Requirements for Accreditation

Current requirements for accredited programmes

August 2008

The Accreditation Scheme for first degrees in the geosciences has now been active for 10 years. With the accumulation of a considerable database on a broad range of accredited programmes, the Panel considers it an appropriate time to move to a more proactive approach by setting out details of essential skills and minimum requirements that programmes will need to meet to be eligible for accreditation. We hope that this move will make it easier for schools/departments to tailor their programmes to meet the requirements of accreditation in advance of submitting an application, and indeed, we have received requests from some quarters for just such a change in our procedures.

The Panel recognises the value of diversity in the provision among geoscience programmes both nationally and abroad and has no desire or intention to impose a detailed curriculum for degree schemes. At the same time however, accreditation implies that certain core skills have been acquired, that are considered essential if a graduate is to continue into professional employment. Thus it is our intention that this initiative should meet this aim whilst not being overly prescriptive. To this end we have set out a series of requirements in narrative form, supported by a table of minimum requirements for different categories of geoscience programmes that in most cases we would expect to see exceeded. The requirements will be updated as and when necessary and institutions will be kept fully informed of any changes to them.

These requirements will form an integral part of the documentation sent to schools/departments requesting information on the submission of an application for accreditation. This documentation will be automatically sent to those due to submit for reaccreditation.

I will be very pleased to respond to any queries arising from this initiative and to assist departments in preparing applications for accreditation.

Colin Scrutton, Accreditation Officer.

1. Essential skills and techniques

Departments applying for accreditation will be required to demonstrate that their programmes introduce students to the major aspects of their degree subject and specifically that appropriate skill levels are attained in certain highlighted topics. They must also demonstrate that teaching in these subjects is carried out by appropriately qualified staff with relevant postgraduate research and/or professional experience as appropriate, and a record of continuing professional development. This applies particularly to fieldwork where we consider the teaching of mapping skills to be of very high importance.

A. All degree schemes must expose students to methods and ideas across a spectrum of the earth sciences, although the details will vary with degree title. In particular, it must be shown that the curricula for all accredited programmes have the following themes embedded:

• The importance of time and scale in geology, including the 4D investigation of sedimentary sequences, igneous and metamorphic processes and tectonics.
• The contributions of cognate sciences to geological understanding through geochemistry and geophysics.
• An understanding of surface processes including those affecting landscape development in the Quaternary.
• An awareness of the essential contributions of geoscience to the economic, environmental and cultural needs of Society.
  

B. In addition, the following essential skills must be addressed in each programme. Table 1 indicates the amount of work required as a minimum in each of these. While it is acceptable for programmes to teach one of these skills at the minimum level, each programme must exceed minimum levels in other skills to compensate. The minimum levels are intended to be the expectation for a programme whose efforts are concentrated on other skill topics and so a low performance across the board will not be accredited.

• Practical experience of a range of rocks, structures, landforms etc. in the field, including experience in instrumental and sampling techniques in the field. Field-based project work is included in this category, although it is recognised that there will be individual cases where independent project work cannot be carried out in the field. It is expected that graduates in Geological Sciences (or similarly titled) degree schemes will be trained in geological mapping and will practice it independently as part of their project work, but it is recognised that in some other degree schemes more emphasis should be placed on instrumental methods, sampling techniques, etc. and that in these the projects will include laboratory training.
• The ability to describe geological materials and their properties at a range of scales and reach informed conclusions about their possible identity and origins. This includes the investigation of sediments, rocks, minerals and fossils, although the balance between specific topics may vary. Lecture and practical classes should be supported by field exercises.
• Facility with visualising geological data in three dimensions, including the construction of cross sections, extraction of 3D orientations from observations on a 2D surface and manipulation of data via stereonets.
• Some exposure to the handling of large data sets using GIS techniques and the use of remote sensing techniques.
• Mathematical and statistical skills necessary to understand the quantitative and theoretical aspects of the subject and to handle data sets. Departments should document the provision made, although it is recognised that this may be by special courses and/or by material embedded in specific modules, and that requirements may vary according to A-level qualifications (see section 2, below). In addition, it is expected that students will have acquired competence in the Graduate Key Skills as set out in Section 3 of the QAA Benchmark Statement for Earth Sciences, Environmental Sciences and Environmental Studies (2007).
  

While these two lists represent essential requirements, it is expected that accredited degrees will give students the opportunity to acquire skills relevant to all the major employment sectors for UK graduates, including hydrocarbons, engineering, environment, hydrogeology, economic minerals and aggregates, except where the degree programme is clearly intended to educate students along a more specialised pathway. Submissions should demonstrate that this is indeed the case.

2. Essential mathematical and statistical techniques for geoscience programmes

(Field and Core topics)

• General approach:
  • Understanding and stating the problem, converting words to equations, approximation, dimensional analysis, order of magnitude calculations. 
• Numbers and functions: 
  • Percentages, square roots, powers, logs (base 10 and natural) and exponentials.
• Dimensions and units: 
  • Understand importance of the dimension of a value (e.g. area must be length2, some numbers dimensionless). Evaluating dimensions from an equation. SI units and prefixes (milli, micro etc.).
• Geometry: 
  • Areas (triangle, rectangle, circle), volumes (cuboid, prism, sphere), estimating volumes of irregular bodies.
• Trigonometry and simple vectors: 
  • Pythagoras. Radians <-> degrees, sine, cosine, tangent in right angle triangles. Applications to mapping and map work, including grid references, latitude, longitude; dip, strike and measurement of sections.
• Algebra: 
  • Fundamentals of algebra. Manipulation of equations involving the above functions.
• Statistics: 
  • Geological data sources and sampling protocols. Empirical frequency distributions – histogram. Measures of location – mean, median, mode. Measures of spread – standard deviation, standard error, range. Percentiles. Box plot. Gaussian (Normal) distribution. Lognormal distribution. Discrete distributions – count data. Bar charts. Percentaged data. Cartesian coordinates. Bivariate scatter (xy) plot. Ternary diagram. Geographically distributed data. Mapping. Point-value data. Contouring methods. Circular directional data – rose diagram. Spherical directional data – equal-area stereographic projection. Mean vector. Bivariate correlation. Fitting linear equations.
• Computing and data managment, including spreadsheets (Excel or equivalent): 
  • Use of computing programmes for all aspects of IT. Familiarity with applications software (i.e. 3D mapping programmes, seismic interpretation software, ArcGIS, etc.). For spreadsheets: calculating cell contents, using a range of functions, copying cells to manipulate large data sets, plotting, formatting sheets and plots.
• Rudiments of calculus: 
  • Students should be able to read differential equations and understand the relationships between the variables in the context of rates of change of geological processes; also to understand the principles of integration.

All students should be expected to make use of the core topics in a range of modules on a routine basis throughout their degree. It is also expected that more advanced numerical methods may be introduced as appropriate in specific modules, but it is recognised that the diversity of modules on offer makes it inappropriate to define specific content.

In their submissions departments must demonstrate, in a separate appendix, how and where numerical methods are taught and applied throughout the course of their degree schemes.

Table 1. Minimum time devoted to essential skills (3 and 4 year programmes)

¹ Integrated masters degrees are expected to include additional field days specific to that degree, which should be taken at either Level 3 or Level M. Total Field Days include the independent project field days.
² In this table “credits” refer to standard HEFCE credits such that each level of full time study comprises 120 credits.
³ At least 20 credits should be geoscience based.
⁴ For some degree schemes independent fieldwork is expected, but field project work is more appropriate in areas such as Environmental Geochemistry or Geophysics and involves fewer days. This category includes group fieldwork for the purpose of collecting data/materials for use in Independent Projects.
⁵ The requirement for independent mapping may form the whole or part of the Independent Project (where the length of this either meets or exceeds the minimum requirement for independent mapping), or may be completed as a separate exercise. In the case of Geophysics (Geological), the Panel will accept alternative field or practical work if this can be shown to satisfy training in the ability to visualise geological data in 3D.
⁶ Rocks – Petrography and petrology of Igneous, Sedimentary and Metamorphic rocks, plus Mineralogy and Crystallography (including minerals of major groups of rocks and sediments).
⁷ At least 30% of the minimum figure must be at Level 2 or higher.
⁸ Minimum figures. Some flexibility in these figures between Level 2 and Levels 3 and M will be accepted. Can include cognate courses in related sciences for some degree schemes.