Earth and Space Sciences – (B.Sc.)

The program Earth and Space Sciences addresses questions that require a transdisciplinary view of our planet and the universe. Topics included are the study of the Earth’s climate and oceans, natural resources and their management (e.g. fossil fuel, water), the link between Sun and Earth, as well as the origin of the solar system and the evolution of life. It bridges the gap between terrestrial and extraterrestrial environments, thus creating a holistic view of our world.

The particular combination of disciplines in the study program Earth and Space Sciences is motivated by two fundamental insights.

First, all the questions around Earth and Space require a solid foundation in more than one natural science. They are profoundly interdisciplinary, and this is true for a growing number of scientific questions. For example, the investigation of the Earth’s climate requires a good knowledge of subjects as diverse as geology, chemistry, oceanography, solar physics, fluid mechanics, and thermodynamics.

Second, there is a close similarity between the methods that are used in the geosciences as well as in space sciences and in astrophysics. All these disciplines deal with complex natural systems which can be studied using in situ measurements and remote sensing techniques. E.g., the depths of the oceans and near-Earth space are explored with unmanned probes, and astrophysical objects as well as large-scale geological features can be studied using remote sensing instruments like telescopes and Earth observation satellites

The first year offers a broad natural science education with lectures accompanied by laboratory and data analysis courses. In the second year, students can choose to specialize in a large number of areas such as astrophysics, space physics, oceanography, environmental geosciences, natural resources, geoinformatics and even some exotic fields such as astrobiology and space exploration.

ESS topped the table in the largest nationwide university ranking (CHE) in 2009.