Honours Earth and Environmental Sciences (B.Sc.)

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Admission Notes

Students who did not complete Grade 12 Chemistry U must complete CHEM 1R03 in Level I. Given this course is considered elective, an additional three units from the Science I Course List must be completed. CHEM 1A03 must be completed by the end of Level II.
One of PHYSICS 1A03 or 1C03 must be completed prior to graduation. Completion by the end of Level II is recommended. Students who did not complete Grade 12 Physics U must register in PHYSICS 1A03 .

Admission

Completion of any Level I program with a Grade Point Average of at least 5.0 including:

6 units

from the following courses with an average of at least 6.0

3 units

from

3 units

from

12 units

from

Program Notes

Earth and Environmental Sciences at McMaster encompass five major themes: Aqueous Environmental Geochemistry, Earth Sciences, Environmental Hydrology and Climate, Environmental Policy, GIS and Spatial Analysis. It should be noted that each thematic area has its own sequence of courses and prerequisites (See the Course Listings section of this Calendar). Students may elect to take some or all of the upper level courses from different areas. In addition, there is a set of courses encompassing research design, field work, internships, and the senior thesis or review paper.

AQUEOUS ENVIRONMENTAL GEOCHEMISTRY

EARTHSC 3CC3 , 4CC3 , 4N03, ENVIRSC 2Q03 , 3O03

EARTH SCIENCES

EARTHSC 2E03 , 2FE3 , 2K03 , 2T03 , 3E03 , 3K03 , 3V03 , 3Z03 , 4G03 , 4J03 , 4P03 , 4T03 , 4VV3, ENVSOCTY 3SR3

ENVIRONMENTAL HYDROLOGY AND CLIMATE

EARTHSC 3CC3 , 3W03 , 4CC3 , 4WB3 , ENVIRSC 2B03 , 2C03 , 2W03 , 3B03 , 3U03 , 4BB3 , 4C03 , 4W03

ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY

ENVIRSC 4EA3 , ENVSOCTY 2EI3 , 2EK3 , 3EC3 , 3EE3 , 3EG3 , 4ET3 , 4HH3

GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS (GIS) AND SPATIAL ANALYSIS

ENVSOCTY 2GI3 , 3GI3 , 3GV3 , 3SR3 , 4GA3 , 4GS3 , 4GT3 , 4SR3
Students aiming to meet the academic requirements for professional registration of Geoscientists (PGeo) in Ontario can find additional information on these requirements on the website: https://www.science.mcmaster.ca/geo/undergraduate/undergrad-welcome.html. Students are encouraged to consult with the academic program advisor in the School of Earth, Environment & Society to ensure proper selection of courses for professional registration. The Honours programs offered by the School of Earth, Environment & Society may not fulfill professional registration requirements.
All students are strongly encouraged to meet with the academic program advisor in the School of Earth, Environment & Society to discuss program requirements and course selections.
There are Level III prerequisites for many Level IV courses. The prerequisites should be considered when selecting your courses.
The ﬁeld components of EARTHSC 2FE3 and 3FE3 , are normally taken outside of the normal term. Details are announced in December (EARTHSC 2FE3 ) or March (EARTHSC 3FE3 ).
A Minor in Earth Sciences, Environment & Society, Environmental Sciences or Geography and Earth Sciences is not permitted in the Honours Earth and Environmental Sciences program. However, Minors in Environmental Studies, Geographic Information Systems and Geography are permitted.
In order to meet the Compulsory Foundation Science and Geoscience requirements for the Professional Geoscientist Certiﬁcation, completion of the following courses is required: CHEM 1A03 , EARTHSC 2E03 , 2K03 , 3FE3 , 3Z03 , MATH 1A03 or 1LS3 , and PHYSICS 1A03 or 1C03 . Additional requirements are posted on the website https://www.science.mcmaster.ca/geo/images/documents/APGO_Environmental_Geoscience_Stream.pdf.
ENVSOCTY 3MB3 (or GEOG 3MB3, EARTHSC 3MB3 or ENVIRSC 3MB3) or STATS 2B03 must be completed by the end of Level III.

Course List 1

Course List 2

Requirements

120 units total (Levels I to IV), of which no more than 48 units may be Level I

Level I: 30 Units

30 units

(See Admission above.)

Level II: 30 Units

15 units

3 units

ENVIRSC 2Q03 - Introduction to Environmental Geochemistry

3 units

from

Course List 1

0-3 units

from the following courses, if only 3 units was completed in Level I

0-3 units

CHEM 1A03 - Introductory Chemistry I (if not completed in Level I)
(See Admission Note 1 above.)

3-9 units

Electives

Level III: 30 Units

9 units

EARTHSC 3FE3 - Field Camp
EARTHSC 3RD3 - Research Design and Dissemination in Earth and Environmental Sciences
EARTHSC 3Z03 - Structural Geology
(See Program Note 5 above.)

9 units

from

Course List 2

0-3 units

from

ENVSOCTY 3MB3 - Data Analysis
GEOG 3MB3
STATS 2B03 - Statistical Methods for Science
(See Program Note 8 above.)

9-12 units

Electives

Level IV: 30 Units

18 units

from Course List 2,

which must include one of

0-3 units

from the following courses, if not already completed

9-12 units

Electives