BA/BS in Environmental & Earth Sciences Gateway

Environmental & Earth Sciences Gateway is a one-year foundational program using a problem-based and inquiry-learning approach, giving students a broad grounding in scientific methods and environmental and earth sciences before they progress to a specialized, honours-level Level II program in the second year, such as Honours Biology and Environmental Science or Honours Earth and Environmental Sciences. First-year coursework spans biology, chemistry, earth science, environmental science, psychology, and mathematics. From the second year onward, students can also move toward biology, chemistry and chemical biology, life sciences, mathematics and statistics, physics and astronomy, or psychology, neuroscience and behaviour specializations. Cooperative-education options begin in the third year, and the page mentions research opportunities through the Office of Undergraduate Research, applied science placement courses, and research practicum and internship courses. The program suits students who want to explore environmental and earth-science topics broadly before committing to a major, with career paths mentioned including environmental assessment, geographic information science, sustainability, geochemistry, environmental policy, hydrology, and urban planning. It is delivered at McMaster University's Hamilton campus.