Geoscience Career Information

Link to Geoscientists Canada P.Geo. Requirements Handbook (PDF)

Association of Professional Geoscientists of Ontario - the governing body for geoscience in Ontario. Student memberships are free.

In order to practice geoscience in Canada, it is necessary to be licensed. In Ontario, the APGO licenses geoscientists under the Professional Geoscientists Act, 2000. To be licensed it is necessary to complete a four-year B.Sc. or equivalent with courses as specified by the APGO. Western's Professional Programs are one way to ensure that you will fulfill all academic requirements by graduation. Following a four-year apprenticeship as a Geoscientist-In-Training (GIT) and the successful completion of an ethics and practices exam, you can be licensed as a Professional Geoscientist (P.Geo.)

Geologists, Geophysicists and Environmental Geoscientists work in government, academia, and industry. They explore for valuable minerals, oil and gas, and water resources, perform environmental assessments and remediation, study natural hazards and risk assessment, climate change, and the history of the Earth itself, life on Earth, and the composition of other planets in the solar system and beyond.

Geology was ranked one of the 15 most valuable college majors by Forbes magazine in 2012. Western's Earth Sciences program offers training for a lifelong career in a dynamic, growing and rewarding field.

For more information about career opportunities in geoscience, please visit Western's Degree to Career website.

Graduate School Information

Careers in Science and Engineering: A Student Planning Guide to Grad School and Beyond (1996)
Published by the National Academy of Sciences; contains useful advice for planning a science career.

Geoscience Departments WWW Directory
Exhaustive list of links to geoscience programs in colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada; great resource when searching for graduate schools!

US News & World Report rankings
US News & World Report ranks universities every year. Their web site also contains information on careers and USA graduate schools (Note: check out how the rankings are made because some people complain that they are biased).

Peterson's Guide to Graduate Programs
Searchable database with information on all kinds of graduate programs.

Career Information for Graduate Students and Postdocs

The Job Market
Articles published in The Chronicle of Higher Education concerning the academic job market; presents some opposing points of view and calls for change in the way research universities think about and train Ph.D.'s.

Jobs for Geos
Geoscience job posting site, with postings in the environmental science, geoscience, and geo-engineering related disciplines.

PhDs.Org
Contains lots of good information about careers in science, choosing a graduate school, the tight job market for science Ph.D.'s, and other info that is well worth checking out if you are considering going to graduate school.

Put Your Science to Work: The Take-Charge Career Guide for Scientists
If you’re a new scientist or seeking a mid-career change, Peter Fiske’s book gives you practical advice and proven techniques for finding both traditional and non-traditional jobs in science. It includes examples of resumes and cover letters, and stories of scientists who have moved into a wide range of careers.

NextWave: Career Resources for Scientists
A weekly on-line publication devoted to scientific training and career development, provides global news, profiles of emerging careers, and advice from experts and role models drawn from your international scientific community.

Other Job Classifieds

Chronicle of Higher Education job classifieds
Mostly academic positions

Geotimes job classifieds
Mostly academic positions and some student opportunities

GSA Today job classifieds
Mostly academic positions and some student opportunities

Science job classifieds
Searchable database containing job ads in all areas of science

Eos
Weekly American Geophysical Union publication that has mostly academic classifieds with some student opportunities; online ads available only to members

Earthworks
Online job ads (academic and otherwise) and place to post your resume for potential employers

Geosci-Jobs
Online job ad listings; only partial list is available to non-paying customers