Bachelor of Science (Earth and Ocean Sciences)

Studying Earth and Ocean Sciences

Course Overview

Earth and Ocean Sciences (EOS) is a unique degree programme in Ireland. It investigates the Earth from the inside out (ranging from the depths of the planet's core to the highest reaches of the atmosphere, at the very edge of space) and aims to enhance understanding of Earth's surface and ocean environments. Myriad complex physical and chemical processes have changed and sculpted the Earth over its 4.6 billion year history. The conditions these processes created permitted the evolution of life in Earth’s very distant past, an apparently unique feature of this planet within the Solar System. A second unique feature of the Earth is the presence of liquid water at its surface – these fundamentally important marine and freshwater environments are also explored in detail on the EOS degree.

Climate change and the search for sustainable resources and energy are critically important concerns at present – Earth and Ocean scientists (geoscientists) are uniquely positioned to address these significant challenges for humanity. The energy, water and raw materials (including metals and minerals) that society depends on are underpinned by the geosciences, so to manage these resources sustainably we need to understand their place within the broader Earth system. The EOS degree programme provides this essential training: it exposes graduates to a global career market, develops scientists who can investigate issues of global concern, and it also strongly aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals.

EOS graduates are among the 25,000 people currently employed in geosciences in Ireland. They are working as science communicators and as tour guides, scientific officers, technologists, research scientists, map makers, teachers, lecturers and consultants. Some work for government agencies (Environmental Protection Agency, Geological Survey Ireland, Geological Survey Northern Ireland, Office of Public Works, and the Marine Institute), and some work in environmental and engineering consultancies here and around the world working on renewable (geothermal, wind, wave) energy projects, dealing with flood management and water management, assessing environmental impacts of various projects, finding and managing economic resources.

Key Facts

Entry Requirements

Additional Requirements

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

Course Outline

Earth and Ocean Sciences incorporates two fundamental disciplines: Geology and Oceanography, which makes it a unique degree programme in Ireland.

Geology is the study of the Earth as a dynamic system, including its origins and subsequent history, along with its structure and composition. It is the ultimate story of environmental change through time and it incorporates diverse areas such as palaeontology, hydrogeology, geophysics, remote sensing, mineralogy, sedimentology and earth surface processes. Almost all natural resources (e.g. metals, minerals, water, energy) on our planet are controlled either directly or indirectly by geology, hence geoscience informs on how these resources can be optimally managed for a sustainable future in the very pressing context of anthropogenic climate change.

Oceanography is key to understanding all aspects (physical, biological, chemical) of the ocean, therefore oceanographers are required to assess and monitor climatic/environmental impacts, and natural/man-made hazards in oceans and coastal areas. Scientific exploration of the oceans underpins advances in ecosystem

Pathway of study Year by Year

Year 1

Earth and Ocean Science draws upon biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics, so EOS students take modules in all four of these broad subject areas to ensure they have a solid grounding in science for subsequent years of study.

Year 2

25 credits (out of 60) in the second year of study are EOS modules; these focus on providing a good introduction to both earth science and oceanography, along with fieldskills training.

• EOS213 Introduction to Oceanography (10 ECTS)
• EOS2102 The Earth: From Core to Crust (10 ECTS)
• EOS2101 Introduction to Fieldskills (5 ECTS)

An additional 35 credits of second year modules are taken from a broad range of subject areas of particular interest to students, such as zoology, botany, physics, mathematics, languages etc.

Year 3

In third year, students focus their studies in more depth in various key subjects in EOS. Additionally, a residential fieldtrip is run towards the end of the academic year which allows students to apply the information learned in class (in a real-world situation) and also improve their data collection, observational and team-working skills.

• EOS3101 Geological Structures & Maps (5 ECTS)
• EOS3104 Fieldskills Training (5 ECTS)
• EOS303 Ocean Dynamics (5 ECTS)
• EOS304 Aquatic Geochemistry (5 ECTS)
• EOS305 Introduction to Applied Field Hydrology (5 ECTS)
• EOS323 Sediments and the Sedimentary Record (5 ECTS)
• EOS3102 Environmental & Marine Geophysical Remote Sensing (5 ECTS)
• EOS3103 Palaeontology & Evolution (5 ECTS)
• EOS3107 Minerals, magmas, and metamorphism (10 ECTS)

These third year EOS modules total 50 credits – the remaining 10 credits may be taken from a diverse range of optional and complementary modules (in zoology, botany, physics etc.)

Year 4

A significant component of the final year of the EOS degree programme is a research project which the student completes under the guidance of an assigned project supervisor. These projects are diverse in terms of their scope and topic (directly reflecting the diversity of research conducted in EOS), and they allow students to investigate a subject of particular interest to them in some detail.

In addition, a range of specialised final year EOS modules are taken:

• EOS402 Global Change (5 ECTS)
• EOS405 Field Skills in Oceanography (5 ECTS)
• EOS407 History of Life (5 ECTS)
• EOS409 Biophysical Interactions in the Oceans (5 ECTS)
• EOS418 Applied Field Hydrogeology (5 ECTS)
• EOS422 Sedimentary Basins (5 ECTS)
• EOS4101 Earth Observation & Remote sensing (5 ECTS)
• EOS4103 Advanced Fieldskills (5 ECTS)
• EOS4105 Economic Geology: Principles, Practice & Sustainability (5 ECTS)

For more specific details about all of the modules taught on every year of the EOS degree, please see the EOS Undergraduate Handbook

Curriculum Information

Further Education

Following completion of the Earth and Ocean Sciences degree, graduates commonly either take up employment immediately, or they may decide to continue their studies to MSc or PhD level.

A large number of taught masters programmes in earth or marine science are available in Ireland, Britain and Europe. These all allow graduates to gain a professional qualification in a subject area that they are particularly interested in (e.g. hydrogeology, hazard mitigation, sustainable exploration and resource management, surface and ocean environments, palaeobiology). In University of Galway, for example, the MSc in Marine and Freshwater Resources Management is available to EOS graduates:

Geoscience is a thriving and vigorous area of research; University of Galway is a partner institution in the SFI Research Centre in Applied Geosciences (iCRAG ). For those interested in pursuing a career in ocean or marine science, University of Galway has strong links with the Marine Institute, which is located close by in Oranmore in Galway. 

 Numerous possibilities exist for research positions for EOS graduates, they are particularly valued and in demand because of the high quality and multidisciplinary nature of their training at undergraduate level.

Why Choose This Course?

Career Opportunities

Who’s Suited to This Course

Learning Outcomes

Transferable Skills Employers Value

Work Placement

Study Abroad

Related Student Organisations

Course Fees

Fees: EU

Fees: Tuition

Fees: Student Contribution

Fees: Student levy

Fees: Non EU

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