About the Program
Established in 1982, the Ottawa-Carleton Geoscience Centre, a joint initiative of Carleton University and the University of Ottawa, offers programs leading to the degrees of M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Earth Sciences. The Centre houses modern instrumental facilities open to students at both campuses, and research activity includes most areas of the Earth Sciences. The campuses are fifteen minutes apart by complimentary inter-university transport and within a short distance of most federal facilities.
The size of the Centre’s research faculty and its location in the nation’s capital offer unique opportunities for collaborative research over a broad range of disciplines. Of particular note is the Centre’s close collaboration with the Geological Survey of Canada and the Canadian Museum of Nature. Graduate students are enrolled in the university where their faculty supervisor holds an appointment but can take courses or use research facilities at both universities. Students draw from a program of courses in English or French and may pursue their research in either language.
Academic Regulations
- See the General Regulations section of this Calendar.
- A grade of B- or higher is required for each course counted towards the Master’s degree.
Admission Requirements
- The requirement for admission to the program is an Honours B.Sc. degree, with at least high honours standing, in geology or a related discipline.
Program Requirements
- 1.5 credit of course work, 0.5 credit of which may be at the senior undergraduate level
- A research thesis (3.5 credits) defended at an oral examination
- A public lecture, preceding the oral examination, which is based on the thesis research
- Participation in the OCGC Seminar Series (0.0 credit). Participation comprises one lecture (open to all members of the OCGC) describing an aspect of the candidate’s research study and must be completed within 12 months of their registration in the M.Sc. program.
