Students Enrolled After July 2022
How to successfully complete the certificate
If you enrolled in the certificate after July 1, 2022, you will find detailed information below for how to complete each step on the road toward successfully completing your certificate.
Email sustain.cert@ualberta.ca if you have any questions about these requirements.
Certificate in Sustainability courses can be completed at any time during your degree, including your final semester. To earn the certificate, you must complete ★12 credits of coursework:
- ★3 credits in core courses
- ★3 credits in focused courses
- ★6 credits in related courses
There are some additional criteria, such as limits on transfer credits and overlap with other certificates, which are outlined in the Certificate requirements document.
Please note that students who enroll in the certificate after July 1, 2022 are not required to take ★3 credits outside of their primary faculties.
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 can take approved certificate courses by carefully selecting their program electives, complementary studies electives (CSE), and impact of technology on society (ITS) courses. Please consult the engineering course list to learn which courses are eligible for the certificate.
Course exceptions
If you are unsure about whether a course can or cannot count toward the certificate, don't hesitate to get in touch! Exceptions may be possible with the consultation of an advisor (such as a special topics course or new course that may meet the criteria to be an approved course).
Students completing this certificate must attend 12 hours of outside-the-classroom sustainability lectures. Through attendance at sustainability-related lectures offered at the Sustainability Council, the University of Alberta, and beyond, you will have the opportunity to learn from a variety of academic and non-academic perspectives that will both broaden and deepen your understanding of important sustainability issues.
Click on the links below for lists of approved sustainability lectures:
- Approved sustainability lectures - 2022-23 (Sept. 2022 to Aug. 2023)
- Approved sustainability lectures - 2023-24 (Sept. 2023 to Aug. 2024)
Use the forms below to track the sustainability lectures you attended:
- CIS Sustainability Lectures Tracking Form: 2022-23 (Sept. 2022 to Aug. 2023)
- CIS Sustainability Lectures Tracking Form: 2023-24 (Sept. 2023 to Aug. 2024)
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 recommend that you start the process before your last semester, although it is possible to finish everything in one semester with careful attention to detail.
Steps to complete an integrative project
- Think of an idea for your project.
- Review the integrative project requirements.
- Request a meeting with an advisor
- Complete the project proposal form
- Submit the project proposal to your advisor for authorization to proceed. Note that your advisor will need to approve your proposal before you start working on your project.
- Complete your project. Your project should involve 25-40 hours of work.
- Present your project at an approved venue (see Presentation tab for presentation options)
- Submit the project completion form
Note that SUST 410 - Directed Study in Sustainability can be used to satisfy the integrative project and presentation requirements for the certificate. For details and to register in SUST 410, please email Apryl Bergstrom at apryl@ualberta.ca.
Preparing to meet an advisor
Prior to meeting with your advisor, please review the project proposal form to become familiar with what the project will entail. You are encouraged to brainstorm ideas for your project in advance, but don't worry if you are not completely clear about what you want to do before your advisor meeting. Your advisor will discuss your idea with you and go over the proposal requirements. It often takes more than one meeting to work out all project details.
Deadlines
Certificate deadlines depend on your expected graduation date.*
Spring convocation:
- Submit your project proposal: January 31st in your final year
- Complete your project: March 15th in your final year
- Present your project: April 30th in your final year
Fall convocation:
- Submit your project proposal: June 30th in your final year
- Complete your project: September 30th in your final year
- Present your project: October 14th in your final year
*Note that if the deadline falls on a weekend, the deadline will be moved to the Friday before the weekend.
To complete the certificate, you must present your integrative project in public. This can be in person though a poster presentation, seminar or workshop. You may also post a podcast or video, put on an exhibition, choreograph a performance, etc. Note that your project presentation must be approved by your advisor.
Once you have chosen your presentation venue, please email sustain.cert@ualberta.ca to indicate your presentation plans.
Affiliated presentation venues
The affiliated presentation venues below are 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.
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To be confirmed |
To be confirmed |
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To be confirmed |
To be confirmed |
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February 2025 |
Poster presentation opportunity. The topic should be linked to sustainability in food or agriculture. |
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March 2025 |
To present at FURCA, you will need to submit an abstract to the Undergraduate Research Initiative. See the FURCA website for details. |
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| Student Academic Conference |
Dec. 5, 2024 April 16, 2025 |
Augustana Campus hosts this event at the end of the fall and winter terms. For details, email augsas@ualberta.ca. |
| Campus Sustainability Leaders Awards |
April 2025 |
Email sustain.cert@ualberta.ca in the Winter 2025 term for more details. |
Independent presentation venues
You may choose an independent presentation venue in consultation with your advisor. For instance, you could present at a conference in your field or give a presentation to a community group that you volunteer with.
To give an independent presentation, please email sustain.cert@ualberta.ca to indicate your plans and bring the confirmation of presentation form for the event organizer to complete. After the event, the last step is to complete the project completion form and upload the confirmation form (see "Completion" tab for details).
Social media presentations
You can choose to create a video, podcast or Instagram presentation for your project presentation. Please see the Instagram instructions or video or podcast instructions for more details. To sign up to do a social media presentation, please email sustain.cert@ualberta.ca.
To complete the integrative project, please fill out project completion form and submit a digital copy of your project. In the form, you will indicate the type of presentation you gave:
- presented at an affiliated event
- presented at an independent event
- engaged the public through a podcast, video or other publication
- other
We will ask you to upload a digital copy of your project for verification. If you presented at an independent event, please upload the signed confirmation of presentation form.
If you wish, you can choose to add your project to the online library of integrative projects, which may provide inspiration to future students.