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Water Environments and Ecosystems Domain

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Water Environments and Ecosystems Domain

This domain is open only to students in the B.Sc.(Ag.Env.Sc.) Major Environment or B.Sc. Major Environment program.

Water Environments and Ecosystems – Biological

Advisor Mentor
  • Ms. Kathy Roulet
  • Email: kathy.roulet [at] mcgill.ca
  • Telephone: 514-398-4306
  • Professor Brian Leung
  • Email: brian.leung2 [at] mcgill.ca
  • Telephone: 514-398-6460

Water Environments and Ecosystems – Physical

Advisor Mentor
  • Ms. Kathy Roulet
  • Email: kathy.roulet [at] mcgill.ca
  • Telephone: 514-398-4306
  • Professor Nigel Roulet
  • Email: nigel.roulet [at] mcgill.ca
  • Telephone: 514-398-4945

Bachelor of Science (Agricultural and Environmental Sciences) (B.Sc.(Ag.Env.Sc.)) or Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) - Major Environment -Water Environments and Ecosystems - Biological (60 credits)

This concentration (60 credits including Core) is open only to students in the B.Sc.(Ag.Env.Sc.) Major in Environment or B.Sc. Major in Environment program.

To educate students in both the ecological and physical facets of the water environment, this Domain offers two concentrations, with students choosing one or the other.

Those electing the Biological concentration will focus on the mechanisms regulating the different forms of life in water bodies. They will acquire, as well, a good understanding of the physical mechanisms controlling water properties. Students interested in studying the transport and transformation mechanisms of water on the planet, from rivers to the oceans and atmosphere, will select the Physical concentration. They will acquire, as well, a solid background in the biological processes taking place in water bodies.

Graduates of this Domain are qualified to enter the work force or to pursue advanced studies in fields such as marine biology, geography, physical oceanography and atmospheric science.

Suggested First Year (U1) Courses

For suggestions of courses to take in your first year (U1), you can consult the "MSE Student Handbook 2010-11" available on the MSE website (/mse), or contact Ms. Kathy Roulet, Program Advisor (kathy.roulet [at] mcgill.ca).

Program Requirements

NOTE: Students are required to take a maximum of 30 credits at the 200-level and a minimum of 12 credits at the 400-level or higher in this program. This includes Core and Required courses.

Location Note: When planning your schedule and registering for courses, you should verify where each course is offered because courses for this program are taught at both ƽÌØÎå²»ÖÐ's downtown campus and at the Macdonald campus in Ste. Anne de Bellevue.

Core: Required Courses (18 credits)

Location Note: Core Required courses for this program are taught at both ƽÌØÎå²»ÖÐ's downtown campus and at the Macdonald Campus in Ste. Anne de Bellevue. You should register in Section 001 of an ENVR course that you plan to take on the downtown campus, and in Section 051 of an ENVR course that you plan to take on the Macdonald campus.

ENVR 200 (3) The Global Environment
ENVR 201 (3) Society and Environment
ENVR 202 (3) The Evolving Earth
ENVR 203 (3) Knowledge, Ethics and Environment
ENVR 301 (3) Environmental Research Design
ENVR 400 (3) Environmental Thought

Core: Complementary Course - Senior Research Project (3 credits)

Only 3 credits will be applied to the program; extra credits will count as electives.

AGRI 519 (6) Sustainable Development Plans
ENVR 401 (3) Environmental Research
ENVR 451 (6) Research in Panama

Domain: Required Courses (6 credits)

ATOC 214 (3) Introduction: Physics of the Atmosphere
ATOC 215 (3) Oceans, Weather and Climate

Domain: Complementary Courses (33 credits)

33 credits of Complementary Courses are selected as follows:

6 credits - hydrology/water resources, population/community and ecology

3 credits - math and statistics

3 credits - field course

3 credits - Social sciences and policy

18 credits chosen in total from List A and List B

Hydrology/Water Resources, Population/Community and Ecology:

6 credits selected as follows:

one of:

BREE 217 (3) Hydrology and Water Resources
GEOG 322 (3) Environmental Hydrology

and one of:

BIOL 308 (3) Ecological Dynamics
ENVB 305 (3) Population & Community Ecology

Math and Statistics:

one of:

* Note: AEMA 310 or equivalent

AEMA 202 (3) Intermediate Calculus
AEMA 310* (3) Statistical Methods 1
MATH 203 (3) Principles of Statistics 1
MATH 222 (3) Calculus 3

Field Course:

3 credits selected from the following courses or an equivalent aquatic field course:

AGRI 452 (3) Water Resources in Barbados
BIOL 331 (3) Ecology/Behaviour Field Course
GEOG 495 (3) Field Studies - Physical Geography

Social Sciences and Policy:

one of:

AGEC 333 (3) Resource Economics
ANTH 339 (3) Ecological Anthropology
ANTH 418 (3) Environment and Development
ECON 225 (3) Economics of the Environment
ECON 326 (3) Ecological Economics
GEOG 404 (3) Environmental Management 2
GEOG 498 (3) Humans in Tropical Environments
POLI 345 (3) International Organizations
POLI 466 (3) Public Policy Analysis
SOCI 565 (3) Social Change in Panama
URBP 520 (3) Globalization: Planning and Change

18 credits chosen in total from List A and List B as follows:

List A

9 to 12 credits chosen from:

* Note: you may take ENVR 540 or BIOL 540 but not both; you may take GEOG 305 or ENVB 210 but not both.

AGRI 435 (3) Soil and Water Quality Management
BIOL 342 (3) Marine Biology
BIOL 432 (3) Limnology
BIOL 441 (3) Biological Oceanography
BIOL 465 (3) Conservation Biology
BIOL 540* (3) Ecology of Species Invasions
BIOL 553 (3) Neotropical Environments
BIOL 570 (3) Advanced Seminar in Evolution
ENTO 535 (3) Aquatic Entomology
ENVB 210* (3) The Biophysical Environment
ENVB 315 (3) Science of Inland Waters
ENVR 540* (3) Ecology of Species Invasions
GEOG 305* (3) Soils and Environment
GEOG 350 (3) Ecological Biogeography
MICR 331 (3) Microbial Ecology
NRSC 333 (3) Pollution and Bioremediation
PARA 410 (3) Environment and Infection
WILD 401 (4) Fisheries and Wildlife Management

List B

6 - 9 credits chosen from:

* Note: You may take ATOC 219 or CHEM 219 but not both; you may take ATOC 419 or CHEM 419 but not both; CHEM 287 and CHEM 297 must be taken together.

ATOC 219* (3) Introduction to Atmospheric Chemistry
ATOC 419* (3) Advances in Chemistry of Atmosphere
CHEM 219* (3) Introduction to Atmospheric Chemistry
CHEM 287* (2) Introductory Analytical Chemistry
CHEM 297* (1) Introductory Analytical Chemistry Laboratory
CHEM 419* (3) Advances in Chemistry of Atmosphere
EPSC 220 (3) Principles of Geochemistry
GEOG 201 (3) Introductory Geo-Information Science
GEOG 308 (3) Principles of Remote Sensing
GEOG 372 (3) Running Water Environments
GEOG 522 (3) Advanced Environmental Hydrology
GEOG 537 (3) Advanced Fluvial Geomorphology
GEOG 550 (3) Historical Ecology Techniques
NRSC 430 (3) GIS for Natural Resource Management
ƽÌØÎå²»ÖÐ School of Environment—2010-2011 (last updated Apr. 22, 2010) (disclaimer)

Bachelor of Science (Agricultural and Environmental Sciences) (B.Sc.(Ag.Env.Sc.)) or Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) - Major Environment - Water Environments and Ecosystems - Physical (63 credits)

This concentration (60 credits including Core) is open only to students in the B.Sc.(Ag.Env.Sc.) Major in Environment or B.Sc. Major in Environment program.

To educate students in both the ecological and physical facets of the water environment, this Domain offers two concentrations, with students choosing one or the other.

Students interested in studying the transport and transformation mechanisms of water on the planet, from rivers to the oceans and atmosphere, will select the Physical concentration. They will acquire, as well, a solid background in the biological processes taking place in water bodies. Those electing the Biological concentration will focus on the mechanisms regulating the different forms of life in water bodies. They will acquire, as well, a good understanding of the physical mechanisms controlling water properties.

Graduates of this Domain are qualified to enter the work force or to pursue advanced studies in fields such as marine biology, geography, physical oceanography and atmospheric science.

Suggested First Year (U1) Courses

For suggestions on courses to take in your first year (U1), you can consult the "MSE Student Handbook 2010-11" available on the MSE website (/mse), or contact Ms. Kathy Roulet, the Program Advisor (kathy.roulet [at] mcgill.ca).

Program Requirements

NOTE: Students are required to take a maximum of 30 credits at the 200-level and a minimum of 12 credits at the 400-level or higher in this program. This includes Core and Required courses.

Location Note: When planning your schedule and registering for courses, you should verify where each course is offered because courses for this program are taught at both ƽÌØÎå²»ÖÐ's downtown campus and at the Macdonald campus in Ste. Anne de Bellevue.

Core: Required Courses (18 credits)

Location Note: Core Required courses for this program are taught at both ƽÌØÎå²»ÖÐ's downtown campus and at the Macdonald Campus in Ste. Anne de Bellevue. You should register in Section 001 of an ENVR course that you plan to take on the downtown campus, and in Section 051 of an ENVR course that you plan to take on the Macdonald campus.

ENVR 200 (3) The Global Environment
ENVR 201 (3) Society and Environment
ENVR 202 (3) The Evolving Earth
ENVR 203 (3) Knowledge, Ethics and Environment
ENVR 301 (3) Environmental Research Design
ENVR 400 (3) Environmental Thought

Core: Complementary Course - Senior Research Project (3 credits)

Note: Only 3 credits will be applied to the program; extra credits will count as electives.

AGRI 519 (6) Sustainable Development Plans
ENVR 401 (3) Environmental Research
ENVR 451 (6) Research in Panama

Domain: Required Courses (12 credits)

ATOC 214 (3) Introduction: Physics of the Atmosphere
ATOC 215 (3) Oceans, Weather and Climate
ATOC 315 (3) Water in the Atmosphere
GEOG 372 (3) Running Water Environments

Domain: Complementary Courses (30 credits)

30 credits of Complementary Courses are selected as follows:

6 credits - hydrology/water resources, population, community and ecology

3 credits - statistics or calculus

3 credits - field course

12 credits chosen from List A

6 credits chosen from List B

Hydrology/Water Resources, Population/Community and Ecology

6 credits selected as follows:

one of:

BREE 217 (3) Hydrology and Water Resources
GEOG 322 (3) Environmental Hydrology

and one of:

BIOL 308 (3) Ecological Dynamics
ENVB 305 (3) Population & Community Ecology

Statistics or Calculus:

one of:

* Note: AEMA 310 or equivalent.

Note: Credit given for statistics courses is subject to certain restrictions. Students in Science should consult the "Course Overlap" information in the "Course Requirements" section for the Faculty of Science.

AEMA 202 (3) Intermediate Calculus
AEMA 310* (3) Statistical Methods 1
MATH 203 (3) Principles of Statistics 1
MATH 222 (3) Calculus 3

Field Course:

3 credits selected from the following courses or an equivalent aquatic field course:

AGRI 452 (3) Water Resources in Barbados
GEOG 495 (3) Field Studies - Physical Geography

List A:

12 credits chosen from:

AGRI 435 (3) Soil and Water Quality Management
ATOC 309 (3) Weather Radars and Satellites
ATOC 568 (3) Ocean Physics
BREE 416 (3) Engineering for Land Development
CIVE 323 (3) Hydrology and Water Resources
EPSC 549 (3) Hydrogeology
GEOG 201 (3) Introductory Geo-Information Science
GEOG 308 (3) Principles of Remote Sensing
GEOG 537 (3) Advanced Fluvial Geomorphology
NRSC 510 (3) Agricultural Micrometeorology
URBP 520 (3) Globalization: Planning and Change

and/or one of:

AEMA 305 (3) Differential Equations
MATH 315 (3) Ordinary Differential Equations

and/or one of:

BREE 506 (3) Advances in Drainage Management
BREE 509 (3) Hydrologic Systems and Modelling
GEOG 522 (3) Advanced Environmental Hydrology

and/or one of:

ENVB 210 (3) The Biophysical Environment
GEOG 305 (3) Soils and Environment

and/or one of:

GEOG 306 (3) Raster Geo-Information Science
NRSC 430 (3) GIS for Natural Resource Management

List B:

6 credits chosen from:

BIOL 342 (3) Marine Biology
BIOL 432 (3) Limnology
BIOL 441 (3) Biological Oceanography
BIOL 465 (3) Conservation Biology
BIOL 553 (3) Neotropical Environments
ENVB 315 (3) Science of Inland Waters
GEOG 350 (3) Ecological Biogeography
GEOG 505 (3) Global Biogeochemistry
WILD 401 (4) Fisheries and Wildlife Management
ƽÌØÎå²»ÖÐ School of Environment—2010-2011 (last updated Apr. 22, 2010) (disclaimer)
ƽÌØÎå²»ÖÐ School of Environment—2010-2011 (last updated Apr. 22, 2010) (disclaimer)
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