 October, 2023]

See all 38 university rankings of University of Birmingham

About University of Birmingham

The University of Birmingham is a research university based in Edgbaston, Birmingham, England. The university’s aim is to be at the cutting edge of educational delivery, and to have their curriculum be continually reshaped by new revelations in research. The main campus is situated a reasonable three miles away from Birmingham city centre, which doesn’t take long to get to via bus if the student decides they’d like to spend some of their free time there.

List of 469 Bachelor and Master Courses from University of Birmingham - Course Catalogue

Student composition of University of Birmingham

Total number of students enrolled at University of Birmingham by level Academic year 2021/22 - Full-time equivalent student enrollments published by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) on February 2022
undergraduates:
24385
postgraduates:
9185
Total:
33570
Number of students enrolled in courses of subject “Geology”: Academic year - Full-time equivalent student enrollments published by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) on February 2022
Source: Academic year 2021/22 - Full-time equivalent student enrollments published by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) on February 2022
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Where is this programme taught

Main Site
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Admission advice for international students