Direct entry to second year Geology BSc (Hons) 2025 entry

It is possible for students applying for the single Honours BSc in Geology to enter directly into the second year of study, meaning you will complete your degree in three years instead of four.

This option is offered to students with excellent A-Level or International Baccalaureate qualifications. SQA qualifications without a Geology component will not be accepted.

Students who enter directly into second year will take modules required by the Geology BSc programme from the second year on, along with:

  • Practical and Field Skills for Earth Sciences (Direct Entrants): provides basic practical and fieldwork skills that are not taught at secondary school and which characterise University-taught, accredited Earth Science programmes.

Direct entry students will have the opportunity to study abroad during their second year of study.

To find out more information, or to discuss the possibility of direct entry to second year, please contact the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences.

UCAS code
F600
Start date
September 2025
End date
September 2028
Duration
Three years full time
School
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences

Entry requirements

The University offers different entry requirements, depending on your background. Find out more about Standard and Minimum entry requirements using academic entry explained and see which entry requirements you need to look at using the entry requirements indicator.

For degrees combining more than one subject, the subject with the higher entry requirements determines the grades you need. You will also need to meet any further subject-specific entry requirements as outlined on their pages.

  • Standard entry grades:
    AAA, including A in Geology and A in one of the following subjects: Biology, Chemistry, Geography, Mathematics and Physics.

  • Standard entry grades:
    38 (HL 6,6,6), including HL6 in three of the following subjects: Biology, Chemistry, Environmental systems and societies (ES&S), Geography and Physics.

General entry requirements

All applicants must have attained the following qualifications, or equivalent, in addition to the specific entry requirements for individual programmes.

  • SQA National 5 (B) in English and one SQA National 5 (B) from the following:

    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Computing science
    • Geography
    • Applications of Mathematics
    • Mathematics
    • Physics
    • Psychology.

  • GCSE (5) in English language or English literature, and one GCSE (5) from the following:

    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Computing Science
    • Geography
    • Mathematics
    • Physics
    • Psychology.

Other qualifications

We accept a wide range of qualifications for entry on to our programmes. Please see our entry requirements for more information.

More information on how to apply via other entry routes or accreditation of prior learning and experience can be found on the University’s entry requirements web page.

Do I need to have studied this subject before?

Applicants are expected to have studied Geology at GCE A-Level or equivalent.

International applicants

If English is not your first language, you will need to provide an English language test score to evidence your English language ability.

Careers

The School is proactive about developing career opportunities, and career activities are provided for all students from first year onwards. Assessment styles imitate real workplace scenarios and many modules in Honours years are supported by visits to and by industry partners, and provide training in industry-standard software packages. As a result, graduates are well prepared for a wide range of career options and graduate employment prospects are consistently among the best in the UK. 

There are multiple career options for Earth and environmental sciences graduates, both specifically in the energy, natural resources, and environmental sectors, as well as in wider science and policy areas. 

The degrees offered provide advanced training in a wide range of transferable skills, including scientific problem solving, written communication and oral presentation. The high quality of the field training is particularly valued by employers. 

Recent employers of graduates include: 

  • Accenture
  • BHP Billiton
  • BP
  • British Geological Survey
  • The Civil Service
  • Fugro
  • Gemfields
  • Geotechnics Ltd
  • Hinkley Point C nuclear power station
  • JBA Consulting
  • JP Morgan
  • The Met Office
  • National Museums Scotland
  • Norsk Hydro
  • Scottish Environment Protection Agency
  • Scottish Natural Heritage.

Many graduates undertake further study, both at MSc and PhD level. Recent PhD destinations include: 

  • Boulder
  • Caltech
  • Cambridge
  • Durham
  • ETH Zurich
  • MIT
  • Oxford
  • Penn State
  • Stanford.

The Careers Centre offers one-to-one advice to all students as well as a programme of events to assist students to build their employability skills.

What to do next

Online information events

Join us for one of our information events where you can find out about different levels of study and specific courses we run. There are also sessions available for parents and college counsellors.

Undergraduate visiting days

We encourage all students who are thinking of applying to the University to attend one of our online or in-person visiting days.

Contact us

Phone
01334 463940
Email
earthsci@st-andrews.ac.uk
Address
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences
The Irvine Building
St Andrews
KY16 9AL

School of Earth and Environmental Sciences website