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Overview

South Africa's geological heritage - from some of the world's oldest rocks to its largest ore deposits - places Wits graduates at the centre of one of the great opportunities of our time.

The global energy transition is driving unprecedented demand for the metals and minerals that power batteries, renewables and modern technology, and geoscientists are needed more than ever to responsibly find, understand and unlock these resources. The programme reflects this changing face of the discipline.

Students progress through six integrated courses built around Wits Geosciences' greatest strengths - geochemistry, economic geology and geophysics - alongside a substantial independent research project. The curriculum blends seminar-style teaching on current research frontiers, hands-on geochemical instrumentation and analytical training, coding and GIS skills for modern data-driven geoscience, and field-based training in ore-forming systems.

Graduates emerge not only with deep technical knowledge of Earth processes, but with the critical thinking, communication and independent research skills to thrive in industry, government or academia - as part of the next generation of geoscientists helping to responsibly unlock Africa's mineral wealth.

Career Opportunities

Geosciences Honours graduates are equipped for careers across the full spectrum of the mineral and energy resource industry, from exploration and mining geology to geochemistry, economic geology, and geodata science.

As global demand for critical minerals (copper, PGMs, lithium, manganese and others) accelerates to meet the energy transition, geoscientists play a growing role not just in finding and extracting these resources, but in doing so responsibly - as geometallurgists optimising processing efficiency, resource geologists estimating viable reserves, environmental geologists safeguarding land and water, and geodata scientists turning satellite and ground data into actionable maps.

Graduates go on to work for mining and exploration companies, government geological surveys, environmental consultancies, and research institutions, or pursue further postgraduate research in academia.

Curriculum

Geosciences Honours is a 120-credit programme (NQF level 8) comprising six compulsory courses.

The Research Project in Geosciences (40 credits) is the core component, giving students hands-on experience of independent research - from proposal to fieldwork/labwork to final written and oral presentation.

This is complemented by:

• Hydrogeology (10 credits), covering groundwater occurrence, exploration and recharge estimation, hydrogeochemistry, isotope hydrology and pumping-test analysis, with a strong South µÚÒ»³Ô¹ÏÍø focus on groundwater resources, legislation and management;
• Frontiers in Geosciences (10 credits), a seminar-based course exploring current research debates across the discipline;
• Data Geosciences and Earth Visualisation (20 credits), covering GIS, remote sensing and coding (Python) for modern geoscience data processing;
• Solid Earth & Surficial Geochemistry (20 credits), covering the chemical evolution of the Earth and hands-on geochemical instrumentation and isotope geochronology; and
• Ore System Sciences (20 credits), covering ore-forming processes and mineral exploration, including a 10–14 day field trip to major South µÚÒ»³Ô¹ÏÍø ore deposits.

Entry Requirements

• A Bachelor of Science degree or equivalent 
• A pass in the relevant major (BSc Geological Sciences — Geology or Applied Geology) at Wits or another Senate-approved programme 
• Minimum 60% in the third-year BSc Geology course (this must include the field-mapping component, GEOL3050A) 
• External applicants should provide a motivation letter, including those who have been outside of academia for a prolonged period of time.

Please note:

• Priority is given to Wits BSc Geological Sciences graduates
• Non-Wits applicants are considered individually. Prospective students, alongside submitting their application via the university admissions system, should send a motivation letter to the course coordinator via email
• The selection process is competitive and depends on available places
• An average of 60% does not guarantee admission.

University Application Process

University Fees and Funding

Click here to see the current average tuition fees. The Fees site also provides information about the payment of fees and closing dates for fees payments. Once you have applied you will be able to access the fees estimator on the student self-service portal.

For information about postgraduate funding opportunities, including the postgraduate merit award, click here. The University's Postgraduate Funding portal is a database of scholarships, bursaries and other funding opportunities available to Wits postgraduate students. Please also check your School website for bursary opportunities.  The National Research Foundation (NRF) offers a wide range of opportunities in terms of bursaries and fellowships to students pursuing postgraduate studies.