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UNDERGRADUATE GUIDE PART II This orientation handbook for the Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences is an insider's look at the things you will need to know as a new undergraduate student from the moment you come into the department and throughout your undergraduate program. It is not intended to replace the academic calendar or provide a general guide to McGill University but to supplement these resources. You may find that it contains some helpful information for the duration of your undergraduate degree in EPS. The handbook is divided into two parts: PART I: ORIENTATION TO THE DEPARTMENT OF EPS PART II: AN INSIDER’S LOOK AT THE UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS
15. EPS UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS The full B.Sc. degree consists of 120 credits. Students entering McGill from Quebec cegeps automatically get a 30-credit transfer from the cegep so that 90 credits remain, usually completed in three years. Students entering McGill from outside Quebec take 30 credits in a Freshman (U0) year, then the rest of the 90 credits in their U1-3 years. To be considered as having a "full" courseload, students must take a minimum of four courses each semester (Fall and Winter). Note that five courses per semester is the norm, and if you would like to be considered for a scholarship you need to be registered for at least 27 credits (9 courses) each year, excluding the Summer semester. The programs listed below are also described in the Earth and Planetary Sciences (EPSC) section of the online course calendar found at http://www.mcgill.ca/courses/, under "Faculty of Science, including School of Computer Science" -> "Academic Programs". MAJOR A Major in Earth & Planetary Sciences consists of 66 credits of required courses and complementary courses; the remaining 24 credits that complete the B.Sc. degree can be filled using electives or courses chosen as part of a Minor from a different department. Elective courses are chosen by the student from any department in Arts or Science. There are some restrictions on courses from other faculties (see http://www.mcgill.ca/science/sousa/bsc/course/outside/ for details). Students generally use these electives to take general interest courses in different fields; 180-level courses are popular as they tend to have little or no pre-requisites. Some 200-level courses are intended for students with a general interest and very little knowledge of a subject, but be careful--200-level courses that are part of a major may be quite demanding. In the U1 year, EPS students are expected to take 24 credits of required courses, 3 of which come from Field School 1 (EPSC 231), taken in the Summer semester. The Fall semester should consist of:
The Winter semester should consist of:
Two field school courses are required in your program. Field School 1 is taken at the end of the U1 year, in the first two weeks of May. The second Field School is usually taken at the end of U2, but may be taken at the end of U3. See the Section 16 about field school for more information. Your U2 and U3 year must include 24 credits of required courses (8 courses) and 18 credits (6 courses) of complementary courses, one of which must be either Field School 2 or Field School 3. All required U2/U3 courses and complementary courses offered by EPS are only offered in alternating years, so always give them priority in planning your schedule. Contact the Undergraduate Director early if you anticipate timetable conflicts between required courses of your Major and a Minor. In some cases, a substitution may be approved. HONOURS EPS Majors whose GPA is at least 3.20 can choose to enter the Honours stream during their U2 year. An Honours degree in EPS consists of 75 credits. There are two types: Honours in Earth Sciences, and Honours in Planetary Sciences. The Honours in Earth Sciences follows the same program as a Major, but includes 33 credits of required courses in the U2/U3 years. MATH 314 (Advanced Calculus) and MATH 315 (Ordinary Differential Equations) are on this list, and the student must also complete a 6-credit Honours Research Project (EPSC 480D1/D2). This program does not require EPSC 334 (Invertebrate Paleontology), although the student may choose to take that course as a complementary since it counts towards professional accreditation in Canada. The Honours in Planetary Sciences stream may be chosen as early as U1, as it is suggested that students following this program take MATH 223 (Linear Algebra) in their U1 year, raising the total of required credits for that year to 27 (although it can still be taken during U2 or U3 if necessary). There are 42 credits of required courses for the U2/U3, which is similar to the Honours in Earth Sciences program but also includes MATH 317 (Numerical Analysis), MATH 319 (Partial Differential Equations), and PHYS 340 (Electricity and Magnetism). Some of the EPS course requirements are different as well; EPSC 330 (Earthquakes and Earth Structure) and EPSC 570 (Cosmochemistry) are required, while other EPS courses that are required for other programs are not. PHYSICS & GEOPHYSICS This is a joint major program offered by EPS and the Department of Physics. The description and requirements for the program can be found under the Physics section in the course calendar. Along with Physics and Math courses, this program includes six EPS courses, so although Physics is the administrative "home" department of the program, its students are fully welcome in all EPS activities. MINOR The Minor in Geology is open to students in other departments, and includes 6 credits of required courses: EPSC 210 (Introductory Mineralogy) and EPSC 212 (Introductory Petrology). Four complementary courses make up the remaining 12 credits: one must be either EPSC 201 (Understanding Planet Earth) or EPSC 233 (Earth and Life History) while the other three can be chosen from a list available in the course calendar. The Minor in Geochemistry consists of 24 credits, 9 of which are met by three required courses. These include EPSC 201 (Understanding Planet Earth), EPSC 210 (Introductory Mineralogy) and EPSC 212 (Introductory Petrology). The remaining 15 credits are chosen from a list of relevant complementary courses. LIBERAL PROGRAM: CORE SCIENCE COMPONENT IN EPS The BSc (Liberal) degree in EPS provides the student with a core knowledge of geology, geophysics, earth system science and planetary science while allowing for broadening of the student's educational experience with courses from other sciences or the arts. The Core Science Component consists of 45 credits (21 credits of required courses and 24 credits of complementaries chosen from a list). B.A.&Sc. EARTH, ATMOSPHERE AND OCEAN SCIENCES This program is offered jointly by EPS and the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (ATOC). It consists of 36 credits, 24 of which are required courses. The remaining 12 credits are chosen from a list of complementary courses. For a full list of the courses, look up "Bachelor of Arts and Science" -> "Academic Programs" -> "Earth, Atmosphere and Ocean Sciences" in the online course calendar. 16. COMPLEMENTARY COURSES Complementary courses allow a student to customize their program beyond their required courses. Your choice of these courses will depend on personal taste - you want to broaden your horizons and sample topics from several areas of the field of geology (and related fields of studies), or would you like to focus and gain depth in particular aspects of geosciences? From Volcanology (EPSC 530) to Hydrogeology (EPSC 549) to Cosmochemistry (EPSC 570), there's bound to be something for everyone. EPS offers several courses at the 400- and 500-level that can be used to fulfill the complementary portion of your degree. You can search for courses online using http://www.mcgill.ca/courses/listing_search/. Don't be intimidated by 500-level courses; although they are also considered to be graduate-level courses, some are very popular courses for undergraduates. Because all of these courses are only offered in alternate years, you are allowed to take them as early as U2 so that you have every chance to take whichever courses interest you. Please note, however, that if you are missing any of the pre-requisites for a certain course, you should consult with the professor before registering for the course. Courses at the 300 or higher level in other departments in the Faculties of Science and Engineering may also be used as complementary credits, with the permission of the EPS Undergraduate Director. For example, courses in the Department of Geography (GEOG) and the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (ATOC) are popular. 17. RESEARCH PROJECTS AND INDEPENDENT STUDIES EPSC 480 (Honours Research Project) is a 6-credit research project leading to an undergraduate Honours thesis. It spans two semesters (students must register for EPSC 480D1 in the Fall and EPSC 480D2 in the Winter). This course is open only to U3 students in the Honours program. Non-Honours students who are interested in doing research projects can do so for credit: EPSC 470 (Undergraduate Thesis Research) is a 6-credit research project leading to an undergraduate thesis. It spans two semesters (students must register for EPSC 470D1 in the Fall and EPSC 470D2 in the Winter). This is similar to the Honours Research Project but is open to U3 students doing the Major. EPSC 482 (Independent Studies 1) is a 3-credit (one-semester) research and/or reading project course. Students interested in doing an independent study must find a professor in the Department who agrees to be their supervise the proposal, execution and evaluation of a project. The proposal consists of a couple of paragraphs outlining what the student will be doing towards the project and the method of evaluation (usually a final paper). This proposal must be signed by both the supervisor and the student and submitted to the Undergraduate Director for approval by the 6th week of classes. This proposal goes in the student's file. EPSC 396 (Undergraduate Research Project) is another 3-credit independent research project. This "396" course number exists in each department in the Faculty of Science, to promote undergraduate research among all Science students. More information is available at http://www.mcgill.ca/science/ours/396/. Projects are advertised online for any student to choose from; however, this does not preclude the creation of a new project should you and a potential supervisor agree on one. For the student, the difference between this and EPSC 482 is that there are forms to be filled out that must be submitted to the Faculty of Science. If you do a 396 course in a department other than your own, you will receive the Dean's Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research List on your degree when you graduate. EPSC 478 is a small 1-credit research project open only to U3 students. 18. FIELD SCHOOL You are required to take two EPS field school courses as part of the Major in EPS and Honours in Earth Sciences. Field School 1 is also a required or complementary course in other EPS programs. These courses are held in the first two weeks of May each year. Students are expected to be prepared for any weather--hot or cold, rain or shine, even snow! A good, comfortable pair of hiking boots is essential, as is lightweight raingear. The Department covers the cost of van rental. Additional costs (food, lodging) to the individual student will vary depending on the location of the field school. FIELD SCHOOL 1 Field School 1 should be taken at the end of the U1 year. It introduces students to the practical application of what was learned in EPSC 203 (Structural Geology), and provides an introduction to geologic mapping. Taught by Andrew Hynes, the course takes place over two weeks in the Sutton area of Quebec. During this time students stay in Auberge Schweitzer; all meals are included in the cost. After spending the first couple of days to learn the basics of mapping and the different rock formations that they are expected to see and include in their map, students go out each day in groups of 2-4 to geologically map an area, using GPS to confirm the locations of rock outcrops. At the end of the course students are graded on their map as well as by individual oral examinations concerning the geological interpretation of the map. GPS and Brunton compasses are provided for the data collection, and must be returned at the end of the course. Don't lose them! The rest of the equipment, such as rock hammers, mineral identification tools, hand lenses, field books, etc., is expected to be the students' own. Andrew will give everyone a full list of necessary items and equipment before the trip. FIELD SCHOOL 2 AND FIELD SCHOOL 3 The second field school course is generally taken at the end of the U2 year, although some students may choose to take it after U3 if that particular field course is more suited to their interests. Students who take the course after U3 and who are planning to graduate that May/June must ensure that the professor is aware of this fact, since s/he must submit their grades as soon as the course is over in order to ensure that the students graduate on time. Field School 2 (EPSC 331) and Field School 3 (EPSC 341) are offered in alternating years. The location and professors for these courses change each year; whoever is teaching the course that year chooses the location. Locations can range from nearby locations like the Gaspé area in Quebec or Sudbury, Ontario, to as far away as the Grand Canyon. To make sure that students can afford the trip, at least one of the two in each two-year set is in eastern Canada. However, professors and the Department do whatever they can to help defray the cost to the student; for example, camping instead of staying in hotels. Field School 2 generally focuses on sedimentary geology/processes while Field School 3 generally focuses on igneous and metamorphic geology/processes. Field School 3 also recently focused on environmental aspects and historical geology. The main focus of these field schools is dependent on the professor(s)'s area of expertise. Two industry-sponsored field trips, the SIFT and S-IMEW, may be used as a credited substitute for Field School 2 or 3. Please see the section below for more information. 19. SIFT AND S-IMEW The Student Industry Field Trip (SIFT) and Student-Industry Mineral Exploration Workshop (S-IMEW) are workshops sponsored each year by the petroleum and mining industries, respectively. The trips are open to students finishing their U2 year. Students must apply through the department, and a committee of industry representatives selects which students from Canadian earth science departments will go on each trip. The committee looks for students with a keen interest in the topic, solid academic performance, and evidence of social and teamwork skills. The application deadlines for these trips are usually in mid-December (S-IMEW) and late January (SIFT). The trips take place in the first two weeks of May each year. Because they overlap with field school and are great learning experiences, the SIFT and S-IMEW trips can be used as field school credit. To do so, the student should register for the field school being offered that year (either Field School 2 or Field School 3). Since students on these workshops generally hired by industry for the summer, a grade of K is assigned (see section on K grades below) as a placeholder until the student submits a written report for credit early in the following Fall semester. Students who take these programs are also expected to do a presentation to their fellow students on the highlights of and their experiences in the workshop to publicize this opportunity. Students are encouraged to apply for only ONE of these two workshops, and should choose based on their interest in either the petroleum or mineral exploration industries. SIFT The Student Industry Field Trip (SIFT) program invites one student representative from each of the Canadian universities offering degrees in geology to Calgary for a comprehensive introduction to the petroleum industry. It is sponsored by the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists (CSPG). During the two-week period, the students attend several lectures presented by experienced, well-known professionals in the petroleum industry. Topics covered in these lectures include: well logging and log interpretation, carbonate and clastic reservoirs, heavy oil, international and Canadian east coast exploration, and geophysics to name a few. In addition to the lectures, students participate in core workshop seminars, field trips to the Rocky Mountains and Dinosaur Provincial Park, a rig tour, a fly-over of the Rocky Mountains, and a student-industry wine and cheese. More information is available on the SIFT website at http://www.cspg.org/students/students-sift.cfm. Interested students should submit their application to Jeanne Paquette. If interest is high, interviews may be conducted to determine which applications will be sent to the SIFT selection committee. Participating in SIFT is a great opportunity to get your foot in the door in the petroleum industry. Most students who take the SIFT get a summer job offer and stay in Calgary for the rest of the summer to work and gain valuable experience. S-IMEW The Student-Industry Mineral Exploration Workshop (S-IMEW) program invites 25 students (usually one student each from about two-thirds of the Canadian universities offering degrees in geology) to Sudbury for an introduction to the mineral exploration industry. It is sponsored by the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC). The workshop includes lectures, laboratory activities and field studies that aim to expose students to the mineral exploration industry. Students will learn about a variety of exploration topics including: the identification of prospective geological terrain; geological mapping and sampling on a local scale; airborne geophysical surveys; geochemical surveys; ground geophysical surveys; data compilation; drill target selection; and reclamation. There will also be a focus on the Canadian Mineral Exploration Industry, and students will have the opportunity to attend lectures by geology professionals currently employed by industry. The workshop also includes field trips to various localities within the Sudbury, Timmins and Rouyn-Noranda mining districts. Towards the end of the workshop, students will be provided with opportunities to network with key industry representatives, including pre-arranged job interviews. For more information, please visit http://www.pdac.ca/students/. Interested students should submit a maximum two-page resume, a cover letter, an academic transcript (an unofficial one is good enough), and up-to-date contact information to Don Francis or Willy Williams-Jones in January. Your letter should indicate specifically if you are interested in summer employment. 20. K GRADES A grade of K is assigned as an "Incomplete", meaning that it is something of a placeholder until the actual final grade is submitted. The student must have an acceptable reason for not having completed the coursework on time, and in assigning a K grade, the professor is expected to agree with the student on a new deadline for the completion of the coursework. K grades must be cleared by the end of the semester after which the grade was assigned: if a K grade was assigned for a Fall semester course, the student must submit the coursework in time to have a final grade submitted by the end of the Winter semester. In the case of a K assigned for a Winter course, the K must be cleared by July 30. If a K is not cleared by these deadlines, it will become a KF, which counts the same as an F and will thus lower your GPA. The existence of the K grade is not a licence to mess around and not finish your course work on time! Although it does not impact your GPA, there needs to be a legitimate reason for the delay, and the professor must agree to it. For more details of the rules for K grades, consult http://www.mcgill.ca/science/sousa/general/grading/#F. 21. INTER-UNIVERSITY TRANSFERS (IUT) With the permission of the Faculty, students are allowed to take one course (and in rare cases, two courses) at other Quebec universities (e.g., UQÀM) for credit. If the course is recognized by the Faculty and approved by the Undergraduate Director, the credits will then be automatically submitted to and recognized by McGill, although the grade received in the course will not be included in your GPA calculation. More information regarding IUTs is available at http://www.mcgill.ca/student-records/iut/. Tuition fees for the course are paid through McGill rather than the host university. The Quebec IUT agreement allows you to apply online to take a course at another university through the CREPUQ website at https://dbs.crepuq.qc.ca/mobilite-cours/4DSTATIC/ENAccueil.html. Note that the host university may refuse registration in their courses at their discretion. 22. EXCHANGES McGill has bilateral student exchange agreements with universities in several countries around the world. For a list of these countries, please see http://www.mcgill.ca/students/international/studyabroad/partners/. If you wish to study at a university with which McGill does not have a student exchange agreement, you need to consult with the Faculty of Science Student Affairs Office and the admissions office of the university to which you'll be applying regarding application requirements. Your tuition fees will be paid to that host university. There are several travel and other awards available to students going on exchange in order to facilitate the exchange process. Students are invited to take advantage of these opportunities. For further information on how to go about your exchange please go to http://www.mcgill.ca/students/international/. Plan to contact your professors early for reference letters (at least two weeks before the deadline) and consult with the Undergraduate Director about your course selection. 23. B.Sc./M.Sc. TRACK U2 students with a strong interest in research and a GPA of 3.3 or more may wish to consider the new BSc/MSc Thesis Track program. This means that you can begin work on the research that will become your MSc during your U3 year, graduate with your BSc, then take only one year to complete your MSc. During your U3 year you will also be allowed to take graduate-level courses. The application should be submitted for the summer before your U3 year begins. In order to be considered for a MSc in the EPS department you must first secure a supervisor for your future thesis, so it is important to begin discussing potential projects with professors before actually submitting the application. For more information on the program and the specifics of the application, please see http://www.mcgill.ca/science/student/bsc-msc/. 24. ADVISING & OTHER QUESTIONS Should you have questions or concerns about student-related matters (i.e. admission, registration, program information, classes, exams, grades, etc), there are several people and places that you can go to for help. DEPARTMENTAL ADVISING For academic advising, contact our Undergraduate Director, Jeanne Paquette; jeanne.paquette@mcgill.ca, FDA 214, (514) 398-4402. If you have more general questions, you can ask our Student Affairs Coordinator, Kristy Thornton; kristy.thornton@mcgill.ca, FDA 238 (main office), (514) 398-6767. FACULTY OF SCIENCE ADVISING Although we in EPS will help as best we can, some questions and problems can only be solved at the Faculty of Science level. For advising questions, check out the Science Office of Undergraduate Student Affairs (SOUSA) website at http://www.mcgill.ca/science/sousa/ or ask your question in person at the Student Affairs Counter Service (Dawson Hall 115). Their office hours are Monday to Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Zelda Ghan (zelda.ghan@mcgill.ca), Paul Olioff (paul.olioff@mcgill.ca) and Marieke Bosch-Larose (marieke.bosch@mcgill.ca), all reachable through (514) 398-5442, are the advisers for Faculty of Science students. One of these three names is listed at the top of your student record on Minerva. Should you require the help of an adviser at the Faculty of Science level, please consult the person listed on your record. There is a Help Line specifically for newly admitted Science and B.A. & Sc. Students at (514) 398-7237 that is open Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. New students can also contact an adviser by sending an email to newstudentadvising.science@mcgill.ca. More information for B.Sc. and B.A. & Sc. students can be found at http://www.mcgill.ca/science/sousa/bsc/new/ and http://www.mcgill.ca/science/sousa/basc/new/ respectively. The Help Line for returning students is (514) 398-5442 and is open Monday to Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. 25. ORDRE DES GEOLOGUES DU QUEBEC REQUIREMENTS Once you have your B.Sc. from EPS and are ready to go looking for a job, there is one last step before you can practice as a professional geologist in Quebec--registration in the Ordre des Géologues du Québec. The Major and Honours programs in EPS meet the requirements for application for professional accreditation. The Physics & Geophysics, Minor and other programs do not. Each year a representative from the Ordre des Géologues gives a presentation to the students about the Ordre, its benefits and its requirements. Professional orders exist in every Canadian province and their requirements are fairly similar. It is recommended that you find out what is involved in professional practice before you complete your degree, especially if you plan to apply to the exploration or environmental industry for summer employment. The Ordre des Géologues maintains a website at http://www.ogq.qc.ca/. 26. EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE (ESS) Earth System Science views Earth as a single system, concentrating on how the biological, chemical, human, and physical subsystems are linked. ESS involves studying the cycling of matter and energy through the atmosphere, biosphere, cryosphere, exosphere, and hydrosphere over times scales that range from billions of years to days, and seeks to understand how these interactions have changed over time. The Earth System Science (ESS) Major is offered jointly by the Departments of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (ATOC), Earth and Planetary Sciences (EPSC) and Geography (GEOG). Visit the ESS website for information on the program, courses and professors. The ESS Major program is 57 credits (19 courses). Its required courses consist of 4 ESS-specific courses (ESYS 200, ESYS 300, ESYS 301 and ESYS 500) and 24 credits of courses from Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Biology (BIOL), Environment (ENVR), Geography and Math (MATH). The remaining 21 credits come from complementary courses chosen from an extensive and diverse list that includes ATOC, BIOL, EPSC, GEOG, MATH, and even some Physics (PHYS) and Economics (ECON) courses. Students may choose to diversify or specialize to suit their interests. Should they decide to continue with their studies, ESS students are able to pursue graduate research in many different areas. Professor Jeff McKenzie (jeffrey.mckenzie@mcgill.ca) is the main program adviser for ESS, but department-specific ESS advisers can also be found in the ATOC and GEOG departments. ESS students are welcome in all three departments and can choose to make any or all of them their "home base". An ESS student lounge in Burnside Hall 708B is reserved for the exclusive use of ESS students. Make the most of your undergraduate program in the Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences! EPS is a unique, friendly and informal department where you will find helpful and sociable professors and staff. Here you'll make friends and memories to last the rest of your life as well as preparing yourself for a career in the geosciences. Just because you're serious about your studies doesn't mean that you shouldn't have a blast doing them! We hope that the information in this handbook has been helpful. If you have any questions, contact Kristy in the EPS main office at kristy.thornton@mcgill.ca (514) 398-6767. |
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