Earth and Environmental Sciences (BSc)

The Earth and Environmental Sciences (EES) program is based on a solid foundation in chemistry, mathematics and physics, and combines traditional geoscience disciplines such as geology, oceanography and environmental science using key methodological tools and concepts from geochemistry, geophysics, geodata analysis and data management. The modular curriculum allows for an excellent integration of optional complementary courses from the social sciences, e.g., economics and management, and from the life sciences, e.g., biochemistry, cell biology and microbiology.

The EES program imparts the knowledge and the skills that allow our graduates to address topical challenges and key research questions including the sustainable and responsible exploration of natural resources, the short- and long-term evolution of the Earth’s climate and oceans, the scientific processing and analysis of large volumes of digital Earth data and pressing anthropogenic challenges to the natural environment. The EES program is ideally suited for proactive and engaged students who are passionate about planet Earth and our natural environment, its dynamics and the impact of human activities, who enjoy working outdoors, and who wish to contribute to finding solutions to pressing real-world problems.

The Earth and Environmental Sciences program provides a gateway to a wide range of different career paths that reflect the diversity of Earth and Environmental Sciences. Career prospects are excellent, as there is an increasing demand for graduates with a science-based background in Earth and Environmental Sciences, especially with skill-sets that include practical field and lab work, numerical and analytical skills coupled with a sound knowledge in geochemistry, geology, oceanography, geophysics and/or data sciences. An understanding and appreciation of the inherent interdisciplinary nature of the Earth and Environmental sciences is also greatly valued by both academia and industry.

Graduates of the Earth and Environmental Sciences program at Jacobs University can choose from a broad range of careers in academia and in industry, for example in the exploration and management of natural resources such as fresh water, fossil fuels and minerals on land and in the oceans, or in research at universities and various State-, NGO- or privately-funded research facilities. Possible careers also include high-school and college teaching, environmental consulting, protection and management, work in science journalism and publishing or in the geo- and eco-tourism industry. Since positions in industry and academia often require a MSc degree, the modules and courses in the Earth and Environmental Sciences program also aim to prepare students for further studies at graduate schools.