PROGRAMS

EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCES (EPSC)

1. Field Schools
2. Honours Program
3. Majors Program
4. Minor Program

EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE INTERDEPARTMENTAL MAJOR (ESYS)

• Majors Program

PROGRAM ADVISERS

---

EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCES (EPSC)

The domain of Earth and Planetary Sciences includes the solid Earth and its hydrosphere and extends to the neighbouring terrestrial planets. It is a multidisciplinary field in which the principles of chemistry, physics, and mathematics are applied to the rich problems of the real world in order to understand how planets like the Earth work; in the past, the present, and the future.

Career opportunities are many and varied for graduates in the Earth and Planetary Sciences. There is presently a demand for graduates with expertise in many disciplines of the Earth Sciences. Our students are recruited for employment in the petroleum and mining industries, and in the environmental sector. During the Summer months undergraduate students are generally able to obtain employment from industry or government agencies, providing them with both financial benefits and first-hand geoscientific experience. Career opportunities in planetary science are presently limited to universities and research organizations.

The Department has a full-time staff of 13 professors and one faculty lecturer. There are approximately 50 graduate and 60 undergraduate students. Classes are therefore small at all levels, resulting in an informal and friendly atmosphere throughout the Department in which most of the faculty and students interact on a first-name basis. Emphasis is placed equally on quality teaching and research providing undergraduate students with a rich and exciting environment in which to explore and learn.

The undergraduate curriculum is designed to provide both a rigorous foundation in the physical sciences and the flexibility to create an individualized program in preparation for careers in industry, teaching, or research. In addition to the Major and Honours undergraduate programs, the Department also offers a Joint Major in Physics and Geophysics which provides a rigorous mathematics and physics preparation and a geological background in the geosciences.

The Minor in Earth and Planetary Sciences offers Science students from other departments the opportunity to obtain exposure to the Earth Sciences, while the Minor in Geochemistry is oriented towards Chemistry Major students who want to see the application of chemistry to problems in the Earth and Planetary Sciences.

Students interested in any of the programs should inquire at Room 238, Frank Dawson Adams Building, (514) 398-6767, or should consult the Undergraduate Director, Jeanne Paquette , Room 214, Frank Dawson Building, (514) 398-4402, if they do not have an adviser.

Entrance requirements for the Faculty of Science are available here.

EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE INTERDEPARTMENTAL MAJOR (ESYS)

Earth System Science (ESYS) views Earth as a single integrated system that provides a unifying context to examine the interrelationships between all components of the Earth system. The approach concentrates on the nature of linkages among the biological, chemical, human and physical subsystems of the Earth. ESS primarily involves studying the cycling of matter and energy through the atmosphere, biosphere, cryosphere, eosphere, and hydrosphere. ESS examines the dynamics and interrelationships among these processes at time scales that range from billions of years to days, and seeks to understand how these interrelationships have changed over time.

The ESS Major is offered jointly by the following departments:
Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (ATOC)
Earth and Planetary Sciences (EPSC)
Geography (GEOG)

PROGRAM ADVISERS

EPS Program Adviser: Professor Jeanne Paquette Frank Dawson Adams, Room 214 E-mail: Jeanne Paquette Telephone: (514) 398-4402

ESS Program Adviser: Professor Jeffrey McKenzie Frank Dawson Adams, Room 131C E-mail: Jeffrey McKenzie Telephone: (514) 398-3833