Bachelor of Science (Earth and Ocean Sciences)

Program Overview

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Earth and Ocean Sciences

Entry Points (2022) 403

Course Overview

Earth & Ocean Sciences, a degree programme unique in Ireland, integrates geology and oceanography to better understand how the Earth works, how its different systems interact (from the upper atmosphere down to the deep crust) and how it is able to support life. The course exposes graduates to a global career market, from sustainable sourcing of raw materials, through renewable energy, to environmental assessment and the regulation and monitoring of industries. We aim to train the scientists who can investigate issues of global change, and the course aligns with the UN's sustainability goals.

Program Outline

Course Outline

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YEAR ONE

• Chemistry

• Physics

• Biology

• Plus one of the following:

· Mathematical Studies

· Mathematics

· Applied Mathematics

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YEAR TWO

• The Earth: From Core to Crust

• Introduction to Field Skills

• Introduction to Ocean Science

• Plus one pathway from the following:

· Applied Mathematics

· Botany and Plant Science

· Chemistry · Mathematical Studies

· Mathematics

· Microbiology

· Physics and Applied Physics

· Plant and AgriBiosciences

· Zoology

• Plus electives from a range of science modules

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YEAR THREE

• Field Skills Training

• Ocean Dynamics

• Aquatic Geochemistry

• Introduction to Applied Field Hydrology

• Sediments and the Sedimentary Record

• Geological Structures and Maps

• The Crystalline Crust

• Palaeontology and Evolution

• Environmental and Marine Geophysical Remote Sensing

• Minerals and Rocks under the Microscope

• Plus electives from a range of science modules

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YEAR FOUR

•Final Year Project

• Advanced Fieldskills

• Global Change

• Earth and Ocean Science (EOS) advanced modules

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Curriculum Information

Curriculum information relates to the current academic year (in most cases).

Course and module offerings and details may be subject to change.

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Glossary of Terms

Credits

You must earn a defined number of credits (aka ECTS) to complete each year of your course. You do this by taking all of its required modules as well as the correct number of optional modules to obtain that year's total number of credits.

Module

An examinable portion of a subject or course, for which you attend lectures and/or tutorials and carry out assignments. E.g. Algebra and Calculus could be modules within the subject Mathematics. Each module has a unique module code eg. MA140.

Subject

Some courses allow you to choose subjects, where related modules are grouped together. Subjects have their own required number of credits, so you must take all that subject's required modules and may also need to obtain the remainder of the subject's total credits by choosing from its available optional modules.

Optional

A module you may choose to study.

Required

A module that you must study if you choose this course (or subject).

Required Core Subject

A subject you must study because it's integral to that course.

Semester

Most courses have 2 semesters (aka terms) per year, so a three-year course will have six semesters in total. For clarity, this page will refer to the first semester of year 2 as 'Semester 3'.

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Year 1 (60 Credits)

Optional

MP180:

Applied Mathematics

- 15 Credits - Semester 1

Optional

MA180:

Mathematics (Honours)

- 15 Credits - Semester 1

Optional

MA161:

Mathematical Studies

- 15 Credits - Semester 1

Required

BO101:

Biology

- 15 Credits - Semester 1

Required

PH101:

Physics

- 15 Credits - Semester 1

Required

CH130:

Chemistry: The World of the Molecule

- 15 Credits - Semester 1

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Year 2 (60 Credits)

Optional

BO202:

Evolution and the Tree of Life

- 5 Credits - Semester 3

Optional

MA215:

Mathematical Molecular Biology I

- 5 Credits - Semester 3

Optional

MA211:

Calculus I

- 5 Credits - Semester 3

Optional

MA284:

Discrete Mathematics

- 5 Credits - Semester 3

Optional

MP231:

Mathematical Methods I

- 5 Credits - Semester 3

Optional

MP236:

Mechanics I

- 5 Credits - Semester 3

Optional

CH203:

Physical Chemistry

- 5 Credits - Semester 3

Optional

CH204:

Inorganic Chemistry

- 5 Credits - Semester 3

Optional

BPS202:

Fundamentals in Aquatic Plant Science

- 5 Credits - Semester 3

Optional

BO201:

Molecular and Cellular Biology

- 5 Credits - Semester 3

Optional

MI202:

Laboratory Skills in Microbiology I

- 5 Credits - Semester 3

Optional

BO2101:

Scientific Writing Skills

- 5 Credits - Semester 3

Optional

GR224:

Beginner's German for Science

- 10 Credits - Semester 3

Optional

GR252:

German

- 10 Credits - Semester 3

Optional

GR353:

German

- 10 Credits - Semester 3

Optional

MA2286:

Differential Forms

- 5 Credits - Semester 3

Optional

LN2210:

Scileanna Gaeilge don Eolaíocht 1

- 5 Credits - Semester 3

Optional

PH2102:

Physics Laboratory and Problem Solving I

- 5 Credits - Semester 3

Optional

ST2001:

Statistics for Data Science 1

- 5 Credits - Semester 3

Optional

PH2105:

Mechanics and Thermodynamics

- 5 Credits - Semester 3

Required

EOS213:

Introduction to Ocean Science

- 10 Credits - Semester 3

Optional

MA212:

Calculus II

- 5 Credits - Semester 4

Optional

ZO209:

Vertebrate Zoology

- 5 Credits - Semester 4

Optional

MA203:

Linear Algebra

- 5 Credits - Semester 4

Optional

MA216:

Mathematical Molecular Biology II

- 5 Credits - Semester 4

Optional

MA283:

Linear Algebra

- 5 Credits - Semester 4

Optional

ZO208:

Invertebrate Biology

- 5 Credits - Semester 4

Optional

MP232:

Mathematical Methods II

- 5 Credits - Semester 4

Optional

FR252:

French

- 10 Credits - Semester 4

Optional

MP237:

Mechanics II

- 5 Credits - Semester 4

Optional

CH202:

Organic Chemistry

- 5 Credits - Semester 4

Optional

CH205:

Analytical & Environmental Chemistry

- 5 Credits - Semester 4

Optional

BPS203:

Plant Diversity, Physiology & Adaptation

- 5 Credits - Semester 4

Optional

MI203:

Laboratory Skills in Microbiology II

- 5 Credits - Semester 4

Optional

MI204:

Microbes and the Environment

- 5 Credits - Semester 4

Optional

MA2287:

Complex Analysis

- 5 Credits - Semester 4

Optional

PAB2101:

AgriBiosciences

- 5 Credits - Semester 4

Optional

LN2211:

Scileanna Gaeilge don Eolaíocht 2

- 5 Credits - Semester 4

Optional

PH2104:

Physics Laboratory and Problem Solving II

- 5 Credits - Semester 4

Optional

ST2002:

Statistics for Data Science 2

- 5 Credits - Semester 4

Optional

PH2106:

Atomic Physics & Electromagnetism

- 5 Credits - Semester 4

Optional

MA2111:

Anailís

- 5 Credits - Semester 4

Required

EOS2101:

Introduction to Fieldskills

- 5 Credits - Semester 4

Required

EOS2102:

The Earth: From Core to Crust

- 10 Credits - Semester 4

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Why Choose This Course?

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Career Opportunities

Graduates can purse a range of career opportunities in diverse industries, including energy, raw materials, conservation, education and tourism. EOS graduates are working in all of these areas, in Ireland or overseas. The geoscience sector employs more than 25,000 people in Ireland and generates more than €3 billion per year for the Irish economy.

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About University of Galway

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