The Faculty of Geosciences at Utrecht University offers a wide spectrum of education and research concerning the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and antroposphere. The Faculty is committed to interdisciplinary and cross-institutional collaboration, and plays a key role in the Dutch national research school structure. In the Netherlands, the Faculty is the largest institute in its field, and it has received the highest ratings in international assessments of geosciences in the Netherlands.

The Departments of Earth Sciences and Physical Geography form home bases for a total of some 300 scientists. Almost 50% of these are Ph.D. candidates. The departments have a growing scientific interaction, which takes advantage of inherent complementarities and multidisciplinary needs. Research activities cover a vast array of scientifc fields, ranging from deep Earth geophysics to fluvial and coastal processes and biochemical cycles. A large number of the Ph.D. students are foreign nationals, and a concerted effort is being made to increase the proportion of international students enrolled in the Master Degree Programmes in Earth Sciences, all of which are English taught.