Earth, Water, and Environmental Sciences

  • Training structure

    Faculty of Science

Presentation

Within the Earth-Water-Environment bachelor's degree program, the main objective of the "Earth, Water, and Environmental Sciences" (STEE) track is to prepare students for admission to master's degree programs, primarily in Earth Sciences, Planets and Environment (STPE) and Water Sciences, and possibly multidisciplinary master's programs in Environmental Sciences.

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Objectives

The STEE program within the TEE bachelor's degree aims to provide fundamental scientific training in the fields of Earth Sciences and Water Sciences with the goal of preparing students to pursue master's or even doctoral studies.

The Earth, Water, and Environmental Sciences (STEE) program combines naturalistic and quantitative approaches to Earth and Water Sciences. Field training is an omnipresent aspect of the teaching methodology. It follows on from previous bachelor's degree programs in these subjects, which have had various names over the years.

The traditional disciplines of geoscience (petrology, sedimentology, geophysics, geochemistry, tectonics, hydrogeology, etc.) are at the heart of the program. These disciplines are explicitly linked to environmental issues (resources, risks, paleoenvironments, global change, pollution, hazards). The acquisition of computer, mathematical, geophysical, and geochemical tools is also very important in our program.

In L3 STEE, a project unit allows students to apply their knowledge and skills through the completion of a personal project supervised by teacher-researchers and researchers from research laboratories linked to the TEE bachelor's degree program.

 

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Know-how and skills

The knowledge and skills acquired through the TEE degree program involve learning the scientific method as applied to natural environments and geological settings.

1) Understand how natural environments function and how they evolve over time (past and future).

- mobilize fundamental concepts from the major disciplines of Earth and water sciences: Earth materials, tectonics, geophysics, geochemistry, hydrogeology, environmental chemistry, paleontology, soil sciences.

2) Observe the natural environment

- Know and use the tools needed to read and describe landscapes, materials, and geological structures in the field. Produce an extract from a geological map and interpretative cross-sections.

- Identify and characterize geological objects: determine their composition and structure.

3) Experimenting with, quantifying, and modeling natural environments

- Use basic concepts and tools from mathematics, physics, and chemistry to understand and model how natural systems work.

- Use mapping software (GIS) and basic programming (Python, Matlab) for the acquisition and processing of geological and geophysical data.

- Use scientific equipment (optical microscopes, chemical analysis instruments, geophysical-hydrogeological-hydrological instruments) and perform in-situ measurements.

4) Report observations and findings, and maintain a critical perspective.

-Compare experimental results with theoretical models, identify sources of error, and calculate uncertainties.

- Present scientific work in the form of reports and defenses

- Be fluent in written and spoken English.

5) Preparing for professional integration

- Identify the major challenges facing environmental sciences and the role of Earth and Water Sciences within these challenges. Identify academic and professional opportunities related to the bachelor's degree program.

- acquire the basic tools for entering the job market (writing a resume, cover letter, interview).

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Organization

Program

Theoretical and practical teaching is divided into lectures, tutorials, and practical work. A distinctive feature of this major is the significant emphasis placed on practical work in the classroom and in the field (50% of the program on average over the three years). Specific field trips are dedicated to acquiring experimental data in situ or to field observation. Field internships (lasting 4 to 10 days depending on the semester) are also a key component of our program. They allow for total immersion and the application of knowledge acquired in various disciplines in order to characterize and understand the functioning of a natural object or complex geological sector.

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Select a program

  • General Knowledge - Choose from the list below +

    2 credits
    • Choose 1 out of 11

      • Calling bullshit

        2 credits
      • Creative writing

        2 credits
      • High-Frequency Waves for Medical & Healthcare Applications

        2 credits
      • Arts and Sciences

        2 credits
      • Introduction to Python Programming for Analysis and

        2 credits
      • Discovering Electronics through Instrumentation

        2 credits
      • Sport

        2 credits
      • Nutrition, Sports, Health

        2 credits
      • Concept info tools (PIX)

        2 credits
      • Experimenting to create - dialogue between art, music, and mat

        2 credits
      • Science and society

        2 credits
  • Seismology and data processing

    5 credits
  • Sedimentary geology, tectonics, and mapping

    4 credits
  • Structural geology

    2 credits
  • Hydrogeology

    5 credits
  • Mathematics TEE S3

    5 credits
  • Minerals and rocks

    5 credits
  • English S3

    2 credits
  • ASTRE's scientific approach to ecological transition

    2 credits
  • Geology of France

    4 credits
  • Ocean, atmosphere, hydrosphere

    5 credits
  • Mapping

    4 credits
  • Environmental chemistry

    5 credits
  • EU Fieldwork internship

    5 credits
  • Choice 1

    5 credits
    • Choose one of two options:

      • Hydrau Selection

        5 credits
        • Hydraulics

          4 credits
        • Applied hydraulics

          1 credit
      • Geochemistry

        5 credits
  • English S4

    2 credits
  • OPTION 1

    3 credits
    • Choose one of two options:

      • Pedology, soil science

        3 credits
      • Paleoenvironments and biostratigraphy

        3 credits
  • EU Field internship in a specialized field

    3 credits
  • English S5

    2 credits
  • Earth Physics

    6 credits
  • Endogenous petrology

    3 credits
  • Mineral resources

    3 credits
  • Major tectonic systems

    3 credits
  • TEE 1 Project

    3 credits
  • Sedimentary rocks and surface transfers

    4 credits
  • Choose one of two options:

    • EU Choice HAT608T + HAT609T

      • Fluid resources reservoirs

        4 credits
      • Hydrology

        4 credits
      • TEE 2 Project

        2 credits
      • EU Fieldwork internship

        8 credits
      • Hydraulics

        4 credits
      • Geomorphology

        4 credits
      • Geodynamics

        4 credits
    • EU Choice HAT616T

      • Fluid resources reservoirs

        4 credits
      • TEE 2 Project

        2 credits
      • EU Fieldwork internship

        8 credits
      • Geomorphology

        4 credits
      • Land and Environment

        8 credits
      • Geodynamics

        4 credits

Admission

Admission requirements

 Access to the STEE program is granted in the second year of undergraduate studies, after a first year of scientific studies.

The first year of the TEE bachelor's degree program provides students with a foundation of knowledge in fundamental scientific disciplines (mathematics, physics, chemistry) as well as in life and earth sciences. The content of this first year is ideal for integration into L2 STEE.

However, students who have completed their first year of a bachelor's degree in Life Sciences, Physics, and Chemistry may apply to the STEE program, based on their academic record only.

Students who have completed a first year in a preparatory class for grandes écoles, in PASS or LAS, may also be admitted to L2 STEE, based on their academic record only.

Finally, students with a BTS or DUT degree whose content is similar to that of this bachelor's degree program may also be admitted to the L2 STEE program, based on their application only.

 

Access in L3:

Access to L3 STEE is automatic for students who have completed L2 STEE at the University of Montpellier. Admission is based on application for students from outside this institution. In this case, they must have completed a second year in Earth Sciences/Earth and Water Sciences/Environment at another institution, or, more rarely, a BTS or DUT in a field whose content is sufficiently similar to that of the first two years of a bachelor's degree in Earth Sciences.

Applications can be submitted on the following platforms: 

 

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Target audience

The STEE program is aimed at any student interested in environmental issues and wishing to pursue scientific training in the fields of Earth and Water Sciences up to master's or doctoral level.

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Mandatory prerequisites

Access to the STEE program is granted in the second year of undergraduate studies, after a first year of scientific studies.

The first year of the TEE bachelor's degree program provides students with a foundation of knowledge in fundamental scientific disciplines (mathematics, physics, chemistry) as well as in life and earth sciences. The content of this first year is ideal for integration into L2 STEE.

However, students who have completed their first year of a bachelor's degree in Life Sciences, Physics, and Chemistry may apply to the STEE program, based on their academic record only.

Students who have completed a first year in a preparatory class for grandes écoles, in PASS or LAS, may also be admitted to L2 STEE, based on their academic record only.

Finally, students with a BTS or DUT degree whose content is similar to that of this bachelor's degree program may also be admitted to the L2 STEE program, based on their application only.

Access in L3:

Access to L3 STEE is automatic for students who have completed L2 STEE at the University of Montpellier. Admission is based on application for students from outside this institution. In this case, they must have completed a second year in Earth Sciences/Earth and Water Sciences/Environment at another institution, or, more rarely, a BTS or DUT in a field whose content is sufficiently similar to that of the first two years of a bachelor's degree in Earth Sciences.

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And after

Continuing education

The STEE program is a general program designed to prepare students for a master's degree. It does not specifically guide students toward career opportunities after completing their bachelor's degree. The natural career opportunities are at the master's (five years of higher education) or doctoral (eight years of higher education) level. The master's degrees available after the TEE bachelor's degree – Earth and Environmental Sciences program – are mainly any master's degree in Earth Sciences and Water Sciences, but also multidisciplinary master's degrees in Environmental Sciences, Energy, and master's degrees with specializations in paleontology, oceanography, etc.

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Continuing studies abroad

Students in years 1 to 3 of the STEE program are eligible to spend a semester/year abroad equivalent to the semester/year spent in France, subject to the suitability of the teaching programs. An educational agreement is signed with the partner university to this effect. Several international programs established in partnership with the Faculty of Sciences enable students to undertake these mobility programs in very favorable conditions.

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Gateways and reorientation

Students wishing to enroll in the STEE program can do so in their second year (L2) after completing their first year (L1) in TEE (law) or, subject to review of their academic record, after completing their first year (L1) in SVSE or chemistry, provided they have taken a few courses in the field of geosciences. For candidates from outside the University, admission to L2 and L3 is based on application and is open to students who have completed university science courses, preparatory classes for grandes écoles, first years of preparatory studies for medical studies (PASS or LAS), and BTS and DUT courses in the field of Earth and environmental sciences.

Students who have completed L1 TEE may enroll in L2 Life Sciences, provided they have completed 4 biology course units in L1.

After completing their bachelor's degree, students can naturally move on to a master's degree in Earth, Planetary, and Environmental Sciences or Water Sciences. However, their bachelor's degree program will also allow them to pursue master's degrees in environmental management, energy, paleontology, and oceanography.

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Professional integration

As the STEE program is a general program designed to lead to a master's degree, it does not necessarily guide students towards career opportunities at the L3 level. The natural career opportunities are at the master's (bac+5) or doctoral (bac+8) level. At the master's level, the natural career paths are executive/engineering positions in large companies, design offices, and local authorities associated with the field of water resource management and pollution, natural risks, and mineral and petroleum resources.

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