UCL Earth Sciences - Admissions

Planetary Science in brief:
The geological investigation of the planets and moons of the Solar System, including:
• interpretation of planetary images
• active volcanoes and current crustal deformation of Earth as analogues for the evolution of other planets
• astrobiology - the search for life elsewhere in the Solar System
• run jointly with UCL Physics and Astronomy

In recent years, we have seen extraordinary progress in the exploration of our Solar System and the discovery of many extra-solar system planets. Images of great clarity and beauty from space missions and the Hubble Space Telescope reveal the planets and their moons to have active and complex surface features. There is also the possibility that they might be potential sites for extra-terrestrial life. The scientific questions now being explored include the differences in the history of the planets, the processes which have shaped their surfaces and the extent to which their climates and potential for supporting life have changed.

The Department of Earth Sciences at UCL is one of the major centres for planetary research in the UK. It holds a NASA Regional Planetary Image Facility, the only one in the country and one of only seven outside the USA, giving both staff and students unrivalled access to the most recent mission data. As well as the interpretation of surface features, other planetary research in the Department addresses the nature of their interiors using a combination of experimental and computer simulation methods.

The Department of Physics and Astronomy and the Department of Earth Sciences have joined forces to offer a combination of undergraduate courses that are particularly relevant to the study of planets, especially the Earth and Moon, Mars and Venus, and the moons of Jupiter and Saturn. The use and interpretation of planetary images is a key aspect of this programme; students have access to the latest data and can, therefore, contribute to planetary exploration at first hand. Third and fourth-year projects give students the opportunity to develop their ideas in detail and to work in a current research area. UCL has a distinguished record in planetary research.

The University of London Observatory at Mill Hill was incorporated into the Department of Physics and Astronomy in 1951. Members of that department have played a prominent part in NASA missions such as Mariner 10 and Viking as well as Magellan. The UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory has built instruments for over 250 sounding rockets and spacecraft and has pioneered many developments in remote sensing of the Earth.

Staff teaching on the degree programmes have extensive experience in the mapping of a wide range of terrains on the terrestrial planets by remote sensing. They are also engaged in the laboratory analysis of rock-forming minerals and in the investigation of planetary surfaces and interiors by computer modelling and by experimental methods. Their expertise in the interpretation of active volcanoes and of current crustal deformation is of special value in reconstructing successive stages in the history of the rocky and icy planets and moons.

The primary intention of the degree programmes is to enthuse students with a thirst for scientific exploration. Planetary Science graduates will have benefited from a broad scientific education, with a firm foundation in relevant aspects of maths, physics and geology. They will also have experience in the acquisition and interpretation of primary data, and the preparation of scientific reports. Graduates wishing to pursue a scientific career generally go on to further postgraduate study; others have found the course a suitable base from which to pursue a wide variety of professions such as teaching, resource exploration and management, and scientific journalism.

See an example of a Planetary Science Student’s project work - link under construction

Degree programmes in Planetary Science, Geophysics and Earth & Space Science share a common core but with a different emphasis for each programme; students may transfer between them in the first two years.

More detailed info on the Planetary Science Degree Programmes