Degree Programmes in Geosciences

The geosciences focus on understanding the structure and the formation of the earth and other planets. They study processes which occur on very different timescales and spatial dimensions: these can be global in nature, such as the climate, the motion of the continental plates, the transport and cycles of natural and anthropogenic substances, such as water, carbon or certain elements of economic relevance such as gold, platinum and many others. They can also explore extremely small dimensions, e. g. reactions in high-pressure/high-temperature systems in which magmatic processes happening deep in the earth’s interior are simulated, for example, and the experimental products are analysed with the aid of electron microscopes. An understanding of these processes leads to a whole range of exciting topics which can also be of great social relevance: e. g. the prediction of earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions, forecasts of climatic change, and also the extraction of valuable resources such as natural gas, water and precious metals, or the optimisation of a soil for agriculture. The geosciences are thus a suitable discipline for those with a background in mathematics and the natural sciences who are interested in understanding the complex scientific interactions on our planet as a whole.