Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences B.Sc. Study Programs

General Information

Undergraduate study program

Professional level expertise in the Geological and Environmental Sciences requires solid undergraduate background in natural and Earth sciences, and additional capabilities to understand the complex systems explored in graduate and postgraduate studies. The undergraduate programs all include three elements: basic, core, and enrichment courses:

Basic sciences and English: A strong background in mathematics, physics, and chemistry is essential In order to properly comprehend the complexity of the geological and environmental fields. Some basic courses are offered at two levels: a standard level parallel to that required by the Department of Life Sciences, and an upper level consistent with requirements of the Departments of Physics or Engineering. We encourage strong students to strive for the higher levels. Some courses (e.g., organic chemistry) are mandatory for specified tracks. English-language scientific papers and texts are part of nearly all courses, and complete proficiency is mandatory for all students before their second undergraduate year.

Core courses in geological and environmental sciences: Basic level courses in geological and environmental sciences are mandatory for all students. These courses include mineral chemistry and physics, magmatic and metamorphic rocks, sediments and sedimentary processes, life in Earth history, structural, tectonic, and geophysical properties of the planet, as well as environmental geology and geomechanics. Hands-on experience in field work in geology is central to the program and 26 days of excursions are mandatory, with approximately 20 additional days as part of elective courses.

Enrichment and advanced courses: Each faculty member has a repertoire of advanced courses relating to his or her fields of interest and expertise. The evolving complexity of the fields of geological and environmental sciences is extraordinary and a substantial effort is made to supplement the curriculum with outside expertise. Most advanced courses are electives, but some are required for specific study tracks.

Study tracks: The Department offers five single-track and two dual-degree track programs, and major and minor programs. The track names do not appear on the Natural Sciences Faculty diploma, but appear on the transcript of studies. In the dual-department programs, the graduates obtain two diplomas, one from each department. The graduates of the major- and minor-department programs receive a single diploma on which the names and status of the two programs appear.

The majority of courses of the undergraduate program are taught at the Marcus Family Campus of BGU. Some advanced and specialized courses are at the the Sede Boqer campus and at the Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat.

All Courses.docx

Dynamic Geology

Dynamic Geology - focuses on classical geological disciplines, including mineralogy and petrology, tectonics, seismology, geophysics, structural geology, geomorphology, and petroleum geology. Stratigraphy and sedimentology serves this and other tracks as well.

Earth is a highly dynamic planet, both on its surface and in its interior, and has steadily evolved since its accretion from the solar nebula ~4.55 billion years ago. We aspire to familiarize students with a wide spectrum of variable Earth processes: protracted, long-range processes like mountain building and collapse, plate tectonics, and the growth of continental crust can be modified substantially by instantaneous or short-lived seismic and volcanic events that can be cumulative. Unidirectional processes such as the decrease in Earth heat production with age are superposed upon cyclic processes such as the recycling of oceanic lithosphere.

Dynamic Geology students can broaden their horizons in three major areas: the geophysical fundamentals of deep earth processes (heat transfer, elasticity, magnetism, etc.), tectonic implications of magmatic and metamorphic evolution, and the linkage between geomorphological processes and neotectonics. The more numerate students are encouraged to study computer programming at the level appropriate to their talents.

Subsumed within this track are Sedimentary Geology, a required field excursion course in the Negev, and a course on the geology of Israel. Advanced electives related to these fields include Advanced Sedimentology, Basin Analysis, Microfacies of Tethyan Limestones, and World Stratigraphy, offered in an approximately two-year cycle.

Undergraduate students gain in-depth knowledge and experience in polarized-light microscopy at the petrographic laboratory (22 microscopes including a visualization system). The Low-temperature Thermochronology Laboratory (see details in section 4.9.1) and a laser fluorination line connected to the stable isotope laboratory are used also for demonstration in isotope geology classes.

Graduates of the Dynamic Geology track are equipped to pursue graduate research and to fill positions in the mining industry, in geological consultancy, and in government.

recomended program- dynamic 2018.pdf

Environmental Geology and Hydrogeology

Environmental Geology and Hydrogeology - focuses on the interaction between the Earth and the environment, with emphasis on geochemistry, hydrology, water-rock interactions, chemical oceanography, biogeochemical processes in aquatic systems and geomorphology.

The combination of environmental geology and hydrogeology creates interdisciplinary synergy in researching the couplings between the ocean, atmosphere, land, and freshwater in localized environmental systems, extending to the complexity of the global environment. This field of research has grown dramatically over the last several years, with the recognition of the significant and increasing effect of anthropogenic activities over at least the past five hundred years. A prime issue is water supply evolution, quality, and pollution prevention, and increased attention to hydrogeology has become an integral part of the environmental geology program. The undergraduate track was established as a direct response to the need for a high-level geology-oriented academic environmental studies curriculum to train Earth scientists to understand and monitor environmental processes.

The program is based on core courses in geology and advanced course work in theory and practice in hydrology, oceanography, geochemistry, isotope biogeochemistry, climatology and global climate change, geomorphology, geomicrobiology, and interpretation of paleoenvironments. Additional courses may be taken in other departments and at the Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat. Some advanced courses (e.g., Chemical Oceanography and Proxies to Paleoclimate and Paleoceanography) are strongly based on journal literature. The Department also facilitates opportunities for students to work with the faculty and graduate students on environmental projects so that they can learn to use the departmental laboratories and instrumentation, including an environmental isotope laboratory, instruments for oceanography and groundwater studies, a water-rock interaction laboratory, and paleontological preparation and visualization facilities. A high-pressure laboratory for CO₂ sequestration studies and a new organic geochemistry laboratory have recently opened.

recomended program- enironmental geology and hydrogeology 2018.pdf

Engineering Geology Track

Engineering Geology focuses on the interaction between rock masses and the environment as well as man-made operations, with emphasis on engineering rock mechanics, engineering geology, and geotechnical aspects of earthquake engineering.

Israel is experiencing a rapid and extensive infrastructure expansion that involves widespread interference and penetration into natural rock masses. Some examples of such activities include surface and deep mining operations, excavation of underground transportation routes, and the foundation of complex structures on rocks. These engineering applications call for experts in geological mapping and layout of a site, with the ability to prepare a sound geological model of the subsurface, explore the mechanical properties of the rocks at the site, perform and analyze laboratory test results, and provide preliminary stability evaluation of the site.

Israel is located in a seismically active zone, specifically the active Dead Sea Rift fault system, with the potential to generate earthquakes of magnitudes greater than 7.0 that can cause major economic disruption. Therefore, site stability evaluation must include potential seismic risk such as seismically-induced landslides and ground liquefaction hazards, which must be addressed with high reliability using modern geomechanics principles.

The program includes a single-track 3-year B.Sc. program, and a recently launched dual-degree program in Geology and Structural Engineering. The program is founded upon a strong background in core courses in geology and an enhanced mathematical background, including two advanced-level calculus courses in the first year of studies, linear algebra in the second year, and probability and statistics at an advanced level in the third year. More numerate students are encouraged to also elect a course in differential equations and programming during the third year. Geomechanics is mandatory for all second-year students, but the students of this track take additional mandatory courses in Rock Mechanics in their second year and Rock Tunnelling and Rock Slope Stability in their third year. Engineering Mechanics and Strength of Materials in the Department of Structural Engineering are mandatory in their second year, as well as a soil mechanics laboratory, and a rock mechanics laboratory in the third year.

The Department is well equipped, with advanced rock-mechanics testing equipment, including hydraulic, high capacity, servo-controlled triaxial and direct shear load frames, a rather complete index properties laboratory with soil classification equipment, point load and Brazilian, ultrasonic velocity, permeability, and thermal conductivity measurement devices, and a helium porosimeter.

Students of these tracks are prepared well for employment in industry, research, and academic institutions in Israel and abroad.

recomended program- engineering geology 2018.pdf

Geology and Biology

The interface between geology and biology is of increasing importance in today’s world. This track focuses on the interaction between the geosphere and the biosphere, including disciplines related to oceanography, marine ecosystems, evolution, systematics, paleoclimate, paleontology (concentrating on micropaleontology), stratigraphy and Earth history.

In cooperation with the Department of Life Sciences at BGU, two unique undergraduate programs are offered: 1) a three-year program culminating in a single B.Sc. degree in Geological and Environmental Sciences, and 2) a four-year dual-degree program upon whose completion B.Sc. degrees are awarded by both departments.

The Geology and Biology 3-year track supplements the core geology/environmental science curriculum of our Department with selected required courses in life sciences such as The Cell, Invertebrate Zoology, Vertebrate Zoology, Genetics, and Introduction to Ecology. The 4-year program includes all the required courses of both departments, with additional required courses including methods in Evolutionary Paleobiology. The students of this program choose their elective courses from the inventory offered by both departments. Courses in micropaleontology and microfacies, and Stable Isotope Geochemistry of Stratigraphic Boundaries are offered in an approximately two-year cycle in our Department. Field and laboratory experience designed to provide quantitative and analytical skills necessary to conduct research are an important part of the course curricula. The integrated programs are designed to prepare students for advanced research requiring multidisciplinary backgrounds.

recomended program- geology and biology 2018.pdf

The Dual dgree program with life science

The interface between geology and biology is of increasing importance in today’s world. This track focuses on the interaction between the geosphere and the biosphere, including disciplines related to oceanography, marine ecosystems, evolution, systematics, paleoclimate, paleontology (concentrating on micropaleontology), stratigraphy and Earth history.

In cooperation with the Department of Life Sciences at BGU, two unique undergraduate programs are offered: 1) a three-year program culminating in a single B.Sc. degree in Geological and Environmental Sciences, and 2) a four-year dual-degree program upon whose completion B.Sc. degrees are awarded by both departments.

The Geology and Biology 3-year track supplements the core geology/environmental science curriculum of our Department with selected required courses in life sciences such as The Cell, Invertebrate Zoology, Vertebrate Zoology, Genetics, and Introduction to Ecology. The 4-year program includes all the required courses of both departments, with additional required courses including methods in Evolutionary Paleobiology. The students of this program choose their elective courses from the inventory offered by both departments. Courses in micropaleontology and microfacies, and Stable Isotope Geochemistry of Stratigraphic Boundaries are offered in an approximately two-year cycle in our Department. Field and laboratory experience designed to provide quantitative and analytical skills necessary to conduct research are an important part of the course curricula. The integrated programs are designed to prepare students for advanced research requiring multidisciplinary backgrounds.

recomended program- dual dgree program with life science 2018.pdf

The Dual dgree program with computer science

The three-year Geology and Computers track – focuses on computational geology with emphasis on programming and numerical analysis. Extensive training in computer sciences is a central demand in various branches of Earth sciences, particularly because the use of computer programming, numerical modelling, and data mining are becoming more common. The four-year dual-degree program with the Department of Computer Sciences includes all the required courses of both departments. The core curriculum in Geology and Environmental Sciences is supplemented by mandatory courses in computer sciences, including Computer Programming in C3, Discrete Structures and Combinatorics, Introduction to Numerical Analysis, Foundations of Data Structures, Computer Architecture and System Programming Laboratory, and Digital Systems and Computer Structure. Few students choose this unique and very demanding program, but those who have completed it have excelled in their graduate studies and in their academic careers.

recomended program- dual dgree program with computer science 2018.pdf

Major in Geological and Environmental Sciences

Since 2009, the Department has offered programs for partial degrees (major or minor) that can be combined with programs of any other department that offers a complementary major or minor progam. This is a new initiative and these programs are in their infancy.

The aim of the major-department program is to promote intellectual interplay between the strong scientific background in Earth and environmental sciences and a complementary minor discipline. Continued graduate studies are possible only in the major department. Students may choose any minor program offered at the University, but the Department encourages students to choose their minor programs from within the Faculty of Natural Sciences, as these students are potentially excellent candidates for a fruitful interdisciplinary graduate program.

The minor program supported by our Department is aimed at exposing BGU graduates from other disciplines to the unique perspectives offered by geological and environmental science. Considerable supplementary course work is necessary for students in the minor program if they wish to continue toward a higher degree. Therefore, strong candidates are encouraged to transfer to the major-department program.

recomended program- major 2018.pdf

Minor in Geological and Environmental Sciences

Since 2009, the Department has offered programs for partial degrees (major or minor) that can be combined with programs of any other department that offers a complementary major or minor progam. This is a new initiative and these programs are in their infancy.

The aim of the major-department program is to promote intellectual interplay between the strong scientific background in Earth and environmental sciences and a complementary minor discipline. Continued graduate studies are possible only in the major department. Students may choose any minor program offered at the University, but the Department encourages students to choose their minor programs from within the Faculty of Natural Sciences, as these students are potentially excellent candidates for a fruitful interdisciplinary graduate program.

The minor program supported by our Department is aimed at exposing BGU graduates from other disciplines to the unique perspectives offered by geological and environmental science. Considerable supplementary course work is necessary for students in the minor program if they wish to continue toward a higher degree. Therefore, strong candidates are encouraged to transfer to the major-department program.

recomended program- minor 2018.pdf

The dual-degree program with Structural Engineering

recomended program- dual dgree program with structural engineering 2018.pdf