Apply Now
A degree in Earth and Planetary Sciences will prepare students to pursue careers in a broad range of geo- and planetary science disciplines with direct environmental and societal applications. By selecting different tracks (petroleum geosciences, planetary sciences, and atmospheric and environmental sciences) graduates can be enrolled in positions in governmental organizations, private consulting firms, non-governmental organizations, and/or academic institutions.
Specifically, the Earth and Planetary Sciences program addresses the need of the UAE society to improve both the employability of UAE nationals and the necessity for skilled graduates to manage the environment and natural resources and contribute to the economic and technical development of the country. Knowledge of planetary science is introduced through the study of planetary geology, remote sensing, astrobiology, astronomy, and astrophysics, providing the skill set necessary for graduates to participate in the development of the UAE space sector.
On the other hand, a solid background in atmospheric and environmental sciences is gained through a large number of courses on Geochemistry and Environmental Chemistry, Climate Science, Astrobiology, Earth’s Climate History, Oceanography, and Hydrology. A specialization in petroleum geosciences is acquired through a number of specific courses including Reflection Seismology, Petrophysics and Logging, Seismic Reflection Interpretation, Reservoir Characterization, Reservoir Geophysics, Rock Mechanics and Reservoirs, and Petroleum Geology and Petroleum Systems.
The BSc in Earth and Planetary Sciences aims to produce graduates who will be able to:
Upon completion of the BSc in Earth and Planetary Sciences, graduates will be able to:
Earth and Planetary Sciences graduates have diverse career options in sectors such as oil and gas, energy storage, CO2 capture and sequestration, geothermal energy, mining, hydrogen energy, renewable energy, climate science, planetary sciences, environmental consulting, sustainability, and research. Their versatility makes them sought-after professionals locally and internationally.
The increasing demand for alternative energy, environmental protection, and responsible land and resource management is expected to drive the need for geoscientists. Rising public awareness of environmental hazards and population growth’s impact on the environment is set to boost demand for environmental scientists.
Earth and Planetary Sciences graduates can play a crucial role in mitigating climate change impacts, managing water resources, conserving biodiversity, protecting cultural heritage, and optimizing material flows and waste management for enhanced value creation. Job opportunities in local governmental entities (for example the Environmental Agency and the Department of Culture and Tourism) and consulting industries are anticipated, focusing on analyzing environmental issues and developing solutions for community health, waste reduction, pollution prevention, and resource conservation.
Environmental scientists will be essential in helping planners construct buildings, utilities, and transportation systems that safeguard natural resources. Earth and Planetary Sciences graduates will be integral in monitoring construction projects to ensure compliance with regulations for preserving the natural environment and handling archaeological and historical sites. Atmospheric and climate scientists will play a key role in assessing global climate change threats to local and national water supplies and biodiversity.
Graduates with a background in planetary sciences will be highly skilled professionals contributing to scientific research, space programs, and strategic partnerships in the space science field. They will support the mission of the UAE Space Agency by organizing and guiding the space sector, contributing to the national economy, and aiding sustainable development.
Despite evolving trends, there remains a significant demand for skilled geoscientists in the oil and gas sector. Employers like Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), Mubadala Petroleum, Dolphin Energy, Dragon Oil, and various national and international service companies (for example, Schlumberger, Halliburton, Baker Hughes, CGG, Weatherford, etc.) engaged in oil exploration and production continue to seek skilled professionals in this field.
By choosing from various tracks such as Petroleum Geosciences, Environmental and Atmospheric Sciences, and Planetary Geosciences, graduates can pursue roles in governmental organizations, private consulting firms, non-governmental organizations, and academic institutions. The Earth and Planetary Sciences program is designed to address the needs of UAE society by enhancing the employability of UAE nationals and providing skilled graduates to manage the environment and natural resources, contributing to the economic and technical development of the country. This extends to, but is not limited to, the following sectors:
The Department of Earth Sciences laboratories are located in the Bu Hasa and Ruwais buildings on the Sas Al Nakhl (SAN) Campus. The laboratories include geology and geophysics laboratories, dedicated core-layout areas, laboratories for sample and equipment preparation, and dedicated geosciences computer laboratories equipped with a wide range of industry-standard geoscience software, a scanning electron microscopy laboratory, petrographic microscopy laboratory and geophysical equipment storage and testing laboratory. The laboratories support the teaching and research needs of the department. Additionally, a dedicated lab for climate and environmental studies (the ENGEOS lab) is located in the Arzanah building (SAN campus) and operates several meteorological and atmospheric instruments as well as advanced numerical models combined with satellite observations.
American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) student chapter in the Earth and Planetary Sciences Program is the first AAPG Chapter established in the UAE. The AAPG student chapter provides a variety of programs and opportunities for students to have contact with the professional geosciences community, to have access to unique learning and leadership opportunities, to receive member benefits, and to be eligible for grants.
The Earth Sciences Student Society aims to help and support students as they prepare to start their careers within the Earth Sciences. As well as supporting the next generation of geoscientists, the society also provides a range of social activities for geoscience students at the University. Recent activities included guest seminars and lectures, field trips, social evenings, and sporting events.
The student chapter’s affiliation with the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) and the European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers (EAGE) provides a means of contact with the geosciences profession both inside and outside of academia. Active participation in the student chapters provides students with an opportunity to develop leadership and management skills. Actively running an organization and networking with professionals develop a sense of professionalism.
EPSS 200 Earth System Science (2-3-3)
Prerequisites: CHEM115
This course covers the origin and evolution of the Earth and its atmosphere and oceans from the perspective of cycles of inorganic and organic materials and the processes that form and shape the Earth. Aspects of the use of energy and other human impacts on the Earth system are discussed. Laboratory work involves studies of geologic materials, maps related to different aspects of Earth Systems, and exercises pertaining to geologic processes. The course includes a field trip.
EPSS 210 Earth Materials (2-3-3)
Prerequisites: EPSS 200; EPSS 223
This course introduces the fundamentals of mineralogy, including systematic chemistry and crystallography and physical and optical properties of minerals, emphasizing the carbonate group and silicate minerals. Students learn to use the petrographic microscope and to describe and identify a variety of rock-forming minerals in hand samples and petrographic thin-sections.
EPSS 211ÌýPhysics of the Earth (3-3-4)
Prerequisites: PHYS 121
This course covers the physics of the Earth including the physics of the atmosphere, gravitational field, seismic waves, heat flow, and electromagnetic fields, and introduces related techniques to reveal the properties, processes, and structure of the Earth’s interior. The course features an extensive laboratory component that offers students the chance to apply their newly acquired understanding of these concepts in practical settings.
EPSS 222 The Evolving Earth (3-3-4)
Pre-requisites: EPSS 200; BIOL 111
Co-requisite: None
This course introduces the origin of the solar system and the early Earth; the origin and evolution of life and how this is documented in the geologic record; the tectonic, stratigraphic, and geographic evolution of continental plates. This course also introduces the concept of human impact on natural processes and the consequences of natural and anthropogenic climate changes. Principles of stratigraphy and tectonics are applied to infer the geologic history of the Arabian Plate.
EPSS 223 Introduction to Geochemistry (3-0-3)
Prerequisite: CHEM 115
This course introduces the chemical principles that are used to explain the mechanisms that control geological systems and the evolution of these systems, including Earth’s mantle, the crust, oceans and atmosphere, and the formation of the solar system. This course provides an introduction to the fundamental geochemical tools used in geology and Earth sciences.
EPSS 230 Geological Maps (2-3-3)
Prerequisite: EPSS 200
An ability to read, interpret and apply geological and topographic maps to the Earth System is fundamental to the Earth Sciences. The accurate collection, recording and interpretation of high-quality fieldwork data is essential to a geologist’s understanding of Earth processes and environments. Through the application of practical exercises, students will learn to apply static two-dimensional representations in order to construct and understand three-dimensional sub-surface geometries. Students will learn to employ the primary data-gathering techniques used by geologists in the field and the reasons for these.
EPSS 300 Matlab for Earth Scientists (2-3-3)
Prerequisites: MATH 231
The course will introduce algorithms to numerically solve mathematical problems relevant to earth sciences problems with a focus on numerical methods programming using Matlab. First the course will cover the basics of Matlab operating environment and language for computing and plotting. It will be followed by solving nonlinear algebraic equations, systems of linear equations, linear curve fitting, polynomial curve fitting, finite differences, numerical integration and differentiation and finally basic applications to earth sciences problems.
EPSS 305 SedimentologyÌýÌý(3-3-4)
Prerequisites: EPSS 200; EPSS 210
Stratigraphy instructs in the sedimentological and stratigraphic methods used to analyze and interpret sedimentary sequences. Students will learn to interpret physical processes and depositional environments from sedimentary structures and textures, and to apply sequence stratigraphic methods to interpret and model facies and sedimentary basin evolution. The course incorporates modern and ancient examples from the Middle East, particularly from the UAE. The course includes five days of fieldwork.
EPSS 310 Remote Sensing and Geomatics(3-3-4)
Prerequisite: EPSS 300
This course covers the basic principles and essential skills of remote sensing and geomatics using image visualization, processing, and techniques for geological, environmental, and/or planetary mapping. Students learn the physical principles of remote sensing and become familiar with major remote sensing satellites and datasets. Students learn skills including image visualization, processing, interpretation, andÌýdata manipulation for mapping.
EPSS 321 Structural Geology (3-3-4)
Prerequisites: PHYS 121; EPSS 200; EPSS 230
Structural geology is the study of deformed rock. The course deals with the range of structures produced in rock by deformation; with the role of structures in trapping petroleum and their effect on production and with application of structural methods in E and P. Course topics include stress and strain; rheological behavior of rock; effects of time, temperature, and pressure on deformation; kinematic and dynamic analysis of deformed rock; the origin and mechanisms of fractures, faults, and folds; structural interpretation from seismic reflection, well, and other E&P data; mapping of subsurface structures from industry data; regional structural geology of the UAE. The course includes one three-day field trip.
Ìý
EPSS 323 Solid Earth Geophysics (3-3-4)
Pre-requisite: EPSS 200, EPSS 211
This course is an introduction to the quantitative analysis of Earth structure and plate tectonics using earthquake seismology, seismic reflection and refraction, gravity, magnetics, and heat flow. Methods covered in this course are applied in environmental geology, mining, petroleum, and seismology.
Ìý
EPSS 331 Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology (2-3-3)
Prerequisite: EPSS 210
An overview of igneous and metamorphic rocks as a background for discussing their origin and distribution in relation to plate tectonics. Course topics include rocks and Earth structure, structures, textures, chemistry, and mineralogy of igneous rocks; phase rule and phase diagrams; origin and movement of magmas; metamorphism and metamorphic rock texture, structures and mineralogy, metamorphic facies and metamorphic phase diagrams.
Ìý
EPSS 397 Field Geology (4-0-4)
Prerequisites: EPSS 305; EPSS 321
Field Geology is concerned with the study of lithologies and structures in the field. Students are trained to observe and map primary and secondary structures at selected international localities. Field examples and comprehension of primary geological processes and morphologies can be used as analogues for features imaged by remote sensing techniques. The course addresses vertical and horizontal variability in sedimentary rock facies and their physical characteristics in three dimensions. The course includes up to four weeks of fieldwork, each followed by two weeks of data integration and report writing.
EPSS 400 Planetary Science (3-3-4)
Prerequisite: EPSS 310
This course will examine the evolution of our solar system and the geology of planetary bodies, including Mercury, Venus, the Moon, Mars, asteroids, and the moons of Jupiter and Saturn. We will discuss the origin of the Solar System from a geological perspective and explore how scientists combine observations from extraterrestrial samples such as meteorites, with data returned by satellites and rovers to develop and test hypotheses related to planetary evolution. Emphasis will be on comparing geologic processes on these bodies to well-understood processes on Earth, results from past, current, and upcoming planetary missions, and the future of human and robotic exploration of space.
Ìý
EPSS415 Environmental Geology (3-0-3)
Pre-requisite: CHEM 115
The course covers natural hazards, landscape and soil characteristics, groundwater, surface water, climate change, water and air pollution, and ethics of environmental issues, emphasizing the environment and environmental issues of the UAE. The course includes a one-day field trip.
EPSS 497 Senior Research Project I (1-6-3)
Prerequisite: Senior Standing
This course comprises the development and initiation of an independent research project within the fields of the Earth Sciences. Prior to commencing the course, students must arrange for supervision from a Geosciences member of faculty and the topic of study must be approved by the Geosciences Program. The course comprises a significant taught component focusing on the methodologies and ethics of project proposal preparation. Following the preparation of the acceptance of the written proposal and the successful defense of the proposal presentation the student will commence work on the project.
EPSS 498 Senior Research Project II (0-0-9-3)
Pre-requisite: EPSS 497
This course involves completion of a project in the student’s area of interest in some area of Earth and Planetary Sciences. Students must have arranged for supervision from an instructor and the project must have been approved by the Earth Sciences Program. The course consists mostly of independent project work.
EPSS 499 Earth & Planetary Science Internship (1-0-1)
Pre-requisite: GENS 300 OR SDAS 300
Students are required to participate in an approved internship program that spans 8 weeks and includes at least 240 contact hours or 16 weeks, which requires a minimum of 480 contact hours. The internship provides students with practical experience, allowing them to integrate theory with “real-world” situations, which enhances their learning and soft skills. It is academically supervised by a faculty member and professionally supervised by the company’s internship supervisor, who provides feedback to the university about the student’s progress. A formal report documenting the work undertaken during the internship must be submitted to the department within the first two weeks of the semester following the internship. The report and the complete course activities are graded on a Pass/Fail basis.
Ìý