Freshwater Science

University of British Columbia

Canada, Vancouver

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University of British Columbia

Canada , Vancouver

Key Facts

Program Level

Bachelor

Study Type

Full Time

Delivery

On Campus

Application Fee

CAD 125

Campuses

Okanagan

Program Language

English

Start & Deadlines

Next Intake Deadlines15-May-2023

Apply to this program

Go to the official application for the university

Duration 4 year(s)

Tuition Fee

CAD 46,296 / year

Next Intake 15-May-2023

Freshwater Science

About

You can study intense specialization in a single field.

Freshwater Science integrates aspects of biology, chemistry, geography, and earth and environmental sciences to understand inland aquatic systems. Designed to give you a broad perspective on inland waters, this program takes a highly interdisciplinary approach to explore the science behind emerging environmental issues facing our society. Key issues include land use and water interactions, toxicants in the aquatic environment, and the potential effects of global climate change on aquatic environments and water resources.

As a Bachelor of Science student on UBC's Okanagan campus, you can choose a major or honours in Freshwater Science.

Experiential learning and research

Your coursework will be enhanced with field trips and opportunities to get out into the Okanagan's great outdoors. In your third or fourth year of study, you'll have the option of completing directed studies and conducting independent readings and research.

If you choose the honours option, you'll undertake an independent research project under the supervision of a faculty member. The Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science holds an annual undergraduate research conference on UBC's Okanagan campus to showcase student research projects.

Go Global
Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science Undergraduate Research Awards
NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Awards
Tuum Est Student Initiative Fund

Campus features

The Department of Earth, Environmental and Geographic Sciences is home to a wide range of research facilities:

Fipke Laboratory for Trace Element Research (FiLTER), a multi-million dollar, state-of-the-art facility with equipment for major and trace element analysis and electron microbeam imaging
Okanagan Institute for Biodiversity, Resilience, and Ecosystem Services (BRAES), a collaborative research institute working in ecology, biodiversity and conservation, water conservation and quality, and environmental sustainability

In addition, individual faculty members have active research programs backed by modern laboratory facilities, including the Complex Environmental Systems Lab, the GIS Lab for Spatial Data Analysis, and the PALEO Lab.

Prepare yourself for a career in inland aquatic ecosystems. As a Freshwater Science student, you'll study water quality, hydrology, water resources, aquatic organisms, and the health of aquatic ecosystems.

Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4

EESC 101 - Environmental Science
A quantitative and scientific approach to the understanding of global energy, water and nutrient cycling; growth of human populations and their effects on the environment and ecosystem function. Functional understanding of modern environmental issues, and the requirements of, and opportunities for, sustainability.
EESC 111 - Earth Science
Origin, structure and composition of Earth. Plate tectonics as the unifying mechanism for mountain building, formation of ocean basins, and assembly and break-up of continents. Minerals, rocks, Earth surface processes, geological maps, natural resources and hazards.
BIOL 116 - Biology for Science Majors I
First of a pair of courses that introduce students to the biological concepts necessary to continue into second-year biology. Covers evolutionary theory and its underlying genetic basis, basic cell biology, plant and animal nutrition, and energy acquisition. Credit will be granted for only BIOL 116/125 or BIOL 117/122.
CHEM 113 - Principles of Chemistry II
General and ionic equilibrium, solubility, thermodynamics. Introductory organic chemistry: stereochemistry; substitution, elimination, and oxidation-reduction reactions. Not open to students with CHEM 121. This course or CHEM 123 is prerequisite to all subsequent courses in Chemistry.

EESC 205 - Introduction to Hydrology
Principles of hydrology at site, watershed, and regional scales. Techniques of measurement and analysis. Emphasizes surface water hydrology of western North America.
EESC 212 - Atmospheric Environments
Physical principles underlying weather and climates. Thermal, moisture, and wind climates at scales from valleys to the globe. Daily weather, air pollution, global change.
EESC 222 - Geomorphology
Landform assemblages and processes of landscape evolution on Earth. Fundamental concepts, including system equilibrium, thresholds, complex response to external forces, and scale dependency, with application to mountains, rivers, coasts, and glaciated terrain. Laboratory exercises require field work in lab time. Required one-day, weekend trip.
BIOL 201 - Introduction to Evolution and Ecology
Fundamental processes underlying adaptive evolution, speciation, and extinction. Methods used to reconstruct the evolutionary histories of, and relationships among, groups of organisms. Factors determining the distribution and abundance of organisms. Competition, predation, and an exploration of processes that promote species coexistence and lead to the maintenance of species diversity.
CHEM 211 - Analytical Chemistry
Statistical analysis and errors of measurement, method development and validation, solution equilibria as applied to analysis, analysis of acids and bases, analytical electrochemistry, chemical separation, introduction to gas and liquid chromatography.

EESC 301 - Limnology
Integrated approaches to freshwater science and its place in environmental science. Ecosystem ecology of inland waters relating to aquatic organisms with their physical and chemical environment. Participation in a one-day weekend field trip in September or early October is required.
EESC 309 - Global Biogeochemistry
Functional processes and reactions of our living planet. Cycles of materials and energy among the atmosphere, lithosphere, and terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Case studies on the degradation of ecosystem function from anthropogenic alterations of natural cycles.
EESC 342 - Hydrogeology
Introduction to the theory of groundwater flow; flow nets; regional groundwater resource evaluation; well hydraulics; role of groundwater in geologic processes.
BIOL 375 - Flora and Fauna of Inland Waters
Introduction to major groups of organisms in inland waters. Cyanobacteria, algae, plants, and animals; their ecology and evolution; and their use in biomonitoring.
CHEM 301 - Aqueous Environmental Chemistry
Properties of natural waters, including gas and solid equilibria, pH, redox, complexation analysis, corrosion treatment, ion exchange, colloids, and microbial transformations.

EESC 402 - Freshwater Resources
Integrated approach to freshwater resources and their place in environmental science. Topical issues with emphasis on management options and consequences. Required field trips during lab times.
EESC 413 - Analytical Methods in Hydrology
Application of advanced analytical methods to hydrological data for watershed or water resource planning and management. Frequency analysis, storm design, regionalization, flow routing, geographic information systems (GIS) application, time series analysis and modelling.
EESC 423 - Tracers of Natural Processes
Stable and radiogenic isotopes in the lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere. Fractionation processes, dating methods. Selected topics in the use of isotopic tracers.
EESC 435 - Fluvial Field Techniques
Field measurement and analysis techniques for assessment of fluvial systems. Channel morphology, flow hydraulics, sediment transport, flooding potential, habitat considerations, restoration methods. Twelve days of field instruction over a two week period following Winter Session Term 2 (spring) exams. Students must arrange their own transportation to/from field sites. A special fee must be paid in advance.
EESC 436 - Coastal Geomorphology
Geomorphic forms and processes along coasts; waves and currents; sediment transport mechanics; beach and nearshore morphodynamics; aeolian forms and processes. May include one or more required one-day weekend field trips.

Disciplines

Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science

Requirements

Entry Requirements

Graduation from a university-preparatory program at a senior secondary school: General Secondary Education Certificate (Tawjihi). Certificates must be official. Photocopies are acceptable if certified by school principal, head, or counsellor. Notarized copies are not acceptable.

Career

You'll graduate with the skills and knowledge necessary to deal with future national and international freshwater environmental problems concerning water quality and quantity. As a Freshwater Science graduate, you could work as a water quality specialist, a hydrologist, a water stewardship officer, or an aquatic ecologist.

Program graduates

Regional Hydrogeologist, Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development
Environmental Consultant, Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada
Senior Aquatic Ecologist, Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development
Water Stewardship Director, Okanagan Basin Water Board

Related programs

- - Name
  - Campus
  - Length
- - Earth and Environmental Sciences
    - Okanagan
    4 years
  - Earth and Ocean Sciences
    - Vancouver
    4 years
  - Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology
    - Okanagan
    4 years
  - Environmental Sciences
    - Vancouver
    4 years
  - Oceanography
    - Vancouver
    4 years

Fee Information

Tuition Fee

CAD 46,296

Application Fee

CAD 125

How to Apply

As you complete the online application, keep the following tips in mind:

Start early and take your time. Once you begin the application, you will be able to save it and return to it later – but only up until the deadline. Once you have submitted your application to UBC, you will not be able to edit it. Since the online application can sometimes time out if left open for too long, we recommend working on your personal profile questions outside of the application (where you can run them through a spell-checker) then copy and paste them into your application.
Let the online application guide you. You’ll be asked to provide only the information we need based on your degree choice(s), your previous education, and other factors.
Tell us your full academic history. It’s important to include all of the high schools, colleges, and/or universities you have attended. Don’t leave anything out!
Be accurate. UBC has a number of methods in place to authenticate information provided in the application. These methods include, but are not limited to, contacting references, verifying academic records, and requesting additional documentation to verify your personal profile. If an application is found to contain untrue or incomplete information, UBC may, at its discretion: withdraw an offer of admission; require you to withdraw from UBC; subject you to academic discipline; or share the information provided with other post-secondary institutions, law enforcement agencies, or other third parties.
Use an email address you check frequently. Once you have submitted your application, UBC will communicate with you primarily by email.
Note your UBC student number. Write down your UBC student number somewhere safe. You’ll need it in future correspondence with UBC.