Courses

You have two programme-wide compulsory courses in period 1: Earth, Life and Climate through time (GEO4-1444; timeslot C) and Life and the Carbon cycle (GEO4-1440; timeslot A).

You don’t have to indicate any course in the acceptance form. You will be automatically enrolled on these two courses.

The full programme is shown below and during the introduction days in September the details will be explained.

Earth, Life and Climate

Choose one course (7.5 EC):

• GEO4-1440 Microbes and Biogeochemistry (1A)
• GEO4-1412 Astronomical Climate Forcing and Time Scales (2D)

Research Instruction Earth, Life and Climate

Choose 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-)
• GEO4-1454 Ice-Ocean-Climate Interactions

Plus seminars and career development activities. In addition to the above, please choose four more courses (30 EC) from the options listed above and/or the list below.

NB. Please check the information for the four study paths, to see which courses are suggested by each path.
 

• GEO4-4436 River and Delta Systems (1A)
• GEO4-1405 Paleoceanography and Climate Variability (1B)
• GEO4-1439 Aquatic and Environmental Geochemistry (1C)
• GEO4-1418 Dynamics of Basins and Orogens (2A)
• GEO4-1443 Stable Isotopes in Earth Sciences (2B)
• GEO4-1514B Vertebrate Evolution (Tetrapods) (2C)
• GEO4-1453 Oceans and sea level (2C)
• GEO4-1417 Advanced mineralogy: minerals as materials (3A)
• GEO4-1438 Paleomagnetism (3A)
• GEO4-1422 Reconstructing Extreme Climate Transitions (3B)
• GEO4-1419 Dynamics of Sedimentary Systems (3C)
• GEO4-4409 Reconstructing Quaternary Environments (3C)
• GEO4-1421 Reactive Transport in the Hydrosphere (3D)
• GEO4-1517A Applied stratigraphy and subsurface basin analysis (3D)
• GEO4-1420 Organic Geochemistry (4-)
• GEO4-4423 Climate Change, Hydrology and the Cryosphere (4-)

You can also choose a maximum of two courses (15 EC) from the full list of Earth Sciences elective courses, to bring your first year total up to 60 EC / eight courses.

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.

Suggested courses for this path:

• GEO4-4436 River and Delta Systems (2A)
• GEO4-1405 Paleoceanography and Climate Variability (2D)
• GEO4-1418 Dynamics of Basins and Orogens (2A)
• GEO4-1438 Paleomagnetism (1C)
• GEO4-1419 Dynamics of Sedimentary Systems (3C)

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.

Suggested courses for this path:

• GEO4-1405 Paleoceanography and Climate Variability (2D)
• GEO4-4409 Reconstructing Quaternary Environments (3C)
• GEO4-1419 Dynamics of Sedimentary Systems (3C)
• GEO4-1420 Organic Geochemistry (4-)
• GEO4-4423 Climate Change, Hydrology and the Cryosphere (4-)

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.

Suggested courses for this path:

• GEO4-1439 Aquatic and Environmental Geochemistry (2C)
• GEO4-1514B Vertebrate Evolution (Tetrapods) (2C)
• GEO4-1422 Reconstructing Extreme Climate Transitions (3B)
• GEO4-1419 Dynamics of Sedimentary Systems (3C)
• GEO4-1420 Organic Geochemistry (4-)

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.

Suggested courses for this path:

• GEO4-1439 Aquatic and Environmental Geochemistry (2C)
• GEO4-1443 Stable Isotopes in Earth Sciences (2B)
• GEO4-1417 Minerals as materials (1B)
• GEO4-1421 Reactive Transport in the Hydrosphere (3D)
• GEO4-1420 Organic Geochemistry (4-)