Earth Sciences and Economics Concentration (66 credits)

This program is open only to students in the B.Sc. Major Environment.

The resources necessary for human society are extracted from the earth, used as raw materials in our factories and refineries, and then returned to the earth as waste. Geological processes produce the resources humans depend on, and they also determine the fate of wastes in the environment. Understanding Earth's geologic processes provides us with the knowledge to mitigate many of our society's environmental impacts due to resource extraction and waste disposal. Additionally, economics frequently affects what energy sources power our society and how our wastes are treated. Earth sciences and economics are essential for our understanding of the many mechanisms, both physical and social, that affect Earth's environment.

This Concentration includes the fundamentals of each discipline. Students learn of minerals, rocks, soils and waters and how these materials interact with each other and with the atmosphere. Fundamental economic theory and the economic effects of public policy toward resource industries, methods of waste disposal, and the potential effects of global warming on the global economy are also explored.

See also Information for StudentsÌýfor details concerning:

  • Suggested First Year Courses
  • Taking courses on the MacdonaldÌýcampus
  • ENVR course sections - beware!

Program Requirements

NOTE: Students are required to take a maximum of 34 credits at the 200 level and a minimum of 15 credits at the 400 level or higher in this program. This includes Core and Required courses.

Core: Required Courses (18 credits)






Core: Complementary Course — Senior Research Project
(3 credits*)


(in Panama)
(in Barbados)
* Only 3 credits will be applied to the program; extra credits will count as electives.

Domain Required courses (21 credits)







Domain Complementary courses (24 credits)

3 credits in statistics

(M)
or
or
or equivalent

12 credits from Economic Resources:

(M)

(not offered 2024-2025)







(not offered 2025-2026)
(not offered)
(M)
(offered alternate years, in May term)

9 credits from Natural Resources:

*Note: ANTH 451 or GEOG 451 can be taken but not both; BIOL 451 or NRSC 451 can be taken but not both; ENVB 529 or GEOG 201 can be taken but not both.

(M) (offered alternate years; in Panama)
* (in Africa)
(in Barbados)
* (in Africa)
(in Panama)
(M) (offered Fall 2025 and alternate years)
*(M)
(offered alternate years, in May term)


(offered Winter 2025 and alternate years)
(offered winter 2024 and alternate years)
(not offered)
(offered fall 2024 and alternate years)
(offered fall 2023 and alternate years)

(offered winter 2025 and alternate years)
*
Ìý
Ìý

* (in Africa)

* (in Africa)
(M) (no longer offered)
(M)
(M)Ìý
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