Programme structure

In the programme option Environmental Geosciences, Geohazards, and Geomatics, you will take the mandatory and elective courses in the first semesters. The courses are a total of 60 ECTS credits. You start with the master's thesis in the second or third semester, depending on your selection of courses.

The programme has the following structure:

• Mandatory courses, 20 ECTS credits
• Elective courses, 40 ECTS credits
• Master's thesis, 60 ECTS credits

Applicants without a background in geosciences have 40 ECTS mandatory- and 20 ECTS elective courses. In addition, the master thesis which counts for 60 ECTS.

Course of study

4th semester	Master's thesis
3rd semester	Elective course / master's thesis	Master's thesis
2nd semester	Mandatory course / elective course	Elective course / mandatory course	Master's thesis / elective course
1st semester	Mandatory course + HSE-courses	Elective course / mandatory course	Elective course / mandatory course
	10 ECTS credits	10 ECTS credits	10 ECTS credits

For applicants without a background in geosciences

4th semester	Master's thesis
3rd semester	Elective course / master's thesis	Master's thesis
2nd semester	Mandatory course / elective course	Mandatory course / elective course	Master's thesis / elective course
1st semester	Mandatory course + HSE-courses	Mandatory course / elective course	Elective course / mandatory course
	10 ECTS credits	10 ECTS credits	10 ECTS credits

Mandatory courses

Course selection is done in consultation with the supervisor or coordinator for the programme option.

You choose 20 ECTS from the courses below. Students admitted without a background in geosciences must choose 40 ECTS.

Autumn	Spring
GEO4034 – Geohazards	GEO4151 – Earthquake and Volcanic Processes
GEO4100 – Environmental Geology	GEO4171 – Floods, Avalanches and Landslides
GEO4120 – Near-Surface Geophysics	GEO4360 – Field Methods in Hydrogeology (5 ECTS)
GEO4131 – Geomechanics	GEO4432 – The Surface Energy Balance in Cold Environments
GEO4140 – Environmental stratigraphy	GEO4460 – Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Geographical Data Acquisition
GEO4161 – Contaminants in the Geoenvironment	GEO4530 – Airborne Surveying and Geodesy
GEO4190 – Hydrogeologi	GEO5900 – Chemical Processes in Soil and Ground Water
GEO4410 – Climate Change Impact on High-Mountain Landscapes
GEO4420 – Glaciology
GEO4515 – Remote Sensing of the Earth surface
GEO4520 – Advanced Remote Sensing: Natural Hazards and Climate Change

Elective courses 

You choose 40 ECTS of elective master's courses, students admitted without a background in geosciences choose 20 ECTS elective courses. 

You select courses after consulting with your supervisor or coordinator of the programme option.

Below we have listed a few typical course combinations for different subject areas within this programme option:

Generic courses

We recommend that you choose 10 ECTS from this list:  

• GEO4012 – Scientific Writing and Presentation (spring)
• MNKOM4000 – Formidling og vitenskapsjournalistikk (spring)

In an earlier version of this page, a 5 ECTS elective programming course was listed, but this will not be applicable any time soon.

If you want to take courses within a specific subject area, we recommend choosing from the following list:

Geomorphology, Landscape Development, Landscape Changes, Glacial Geology

• GEO4410 – Climate Change Impact on High-Mountain Landscapes (autumn)
• GEO4420 – Glaciology (autumn)
• GEO4515 – Remote Sensing of the Earth surface (autumn)
• GEO4520 – Advanced Remote Sensing: Natural Hazards and Climate Change (autumn)

Geohazards and Geomechanics

• GEO4034 – Geohazards (autumn)
• GEO4120 – Near-Surface Geophysics (autumn)
• GEO4131 – Geomechanics (autumn)
• GEO4151 – Earthquake and Volcanic Processes (spring)
• GEO4171 – Floods, Avalanches and Landslides (spring)
• GEO4190 – Hydrogeologi (autumn)

Environmental Geochemistry and Geohazards

• GEO4034 – Geohazards (autumn)
• GEO4120 – Near-Surface Geophysics (autumn)
• GEO4131 – Geomechanics (autumn)
• GEO4171 – Floods, Avalanches and Landslides (spring)
• GEO4190 – Hydrogeologi (autumn)
• GEO4360 – Field Methods in Hydrogeology (spring)
• GEO5900 – Chemical Processes in Soil and Ground Water (spring)

Geomatics

• GEO4460 – Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Geographical Data Acquisition (spring)
• GEO4512 – Remote Sensing of the Atmosphere (autumn)
• GEO4515 – Remote Sensing of the Earth surface (autumn)
• GEO4520 – Advanced Remote Sensing: Natural Hazards and Climate Change (autumn)
• GEO4530 – Airborne Surveying and Geodesy (spring)
• IN4310 – Deep Learning for Image Analysis (spring)
• FYS-STK4155 – Applied Data Analysis and Machine Learning (autumn)
• TEK5160 – Radar Remote Sensing (spring)
• Courses on topics that apply geomatics (geohazards, geomorphology, glaciology, etc.) 

 

More information about the master's degree

Information related to the completion of the master's thesis, including the master's agreement and other application forms, can be found at the information page for master's studies at the Department of Geosciences.

Selection of topic for the master's thesis

The master's thesis is worth 60 ECTS credits. The thesis project and supervisor are assigned towards the end of the first semester. The availability of thesis topics depends on the programme option, and further information on available topics can be found below.

See all available topics

Diploma and degree

This programme leads to the following degree: Master of Science in Geosciences

The diploma is issued when you have completed the courses that meet the requirements for a degree. Read more about diplomas.

Course- and semester pages

Click on each course (see the table above) to find the following:

• Timetable
• Date and location of exams
• Curriculum and learning requirements

Quality assurance

Degree programmes and courses are regularly evaluated to ensure and enhance the quality of education.