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Bachelor's Degree Programme Geosciences

Are you fascinated by our planet? Would like to explore it more closely? Do you enjoy working and carrying out experiments outdoors? In the bachelor's degree programme Geosciences, you will learn how the Earth and all its lifeforms have developed over the last 4.5 billion years. This allows you to benefit from accessing offers from two excellent universities: TU Graz and the University of Graz.

Quick Facts

  • Duration of study: 6 semesters
  • ECTS credit points: 180
  • Academic degree: Bachelor of Science (BSc)
  • Language of instruction: German

The Bachelor's Programme

In the bachelor's degree programme Geosciences, you will gain a general and fundamental scientific and practical education in the geosciences, including a basic education in the key subjects of chemistry, physics, mathematics, and biology. You will acquire basic knowledge that will help you understand our planet. You will also learn more about the structure of the Earth and the formation of minerals and rocks. The teaching content has been developed to deliver both theoretical expertise and practical solutions. Becoming familiar with this content enables you to analyse and evaluate geoscientific processes and their interactions with the environment.

In this degree programme, you will benefit from receiving personal supervision from internationally successful scientists. You will be involved in current research projects early on and will have a chance to see how your acquired knowledge can be applied in practice during your studies. Specifically, you will learn from renowned guest lecturers from industry, solve practical problems in the course contexts, and take part in numerous excursions.

Students can carry out practical exercises on state-of-the-art analytical equipment. This also includes equipment for researching terrain data - these data can be used to produce practical engineering-geological or geotechnical risk analyses.

The intensive cooperation in the fields of hydrogeology, mineralogy, hydrogeochemistry, and engineering geology is a unique feature of geotechnics. This cooperation will be visible in the newly planned NAWI Graz Geozentrum. This TU Graz–University of Graz merger of earth science and geotechnical education and research makes the location an internationally visible centre for geosciences and geotechnics.

Studying Geosciences

Focus Areas

You have the opportunity to specialise in the following subject areas:

Geology: You become familiar with the regional geology of Austria, the regional geology of the continents, continental collision, and mountain and rift formation (rifting). As part of your training, you learn about the evolution of the Earth's surface and gain basic knowledge about the forces and stresses leading to lithosphere deformation.

Palaeontology and Stratigraphy: You will learn the fundamentals of palaeontology, including morphology. While doing so, you learn about fossils and the rock layers surrounding them, as well as the structures and forms of organisms. You will also learn methods of classification (taxonomy) and the fundamentals of evolution, as well as paleoecology (ecosystems throughout geologic history). In addition, you will acquire basic knowledge of the evolutionary history of the Earth and the methods used to record this history. A special focus is placed, among other things, on the origin and development of the biosphere and climate change.

Petrology and Geochemistry: You learn fundamental information about the formation of magmatic, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks. You also learn how to describe rocks, identify them, and become familiar with theoretical concepts used in petrology.

Mineralogy and Hydrogeochemistry: You will acquire knowledge about the minerals of the Earth's crust and upper mantle. Among other things, you become familiar with materials and rocks with regard to their use in industry and technology, crystallization processes, or soil and groundwater contamination.

Hydrogeology: You explore the area of general hydrogeology, learning more about the key points of the groundwater balance, groundwater dynamics, and the fundamentals of groundwater hydraulics, soil formation, and the soil water balance.

Engineering Geology: You will learn the fundamentals of engineering geology and geomechanics. You will also learn how to use both physical measuring methods and seismic, gravimetric, radiometric, geothermal energy, geoelectric and geomagnetic methods, as well as statics and strength theory.

Study counselling: Check what you expect!

What will I have to do in the first semesters? How much practice can I expect? And what can I actually do with my degree when I've finished? Check what you expect!

A student and a lecturer will take time for all your questions and you will get to know TU Graz during on-site appointments. Up to 10 persons can participate at each date.

Book an appointment

Contact: lsenoSpam@tugraz.at

I recommend the Bachelor’s Degree Programme in Geosciences to everyone who doesn’t only want to learn in the lecture hall, but who also wants to understand more about the Earth by seeing applied examples of this branch of science on excursions and in the laboratory. Teachers and students interact closely with one another, making unique exchanges about research and projects possible.

 

Geosciences in Research and Industry

Geoscientists have a social responsibility. They make it possible to locate and characterise geogenic resources. In doing so, they create the foundation for the environmentally sound and sustainable use of raw materials.

Research in the fields of mineralogy and hydrogeochemistry is conducted, among other things, to protect human life. For example, these researchers examine fissured rock masses and the effects of these fissures on the safety of dams and landslide processes. They develop possible containment strategies or use geostatistical methods to document and predict the geological conditions during tunnel construction.

From an economic point of view, the geosciences play an important role, for example, in the extraction of raw materials, environmental protection, and in construction economics and water resources management. And here, safety is also a priority issue. For this reason, slope stability analyses, excavation pit monitoring, tunnel documentation, natural hazard assessments, or observations of various structures such as bridges or towers are carried out.

Geosciences is exactly the right degree programme for you if you want to understand and experience Earth system science not only in theory, but also in practice. You gain experience in all sub-disciplines, ranging from palaeontology to engineering geology and on to mineralogy – both in the laboratory at the university and on excursions.

Admission

Admission Deadlines

Summer semester 2024

Admission period: 8 January to 5 February 2024

Winter semester 2024/25

Admission period: 8 July to 5 September 2024

Information and Advice

Contact studynoSpam@tugraz.at

Perspectives for Graduates

Professional Fields

Geoscientists work in both national and international settings in academic and non-academic research institutions, in environmental protection agencies, in industry, in construction economics and water resources management, in offices for geotechnical engineering, or in museums.

You deal with geologically and environmentally relevant problems in the following areas:

  • research and development in the geosciences,
  • the sustainable management of geogenic resources,
  • the mitigation of geological hazards,
  • the extraction and exploitation of mineral resources,
  • environmental and material analysis,
  • mineral formation and synthesis,
  • evaluation of mass movements and surface structures, or
  • geotechnical predictions of the subsurface conditions in civil engineering projects.

The bachelor's degree programme Geosciences is the ideal foundation for beginning a career in the field of basic and applied research or for entering a more advanced master's degree programme in all areas of the geosciences.

Advanced Master’s Degree Programmes

After completing the bachelor's degree programme, you can enrol in the following master’s degree programme without further requirements:

Information on other master's degree programmes with requirements you can find on the respective pages for the master’s degree programmes.

In addition, the bachelor's degree offers you the opportunity to apply internationally for master's degree programmes.

The unique thing about our degree programme, which combines all of the natural science disciplines, is the cohesion among the students – almost like being in a big family – as well as the excellent supervision from the lecturers. Being able to apply theoretical knowledge in the field gives you completely new insights into nature and is crucial later in professional life.