The interdisciplinary study program Earth and Environmental Sciences (EES) at Jacobs University has been designed to provide a holistic view at our planet Earth. It combines traditional geoscience disciplines such as Geology, Geochemistry, Geophysics, Oceanography, and Environmental Sciences to prepare our graduates for topical challenges and research questions. Graduating students can proceed from their undergraduate studies into employment or graduate education in a range of different fields, including management and sustainable exploration of natural resources or the study of Earth’s climate and oceans, of life in extreme environments or of the origin and evolution of planet Earth. The B.Sc. program Earth and Environmental Sciences conveys an understanding of how the complex System Earth works. It encourages students to think creatively about processes affecting System Earth and about how to address multidisciplinary environmental problems.
We strive to equip students with state-of-the-art expertise, knowledge and skills, and a professional flexibility that will enable them to work at the forefront of research in industry and in academia. As with graduates in other sciences, less than half of the graduates take up careers closely related to their chosen degree subject. The majority of graduates find equally rewarding careers in other areas for which they are very well equipped, given the general scientific training and wide range of core skills they have developed in the Earth and Environmental Science program. The program itself can be adjusted to accommodate students with particular career goals in mind. During their first three semesters of study, our students get a solid education in the various disciplines of Earth and Environmental Sciences plus a sound background in the natural sciences. Specialization starts already in the third semester. We currently offer the following Specialization Areas:
Key elements of the EES study program
Solid foundation in natural sciences
Current research themes in Earth and Environmental Sciences typically require expertise from a number of different natural sciences. Training for our students in natural sciences and relevant mathematics is provided via courses specifically tailored for ESS students by the EES faculty, and additional courses offered within the School of Engineering and Science in general.
Interdisciplinary approach to natural systems
Natural environments are complex dynamical systems that call for a profoundly interdisciplinary approach: partial answers to research questions which may be provided by individual disciplinary fields are combined and integrated to yield a more complete picture of a process. EES students are introduced to interdisciplinary thinking at the commencement of their studies. Though the program is firmly rooted in traditional geosciences, the geological training given is broadened through the EES combination of disciplines.
Common methodology in Earth and Environmental Sciences
Contrasting natural systems studied within EES are observed, analyzed, and modeled using comparable methods and tools. Processes at work from the deep ocean to the high atmosphere are explored in-situ with unmanned probes. Images and spectra of Earth and the atmosphere are typically obtained by orbiting spacecraft following general remote sensing principles. ESS students are introduced to the processing, analysis, and visualization of data from such observations. Computational models applied within the various disciplines of ESS often rest on general fluid dynamics concepts.
Our ESS study program is ideally suited to you if you are searching for:
• a bachelor program with Geology
• a bachelor program with Environmental Sciences
• a bachelor program with Oceanography
• a bachelor program with Geophysics
• a bachelor program with Geochemistry
Students learn about the sustainable exploration and management of natural resources, the evolution of the Earth’s crust, climate and oceans, and the anthropogenic impact on natural systems. Practicals, international field excursions, involvement in ongoing research projects, and internships are integral parts of the program. And don’t worry: you will get a broad but detailed education which will enable you to proceed in any graduate program related to these bachelor themes. Please see our Alumni Poster for more details or take a look at a few facts about the EES program and study the factsheet about Jacobs University.
