Science Academic Programs and Plans

Advisors: See Faculty of Science, academic advisors.

Hydrogeology is an interdisciplinary field of study that integrates geological knowledge with the principles of subsurface fluid flow, contaminant migration, geochemistry, mathematics, and physics in order to understand and protect groundwater resources. Typical problems hydrogeologists tackle include the search for groundwater supplies, assessment and remediation of soil and groundwater contamination due to industrial, agricultural, and mining practices, and conducting watershed studies to assess environmental impacts due to urban and rural activities. This quantitative program prepares students for challenging and exciting careers in both the public and private sectors, particularly in the environmental consulting industry where there is demand for well-trained hydrogeologists.

Continuing in Honours Co-operative Earth Sciences, Hydrogeology Specialization requires a cumulative overall average of 60% and a cumulative average of 60% in all EARTH courses.

Successful completion of this program requires:

1. 21.75 units that include:
   
   • 9.75 EARTH units: EARTH 121, EARTH 121L, EARTH 122, EARTH 122L, EARTH 123, EARTH 221, EARTH 223, EARTH 231, EARTH 232, EARTH 235, EARTH 238, EARTH 260, EARTH 333, EARTH 342, EARTH 390, EARTH 421, EARTH 440, EARTH 456, EARTH 458, EARTH 458L, and EARTH 459
   • 1.0 EARTH unit: EARTH 436A and either EARTH 436B or one EARTH elective at 300-level or higher
   • 2.0 EARTH elective units with the following conditions:
     
     • 0.5 unit must be 200-level or higher
     • 1.5 units must be 300-level or higher
   • 1.5 CHEM units: CHEM 120, CHEM 120L, CHEM 123, and CHEM 123L
   • 1.5 PHYS units: PHYS 111 and PHYS 111L or PHYS 121 and PHYS 121L; PHYS 112 and PHYS 112L or PHYS 122 and PHYS 122L
   • 2.0 MATH units: MATH 106 or MATH 114; MATH 127 and MATH 128; MATH 228 or CIVE 222 or ENVE 223
   • 0.5 STAT unit: STAT 202
   • 0.5 CIVE unit: CIVE 353
   • 1.0 program elective unit chosen from any 200-level or higher BIOL, CHEM, CS, PHYS, MATH, AMATH course, or chosen from BIOL 120, BIOL 130, BIOL 150, CHEM 140, CS 115, CS 116, or PHYS 175
   • 0.5 ENGL unit: ENGL 193/SPCOM 193
   • 1.5 elective units: must be 0.5 unit lecture courses
2. Co-operative program requirements that include:
   • A minimum of four work terms: COOP 1, COOP 2, COOP 3, and COOP 4.
   • A minimum of three work-term reports: one as part of PD 11, WKRPT 200S, and WKRPT 300S.
   • A minimum of four Professional Development courses: PD 1, PD 11, and two other PD courses.

Notes

1. ENVS 201, ERS 215, BIOL 240, BIOL 447, GEOG 271, GEOG 387, MATH 217, and CIVE 221 are recommended electives for this program.
2. SCI and EARTH courses may not be counted as program electives.
3. A maximum of 1.5 SCI units may be counted as electives.
4. Students will need enrolment permission for required courses offered through Engineering.

Recommended Course Sequence

Year One

Fall

CHEM 120/CHEM 120L General Chemistry 1/General Chemistry Laboratory 1
EARTH 121/EARTH 121L Introductory Earth Sciences/Introductory Earth Sciences Laboratory
EARTH 123 Introductory Hydrology
MATH 127 Calculus 1 for the Sciences
PHYS 111/PHYS 111L Physics 1/Physics 1 Laboratory
 or PHYS 121/PHYS 121L Mechanics/Mechanics Laboratory

Winter

CHEM 123/CHEM 123L General Chemistry 2/General Chemistry Laboratory 2
EARTH 122/EARTH 122L Introductory Environmental Sciences/Introductory Environmental Sciences Laboratory
MATH 128 Calculus 2 for the Sciences
PHYS 112/PHYS 112L Physics 2/Physics 2 Laboratory
 or PHYS 122/PHYS 122L Waves, Electricity and Magnetism/Waves, Electricity and Magnetism Laboratory 
One of ENGL 193/SPCOM 193 Communication in the Sciences

Year Two

Fall

EARTH 223 Field Methods in Hydrology
EARTH 231 Mineralogy
EARTH 235 Stratigraphic Approaches to Understanding Earth's History
EARTH 260 Applied Geophysics 1
MATH 106 Applied Linear Algebra 1
 or MATH 114 Linear Algebra for Science

Spring

EARTH 221 Geochemistry 1
EARTH 232 Petrography
CIVE 222 Differential Equations
One program elective (0.5 unit)
One elective (0.5 unit)

Year Three

Winter

EARTH 238 Introductory Structural Geology
EARTH 333 Introductory Sedimentology
EARTH 390 Methods in Geological Mapping
CIVE 353 Geotechnical Engineering 1
One 200-, 300-, or 400-level EARTH elective (0.5 unit)
One elective (0.5 unit)

Fall

EARTH 342 Geomorphology and GIS Applications
EARTH 458/EARTH 458L Physical Hydrogeology/Field Methods in Hydrogeology
EARTH 421 Geochemistry 2
STAT 202 Introductory Statistics for Scientists
One program elective (0.5 unit)

Year Four

Fall

EARTH 436A Thesis Proposal
EARTH 440 Quaternary Geology
Two EARTH electives 300-level or higher (1.0 unit)
One elective (0.5 unit)

Winter

EARTH 436B Honours Thesis
 or one EARTH elective 300-level or higher (0.5 unit)
EARTH 456 Numerical Methods in Hydrogeology
EARTH 459 Chemical Hydrogeology
One EARTH elective 300-level or higher (0.5 unit)