MA Geology Meaning, Top Colleges, Syllabus, Distance Education, Jobs and Salary 2023

What is MA Geology?

MA Geology like any other postgraduate degree is a certified course of two years duration, prerequisites needed to pursue this degree vary from college to college, however a BSc in Geology is an added advantage for direct admission in the master’s program, however certain colleges also offer admission without any prior geology background.

Geology has been an extended stream of science that is slowly getting popularized by the rising need of studying the earth and its ability to produce natural minerals and organic material. With the gradual rise in environmental awareness and campaigns headed for the protection of planet Earth, This stream has recently been gaining more pace as an individual-oriented reputed profession and has started offering exciting opportunities for the youth who wanted to explore their respective careers in this field.

Certain MA Geology colleges also offer direct admission based on merit, whereas other colleges follow their usual order of conducting entrance tests in the beginning of academic year, followed by an interview in some cases, the average fees for this particular course ranges around INR 2,000 to 50,000 depending upon the choice of college and curriculum one wants to opt for.

The top recruitment offers for this particular course are usually done by the Geological survey of India, coal and mines industry, as well as various research opportunities in earth sciences are some of the crucial designations that this degree offers to its recipients.

MA Geology Course Highlight

Course level	Post-Graduation
Full Form	Masters of Art in Geology
Duration	Two years
Examination type	Offline and semester wise
Eligibility	Under graduation with Geology or any bachelor's degree with 50% marks
Admission process	Through written test/interview/merit
Course fee	Ranging from INR 2000 to INR 50000
Average salary	Ranging from INR 20000 to INR 3 lakhs
Top recruiting companies	Geological survey of India, Hindustan Zinc, Coal India, Oil and natural gas corporation
Job positions/designations	Geologist, research assistants, professors in reputed colleges, seismologist, agriculturists, consultants in mining and coal industries/mineral industries

What is the MA Geology Admission Process?

Admission is based either on performance in the entrance examination conducted by the concerned university or marks secured in graduation in accordance with the university admission process.

However, some of the institutes require a minimum of 45-50% marks in graduation as one of the qualifying criteria to secure admission to the MA course. Selection to the degree course in such colleges is based on marks or equivalent CGPA. Thus, a merit list is prepared on the basis of marks obtained in graduation and performance in the entrance test, if any.

The last step of the admission process involves counselling wherein the students are granted admission as per marks secured either in the entrance test or at the graduation level or both

Certain colleges also offer direct admission into the course without a prior written test and admission is done entirely on merit.

What are the MA Geology Eligibility Requirements?

Students who wish to pursue this degree must have a bachelor's degree (BA/B.SC) with Geology as a subject or any bachelor's degree with approximately 50 percentile achieved in their examinations, also certification done by a recognized board/ university
By qualifying entrance tests/interview conducted by certain universities and colleges

Why Study MA Geology?

Geology has recently gained much reverence and fame for its extensive curriculum which is the need of the hour and an industry which is in constant need of new research and development. This particular course is essential in many ways.

Candidates pursuing this course are taught in-depth knowledge of earth and its functionalities which in turn creates awareness towards environmental sciences and technology
Candidates are also given high-end knowledge and monetary benefits, recruitment agencies are highly professional in their endeavors and offer best package deals to its employees
Candidates who want to expand their horizons in regard to earth's natural resources and makes unique contributions in this field
Geology is merely not restricted to a certain career or sector, aspirants of this degree can have their careers in vast fields such as seismology (study of earthquakes and its patterns/origination, glacial geology, volcanology and geotechnical engineering.
Recruitment agencies for this particular degree are generally backed by government support, public recruiter such as Geological survey of India and Hindustan Zinc offers attractive monetary benefits and bonuses as well as incentives to keep their employees happy
A candidate pursuing this degree can also conduct active research and contribute their work in order to get recognition as reputed teachers/ mentors and professors of various colleges.
It also provides exciting opportunities as a consultant in major natural resources divisions of India and of the world, one can easily contribute their research and work modules which can further be investigated and applied to ensure quality standards of protection of earth and its resources.

What are the Top MA Geology Colleges?

Geology has become quite famous for its curriculum and syllabi pertaining to the extensive research experience in the field of earth's core and structure and is universally accepted; furthermore it provides exciting opportunities in the field of research and development often backed by attractive monetary benefits.

Given below are the top colleges offering MA Geology.

Name of the college	Location	Annual Course Fees
Kishan Lal Public College	Rewari, Haryana	INR 16,610
Hindu girls college	Sonepat, Haryana	INR 1,800
Nilamber Pitamber University	Palamu, Jharkhand	INR 1,130
Kazi Nazrul University	Bardhman, West Bengal	INR 14,415
Ravenshaw University	Cuttack, Orissa	INR 20,000
NIMS University	Jaipur, Rajasthan	INR 20,000

Source: College websites

What is the MA Geology Syllabus?

The syllabus for this particular course is designed meticulously to provide assistance and insight into the earth's structure and its related fields. The course is divided into core subjects and a wide variety of optional to choose from ,the course duration is of two years.

The syllabus includes the following compulsory and optional subjects:

Compulsory Subjects
Principles of Mineralogy and Geochemistry	Structural Geology and Geotectonics
Igneous Petrology	Sedimentology
Metamorphic Petrology	Palaeontology
Economic Geology	Geological Field Mapping
Principles and Stratigraphy and Indian Geology	Geological Field Training
Industrial Training	Term Paper
Minor Project	Optional courses

Optional Subjects
Groundwater Geology	Soil Science
Petroleum Geology	Microtectonics
Exploration Geophysics	Planetary Geology
Micropaleontology	Sedimentary Basin Analysis
Environmental Geology	Natural Resources & Environmental management
Remote Sensing	Engineering Geology
Marine Geology	Sedimentary Facies and Environments
Geographical Information Science	Statistical Geology
Mining Geology	Industrial Mineralogy
Coal Geology	Precambrian Crustal Evolution
Well Site Geology	Hydrogeological Problems & Management
Data Mining	Glaciology
Digital Image Processing	Petrophysics
GPR Applications	Climate Geology
Trace Element Geochemistry	Mineral Economics

What are the MA Geology Job prospects and Career Opportunities?

Career and scholarly activities in the field of geology are on a constant rise, candidates after completing their degree can have opportunities in the vast majority of fields ranging from being teachers of geology to working as an active lab expert or consultant. Candidates also are provided with knowledge and expertise of universal nature which further outlines and opens up their prospects to newer dimensions.

Job profile	Job Description	Average Salary
Assistant professors/lecturer	Appointment as a teacher of geology in a reputed university, teaching basics and fundamentals of geology to students	INR 6 LPA
Project/Mining manager	Being responsible for the allocation of resources pertaining to a mining project in an area and ensuring safe and secure mining activities and procurement of natural resources	INR 2.5 LPA
Geologist	Conducting active research to understand the formation of earth and to provide ready insight into exploration and various attributes of different places and their unique natural abundance, assistance in procurement of resources with care and expertise.	INR 5.92 LPA
Seismologist	An extension of geology in the field of studying earthquake and understanding tectonics tensions, seismologist understand the causes and impact of earthquakes to ensure safety and security of various places by studying the demographic information of the area	INR 5 LPA
Consultants	Working as advisory consultants to agencies such as Geological survey of India, coal and mining industries and petroleum industries for valuable insight and information	INR 3.5 LPA
Hydrologist	Their primary emphasis is to manage the water resources, identify and conserve as well as to provide sustainable development and allocation of water related resources	INR 6.5 LPA
Petroleum geologists	A designation that deals with identifying potential spots of petroleum formations and extraction facilities as well as maintaining logistics and statistics upon petroleum consumption and availability of this valuable mineral.	INR 4.5 LPA

Source: Payscale

Top recruitment agencies or organizations:

Geological survey of India
Mineral exploration limited
Oil and natural gas commission (ONGC)
Indian bureau of mines
Indian space research organization (ISRO) etc.

MA Geology Future scope

This particular degree has immense potential and dimensions that add much more importance to this growing field, this sector is highly profitable in terms of service and offers some exclusive opportunities to its aspirants

As an active subjects gaining momentum in public services like UPSC, aspirants can also take this subjects for their mains to score good public recognition through administration jobs
Candidates pursuing this degree are often employed by Government bodies such as Geological survey of India which is a primary institutions of geological research and analysis, the pay Package is extremely generous as well
Some of the top recruiting agencies Working in environmental and mineralogy sector of India are enthusiastic to undertake Students with interest in study of geology to accelerate and explore various mineral rich heritage of India and document it
Geology is also beneficial as it consists of myriad options and sub branches like archaeology, paleontology, glacial and marine Geology experts, seismologist and seismic activity experts, consultants in coal, petroleum and mineral industry, one can venture into any of these sectors and choose designation or career that suits him or her the best.

Possibility of pursuing higher education (Masters of Philosophy and Doctorate)

One of the essential after pursuing masters in geology is that one can also pursue higher education in this particular field to refine and widen their knowledge on the particular subjects, doctorate degree is an added bonus and increases the candidates potential and makes it much more desirable for the employers to recruit. Some premium colleges that offer this course are;

University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram
University of Delhi

Institute and colleges offering Doctorate degree in geology are:

Indian statistical institute Hyderabad, Mumbai and Pune
Banaras Hindu University Varanasi

MA Geology: FAQs

Ques. What are the career prospects in Geology?

Ans. As described above, one can have active employment in agencies such as Geological survey of India, teachers in universities, as well as consultant and research associates with coal/mining/mineral industries

Ques. What should I specialize in after completing my MA Geology?

Ans. This is a subjective question and depends upon the candidates choice of career mentioned above.

Ques. Which field is better for an MA in Geology?

Ans. A candidate after successfully finishing his or her degree can be employed by Government agencies (GSI , Ministry of coal and mining/ petroleum) or private institutions such as consultant and teachers

Ques. What is the scope of geology in India and Abroad?

Ans. Geology is a universally accepted science hence has immense scope in excellent performance of it in india and abroad. One can apply as research associates to institutions globally to gain more experience and expertise in various demographic formations.

Ques. Is it absolutely necessary to have geology in our bachelor's before pursuing masters?

Ans. Yes it is necessary to have geology as a subject in your undergraduate program before pursuing master's as a master’s degree provides much more depth and knowledge, however certain colleges provide direct admission into master's and are listed in the above article.

Ques. Can I pursue geology? I'm an arts student

Ans. Yes you can pursue geology provided you fulfill the eligibility criteria of the program mentioned.

Ques. Why should one go for Geology?

Ans. Geology is an exciting subject for those who like to study deep topics combining the equal balance of theory with practical knowledge, it's a field of serious scientific approach and dedicated efforts ensure success in this field.

Ques. Is it worthwhile to get a degree in Geology?

Ans. Yes it is. Geology is a highly recommended and appreciated sector which is growing immensely each day. The pay packages are also attractive and designed specifically to suit the needs of their employees who work really hard to understand this planet.

Ques. What are the optional subjects in geology?

Ans. Geology offers a wide variety of sub branches or subject's such as paleontology, archaeology, anthropology to some extent, as well as glacial analysis and volcanology and seismology to name a few.

Ques. How to get admission in a good college to pursue geology?

Ans. To get a good college, one must have 50 percent grade achieved in their past previous examinations and fulfill the criteria of college in order to get admission in this course