Courses
The courses below are 7,5 EC (unless indicated otherwise). The period (1/2/3/4) and time slot (A/B/C/D) are stated in parentheses per course, see schedules. You take 15 EC per period from different timeslots. You have to register for courses yourself.
Year 1
Earth Life and Climate offers you a choice of four study paths. To start, you choose one these. You then design your plan following the rules of your selected study path. You will find an instruction on how to design your plan for the first year at the courses of the paths of your choice. You are allowed to take courses from outside of Earth Sciences, but if you do so you must earn at least 45 EC inside of your study path and you need approval of the Board of Examiners.
Year 2
In your second year you must carry out a final research project. Your research will culminate in a Master's thesis (30-45 EC), on which you will also give an oral presentation. In addition, you also have to do a guided research (7,5-30 EC) and/or internship (15-30 EC). This means you will write at least two and maybe three academic papers: your thesis and a report on the guided research project and/or a report on your internship.
This study path seeks to understand the role of sedimentology and stratigraphy in reconstructing System Earth and basin-fill histories. It focuses on high-resolution age control, on processes that induce production, transport and deposition of siliciclastic and carbonate sediments. Over geological time scales, sedimentary systems are controlled by climate, tectonics and sea level, as well as by autocyclic processes. The history of cyclic variations and changes in these controls is intimately reflected in the sedimentary record. Predicting the occurrence and reservoir size of fossil fuels and other natural resources is based on this understanding of the dynamics of sedimentary basin fills. This knowledge also contributes to predicting the effects of future climate change on the Earth and society. This study path will train you to be a geologist / sedimentologist, biogeologist or stratigrapher.
Earth, Life and Climate
Choose at least one course (7,5 EC):
- GEO4-1440 Microbes and Biogeochemistry (1A)
- GEO4-1412 Astronomical Climate Forcing and Time Scales (2A)
Research Instruction Earth, Life and Climate
Choose at least one course (7,5 EC):
- GEO4-1430 Field Research Instruction Geology (4-)
- GEO4-1431 Field Research Instruction Geochemistry (4-)
- GEO4-4418 Master Excursion Earth Surface and Water (4-)
Plus seminars and career development activities
Integrated stratigraphy and sedimentary systems
Choose four courses (30 EC):
- GEO4-4436 River and Delta Systems (1A)
- GEO4-1405 Paleoceanography and Climate Variability (1B)
- GEO4-1418 Dynamics of Basins and Orogens (2D)
- GEO4-1438 Paleomagnetism (3A)
- GEO4-1419 Dynamics of Sedimentary Systems (3D)
Electives
You can choose a maximum of two courses (15 EC) from the elective courses Earth Sciences to achieve a total of eight courses (60 EC) in your first year.
The main focus of Climate Reconstruction is on interpreting the fossil record of climate changes in Earth’s history. The goal is to identify external and internal driving forces for climate changes in the past and to understand the response of System Earth to these forces. This knowledge will form a basis for predicting future climate changes and evaluating the consequences of measures to counteract these changes. This study path will train you to be a biogeologist / geochemist, a quaternary geologist or a paleoclimatologist.
Earth, Life and Climate
Choose at least one courses (7,5 EC):
- GEO4-1440 Microbes and Biogeochemistry (1A)
- GEO4-1412 Astronomical Climate Forcing and Time Scales (2A)
Research Instruction Earth, Life and Climate
Choose at least one course (7,5 EC):
- GEO4-1430 Field Research Instruction Geology (4-)
- GEO4-1431 Field Research Instruction Geochemistry (4-)
- GEO4-4418 Master Excursion Earth Surface and Water (4-)
Plus seminars and career development activities
Climate Reconstruction
Choose four courses (30 EC):
- GEO4-1405 Paleoceanography and Climate Variability (1B)
- GEO4-4409 Reconstructing Quaternary Environments (3C)
- GEO4-1419 Dynamics of Sedimentary Systems (3D)
- GEO4-1420 Organic Geochemistry (4-)
- GEO4-4423 Climate Change, Hydrology and the Cryosphere (4-)
Electives
You can choose a maximum of two courses (15 EC) from the elective courses Earth Sciences (below) to achieve a total of eight courses (60 EC) in your first year.
The evolution of living organisms is heavily affected by changes in the hydrosphere, atmosphere and lithosphere. These changes in turn are often caused or modulated by the activity of biota. This study path focuses on understanding the interrelationships between the evolution of the biosphere and the geosphere. This study path will train you to be a geologist / sedimentologist, a biogeologist or a paleontologist.
Earth, Life and Climate
Choose at least one course (7,5 EC):
- GEO4-1440 Microbes and Biogeochemistry (1A)
- GEO4-1412 Astronomical Climate Forcing and Time Scales (2A)
Research Instruction Earth, Life and Climate
Choose at least one course:
- GEO4-1430 Field Research Instruction Geology (4-)
- GEO4-1431 Field Research Instruction Geochemistry (4-)
- GEO4-4418 Master Excursion Earth Surface and Water (4-)
Plus seminars and career development activities
Biogeosciences and Evolution
Choose four courses (30 EC):
- GEO4-1439 Aquatic and Environmental Geochemistry (1C)
- GEO4-1514B Vertebrate Evolution (Tetrapods) (2C)
- GEO4-1422 Reconstructing Extreme Climate Transitions (3B)
- GEO4-1419 Dynamics of Sedimentary Systems (3D)
- GEO4-1420 Organic Geochemistry (4-)
Electives
You can choose a maximum of two courses (15 EC) from the elective courses Earth Sciences to achieve a total of eight courses (60 EC) in your first year.
Environmental Geochemistry focuses on the processes that control the functioning of natural environments at the Earth’s surface. These environments are linked by the hydrological cycle, and their chemistry is strongly influenced by biological activity. They are increasingly perturbed by human activity on local, regional and global scales. In order to predict the consequences of that activity for Earth’s surface environments and to maintain and improve their quality, we need a scientific understanding of how biology, geochemistry and hydrodynamics interact in these systems. This study path will train you to be a geochemist.
Earth, Life and Climate
Choose at least one course (7,5 EC):
- GEO4-1440 Microbes and Biogeochemistry (1A)
- GEO4-1412 Astronomical Climate Forcing and Time Scales (2A)
Research Instruction Earth, Life and Climate
Choose at least one course (7,5 EC):
- GEO4-1430 Field Research Instruction Geology (4-)
- GEO4-1431 Field Research Instruction Geochemistry (4-)
- GEO4-4418 Master Excursion Earth Surface and Water (4-)
Plus seminars and career development activities
Biochemistry
Choose four courses (30 EC):
- GEO4-1439 Aquatic and Environmental Geochemistry (1C)
- GEO4-1443 Stable Isotopes in Earth Sciences (2B)
- GEO4-1417 Advanced mineralogy: minerals as materials (3A)
- GEO4-1421 Reactive Transport in the Hydrosphere (3D)
- GEO4-1420 Organic Geochemistry (4-)
Electives
You can choose a maximum of two courses (15 EC) from the elective courses Earth Sciences to achieve a total of eight courses (60 EC) in your first year.
- GEO4-1505 Integrated Subsurface Evaluation (1-)
- GEO4-1401 Structure and Composition of the Earth’s Interior (1A)
- GEO4-1440 Microbes and Biogeochemistry (1A)
- GEO4-4436 River and Delta Systems (1A)
- GEO4-1435 Advanced petrology: from microscopic properties to geological processes (1A)
- GEO4-1415 Data Processing and Inverse Theory (1B)
- GEO4-1405 Paleoceanography & Climate Variability (1B)
- GEO4-4404 Land Surface Hydrology (1B)
- GEO4-1403 Petrological and Geochemical Evolution of the Earth (1C)
- GEO4-1439 Aquatic and Environmental Geochemistry (1C)
- GEO4-4412 Statistics and Data Analysis Physical Geography (1C)
- GEO4-1434 Principles of Groundwater Flow (1D)
- GEO4-1441 Reflection Seismics & Georesources (1D) (lectures also partly given in Amsterdam)
- GEO4-1442 Modelling of Crust and Lithosphere Deformation (1D)
- GEO4-4433 Advanced GIS for Geoscientists (1D)
- GEO4-1408 Theoretical Seismology (2A)
- GEO4-1412 Astronomical Climate Forcing & Time Scales (2A)
- GEO4-4435 Morphodynamics of Tidal System (2A)
- GEO4-6001 Quantitative Water Management (2A)
- GEO4-1409 Tectonophysics (2B)
- GEO4-1411 Structural Analysis of Deformed Rocks (2C)
- GEO4-1514B Vertebrate Evolution (Tetrapods) (2C)
- GEO4-1517A Applied stratigraphy and subsurface basin analysis (2C)
- GEO4-4417 Unsaturated Zone Hydrology (2C)
- GEO4-1418 Dynamics of Basins & Orogens (2D)
- GEO4-1433 Hydrogeological Transport Phenomena (2D)
- GEO4-4408 Remote Sensing
- GEO4-1417 Advanced mineralogy: minerals as materials (3A)
- GEO4-1438 Paleomagnetism (3A)
- GEO4-4434 Morphodynamics of Wave-Dominated Coasts (3A)
- GEO4-4406 Land Surface Process Modelling (3A)
- GEO4-1416 Dynamics of the Earth’s Mantle (3B)
- GEO4-1422 Reconstructing Extreme Climate Transitions (3B)
- GEO4-1425 Earth Mineral Resources (3B)
- GEO4-4403 Coastal zone and river management (3B)
- GEO4-4420 Stochastic Hydrology (3C)
- GEO4-4409 Reconstructing the Quaternary Environment (3C)
- GEO4-4425 Hazards and Risk Assessment (3D)
- GEO4-1421 Reactive Transport in the Hydrosphere (3D)
- GEO4-1410 Mechanisms of Deformation & Transport in Rocks (3D)
- GEO4-1419 Dynamics of Sedimentary Systems (3D)
- GEO4-1424a Applied Geophysics (4A)
- GEO4-1427 Computational Geophysics (4D)
- GEO4-1437 Geothermal and unconventional GEO-resources (4-)
- GEO4-1420 Organic Geochemistry (4-)
- GEO4-1430 Field Research Instruction Geology (4-)
- GEO4-1431 Field Research Instruction Geochemistry (4-)
- GEO4-1432 Environmental Hydrogeology (4-)
- GEO4-4423 Climate Change, Hydrology and the Cryosphere (4-)
- GEO4-4418 MSc Excursion (4-)
- GEO4-1520 Master's Thesis (30-45 EC) (--) AND
- GEO4-1500 Internship (15-30 EC) (--) AND/OR
- GEO4-1521 Guided Research (7,5-30 EC) (--)
Please note! If you started your programme before 2016 and you still have one or more first year courses to complete then you must use the Study Guide from your starting year as your point of reference.