Earth Sciences

Fellows:
Professor Gideon M Henderson
Dr Tamsin Mather
Professor Philip England

Student Profile:
Rebecca Neely, 3rd year

Univ contains one of the largest Earth Sciences communities of any Oxford college. It hosts one of only two university Chairs in the subject, held by Professor England, who is a geophysicist with particular interests in continental tectonics.

The senior Tutorial Fellow, Professor Henderson, is a geochemist with research interests in climate change, oceanography and the environment.

Dr Mather, an RCUK and Royal Society Research Fellow, is a volcanologist and atmospheric chemist with research interests including volcanoes, the evolution of the Earth’s atmosphere, and the role of airborne particles in climate change.

We admit about four undergraduates each year as well as a number of postgraduates. The ideal preparation for Earth Sciences at Oxford is to sit A-levels (or equivalent) in Maths, Physics and Chemistry. Candidates may offer Biology, Geology or another subject in place of Physics or Chemistry, but A-level Maths is required. While we welcome prior knowledge of the Earth Sciences, it is not assumed.

Much of the Earth Sciences course is taught within the department, but tutorial teaching at a College level plays an important role in bringing together the lecture, practical, and field material to form an overview of the subject.

In the first year, students study for three Earth Sciences papers, one of which is jointly taught with Materials Sciences, and a Mathematics paper. There are two undergraduate degree courses in Earth Sciences. Three years of study lead to a BA in Geology while further study during a fourth year leads to an MEarthSc (Master of Earth Sciences). The College accepts applications for either course.

Earth Scientists contribute in many ways (and, for a small group, substantially) to the diverse life of the College. At the same time (some say as a result of time together on field trips) they form an identifiable, self-supporting group. They have their own society – the Sollas Society – named after a former Fellow of the College.

For more information, please consult the website of the Department of Earth Sciences.