Environmental Studies
It will take interdisciplinary expertise to solve the world’s complex environmental problems, such as climate change, natural resource depletion, pollution and biodiversity loss.
To equip our future leaders to tackle these challenges, the Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences (ALES) and the Faculty of Arts have partnered to offer the Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies. The Arts side of the degree resides within the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, while the ALES side is supported through the Department of Resource Economics and Environmental Sociology.
This flexible, collaborative program combines education in the principles of environmental science with a rich appreciation of the social dimensions of environmental issues. Courses drawn from four faculties (Arts, ALES, Native Studies, and Science) prepare you for careers such as in nature conservation, environmental resource management, law, and policy, urban planning, environmental education, and more. You will gain scientific literacy and critical thinking skills to analyze environmental issues and problems and evaluate sustainable solutions. Throughout the program, investigate food, natural resource economics, politics, biology, geology, history and sociology, among other topics, to graduate with a well-rounded perspective and the skills to build a better and more sustainable world.
The program structure
Environmental Studies combines a common core of courses taken by all students with advanced coursework in your choice of three concentrations:
Culture, Society, and
|
Politics, Society, and the Global Environment |
Food and Society |
| This concentration explores the diverse knowledge required to understand environmental challenges facing Canadians, including Indigenous perspectives and issues in environmental stewardship. | This concentration introduces students to political and social methodologies relevant for understanding environmental issues from a global perspective. | This concentration is focused on sustainable food and agriculture, incorporating social, political, cultural, economic, ethical, and feminist perspectives on issues of contemporary food production. |
For a comprehensive list of degree requirements expected of BA Environmental Studies students, please directly consult the University of Alberta Calendar section about this program.
Hands-on Learning
Take action during your degree by pursuing the Certificate in Sustainability, which challenges you to apply what you learn in the classroom to solve real-world problems. Your independent project can address renewable resources, social sustainability, waste and recycling, or other areas of interest with environmental benefit. Use this opportunity to delve deeper into a previous school project, or build further from an internship, volunteer or fieldwork experience. Upon graduation, you’ll receive a certificate in addition to your degree – and an edge in the job market.
Careers
Transitioning to an environmentally sustainable future involves changing the ways we do business, design communities, travel, manage natural resources, and engage with the natural world. Businesses, communities, and governments need individuals who can apply the principles of environmental science to the scientific, social, moral, economic and political challenges involved.
The Arts Work Experience program provides career related, paid work experience for undergraduate students in the Faculty of Arts. Recent placement opportunities for Environmental Studies BA students have included: Conservation Intern (Edmonton and Area Land Trust), Climate Change Research Assistant (City of Calgary), Environmental Protection Student Intern (Environment Canada, Edmonton), and Assistant Environmental/Planning Advisor (ATCO Electric).
Community Service-Learning Community Service-Learning (CSL) offers University of Alberta students the opportunity to work and make a difference with a local community group, while reflecting and putting their experiences in context within a university course.
Check out BA Environmental Studies student Aaron Bertoia's view of his Arts Work Experience placement.
University of Alberta Calendar:
Major in Environmental Studies (Arts)
Major in Environmental Studies (ALES)