Bachelor of Science (Earth and Ocean Sciences)

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Course Overview
Key Facts
Course Outline
Further Education
Why Choose This Course?
Course Fees
Find Out More

What our lecturers say What our students say What our lecturers say

Entry Points (2023)

402

Course Overview

‌The great societal challenges of this century - and many of the UN Sustainable Development Goals - are directly related to earth and ocean science: increasing vulnerability to geological hazards (floods and earthquakes); increasing need for renewable energy to replace oil and gas and to capture and store anthropogenic carbon; increasing demand for rare minerals and metals to support modern technology; and increasing need to sustainably manage all water resources as our climate changes. How do we rise to these challenges and how can we plan against their impacts? EOS is perfectly placed to train you as a geoscientist equipped with the academic, technical and field skills required to better understand both the complex processes of planet Earth and our interactions with them.

At the University of Galway we offer an approach to Earth and Ocean Sciences that is unique in Ireland. Our staff experience and skills cover a wide range of disciplines such as mineralogy, petrology, geochemistry, geophysics, hydrogeology, physical and chemical oceanography, marine biogeochemistry, palaeobiology and sedimentology. Whether we are studying earthquakes, plate tectonics, volcanoes, ocean productivity, ocean currents, mass extinctions, climate change, energy, or environmental pollution, the most productive insights into these phenomena often arise from interactions amongst the different disciplines.

Applications and Selections

Who Teaches this Course

This course is taught by academic staff from Earth and Ocean Sciences. Optional modules are available across the College and from other Colleges.

Details of staff and contact information is available on the Earth and Ocean Sciences webpage here.

Requirements and Assessment

Key Facts

Entry Requirements

Minimum Grade H5 in two subjects and passes in four other subjects at O6/H7 level in the Leaving Certificate, including Irish, English, Mathematics, a laboratory science subject (i.e. Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Physics with Chemistry (joint) or Agricultural Science) and any two other subjects recognised for entry purposes.

Additional Requirements

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

Duration

4 years

Next start date

September 2024

A Level Grades (2023)

universityofgalway.ie/alevels

Average intake

QQI/FET FETAC Entry Routes

4 (More Info)

Closing Date

NFQ level

Mode of study

ECTS weighting

Award

CAO

GY314

Course code

Course Outline

‌‌‌See course outline for Earth & Ocean here.

YEAR ONE

• Chemistry
• Physics
• Biology
• Plus one of the following:
· Mathematical Studies
· Mathematics
· Applied Mathematics

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

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

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.

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'.

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

Year 2 (60 Credits)

Further Education

Postgraduate research opportunities in the field of Earth and Ocean Sciences leading to MSc and PhD degrees are available within the college, and Earth and Ocean Science are one of the groups that are part of iCRAG (the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre in Applied Geosciences). Research areas currently include characterising ocean health and ecosystems, developing predictive methodologies for use in sustainable agriculture in relation to water management, developing our understanding of how undisturbed peatlands function, exploring Ireland's deep seated groundwater resources, refining our knowledge of Ireland's geological past, and developing new methodologies and approaches to assessing the environmental impacts of microplastics and emerging contaminants.

Why Choose This Course?

Career Opportunities

Graduates of Earth and Ocean Science are working in government agencies and departments (for example: EPA, Teagasc, Geological Survey Ireland), local authorities and other regulatory sectors; graduates are pursuing research and academic careers in Ireland and overseas; graduates are working in the private sector, in a range of industries and for a range of firms in the energy sector (geothermal, wind energy and other renewal energies), in the extractive industries (quarries and mining, especially in relation to rare earth elements), in conservation, restoration and environmental protection, and in the tourism sector. More than 25,000 are employed in geoscience in Ireland and the sector generates more than Three billion Euro per year for the Irish economy.

Who’s Suited to This Course

Learning Outcomes

Transferable Skills Employers Value

Work Placement

Study Abroad

Related Student Organisations

Course Fees

Fees: EU

€7,268 p.a. (€7,408 p.a. including levy) 2024/25

Fees: Tuition

€4,268 p.a. 2024/25

Fees: Student Contribution

€3,000 p.a. 2024/25

Fees: Student levy

€140 p.a. 2024/25

Fees: Non EU

€26,000 p.a. (€26,140 p.a. including levy) 2024/25

EU Fees are comprised of Tuition + Student Contribution Charge + Student Levy** €140. **Payable by all students and is not covered by SUSI. Further detail here.

Find out More

Dr Eve Daly, Programme Director:

School of Natural Sciences/College of Science and Engineering

Eve.daly@univeristyofgalway.ie

www.universityofgalway.ie/eos

What Our Students Say

Bill Wood | BSc (Earth and Ocean Sciences)

I chose NUI Galway because of the great choice of subjects available through my degree. No other university offers such flexibility for students in this subject area. This becomes increasingly important as you develop during your third level education. There is great interaction between staff and students at University of Galway. I would definitely encourage those with an interest in science or natural sciences to pursue this course. The standard of education offered here is of the highest quality.