Program Overview

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Program Overview

The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Earth and Planetary Sciences is a research-intensive program offered by the Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences in the Faculty of Science. This program emphasizes interdisciplinary learning opportunities that combine field, laboratory, and computational research to study the Earth and other planets.

Program Description

The program's objective is to equip students with skills in critical thinking, data analysis, information synthesis, and scientific communication to pursue professional opportunities in a wide range of fields including academia, natural resource exploration, and environmental consulting.

Keywords

• Geology
• Geophysics
• Geochemistry
• Environmental Change
• Geobiology
• Natural Resources
• Natural Hazards
• Planetary Dynamics

Unique Program Features

• Students receive funding from a combination of tuition subsidies, research stipend, expected salary from employment (e.g., Teaching Assistantship), and external or internal scholarships/awards (if applicable).
• Students benefit from access to analytical facilities which include an Electron Microprobe Microanalytical Facility, an Atomic Absorption Lab, an Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) Lab, and a Stable Isotope Laboratory.
• Faculty members conduct research in:
  • the geochemistry of the mantle
  • the nature of processes concentrating metals in hydrothermal mineral deposits
  • the controls of viscosity in magmas and the mechanisms of volcanic eruption
  • the fate of carbon in marine and freshwater sediments
  • greenhouse gas emissions in natural and anthropogenic environments
  • the nature of changes in atmospheric and oceanic chemistry during Earth’s history
  • earthquakes and fault mechanisms
  • geomicrobiology
  • the movement of water and nutrients within complex ecohydrological systems
  • wetland hydrogeology
  • interactions between the cryosphere, solid Earth, and climate systems
  • global human processes and their relationship to planetary boundaries
• Graduates pursue careers in the public sector (e.g., universities and government-funded research institutes) and in the private sector (e.g., mineral and petroleum exploration, environmental consulting, climate change mitigation)

University-Level Admission Requirements

• An eligible Bachelor's degree with a minimum 3.0 GPA out of a possible 4.0 GPA
• English-language proficiency

Additional Admission Requirements

Each program has specific admission requirements including required application documents.

Available Intakes

• Fall
• Winter

Application Deadlines

Intake	Applications Open	Application Deadline - International	Application Deadline - Domestic (Canadian, Permanent Resident of Canada)
FALL	September 15	January 15	January 15
WINTER	February 15	August 1	August 1
SUMMER	N/A	N/A	N/A

Note on Application Deadlines

Application deadlines are subject to change without notice. Please check the application portal for the most up-to-date information.