Earth Science is a term that includes all the sciences related to Earth. This fascinating field of study also includes the study of the atmosphere, oceans and other disciplines. The basic purpose of studying earth science is to understand how the earth evolved and other particulars. This study also makes one understand about the many facets of our planet and how to preserve the planet from harm.

The study of earth sciences can be classified into 5. They are:

• Atmospheric science – This deals with an examination of the gaseous outer regions of our planet. This also comprises of aeronomy, a field of study that concerns the outermost ionized part of earth’s atmosphere.
• Biosphere – This concerns the detailed study about the biosphere.
• Geology – This is the examination of the rocky part of the planet.
• Oceanography – This branch deals with a detailed study concerning the aqueous part of our planet. This includes limnology, hydrology and glaciology.
• The Study of the Earth in Its Entirety – This constitutes the important studies of all. The relationships between the humankind and its environment, survival etc are involved in this field.

Separate groups of disciplines are there in Earth Science. All these topics deal with the study of our planet. Many courses are offered to students at the post graduate level. More intrinsic information is mentioned below in detail.

Courses offered in Earth Science

• Agricultural Meteorology
• Atmospheric Science
• Cartography
• Climatology
• Geographic Information System
• Geography
• Hydrology
• Meteorology
• Mineral Exploration and Processing
• Oceanography
• Remote Sensing
• Space Sciences

Institutions that offer this course

• Alagappa University
• Andhra University
• Annamalai University
• Barkatullah University
• Bharathidasan University
• Birla Institute of Technology
• Calcutta University
• Chaudhary Charan Singh Agricultural University
• Cochin University of Science and Technology
• Gujarat Agriculture University
• Gulbarga University
• Himachal Pradesh Agricultural University
• Indian Institute of Sciences
• Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai
• Indian Institute of Technology (Mumbai)
• Indian School of Mines
• Jamia Millia Islamia
• Jiwaji University
• Karnatak University
• Kurukshetra University
• Manipur University
• MS University of Baroda
• Osmania University
• Pune University
• Punjab Agricultural University
• Punjabi University
• Roorkee University
• Sambalpur University
• Sri Venkateshwara University
• Swamy Ramanand Teerth Marathwada University
• The Indian Institute of Technology (Chennai)
• University of Madras
• University of Madras
• University of Roorkee
• Utkal University

Career opportunities

Career opportunities in Earth Science and Geology are mainly offered by government agencies. A few areas where jobs are offered to Earth Scientists and Geologists include the Geological Survey of India (GSI). The recruitment of candidates into other departments of the Indian government is done by the Union Public Service Commission. Besides industries, the educational sector also has vacancies for graduates of earth science. Due to the development of technology, in addition to the emergence of newer methods of study, more fields of specialization are available in Earth Science.