Palaeobiology Stream in Earth Sciences Degree

The Palaeobiology degree stream will provide you with a strong background in the evolutionary history of life, including interactions with Earth’s climate. It is the interface of Earth & Life Sciences

How, when, and where did life evolve, and are we alone in the universe? Why did dinosaurs and other species disappear during mass extinctions, when other groups survived and subsequently flourished? How will species respond to the current climatic and environmental crisis? Palaeobiology provides a unique perspective in addressing these and other questions that are central to our understanding of the past, present, and future of biodiversity.

Palaeobiology sits at the interface of Earth and Life Sciences, incorporating a diverse range of disciplines, including evolutionary and molecular biology, anatomy, geology, climatology, ecology, astrobiology, geochemistry, geography, oceanography, and conservation science.

It also traverses an extraordinary range of temporal, spatial, and biological scales, from the reconstruction of ancient DNA in extinct species, to deciphering the origins of life billions of years ago, to studying the evolution of the microscopic organisms that populate the oceans, to understanding how the largest animals to ever walk on land were able to reach unprecedented sizes.

The Palaeobiology degree stream at UCL will provide you with a strong background in the evolutionary history of life, including interactions with Earth’s climate. It will teach you the cutting-edge methods that enable our understanding and reconstructions of past life, as well as how we incorporate this information into addressing the current biodiversity crisis. Delivered by experts spanning the full range of palaeobiological-related disciplines, from the origin of life to present-day biodiversity, and from the smallest life forms to the giant dinosaurs, our flexible degree stream also allows you to focus on an Earth or Life Sciences route to becoming a palaeobiologist.
 

Further enquiries: Prof Phil Mannion 

Modules:

To find more information about external modules, check the UCL’s Module Catalogue

Year 1 Bsc/MSci 

Core or compulsory modules

Term 1:

Term 2:

Optional modules:

Term 1:

Term 2:

Fieldwork:

Year 2 Bsc/MSci 

Core or compulsory modules

Term 1:

Term 2:

Optional modules:

Term 1:

Term 2:

Fieldwork:

Year 3 Bsc/MSci 

Core or compulsory modules

Term 1:

Term 2:

Optional modules

Term 1:

Term 1 & 2:

Term 2:

Fieldwork:

 

Year 4 MSci

Year 4 MSci

MSci Co-ordinator: Prof. Ian Wood

The fourth year of the MSci allows for an individual research project and advanced options, providing extra depth and breadth of knowledge. We recommend you apply for an MSci initially, as this keeps more options open. To progress to year 4 of the MSci programme, you must have a 3rd year average of 60% or better and a nominal BSc award of an upper second, or better. Students who do not fulfil the required criteria to proceed at the end of the 3rd year may be considered for graduation with the award of a BSc Honours degree.

Compulsory modules MSci:

Term 1

Term 2

Term 1 & 2

Optional modules MSci:

 Term 2:

Fieldwork:    

 

Our Palaeontology Research Group

Our research encompasses the responses of past life to environmental changes that are analogous to the current climate crisis, which is critical for understanding the long-term effects on living species. 

Resources:

All Modules: See the list of all the different Modules at Earth Sciences UCL.

Contact Us:
Email:es-admissions@ucl.ac.uk