Exploration Geophysics MSc

Earth’s resources are essential for our energy future – resources like water, minerals, hydrocarbon reserves or geothermal heat, as well as natural ‘geoassets’ in which CO2 or hydrogen could be stored. Exploration geophysicists play a critical role in sourcing natural resources — and understanding the full resource potential of the subsurface.

That’s why the demand will always be high in this area, with organisations worldwide seeking more sustainable solutions that exploration geophysicists could provide.

Our Exploration Geophysics MSc degree will train you in utilising physical techniques and a range of disciplines to study the Earth’s interior, including seismic, gravity, magnetic and geo-electrical methods, applied throughout marine and onshore settings.

Established for over 50 years, our Exploration Geophysics MSc here at Leeds has strong links with industrial partners, global research institutes and the new Leeds Geosolutions Centre, each combining to support the application of geoscience expertise in the latest innovations in the industry.

Our industry-relevant modules will equip you with the theoretical understanding and specialist skill set you’ll need to pursue a career in this exciting profession.

Accreditation

The quality and relevance of our teaching have been recognised by an independent body of academics and industrialists through our Geological Society of London Professional Accreditation.

Learning and teaching

Exploration Geophysics features a 22-week taught syllabus, spanning two semesters. You may expect an average of 25 hours of contact time from staff each week, via either face-to-face lectures, workstation practicals, or online workshops. A number of workshops are led by industry professionals, including topics on seismic processing, interpretation and inversion. You'll undertake coursework submissions throughout the taught course and have opportunities for constructive feedback on your work. Discussion of your progress and understanding among your MSc peers is encouraged.

You'll be assigned a personal tutor, who will maintain contact with you throughout the year and offer pastoral guidance. They will help you to settle into the university and clarify any procedures, as well as help you prepare for employment upon graduation.

You’ll also learn the latest geophysical developments through our “Tuesday Talks” seminar series, featuring a weekly visit from a professional geophysicist. Our recent programme has featured professionals from Drax Power, Fugro, Shearwater, BP, Cornish Lithium and the British Antarctic Survey.

Specialist facilities

Our Exploration Geophysics course benefits from a dedicated computer cluster, where you'll receive training with numerous industry-standard software packages. These include MESA, SeisSpace/ProMAX®, KINGDOM, Petrel™, Geosoft, RokDoc, OpendTect™ and Reveal™. Leeds maintains a sector-leading stock of geophysical survey systems, offering you the capacity to undertake your own data acquisitions using seismic, radar, magnetic, electrical and electromagnetic systems. This has recently been complemented with borehole tomography and distributed sensing technologies.

Our Virtual Learning Environment will help to support your studies: it’s a central place where you can find all the information and resources for the School, your programme and modules.

You can also benefit from support to develop your academic skills, within the curriculum and through online resources, workshops, one-to-one appointments and drop-in sessions.

Active research environment

The Exploration Geophysics MSc curriculum is centred around research-based teaching, and you'll benefit from the active research programmes of the delivery team. Your research project will address a genuine geoscience issue and you'll be mentored in essential research skills by a project advisor. A selection of our staff’s current research projects can be seen on our School’s research pages.

Industry links

Strong links with industry reinforce this vocational Master's degree, helping you to develop a grounded perspective, as well as providing you with recruitment possibilities.

In addition to the industrial experience of many School staff and contributions from University of Leeds geoscience spin-out companies, you'll have numerous contacts with industry representatives throughout the year.

We have many visits from energy, geophysical acquisition, processing and software companies, primarily to engage with you and recruit Masters students throughout their degree. These visits include recruitment information, technical showcases and case studies of integrated geoscience in practice, as well as opportunities for you to network with geoscience professionals. Many offer 'guest lectures' on the taught course, to supplement what you'll learn from our defined syllabus and enhance strongly your employability.

You'll have the opportunity to attend one or more major industry events: the PETEX conference and the annual European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers conference and exhibition. These have strong student-aligned programmes, alongside extensive presentations and exhibitions on the latest scientific and technological developments. You can experience all of these, and meet industry experts, including potential employers.

Your summer project is typically carried out either with collaborating commercial companies or academic/government institutes. These projects are linked to current activities, representing actual problems for which a real research or business outcome is sought. Some are field-based: some result in journal publications or conference presentations, such as at the EAGE conference. The projects finish with a presentation day, where you'll present your work to an audience of academic and industry visitors.

Programme team

The programme leader, Dr Adam Booth, is a specialist in near-surface geophysical surveying, with research interests throughout environmental and engineering geoscience settings. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and is committed to innovative and inclusive curriculum design.

The wider programme team is made up of geoscientists from the School’s Institute of Applied Geoscience and Institute of Geophysics and Tectonics, featuring specialists in data processing, computational geophysics, structural geology and resource exploration.

In this course, you’ll be taught by our expert academics, from lecturers to professors. You may also be taught by industry professionals with years of experience, as well as trained postgraduate researchers, connecting you to some of the brightest minds on campus.