Students Enrolled After July 2022

How to successfully complete the certificate

Students who enrolled in the certificate after July 1, 2022 have the following certificate requirements:

  • 12 credits of coursework
  • 12 hours of sustainability lecture attendance
  • Integrative project
  • Presentation

See the tabs below and the Certificate requirements document for more information about these requirements. Email Apryl at sustain.cert@ualberta.ca if you have any questions.

To earn the Certificate in Sustainability, you must complete ★12 credits of coursework in your current degree program:

Additional criteria, such as limits to the number of credits that come from other postsecondary institutions or that can overlap with other certificates, are outlined in the Certificate requirements document.

Augustana students

Augustana students will use the same approved course lists as the other students. See the course lists above for details.

Campus Saint-Jean students

Many French courses from Campus Saint-Jean are approved for the Certificate in Sustainability. See the course lists above for details.

Engineering students

Engineering students have a separate engineering course list, which includes Engineering courses that are not in the above course lists. In addition to this list, however, they can also use any of the Core, Focused or Related courses on the lists for non-Engineering students. They can take approved certificate courses by carefully selecting their program electives, complementary studies electives (CSE), and impact of technology on society (ITS) courses.

Course exceptions

A course exception request may be possible for a special topics course, transfer course, or a new sustainability-related course that is not yet on the approved course list. If you would like to request a course exception, please email sustain.cert@ualberta.ca and include the course name, course outline (if available) and a brief description of why a course exception should be granted.

Certificate students must attend 12 hours of outside-the-classroom sustainability lectures offered by the Sustainability Council, the University of Alberta community and beyond. These lectures provide an opportunity to learn from various academic and non-academic perspectives that will broaden and deepen your understanding of sustainability.

Note: Only sustainability lectures that you attend after enrolling in the Certificate  in Sustainability can be counted toward your lecture requirement.

Approved sustainability lectures for each academic year:

Below are the links for tracking your sustainability lecture attendance. Please select the academic year in which you attended the lecture:

The integrative project is the capstone on your Certificate in Sustainability experience. Our graduates attest that this is one of the most rewarding parts of the certificate.

You can begin work on your integrative project at any time during your degree. We strongly recommend that you start the process at least six months prior to your graduation, although it is possible to finish all steps in one term with careful attention to detail.

Steps to complete an integrative project:
  1. Think of an idea for your project.
  2. Review the integrative project requirements.
  3. Request a meeting with an advisor
  4. Complete the project proposal form
  5. Submit the project proposal to your advisor for authorization to proceed. Note that your advisor needs to approve your proposal before you can start your project. 
  6. Complete your project. Your project should involve 25-40 hours of work.
  7. Present your project at an approved venue (see the "Presentation" tab for options)
  8. Submit the project completion form

Note that SUST 410 - Directed Study in Sustainability can be used to satisfy the integrative project requirement for the certificate. For information on how to register in SUST 410, email Apryl at sustain.cert@ualberta.ca.

Preparing to meet an advisor

Prior to meeting with your advisor, please review the project proposal form and brainstorm ideas for your project in advance. Do not worry if you are not completely clear about what you want to do before your advisor meeting, however. Your advisor will discuss your idea with you and go over the proposal requirements.

Deadlines

Certificate deadlines depend on your expected graduation date. See the Current Students page for Fall, Winter and Spring convocation deadlines.

Download Proposal Form

To complete the certificate, you must present your integrative project in public. This can be in person (e.g., poster presentation, seminar or workshop) or by remote (e.g., podcast, video or website).

*Important: Your project must be approved by your advisor before your presentation.

Once you have chosen your presentation venue, please email Apryl at sustain.cert@ualberta.ca to indicate your presentation plans.

Affiliated presentation venues

The affiliated presentation venues below are all approved for the Certificate in Sustainability. To present at one of these venues, please seek the approval of your certificate advisor and then contact the event organizers listed below.

University Opportunities for Student Presentations

Presentation

Presentation date

Details

Bentley Lecture

Feb. 2027

Poster presentation opportunity. Email sustain.cert@ualberta.ca for more information.

Festival of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (FURCA)

March 2027 (date TBD)

To present at FURCA, you need to submit an abstract to the Undergraduate Research Initiative. See the FURCA website for details.
Student Academic Conference (Augustana students only)

Dec. 3, 2026 or April 8, 2027

 Augustana Campus hosts this event for Augustana students at the end of the fall and winter terms. Go to the website for more information and to register.
Celebrate Sustainability Awards

April 2027 (date TBD)

 Poster presentation opportunity on the North Campus. Registration is limited. Email sustain.cert@ualberta.ca for more information.
 
Poster design and presentation tips

Planning to do a poster presentation? Check out these poster design and presentation tips!

Independent presentation venues

You may choose an independent presentation venue, with your advisor's approval. For example, you could present at a conference hosted by your department or faculty or give a presentation to a local community group. To give an independent presentation, please email sustain.cert@ualberta.ca to indicate your plans. Ensure you bring the confirmation of presentation form for the event organizer to sign. After your presentation, please complete the project completion form (see "Completion" tab for details).

Social media presentations

You can choose to create a video, podcast, Instagram or LinkedIn presentation for your project presentation. See the following documents for detailed instructions on how to post and share your presentation:

Email sustain.cert@ualberta.ca to sign up for a social media presentation.

The last step of integrative project is to submit the project completion form and upload your project file. If you presented at an independent event, you also need to upload your signed confirmation of presentation form.

The form will ask you if you would like to add your project to the online library of integrative projects. This is optional. If you choose to do this, you may provide ideas and inspiration to future certificate students.

Speak with a certificate advisor

When you have an idea for your integrative project, please complete this form to request an advisor. You will be connected with an advisor within a few business days.

Request an Advisor

Thank you to our current advisors!

Augustana Campus
  • Glen Hvenegaard
Campus Saint-Jean
  • Natacha Louis
  • Sarah Pelletier
North Campus
  • Monica Gruezmacher Rosas
  • Guillermo Hernandez Ramirez
Sustainability Lecture Tracking
  • Click here to see approved sustainability lectures for Sept. 2026 to Aug. 2027
  • Click here to track sustainability lectures you attend from Sept. 2026 to Aug. 2027
  • See "Lecture Attendance" tab for lecture lists and tracking forms for previous academic years.