Master in Geology-Geoscience

Master in Geology-Geoscience is one of 4 English-taught Geology programmes at Master's Degree level in the register, offered by 3 institutions. 4 of them list an annual fee for students from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland, from EUR 5,100 to EUR 16,300; this programme lists EUR 8,700 a year. 4 are recorded as free for EU, EEA and Swiss students.

Geology is the science of the origins, composition and evolution of the Earth over 5 billion years, and the processes that change the Earth and form the foundation for our existence. This MSc in Geology-Geoscience at the University of Copenhagen is a research and field based programme. It is taught in English.

What you study

The programme covers geological materials, processes and structures, and the study of Earth's history and of life on Earth. You get an introduction to a range of academic disciplines, as well as methods and concepts within geology. You work in the lab and on your laptop, analysing results you have collected in the field. You also train your skills to communicate results both orally and in writing.

The compulsory courses are Aqueous Geochemistry (7.5 ECTS) and Climates of the Past (7.5 ECTS). You then choose 30 ECTS from a list of restricted elective courses, which includes:

• Climate Change and Water Resources
• Contaminant Hydrogeology
• Early Earth - Formation and History
• Field and Methods course in Geology-Geoscience
• Geodynamics - Shaping Earth's Surface
• Geological Evolution Based on Interpretation and Integration of Reflection Seismic and Wireline Log Data
• Integrated Sedimentary Systems Analysis
• Integrated Water Resources Modelling
• Introduction to Geomicrobiology
• Marine Geoscience
• Melting in the Earth's Mantle - Tracing Sources and Processes
• Palaeontology and History of Life
• Processing of Seismic and Georadar Data
• Stardust to Planets: Building a Habitable Solar System

You also take 15 ECTS of elective courses. The entire second year is devoted to your Master's thesis (60 ECTS). Recent thesis topics include a volcanological and geochemical survey of Boa Vista, Cape Verde Islands; a geochemical study of Storø gold mineralisation, West Greenland; a study of ground-water exchange to and from lakes using tracer tests; evolution of the birds after the Cretaceous-Tertiary Boundary; and a sedimentological analysis of the Balka sandstone on Bornholm.

How the programme is organised

The programme is versatile, with excursions and field trips in Denmark and abroad. One block each year equals nine weeks of study and 15 ECTS. The first year is made up of blocks 1 to 4, with compulsory courses in block 1, restricted electives in blocks 2, 3 and 4, and 15 ECTS of electives. The second year is the thesis.

As part of your elective courses, you can do a project in practice in Denmark or abroad, for example with a company or an institution. You must have a supervisor who approves your host company and guides you during the project. You finish with a written project report and an oral examination. You can also study abroad for one or two semesters, or for a shorter period such as a summer school, and have passed courses credit transferred. The Faculty of Science has around 100 Erasmus+ exchange agreements and more than 100 university-wide agreements with non-European universities.

Who it suits

This programme suits you if you want to work with the Earth itself: its materials, processes and history. You should be comfortable with fieldwork, lab work and data analysis, and with communicating what you find. The programme is research based, so curiosity and an interest in building your own scientific project matter. You will need to analyse a geological problem, set up a working model, collect and analyse geological data, and prepare a detailed scientific report.

Admission, language and next steps

To apply, you must be enrolled in or have completed a qualifying bachelor's programme or another relevant Danish or foreign degree that the admission board assesses as meeting the academic requirements. If you hold a bachelor's degree in Geology-Geoscience from the University of Copenhagen, you have a legal right of admission and are guaranteed a place if you apply by the deadline. You can wait up to three years to use this right. If you hold another Danish or international degree, you are eligible if it includes 60 ECTS of subject elements at bachelor's level within geology-geoscience. You must also meet the language requirement for English B.

Applications go through the application portal. The deadline for applicants from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland is 15 January at 23:59 CET, with replies by 13 March. For Danish applicants and applicants from within the EU, EEA and Switzerland, the deadline is 1 March at 23:59 CET, with replies by 15 May. Students from the EU/EEA and Switzerland study free of charge. Other students pay a fee set by the institution. The number of places is capped. If there are more qualified applicants than places after legal right applicants are allocated, applicants are prioritised by the total number of ECTS credits in courses within geology-geoscience. The University of Copenhagen does not offer pre-assessment of your educational background.

Master’s applications go straight to University of Copenhagen, not through optagelse.dk, and the institution sets its own deadline. The register shows 15 January 2027 as the next deadline for this programme. Intake, as the register states it: Starts 1 September 2027 (apply by 15 January 2027). Entry requirements and language tests are set by the institution, so start from the official programme page. Our guides cover tuition fees, residence permits and housing.