Introduction

The Department of Geology has a thriving community of graduate students from the UK and overseas. This page provides some orientation for international students considering campus-based graduate courses in the Department of Geology, and presents some personal profiles by international students (Pablo Davila-Harris, from Mexico; Ma Xiao-ya, from China; Jawad Afzal, from Pakistan - scroll down this page to find these).
In the UK, PhD study in Geology normally comprises 3 years of full-time research.

Contacts

We welcome informal contacts from students considering applying to us for campus-based study.

Please contact: Dr Mark Williams, Postgraduate Tutor, Department of Geology, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH, United Kingdom
Tel: +44 116 252 3642 • Email: mri@le.ac.uk • Fax: +44 116 252 3918

Research degrees (PhD)

A UK PhD usually comprises 3 years of full-time study, followed by some months ‘writing up’ on reduced fees before the thesis is submitted. The 3 years are entirely dedicated to research and writing of a thesis; there is no formal taught component (though there is training in research techniques, other relevant skills, and careers advice). The supervisor team usually comprises of a principle supervisor (the expert), a second supervisor, and an independent staff member who chairs the ‘Thesis Committee’. It is this committee which meets periodically to assess the progress of the student.

The thesis is normally examined within 3 months of submission by a panel comprising one internal examiner (usually the ‘independent staff member’ from the Department of Geology), and one external examiner (normally from another UK University or Research Institute). Applicants for a PhD should normally have a good Master of Science degree in a relevant field or a very good first degree (equivalent to a First Class or Upper Second Class Bachelor of Science Degree).

International research student profiles

Pablo Davila-Harris

I’m from Mexico where I graduated in Geology during 2002. I worked for a couple of years in mineral exploration mainly in the northwest Sierra Madre, a vast Tertiary (~30 Million year old) volcanic province. While working in the field I learnt a lot, not only mapping and geology, but drilling, dirt-road surveying and many other interesting work-related duties. Today, I’m a PhD student, studying since 2004 at the Department of Geology, University of Leicester. My field of research is volcanology, a relatively modern sub-discipline of geology. I’m specializing in interpreting the products of explosive pyroclastic eruptions in Quaternary rocks of Tenerife, between 2 and 0.7 million years ago. My love for volcanoes and geology comes from my home country, where we have several amazing volcanoes, but more locally from my hometown San Luis, surrounded by old volcanic rocks and amazing geology. Now, as a geologist, I’m interested in those processes involved in the formation of volcanic rocks.

Pablo points to some of the volcanic rocks he is studying on Tenerife

My experience as a PhD student at the University of Leicester has been fantastic, with very good training, open access to analytical techniques and other facilities. I’ve learned a lot from my supervisors, researchers, fellow PhD students and people in and out of the University. I’ve enjoyed demonstrating to undergraduate students in practical sessions and on several fieldtrips. The Department of Geology is a very close community and the weekly seminars and informal talks are of very good quality. The coffee room and going to the pub with friends at the end of the week are very enjoyable experiences. I even got married half-way through my PhD and that gave me a better opportunity to travel to mainland Europe. I consider that doing my studies abroad has given me a much more satisfying experience, from the academic point of view but also in day-to-day life.

Ma Xiao-ya

Ma Xiao-ya takes a break from collecting fossils in Chengjiang County, Yunnan, Chin

I’m from China and before I came to the UK, I read for a Bachelors Degree in Biology and a Masters Degree in Zoology, both at the Yunnan University in southwest China. Through these courses I gained knowledge about biology, specifically in zoology, which became very useful for my further studies. Now, I am a highly motivated PhD student studying palaeontology at the Department of Geology, University of Leicester. My PhD focuses on the early evolution and preservation of worm-like fossils from a world-famous Cambrian fossil assemblage called the Chengjiang Biota, southwest China. Since I started my PhD, I have learned lots about geology, which gives me an interdisciplinary background.

I am enjoying my time in Leicester very much both socially and academically, and my maxim is “Play hard and work hard”. My dream of travelling around the world has started to become true since I arrived in Britain. I like the British rural landscape very much, and demonstrating in the Department field trips has given me good opportunities to see the amazing natural face of Britain. As Leicester is located in the middle of England, you can easily travel to other places within a short time. I also enjoy my PhD study very much. Our Department has lots of strong research groups, where you can get very good supervision and also good communication with scientists both inside and outside the university. We have many facilities and technical staff to support our research. As many international conferences are often organised in European countries, I have more chance to attend than if I was still based in China. During the past two years, I have attended six international conferences and presented my research using both talks and posters. The most exciting achievement so far is to win the Best Poster prize at the 2006 Palaeontological Association Meeting. The Association has over 1,000 members, and this prize was a great encouragement to me as a young palaeontologist.

Jawad Afzal

I graduated in geology from the University of Peshawar, Pakistan in 2004. After my graduation I worked as a research associate for two years at the National Centre of Excellence in Geology, University of Peshawar, where I acquired some experience of applied geological research and later got a PhD scholarship to study abroad. However, taking up a PhD course was a big commitment and I wanted to experience something a bit different. After searching several geology departments around the UK and other international universities, a PhD at the Department of Geology in the University of Leicester was my clear first choice as this offered me both an excellent academic environment together with a great city to live in. I started my PhD in 2006 and since then I am working on Palaeocene-Eocene foraminifera from the Indus Basin of Pakistan. The main focus of my research is to explore the significance of foraminifera and carbonate sediments for climatic reconstruction of the globally warm interval of the Palaeocene-Eocene. These studies are the first of their kind in the region.

Jawad returns to base camp after a day hunting microfossils in northern Pakistan

The Department of Geology itself allows good personal interaction between students and lecturers and professors. Research seminars are top quality and the PhD seminars where research students present their ideas and proposals are an excellent way to get feedback from professors with different expertise. Relations among PhD students are the best of all. They are a very close group of people from all over the world and they are very much encouraged to exchange ideas and help each other, making the sometimes difficult process of doing a PhD so much easier. Together with the great academic environment, the university also has a very nice campus, and a great cultural and social life. I truly think that my years in Leicester are very joyful and will be one of the best experiences of my life.

Useful links on the web

1. University of Leicester International Office http://www.le.ac.uk/international/
2. University postgraduate prospectus http://www.le.ac.uk/graduateoffice/pgprospectus/index.html
3. Fees and other financial information http://www.le.ac.uk/graduateoffice/pgprospectus/financial.html
4. Funding and scholarships http://www.le.ac.uk/international/future/scholarships.html
5. Applying for postgraduate study http://www.le.ac.uk/graduateoffice/pgprospectus/applying.html
6. Accommodation http://www.le.ac.uk/international/isg/ioacc.html
7. English language tuition http://www.le.ac.uk/international/elp/
   

Note on English language ability for non-native speakers

English language ability

Applicants whose first language is not English, and who have not lived in a country where the first language is English for at least 3 years immediately prior to the commencement of the course, should normally include in their qualifications one of the following:

• English Language at GCE Ordinary Level or Cambridge 1119 or GCSE or IGCSE, at grades A to C
• British Council IELTS 6.0
• TOEFL 234 to 250 (575 - 600 on the old scale), including TWE of 4 or above.