The Earth Sciences program trains geoscientists — scientists who study the Earth and other planets in order to better understand their origin and history.
Using this knowledge, geologists find the resources that make modern life possible (such as iron, lithium, nickel, copper, potash, oil and gas), study and warn of hazards (such as volcanoes and earthquakes), and work on understanding global climate change.
The Earth Sciences program provides the basis for a career with opportunities on every continent and with any combination of indoor and outdoor work. Geoscientists work on refining our planetary knowledge — there are still many undiscovered resources and coarsely-mapped areas of our planet as well as unclear periods of Earth’s history.
Geological knowledge derived from the Earth also helps us to understand other solar system bodies; two of our professors are planetary geologists. Professor Mariek Schmidt is a Participating Scientist on the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover mission, which is searching for signs of ancient microbial life on Mars. Perseverance is Professor Schmidt’s third Mars rover mission, making her one of the world’s most experienced Mars rover scientists, but she also studies volcanoes on Earth to better understand Martian volcanic rocks, including their potential as habitat for microbial life.
Brock’s program is designed to comply with the educational requirements for registration as a geoscientist-in-training, the licensing classification that leads to the PGeo designation established by the Association of Professional Geoscientists of Ontario.
- BSc in Earth Sciences
- Minor in Earth Sciences
Expected cut-off: mid 70s
OUAC Code: BX
Not an Ontario Secondary School applicant? Find your admissions criteria here.
