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

General Information

Graduate Study Program:

The program leading to the M.Sc. in Geological and Environmental Sciences is a unified 42-credit program offered at the main Marcus Family Campus of BGU. The Department only offers an M.Sc. with a thesis based on a two-year research project in the laboratory of their chosen supervisor, and often, in the field. The M.Sc. program is not formally subdivided, but there are specializations, for example in Engineering Geology and some themes of the Environmental Sciences, which are in cooperation with other units at BGU. Therefore, we endeavor to tailor the study program to the research needs and training of the student for his/her subsequent career goals.

The M.Sc. program in Geological and Environmental Sciences is a broad-based single-track program that enables graduates to obtain solid grounding in courses and research in one or more of the Department fields of research interest: dynamic and classical geology; environmental, liquid- and solid-phase geochemistry; engineering geology; sedimentary geology, paleoceanography and paleoenvironments; geophysics; tectonics; geomorphology; and geology of petroleum. Cooperation of Department staff with the most advanced scientists in other Israeli research institutions further broadens the spectrum of research for which degrees are awarded.

The M.Sc. degree is awarded for thesis work that ultimately demonstrates professional competence. Initially, students are required to familiarize themselves with the literature and current directions of research in that field, and to write a research proposal. Students are then required to learn and apply experimental laboratory, field, and information science techniques and skills appropriate for their field of concentration. Students found to have the ability, independence, and vision necessary to carry out cutting-edge research are encouraged to transform their M.Sc. graduate studies into candidacy towards the Ph.D. degree in a combined study track. Our experience is that accomplishment of these goals by our graduates reflects well upon our Department as they join the scientific community in Israel and abroad upon their graduation.

General Program

General Program.pdf

General
בחירה במגמה	Course No.	Course Title	Weekly teacing hours	Weekly tutorial hours	Weekly lab hours	Field Exc.	No. of Credits	Semester
בחירה במגמה	Course No.	Course Title	Weekly teacing hours	Weekly tutorial hours	Weekly lab hours	Field Exc.	No. of Credits	Semester
A	206-13733	Atomic Absorption Spectrometry	-	-	1	-	0.5	A,B
A	206-13751	Biogeochemistry of the Coral Reef	3	-	-	-	3	A,B
A	206 -13761	Research Methods In Oceanography	3	-	-	-	3	A
A	206-13781	Stable Isotopes in the Marine Environment	1	-	1	1	2.25	B
	206-13831	Methods In Evolutionary Paleobiology	2	-	-	-	2	A
A	206-23801	Introduction to Vadose Zone Hydrology	2	1	-	-	2.5	B
B	206-23861	Rock Tunneling	2	-	-	1	2.25	B
B	206-23871	Rock Slope Stability	2	1	-	2	3	A
A	206-23881	Proxies for Paleoclimate and Paleoceanography	2	-	2	2	3.5	B
A	206-23891	Marine Sedimentology: Collection, Description and Interpretation of Red Sea Sediments	3	-	-	-	3	A
	206-23901	Solutions and Applications of Inverse Problems in Earth Sciences	1	-	-	-	1	B
A	206-23911	Organic Fuel Science	2	-	-	-	2
C	206-23921	Rock Mechanics	2	1	-	-	2.5	A
D	206-23931	Earthquake Science	4	-	-	-	4	A
	206-23941	Introduction to Marine Geophysics: Gravity, Magnetic and Thermal Fields	2	1	-	-	2.5	B
	206-23951	Stable and Radioactive Isotopes in Aqueous Systems	3	-	-	-	3	B
	206-23961	Principles and Geophysical Applications of Space Geodesy	2	-	-	-	2	A,B
	206-23981	Microtectonics	2	-	-	-	2	A
A	206-23991	Chemical Oceanography	3	-	-	1	3.25	B
	206-24014	Field Exercises in Structural Geology	-	-	-	6	1.5	B
D	206-24021	Earthquake Science	2	-	-	-	2	A
	206-24031	Paleomagnetism	2	-	-	2	2.5	A
	206-24041	Geodynamics	2	-	-	-	2	A
	206-24051	Hydrogeologic Systems-Conceptual Models and Hydrologic Basins	2	-	-	-	2	A,B
A	206-24071	Geomicrobiology	2	-	-	-	2	B
	206-24074	Geological Excursion (Overseas) 1	-	2	-	5	2.25	A,B
	206-24081	Advanced Geophysics	2	-	-	-	2	A
	206-24094	Geological Excursion (Overseas) 2	-	2	-	5	2.25	A,B
	206-24151	Colloquium on the Eastern Mediterranean	2	-	-	-	2	B
A	206-24191	Geochemistry of Water	2	-	-	-	2	A
	206-24211	Selected Topics in Geology B	1	-	-	-	1	A'B
	206-24261	Seminar A	2	-	-	-	0	A
	206-24271	Seminar B	2	-	-	-	0	B
D	206-24301	Advanced Structural Geology	2	-	-	-	2	B
	206-24321	Research Seminar	1	-	-	-	1	B
	206-24331	Selected Topics in Geology C	2	-	-	-	2	A,B
	206-24341	The Geological Evolution of the Eastern Mediterranean	2	-	-	-	2	A
	206-24351	Burial Diagenesis and Incipient Metamorphism	2	-	-	-	2	A
	206-24401	Microfacies of Tethyan Limestones	2	2	-	-	3	A
	206-24451	Fluids in Petrology	2	-	-	-	2	B
D	206-24501	Petroleum Geology	3	-	-	-	3	A
A	206-24561	Stratigraphic Micropaleontology	2	-	2	-	3	A,B
A	206-24601	Advanced Analytical Geochemistry	2	-	-	-	2	A
A	206-24631	Environmental Organic Geochemistry	2	2	-	-	3	B
	206-24691	Phanerozoic Orogenic Belts	2	-	-	-	2	B
	206-24721	Basin Analysis	2	2	-	-	3	B
	206-24771	Introduction to Thermodynamics and Kinetics in Geological Processes	2	-	-	-	2	A
	206-24791	Selected Topics from the Geology of Israel and the Middle East	1	-	-	4	2	A
D	206-24851	Advanced Field Geology	2	-	-	6	3	B
	206-24881	Isotope Geochemistry	2	-	-	-	2	A
	206-24921	Research Project	8	-	-	-	4	A,B
	206-24971	Seminar	2	-	-	-	2	A,B
A	206-25031	Limnology and Water Quality – Physical, Chemical and Biological Processes in Lake Kinneret	2.5	-	-	-	2.5	B
D	206-25061	Oil and Gas Reservoir Engineering	2	-	-	-	2	B
A	206-25081	Migration of Solutes and Contaminants in Groundwater	2	1	-	-	2.5	A
	206-25131	Earth Sciences Education	3	-	-	-	3	A
	206-25141	Geology of Southern Israel since the Late Neogene	2	-	-	2	2.5	B
A	206-25151	Isotopic Geochronology and Paleotemperature Determination	2	-	-	-	2	A
	206-25184	Mapping in a Crystalline Terrain	-	2	-	6	2.5	B
A	206-25191	Paleoecology	2	-	-	1	2.25	A
A	206-25211	Igneous Petrology	2	-	-	-	2	A
A	206-25231	World Stratigraphy	2	-	-	-	2	A
D	206-25241	Seismic Hazards	2	-	-	-	2	A
A	206-25261	Flow and Transport in the Unsaturated Zone	2	1	-	-	2.5	B
	206-25291	Environmental Perspectives of Water Resources in Israel	2	-	-	2	2.25	B
	206-25301	Ore Deposits	2	-	-	-	2	B
A	206-25311	Groundwater Hydrology	2	1	-	-	2.5	A
A	206-25331	Topics in Physical Oceanography	2	-	3	-	3.5	B
	206-25341	Seminar C	2	-	-	-	0	A,B
	206-25371	Geology and Geophysics of the Marine Environment	2	-	1	2	3	A
A	206-25381	Applied Micropaleontology	1	-	3	2	3	B
	206-25401	Geomorphology: Mechanics and Evolution of Landscapes	3	2	-	2	4.5	A
A	206-25501	Introduction to Physical Oceanography	1	-	-	-	1	B
	206-25901	Analytical Methods in Geochemistry	2	1	1	-	3	B
	206-26011	Introduction to Flow and Transport Processes in Streams	3	-	-	-	3	A
A	206-26061	Foraminifera as Bioindicators of Marine Environments	1	-	2	2	3	B
D	206-26091	Introduction to exploration geophysics	3	-	-	-	3	B
	206-26181	Basin and Petroleum Systems Modeling: Applications for Conventional and Unconventional Pet	1				1	A
	206-26201	Petrophysics and Well Logging	2	-	1	-	2.5	A
	206-27777	Thesis Writing	-	-	-	-	0	A,B
0	206-28880	Research	-	-	-	-	15	A,B
0	206-28881	Research	-	-	-	-	14	A,B
0	206-28882	Research	-	-	-	-	2	A,B
0	206-28885	Research	-	-	-	-	5	A,B
0	206-28887	Research	-	-	-	-	7	A,B
0	206-28889	Research	-	-	-	-	1	A,B
A	206-29321	Problems in Water Pollution	2	-	-	-	2	A
¹	900-52002	Safety training for chemical and biological (Online Training)	2	-	-	-	0	A,B

A Recognized as track elective for the environmental/oceanographic track; B-Required course for engineering track; C - Prerequisite for acceptance to engineering track; D- Elective for engineering track

Courses for the BSc degree will be accepted for MSc degree only upon approval of supervisor and Graduate committee chair.

Students should register course numbers for "thesis" to make up total of 42 credits.

Details of course are in paragraph 10 of the introduction.
Details of course are in paragraph 10 of the introduction.

Environmental Geology

Environmental Geology.pdf

Engineering Geology

Engineering Geology.pdf

Petroleum Geosciences

THE PETROLEUM GEOSCIENCES TRACK: Fossil fuels (oil, natural gas and coal) are the main energy sources used by modern society. Thus far, there appears to be no alternative energy sources on a global scale and fossil fuels will probably remain the main energy resource for the foreseeable future.

Meanwhile, the global demand for energy keeps growing. For coal and natural gas, the current and potential future reserves appear sufficient for the time being. Global demand for oil, however, keeps growing and already exceeds the rate of new discoveries and production capacity from conventional oil resources. Lately, new developments in unconventional resources in the US, particularly light tight oil, may extend the petroleum era for quite a long time.

In Israel, gas discoveries in the continental margin offshore in the last couple of decades, as well as an active search for new oil and gas resources (both conventional and unconventional), have emphasized the importance of Petroleum Sciences. At the same time, it also highlighted the shortage in professional Israeli manpower, knowledge, and research infrastructure in basic fields related to petroleum exploration, production, storage, transportation and processing.

To meet this need, the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has developed a new graduate studies track in Petroleum Geosciences to educate a future generation of geoscientists leading advanced research in petroleum geosciences and petroleum exploration in Israel. The opening of this academic track is an important step within Israel’s national efforts to achieve energy independence by developing its scientific and technological expertise.

Prerequisite requirements:

- The required background to be accepted for graduate studies in the Petroleum Geosciences track is a BSc degree from BGU or an equivalent curriculum at other academic institutes, with a > 80 grade point average.

- Students may be required to study extra courses to complete the necessary background for the program’s core studies. If a prerequisite course is taken at the Bachelors degree level, it will not be recognized for credit points for the graduate studies.

מגמת נפט וגז לאתר המחלקה אנגלית 2015.pdf

Petroleum Geosciences.pdf