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Earth and Ocean Sciences

The Major specialization in Earth and Ocean Sciences is available for students who have a general interest in the earth sciences. However, with careful course selection students may use a Major Earth and Ocean Sciences specialization toward professional registration as a geoscientist. See a major advisor for more details.

For students intending to pursue a professional career, honours or streamed major specializations are preferred. For details of the specializations available see Geological Sciences, Geophysics, Oceanography, Atmospheric Science, and Environmental Sciences. The department also offers Geological Engineering as part of the B.A.Sc. degree program.

Specialization

Major (1223): Earth and Ocean Sciences

First Year
Communication Requirement1 3
CHEM 121 (or 111 or 141)2 4
CHEM 1232 4
EOSC or ATSC 100-level3 6
EOSC 111 1
MATH 100 or 102 or 1044 3
MATH 101 or 103 or 1055 3
PHYS 100-level6 3
Electives7 3
Total Credits 30
Second Year
Communication Requirement1 3
EOSC 211 or GEOS (or GEOB) 270 3
EOSC 212 3
EOSC, ENVR, or ATSC courses numbered 200 or above8 6
Electives7 15
Total Credits 30
Third and Fourth Years
EOSC, ENVR, or ATSC courses numbered 300 or above9 24
EOSC, ENVR, or ATSC 400-level 6
Electives7 30
Total Credits 60
Minimum Credits for Degree 120
1 A total of 6 credits of coursework is required to meet the Communication Requirement. For a full list of acceptable courses see Communication Requirement.
2 Students who do not have B.C. High School Chemistry 12 (or its equivalent) must write the UBC Chemistry Basic Skills Test and may be required to take CHEM 100. CHEM 110 and 115 may substitute for CHEM 111, CHEM 120 and 115 may substitute for CHEM 121, CHEM 130 and 135 may substitute for CHEM 123.
3 Three credits may be deferred until second year. The requirement for these courses may be waived if a student has completed upper-level courses in each of the solid and fluid earth sciences.
4 MATH 180 or 184 or 120 may substitute for any of the specified differential calculus courses listed by decreasing the electives by 1 credit. MATH 110 may substitute for any of the specified differential calculus courses listed by decreasing the electives by 3 credits.
5 MATH 121 may substitute for any of the specified integral calculus courses listed by decreasing the electives by 1 credit.  
6 Chosen from 100-level PHYS courses, excluding PHYS 100. Students without Physics 12 must take PHYS 100 before taking any other 100-level PHYS course. PHYS 100 will count as an elective. Qualified students are encouraged to take PHYS 117 or PHYS 106.  
7 Elective credits together with required courses must fulfill the Faculty of Science’s:
a) Foundational Requirement;
b) Laboratory Science Requirement;
c) Science Breadth Requirement;
d) Science and Arts Requirements;
e) Upper-level Requirement;
f) General Degree Requirements.
 
8 Six credits may be delayed to third year if 300-level or higher courses are used for this requirement. See advisor.
9 A maximum of 6 credits may be replaced by credits from (BIOL 306, CHEM 301, 302, GEOS (or GEOB) 300, or 304).

Specialization Objectives

Mastery of the curriculum will:

  1. qualify students for employment in various areas within the earth sciences, including allowing students with the appropriate course background to register as a Professional Geoscientist (P.Geo.) with Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia (EGBC);
  2. allow students to apply for graduate school in an earth science discipline (depending on course background).

Learning Goals

Students completing this specialization will be able to:

  1. demonstrate basic knowledge of either atmospheric sciences, geological sciences, geophysics, or oceanography, or a broad range of earth sciences that covers several of these disciplines;
  2. integrate concepts across the earth science disciplines;
  3. demonstrate an understanding of the varying time and spatial scales over which Earth processes occur;
  4. manipulate data in the context of the earth sciences;
  5. write reports and communicate various concepts and ideas in earth science.

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