The program in Environment and Urban Sustainability is designed for students who are passionate about social and environmental issues and eager to learn about, envision, and develop innovative responses to challenges facing urban centres and surrounding interconnected resource-based communities locally and globally. The program integrates the social sciences, natural sciences, and applied disciplines as related to environmental and sustainability issues.
The first year of the Environment and Urban Sustainability program is structured around a core of courses focused on the development of the skills required for academic and future success in the workplace: field methods, research design, academic writing, critical thinking and demographic analysis. In years 2, 3 and 4 these skills are honed as students interpret environments, examine ecological processes, explore urban policy, critique sustainable initiatives, and use the principles underlying physical and natural environments.
Students can select courses from a variety of fields including geography, history, philosophy, politics and public administration, sociology, law and business, architectural science, economics, chemistry, biology, occupational and public health and urban planning. The flexibility in the curriculum allows students to focus on a specific field of interest. For example, students can choose to focus their studies on environmental management, environmental policy, environmental design, community studies, or natural science, or they can sample widely from among the options.
The environmental sector is one of the largest employers in the Canadian economy. With a background in environment and urban sustainability students are prepared for success in a number of stimulating career opportunities depending on the focus they have chosen for their studies. As the number and complexity of environmental challenges grow, employers in the private sector, non-government organizations, consulting firms and governments are seeking graduates with a well-rounded understanding of the issues, who are able to act as analysts, managers and communicators. The program may also serve as a stepping stone to further studies, such as those offered in colleges of education, law schools and a variety of graduate programs.
