Objectives
This taught postgraduate Masters degree programme will provide specialised training at a postgraduate level in marine geology and geophysics. Graduate scientists and engineers will be offered a broad knowledge of marine geological and geophysical techniques, and more specific advanced training in marine geophysical exploration techniques, mathematical modelling, geodynamics, or coastal processes. Key skills will be developed in marine geophysical and geological data processing and analysis, and hands-on research experience will be gained through an advanced research project. The degree programme is intended for students with degrees in the physical, earth and environmental sciences, mathematics or engineering, who are seeking postgraduate training in marine geoscience.
Course description
Introduction to the MRes Programme Structure
The MRes in Marine Geology and Geophysics is a one-year multidisciplinary course of instruction and research taught exclusively in the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton (NOCS) and drawing on expertise in the School of Ocean and Earth Science and the Challenger Division for Seafloor Processes. It offers you the chance to broaden the science background of your undergraduate degree, while allowing advanced level specialisation in one or more aspects of your chosen field.
Since undergraduate courses rarely include extensive coverage of marine geoscience, the Master's course is a conversion course, providing background material as well as more specialised material. The MRes degree may be taken by students prior to commencement of a PhD, particularly those graduates with no previous experience in earth or marine science.
Many students choose to take a Master's degree to augment their undergraduate qualifications prior to a career in the marine sector. The Masters courses offered within the Graduate School of National Oceanography Centre, Southampton are fully modular, allowing you to choose pathways through the course that provide academic or more vocational training, depending on your needs.
You will be encouraged to attend research seminars, which at the NOCS are run at a variety of different levels. In particular, you will be encouraged to attend a regular series of geophysics seminars, which often have a marine focus.
In addition to instruction in subject-specific areas, you will receive training in generic research skills such as scientific computing, report writing, and oral presentation, and a series of workshops incorporated within the course will prepare you for a future career in research or in the offshore industry.
MRes in Marine Geology and Geophysics Course Content
Semester 1
All students must do:
-Introduction to Marine Geology
-Contemporary Topics
and one of the following:
-Introduction to Physical Oceanography
-Introduction to Chemical Oceanography
In addition to these compulsory modules, one additional module must be chosen in the first semester from:
-Geodynamics and Solid Earth Geophysics
-Applied and Marine Geophysics
-Coastal Sediment Dynamics
-Microfossils, Environments and Time
-Computational Data Analysis for Geophysicists and Ocean Scientists
All semester one courses are examined by a combination of coursework and examinations.
Semester 2
One further module must be taken from the following options:
-Basin Analysis
-Applied Coastal Sediment Dynamics
-High Resolution Marine Geophysics
-Global Climate Cycles
-Ecological Modelling
Semester two modules are generally run as short, intense modules, typically lasting three weeks. As an approximate guide, each module includes the equivalent of two weeks teaching and laboratory/fieldwork and one week working on assignments and mini-projects. All of these modules are examined solely by coursework.
The following combinations represent coherent pathways through the course and are recommended:
Exploration Pathway:
-Introduction to Marine Geology
-Contemporary Topics
-Introduction to Physical Oceanography or Introduction to Chemical Oceanography
-Applied and Marine Geophysics
-High Resolution Marine Geophysics
Geodynamics Pathway:
-Introduction to Marine Geology
-Contemporary Topics
-Introducttion to Physical Oceanography or Introduction to Chemical Oceanography
-Geodynamics and Solid Earth Geophysics
-Basin Analysis
Modelling Pathway:
-Introduction to Marine Geology
-Contemporary Topics
-Introduction to Physical Oceanography
-Computational Data Analysis for Geophysicists & Ocean Scientists
-Ecological Modelling
Coastal Processes Pathway:
-Introduction to Marine Geology
-Contemporary Topics
-Introduction to Physical Oceanography
-Coastal Sediment Dynamics
-Applied Coastal Sediment Dynamics
-High Resolution Marine Geophysics
Palaeoceanography Pathway:
-Introduction to Marine Geology
-Contemporary Topics
-Introduction to Chemical Oceanography
-Microfossils, Environments and Time
-Global Climate Cycles
-Literature Review and Projects
A research topic will be chosen by the student, from a list provided, at the start of the academic year. The student will conduct a literature review on a related, but broader, topic for submission at the beginning of January. The research project will then run from January to September and will be full-time from June to September. The project will be linked to ongoing research in the School of Ocean and Earth Science and/or the Challenger Division for Seafloor Processes, and may involve the acquisition of new data, the analysis of existing data in a novel way, or the development and testing of a new method. The project is expected to lead to results that are publishable in the peer-reviewed scientific literature. Work on the research project will be supported by training in a variety of key research skills such as scientific computing, report-writing, and science communication, and though participation of students in a Semester 1 seminar module entitled "Contemporary Topics".
Disclaimer: These web pages are prepared in advance of the academic year to which they relate. Consequently, whilst major changes are not anticipated, details of courses may vary with staff changes, timetable amendments, etc.
