Careers

No matter where your career takes you, our curriculum is designed to develop the attitudes and aptitudes required for you to succeed and to be effective in the workplace. Equipped with a mix of scientific, technical and transferable skills our graduates have gone on to found companies, shape government policy, run laboratories, become the face of science in media and are known as world leaders in research. 

Skill sets and employability 

Students develop a mix of scientific and technical skills including coding, modelling, lab skills, mapping, microscopy and data analysis, as well as transferable skills such as report writing, presenting, communicating, creativity and resilience.  Employers comment on the ability of our graduates to integrate a range of disparate types of data, interpret these grounded in scientific knowledge, and present these confidently to a range of audiences. 

We prepare our students for the workplace by placing the development of key transferrable skills such as teamwork, problem-solving and communication central to their undergraduate experience, and by building links with alumni via a series of bespoke Earth Science Careers events in the School. Our weekly lunchtime careers talks with recent graduates, industry and academic speakers are a great opportunity to build a wider professional network and discuss career opportunities. We also hold a dedicated annual careers fair “Your Future in Earth Sciences” supported by 22 exhibiting organisations and showcasing the many pathways that a degree in Earth Sciences can lead to.

Graduate Destinations

As a result, our graduates have excellent career prospects and an outstanding reputation amongst employers in the sector, locally, nationally and internationally. About 75% of our graduates go into related careers including environmental consultancy, mining, policy and government, museum curation, data science, geotechnical engineering, finance, media or education. Typically, 10-15% of our graduates go on to higher degrees either at Masters level or PhD providing specialist training and leading them to careers within and beyond academia.​

In a recent NSS survey completed 15 months after graduation, 95% of our graduates report being employed or in full-time education, and 95% consider that their course developed knowledge and skills that they will use in future employment.

Industry

Our graduates are highly sought after by the following industries: 

• Geotechnical engineering  
• Environmental consultancy 
• Sustainability 
• Mineral and petroleum exploration 

There is always a need for geoscientists in civil engineering projects and in the water resources industry, and with the increasing awareness of the importance of the environment, geoscientists are increasingly being employed in the fields of nature conservancy, waste disposal, pollution and environmental planning. 

Media and education

The expanding media and science communication sector seeks enthusiastic graduates, who start out to develop their career in television and film making (BBC, Channel 4 and many independent film makers are based in Bristol), publishing and science education in the museum and schools.

Finance

Many large-scale employers visit Bristol each year to secure significant numbers of science graduates from across the discipline; a degree from Bristol is considered ideal for a career in banking, consultancy, business and commerce, whilst training including in natural hazards provide our graduates skills needed to work in the insurance industry.

Governance and policy  

Geoscientists are essential to the development of public policy in a wide range of independent and governmental organisations, charities, professional bodies and societies, and in the private sector. 

Research 

Many of our graduates successfully secure a place on a post graduate Masters or Doctoral degree programme to pursue successful academic careers or higher-level professional opportunities.

Recruitment and Salaries

Earth Science graduate enter a sector of employment where they are in high demand. Over the period March to February there were 5,000+​ unique job postings placed by 700+​ employers for which our graduates are well equipped to apply.

A recent report from the Geological Society indicates that the median salary for graduate geoscientists​ (£34,293​) is 32% higher​ than for graduates in other subjects.

Earth Science graduates can expect a 45% increase​ in salary after 5 years​, with salaries some 34% higher​ for those with a postgraduate qualification.