Science - Geology and Palaeontology Adelaide University

Overview

The Science - Geology and Palaeontology course from Adelaide University is hands-on and holistic, covering broad skills and knowledge to prepare you for the field. You'll explore sedimentology, stratigraphy, mineralogy, geochemistry – even extraterrestrial geoscience.  

Ever wonder what caused mass extinctions or how climates changed over time? How mountain ranges and ocean basins form? What geological processes lead to the preservation of fossils? Using field data and lab techniques, you'll tackle these questions and more. 

You’ll gain practical skills through extensive fieldwork – mapping rock formations, collecting fossil specimens and analysing them in the lab.  Site visits and field trips will allow you to explore some of Earth’s oldest multicellular life in the Ikara-Flinders Ranges and the remains of Australia’s giant mammals in the Naracoorte Caves. 

Get familiar with specialised tools and technologies. Go deep into evolutionary biology. Learn to interpret geological maps and collect samples. Study geological processes, sedimentary records and geochronology. Critically assess scientific literature and effectively document your own research. 

You’ll build broad expertise for dynamic careers in energy and water resources, environmental consulting, ecological protection, eco- or geo-tourism and academic research. 

Career opportunities:

Careers in palaeontology require dedication – and advanced study – but the skills you gain along the way will be valuable in all sorts of important industries, including environmental management, agriculture and mining. You might travel to remote locations to excavate mammal or dinosaur bones. You could be a vertebrate palaeontologist,classifying different animals and newly discovered species, or a micro-palaeontologist, using tiny fossils to reconstruct past climates and environments. Perhaps you’ll work in a space agency, exploring the geology of other planets and moons.  

You could also be a:  

• Museum collections manager  
• Environmental scientist or consultant 
• Exploration geologist  
• Energy geoscientist  
• Field technician  
• Laboratory technician  
• Geological surveyor  
• Climate change analyst  
• Museum curator  
• Research scientist 
• Science communicator 
• Environmental policy analyst.