简介:Starting salaries for graduate geologists have shot up by more than £3,500 since last year’s Guide, propelling the subject into the top ten from outside the top 20, where it has generally been in the past. It is hard to believe that this news has already filtered through to sixth-formers, but geology has enjoyed a healthy increase in applications in 2012, while higher fees have depressed the demand for places in other subjects. The rise of nearly 9 per cent by March took the number of applications well past the final total in any previous year. Cambridge remains well clear of Oxford in geology, with the best performance in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise and has the highest entry standards in the table. Imperial College, in third place, again has clearly the best employment score. Geologists are generally satisfied with their courses, if the National Student Survey of 2011 is any guide – none more so than at Leicester, which produced the top score for the fifth year in a row. In fact, satisfaction levels were above 70 per cent for the subject across the board and only dropped below 75 per cent at one university. All but six of the 28 institutions in this year’s ranking are pre-1992 universities. Plymouth is again the highest-placed of the newer foundations, while Cardiff is the leading university in Wales, and St Andrews is the clear leader in Scotland, despite dropping five places to eighth. Manchester has made the most progress this year, breaking into the top ten after a seven-place rise. Outside the top three, there is less contrast in entry standards in geology than in many other subjects. The average is above 250 points at all but one university in the ranking, and only seven average less than 300. Some of the leading universities expect candidates to have two, or even three, scientific or mathematical subjects at A level. Relatively few places are filled in Clearing. Geology’s mid-table position for employment prospects does not match its performance on salaries. But two thirds of geologists go on to graduate jobs or further study within six months of graduation, and the unemployment level is only just above the average for all subjects, at 10 per cent.以下是2013年times英国大学排名地质学专业排名。