The Full-time Course The course extends over 12 months and is in two parts. A 10-day field class takes place in the Easter vacation. An active programme of one-day field investigations and study visits is also organised. The taught element of the course comprises between 15 and 24 contact hours per week. A longer directed project is completed during the second term.
Emphasis is placed on applied problems relevant to future employment.
A regular programme of research colloquia is held during the year which students attend. Each student is assigned a tutor, one of whose tasks is to help guide the planning of the dissertation and to assist in the supervision of the dissertation research programme. The dissertation topic is selected by the student to suit their particular interests. This allows the student to investigate a sedimentological problem in depth and to develop their skills in a particular area. Topics usually combine field and laboratory techniques.