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• Frank Dawson Adams Building, Room 238
• 3450 University Street
• Montreal QC H3A 0E8

• Telephone: 514-398-6767
• Fax: 514-398-4680
• Email: kristy.thornton [at] mcgill.ca
• Website: www.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 Earth Sciences are often recruited by resource (fossil fuel and mineral) exploration companies, as well as the mining and environmental sectors. 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 17 professors and one faculty lecturer. There are approximately 50 graduate and 50 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 interested in any of the programs should inquire at:

• Frank Dawson Adams Building, Room 238
• Telephone: 514-398-6767

or should consult the Undergraduate Director:

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