Access to volcanic rock on our doorstep in the English Lake District
The only master’s in the UK dedicated to volcanology
Benefit from a community of volcanologists conducting fascinating research
Volcanoes are fascinating phenomena that are simultaneously spectacular and dangerous. They can both create and destroy our habitats and human-made infrastructure in addition to causing disruption and economic impacts. As over a billion people worldwide live close to an active volcano, effective hazard management underpins the lives and livelihoods of many.
Our MSc Volcanology will develop your expertise in, and understanding of, volcanic activity and its interaction with the wider environment. Taught by our world-leading environmental scientists, we very much believe that getting out into the field is essential to your studies, and Lancaster is perfectly placed to do this with the striking volcanic rocks of the Lake District on our doorstep.
Volcanoes can be analysed and studied in many ways, not just out in the field. You will also develop laboratory and computer-based skills to better analyse and evaluate environmental and volcanological phenomena.
Who is this programme for?
Those looking to get a deeper understanding of volcanology to progress their career in the environment/geoscience sector, or as a step towards research with a PhD.
Looking ahead to employability
Through our volcanology group we share our passion for the research we do and invite students to take part in seminars, workshops and wider discussions to learn from their peers and research leaders. This extra-curricular activity broadens your perspective, enhances your research skills and can further your interest in specific areas.
We also develop your transferrable skills so that when you graduate you are well positioned for opportunities in industry or research. You will:
Gain crucial field working skills including relating fundamental principles to complex real-world observations, such as use of volcanic rock textures to reconstruct volcanic behaviour, or characterisation of slope stability from field observations and physical models
Develop your ability to think critically, assess problems and design solutions
Learn how to build a rationale for management or intervention
Communicate your ideas effectively
What to expect
Volcanoes are the most recognisable sign of Earth's dynamic interior. Multifaceted interactions between magma, water and air generate a myriad of volcanic phenonena that can be unravelled through field, laboratory and numerical study. Volcanic deposits provide evidence of physical processes that pose hazards local and global.
Taught by world-leading experts in the field, you will start with a core module in physical volcanology where you learn widely applicable physical and chemical principles that underpin volcanic activity, including the rheology of magma, the behaviour of eruption-triggering volcanic gases and the transport of lava and ash to the surface and atmosphere. You have an additional core model that covers broader geological hazards, including volcanic, seismic and landslide hazards, and provides training in fieldwork and technical report writing. Your third core module provides an interdisciplinary overview of broader environmental challenges using a set of local case studies in and around the nearby English Lake District. This highlights context and is an important context communication experience. Then select three additional optional modules to suit your interests. One of these is the highly popular field course to Mount Etna on Sicily, to see an active volcano close up. Whatever your selection, each module is carefully designed to develop your broader learning and practical skills in that area.
Your Master’s culminates in a dissertation project under the supervision of one of our internationally recognised researchers, taking advantage of our well-equipped experimental and geochemical laboratories.
Three things we would like you to know
Lancaster is ideally situated for environmental study with volcanic rocks on its doorstep in the Lake District
Over 100 graduates of this Master's are in successful careers in industry, academia and research
Join our volcanology research group offering peer support, access to research and networking opportunities
Postgraduate study is carried out in the Graduate School for the Environment. This is a collaboration between Lancaster University's Environment Centre, the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, and Rothamsted Research.
Whether choosing to take up a role in industry or pursue a PhD, the MSc in Volcanology provides you with a knowledge base, skillset and additional professional competencies that together will distinguish you from other candidates. Our alumni hold positions as:
Catastrophe modeller
Geo-environmental consultant
Volcanologist
Academics, from a professor to a lecturer
GIS consultant
Data scientist
Emergency planning officer
Sustainability advisory
Entry requirements
Academic requirements
2:2 Hons degree (UK or equivalent) in Geology, Geography, Earth Science, Natural Science, Environmental Science or similar.
We may also consider non-standard applicants at a 2:2 degree level in a related subject, alongside relevant experience or training in volcanology, specific volcanology research, field work or broader contributions to environmental science.
Applicants with a 2:2 degree in Engineering, Maths/Statistics, English or Physics are encouraged to contact us for further information.
English language requirements
We require an IELTS (Academic) Test with an overall score of at least 6.5, and a minimum of 6.0 in each element of the test.
If you are thinking of applying to Lancaster and you would like to ask us a question, complete our enquiry form and one of the team will get back to you.
Delivered in partnership with INTO Lancaster University, our one-year tailored pre-master's pathways are designed to improve your subject knowledge and English language skills to the level required by a range of Lancaster University master's degrees. Visit INTO Lancaster University for more details and a list of eligible degrees you can progress onto.
Course structure
We continually review and enhance our curriculum to ensure we are delivering the best possible learning experience, and to make sure that the subject knowledge and transferable skills you develop will prepare you for your future. The University will make every reasonable effort to offer programmes and modules as advertised. In some cases, changes may be necessary and may result in new modules or some modules and combinations being unavailable, for example as a result of student feedback, timetabling, Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies' (PSRB) requirements, staff changes and new research. Not all optional modules are available every year.
Core
core modules accordion
We inhabit a wafer-thin veneer that floats on a dynamic planetary interior. This module explores the structure and evolution of Earth’s interior and how volcanic systems emerge as the surface expression of the convection of the outer core and mantle. You will build a foundation on understanding of the properties and behaviour of volcanic materials gained through laboratory, theoretical and field study. The module emphasises widely applicable physical and chemical principles that underpin volcanic activity, including variations in solubility, rheology, phase, density and permeability. The interaction of volcanic processes with the biosphere, atmosphere and hydrosphere are discussed including how the Earth’s interior can produce rapid surface change that alters the trajectory of evolution. These principles will also be applied to research-led insights into volcanism across the solar system.
Geological hazards, especially earthquakes, landslides and volcanic eruptions, endanger lives and livelihoods – disproportionately in vulnerable areas – and cause economic losses and infrastructure damage. Effective hazard management requires detailed understanding of the underlying physical processes, use of appropriate monitoring techniques to assess hazards and rigorous policymaking. In this module you’ll learn, via numerous case studies, how the boundaries of our knowledge of geological hazards are advanced by ongoing research. You’ll gain understanding of why landslides occur and the geomechanical models underpinning slope failure analysis and why faults slip. You will look at the probabilistic models used in seismic hazard assessment and how volcanic unrest and eruption relates to physical processes in magmatic systems. You will gain employability-relevant experience of geological hazards, which integrates field, remote sensing and modelling approaches and includes a site survey of a local landslide. You will thus develop systematic and creative approaches to identifying and solving problems.
This field-based, interdisciplinary module puts you at the heart of environmental sustainability case studies right on our doorstep in Lancaster. These may include:
Pollution at Windermere
Habitat restoration in the Cumbrian Lake District
The energy transition from coal mines to renewables
Innovative waste management schemes
Local food initiatives
With each case study, our academic and research staff work alongside external stakeholders in the identification, assessment, and remediation of environmental challenges.
Our most pressing environmental sustainability challenges include biodiversity loss, climate change, waste and pollution management, uncertain food security and dwindling resources. There is an ever-increasing demand for graduates versed in these complex issues, whose critical thinking and original, creative problem-solving can make a difference.
You’ll gain both first-hand knowledge relevant to careers in environmental sustainability, and experience in effective communication that cuts across disciplinary boundaries and brings together the University, the private sector, and the wider public.
The dissertation allows you to conduct an independent research project that is at the forefront of the discipline, focusing on a specific topic relevant to your degree programme and interests. Throughout, you will receive one-to-one support from an academic.
This is the largest piece of work that you will complete during your degree and depending on your subject area, will enable you to develop skills including:
Formulating a research question
Contextualising it within research literature
Identifying and using appropriate research methods and techniques to address your question
Collecting and analysing data
Interpreting and communicating your findings
You will be expected to present your findings in an extensive report akin to a research paper. In this, you will demonstrate your ability to conduct rigorous, independent research whilst working effectively with others, attributes valued by future employers.
Optional
optional modules accordion
Chemical contamination is one of the ten ‘planetary boundaries’, which, according to some of the world’s most eminent scientists, should not be crossed. The reasons are self-evident; a contaminated world is an unsafe world – for society and the environment. Even the most advanced nations suffer, directly or indirectly, from pollution, whether the source is thousands of kilometres away or just down the street.
Through a combination of lectures and workshop-based activities, you will gain an understanding of the scale of the pollution problem, the fate, behaviour and impact of pollutants in the environment, especially in terrestrial systems, the processes developed to assess the risk and potential impact of pollution, and how we use scientific understanding to reduce the impact of pollution on the environment and society.
The knowledge and skills that you will gain from this module will support your ambitions for further research or employment in the regulatory and private sectors.
Advances in environmental science increasingly rely on diverse data collected through a wide range of sensors and instruments. This module equips you with the skills to access, process and interpret varied digital datasets, using modern techniques and software underpinned by scientific rigour. You’ll learn how to critically assess data quality, recognise potential errors and apply methods to minimise their impact. Through real-world examples drawn from across the environmental sciences, you’ll gain confidence in working with complex, multi-source data and understand the value of integrating different data streams.
Take a critical, yet hands-on approach to exploring the role of eco-innovation as a pathway towards sustainable development.
Through action-learning, you will identify and address complex real-world sustainability challenges by developing your own eco-innovation proposals – viable ideas with the potential to reduce human impact on the environment whilst simultaneously delivering the economic and social ambitions of the global sustainable development agenda.
Working in small teams, you will combine key sustainability concepts and business planning approaches to develop effective eco-innovations. Throughout, you will gain valuable transferable skills including team working, problem analysis and framing, and effective oral and written communication to professional and non-academic audiences.
By the end of the module, you will be able to demonstrate a critical understanding of the forefront of eco-innovation for sustainable development, along with practical skills and increased confidence to help you drive change in real world professional environments.
Build a comprehensive and systematic understanding of the data analysis and programming techniques that increasingly underpin environmental and Earth sciences and are equally relevant to research and employment. To begin, you will be introduced to methods for using computer programming for analysis and visualisation of environmental science data. Using a modern programming language (e.g. Python) and interactive development environments (e.g. Jupyter Notebook), you will then develop the skills necessary to use programming in conjunction with large datasets and modelling systems that feature throughout environmental science.
You will explore the fundamental tools of programming, running code in interactive development environments, editing, commenting, debugging, and using variables, loops, conditional statements and functions. Once you have mastered these tools, you will develop proficiency in programming for statistical analysis, hypothesis testing and data visualisation, and gain experience in planning and implementing tasks at a professional level.
Develop a critical understanding of the core concepts, tools and strategies used in managing natural resources and the environment. This module places strong emphasis on tackling the complexity, uncertainty and conflict that often characterises real-world environmental challenges. You’ll explore a range of management approaches suited to rapidly changing or ‘turbulent’ conditions and examine contemporary environmental issues through both academic and policy lenses. By engaging in constructive debate, you’ll refine your ability to evaluate competing arguments and evidence and demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of alternative management frameworks.
How do we make the decisions that will stop climate change, reverse the biodiversity crisis, keep our rivers clean and cope with a host of other environmental issues while providing the jobs, houses, renewable energy and other things we need for a high quality of life? This module will introduce you to the fast-moving world of environmental decision making through Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and the new approach of Environmental Outcome Reports (EORs). We take a practical approach, including site visits, to see how information is gathered and processed on plans, programmes and projects that may have a significant effect on the environment, and we explain the process, law, and key players right through to a decision. This practical approach helps you to gain confidence so that you’re ready to create and present a case either for or against a scheme.
We introduce you to the fundamental principles of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and remote sensing and demonstrate how these complementary technologies may be used to capture/derive, manipulate, integrate, analyse and display different forms of spatially-referenced environmental data. We blend theory-led lectures with hands-on practical sessions using state-of-the-art software. Alongside core subject knowledge, you'll build transferable skills in synthesising geographical data, developing problem-solving strategies, managing your time effectively and presenting analysis through innovative graphical formats.
Groundwater is the largest freshwater reservoir on the planet; in many parts of the world it is the main (or only) source of freshwater. Groundwater is not only a major source of drinking water, it sustains river flow, plays a critical role in food security and can also influence the structural properties of the ground. In this module you will learn how we can access this water reservoir and how natural and human-influenced disturbances can impact on the availability of groundwater and its quality. You will also be given in-field training on groundwater investigation techniques and gain hands-on experience of using groundwater models to tackle practical problems. You will also learn about some topical issues related to groundwater resources, globally.
How are we transforming the way we supply and use energy to achieve our climate targets? On this cross-disciplinary module, you will look at the major changes underway within our energy system.
Examine decarbonisation pathways in electricity, transport and heat, whilst considering supply and demand dynamics and carbon removal. As part of this, you will investigate real-world challenges at the forefront of the discipline, including how to govern the energy system, economics, societal engagement, and energy security. You will gain real-world insight into complex related issues via interactions with energy professionals, using the University energy system as a case study.
Develop your theoretical and practical knowledge of volcanic processes by studying the evolution of a basaltic volcano. You will be part of pre-trip classroom sessions used to support the main residential fieldwork component of the module. You will cover a wide range of the complex physical volcanic processes that take place both on the surface, within and beneath volcanoes. You will explore geological evidence for constructional (eruptive and intrusive) events as well as for destructive (collapse) events. On top of that, you will also interpret field observations, over scales varying from millimetres to kilometres, in terms of their causal volcanic processes and evaluate the associated hazard. You'll use a problem-based learning approach to tackle major challenges, such as understanding the magmatic plumbing system and how it shapes modern approaches to hazard analysis and mitigation.
Through a combination of lectures, workshop and field-based activities, you will gain a ‘whole system view’ that cuts across disciplines. With a foundation in ongoing research, this will enable you to refine your skills in critical thinking and creative problem solving.
Your new knowledge and skills will provide a springboard for further study or employment focused on a major societal challenge.
Fees and funding
We set our fees on an annual basis and the 2026/27
entry fees have not yet been set.
Additional fees and funding information accordion
There may be extra costs related to your course for items such as books, stationery, printing, photocopying, binding and general subsistence on trips and visits. Following graduation, you may need to pay a subscription to a professional body for some chosen careers.
Specific additional costs for studying at Lancaster are listed below.
College fees
Lancaster is proud to be one of only a handful of UK universities to have a collegiate system. Every student belongs to a college, and all students pay a small College Membership Fee which supports the running of college events and activities. Students on some distance-learning courses are not liable to pay a college fee.
For students starting in 2025, the fee is £40 for undergraduates and research students and £15 for students on one-year courses.
Computer equipment and internet access
To support your studies, you will also require access to a computer, along with reliable internet access. You will be able to access a range of software and services from a Windows, Mac, Chromebook or Linux device. For certain degree programmes, you may need a specific device, or we may provide you with a laptop and appropriate software - details of which will be available on relevant programme pages. A dedicated IT support helpdesk is available in the event of any problems.
The University provides limited financial support to assist students who do not have the required IT equipment or broadband support in place.
Application fees for 2025
For most taught postgraduate programmes starting in 2025 you must pay a non-refundable application fee of £40. We cannot consider applications until this fee has been paid, as advised on our online secure payment system. There is no application fee for postgraduate research applications.
Application fees for 2026
There is no application fee if you are applying for postgraduate study starting in 2026.
Paying a deposit
For some of our courses you will need to pay a deposit to accept your offer and secure your place. We will let you know in your offer letter if a deposit is required and you will be given a deadline date when this is due to be paid.
The fee that you pay will depend on whether you are considered to be a home or international student. Read more about how we assign your fee status.
If you are studying on a programme of more than one year’s duration, tuition fees are reviewed annually and are not fixed for the duration of your studies. Read more about fees in subsequent years.
Details of our scholarships and bursaries for 2026-entry study are not yet available, but you can use our opportunities for 2025-entry applicants as guidance.
You will find yourself taking advantage of several laboratory facilities at Lancaster Environment Centre. There are our £4.4 million Teaching Labs, for example, as well as specialist facilities for Environmental Chemistry, Noble Gas, and Plant and Soil Ecology.
Research Facilities
There are no fewer than 15 purpose-built glasshouse modules, 16 controlled environment plant growth rooms, 4 solar domes based at the Hazelrigg Weather Station and a suite of ultraviolet radiation research facilities that can truly claim to be world-class.
Field Sites
You could find yourself working at a range of catchment science sites across England and Wales, including the local River Eden Valley, or they can travel much further afield to the tropical forests of the Amazon and Borneo.
Cutting-Edge Technologies
You can be trained to use a range of equipment, such as our Stable Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer Facility, X-ray CT Scanner, Magnetometer or the LI-COR Portable Photosynthesis System, which has the capacity to measure plant gas exchange with exceptional speed and precision.
Rich Data Resources
Dedicated support staff with expertise in GIS, statistics, modelling, information technology and programming are available to provide specialist training in all aspects of data acquisition, processing and analysis.
Important information
The information on this site relates primarily to the stated entry year and every effort has been taken to ensure the information is correct at the time of publication.
The University will use all reasonable effort to deliver the courses as described, but the University reserves the right to make changes to advertised courses. In exceptional circumstances that are beyond the University’s reasonable control (Force Majeure Events), we may need to amend the programmes and provision advertised. In this event, the University will take reasonable steps to minimise the disruption to your studies. If a course is withdrawn or if there are any fundamental changes to your course, we will give you reasonable notice and you will be entitled to request that you are considered for an alternative course or withdraw your application. You are advised to revisit our website for up-to-date course information before you submit your application.
More information on limits to the University’s liability can be found in our legal information.
Our Students’ Charter
We believe in the importance of a strong and productive partnership between our students and staff. In order to ensure your time at Lancaster is a positive experience we have worked with the Students’ Union to articulate this relationship and the standards to which the University and its students aspire. Find out more about our Charter and student policies.
