ESS Major Program
Earth is a dynamic planet. It is constantly changing due to natural and human factors. Earth System Science offers a transdisciplinary scientific approach to study and understand our planet as a system and to comprehend its complex changes and their linkages.
ESS students will develop an understanding of the links among the biological, chemical, physical and human spheres of the Earth system, and the time scales and spatial scales on which they operate. Research, teaching and learning in ESS is inherently collaborative. Students will gain an appreciation of the complexity of the Earth system, and develop a working knowledge of modern techniques in Earth system observation, theory and modeling.
Graduates of the ESS program will be citizen-scientists who make informed decisions about science, technology, and societal issues that affect them, and the world around them.
B.Sc. Major Program in Earth System Science
This program integrates courses in the contributing disciplines with ones specific to the Earth System Science Program that are taught by teams of professors with different backgrounds and that emphasize the integration of approaches and the role of modeling.
Students in the B.Sc. or B.A. Freshman program can discover Earth System Science through the 100-level course
ATOC/EPSC/GEOG 104
The Earth System B.Sc. Major Program structure
The B.Sc. Major in Earth System Science has a total requirement of 57 credits. Of these, 36 credits are from required courses in Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences, Biology, Earth & Planetary Sciences, Geography, the School of Environment and Mathematics & Statistics and include four, integrating Earth System Science courses:
- ESYS 200 Earth System Processes
- ESYS 300 Investigating the Earth System
- ESYS 301 Earth System Modelling
- ESYS 500 Earth Systems Applications
As students progress through the program, they are offered the opportunity to gain deeper knowledge in specific earth systems and participate in hands-on research projects. This prepares them for a wide range of career opportunities, where scientific questions raised by local and global change in our physical environment must be tackled. Students graduating from the program will be well prepared for employment in various geoscience agencies, including Environment Canada, the oil and gas industries, hydro-electric utilities and environmental consulting companies. They will also be well equipped for postgraduate studies .