• Frank Dawson Adams Building
• 3450 University Street, Room 238
• Montreal QC H3A 0E8
• Telephone: 514-398-6767
• Fax: 514-398-4680
• Email: grad.eps [at] mcgill.ca
• Website: mcgill.ca/eps

Earth and Planetary Sciences is a multidisciplinary field that includes the solid Earth and its hydrosphere and extends to the neighbouring terrestrial planets. Principles of chemistry, physics, and mathematics are applied to elucidate the complex and diverse planetary processes at play as we seek to understand how planets like the Earth changed over time and continue to evolve.

Career opportunities are many and diverse in the Earth and Planetary Sciences. Graduates of the major and honours in geology are often hired by resource exploration and extraction companies (industrial minerals; fossil and nuclear fuels; geothermal energy; ore deposits of base, precious, and critical metals). Knowledge of geochemistry and hydrogeology is also valued in the environmental consulting sector. Industry or government agencies may hire undergraduate students during the summer months, providing them with both financial benefits and first-hand geoscientific experience. Career opportunities in planetary science can also be found in universities and research organizations.

The Department has a full-time staff of 18 professors and one faculty lecturer. There are approximately 70 graduate and 20-30 undergraduate students registered in the various programs offered. 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 strong 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 is one of the three departments that actively contribute to the Earth System Science Interdepartmental program, and also offers a Joint Major in Physics and Geophysics, which combines a rigorous mathematics and physics curriculum with exposure to the geosciences.

The Minor in Geology offers students from other departments the opportunity to discover the earth sciences in the classroom and in the field, while the Minor in Geochemistry is designed for chemistry major students who want to apply chemical principles to the study of planetary processes.

Students in a B.A. program may choose Earth and Planetary Sciences as their area of specialization for the Minor Concentration for Arts Students.

Students interested in any of the programs should inquire at:

• Frank Dawson Adams Building
• 3450 University Street, Room 238
• Telephone: 514-398-6767
• Website: mcgill.ca/eps/programs/undergraduate-programs

or should consult the Director of Undergraduate Studies:

• Professor Jeanne Paquette
• Frank Dawson Adams Building
• 3450 University Street, Room 214
• Telephone: 514-398-4402
• Email: jeanne.paquette [at] mcgill.ca