University of Calgary
AC-3: Undergraduate Program

The Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science is administered with a multidisciplinary approach. It aims to produce graduates who can critically and objectively address potential or actual environmental issues of all kinds. The program has six concentration areas which students can gain expertise in, including geology and biological sciences. The mission of the Environmental Science Program at the University of Calgary is to educate undergraduate students to be leading environmental scientists. They gain experience in collecting, analyzing, interpreting, synthesizing and communicating high-quality information about the natural and social environment in Alberta and throughout Canada and the rest of the world, through specialization in a core discipline and through collaborative interdisciplinary work. Graduates of the Environmental Science Program will be able to: • describe the climatic and geological settings of a region, particularly Alberta • apply key biological processes in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and physical processes in hydrology or hydrogeology to deduce the actual or potential effects of human activities on natural systems and vice versa • describe key chemical and physical components of air, land and water, and the natural processes and human activities that affect them • apply the principles of mass-balance to understand chemical processes in natural or impacted systems • recognize the variability inherent in the natural environment and that can occur during measurements of the environment • explain and apply the key features of provincial (Alberta) and federal (Canada) environmental regulations and environmental impact studies and understand the role of communities and stakeholders in decision-making • apply sophisticated expertise in one of the component disciplines of environmental science, ideally recognized by a relevant professional designation

Development Studies is about social, economic and political change. Students will examine issues such as poverty, hunger, environment and governance in Canada and around the globe. Through coursework, research, and experiential learning, they will also study community development, sustainable and participatory development, colonialism, cultural beliefs, social justice, corruption and human rights. These issues are both universal and culturally situated, so students study them at local, national and international levels. The curriculum uses a multidisciplinary approach, covering a wide range of topics including culture, gender, communication, anthropology, geography, political science, economics, philosophy, history, religion and science and technology. Students learn about minority and Indigenous issues. This breadth provides students with deep cultural competencies and an understanding of societal problems. Students will discover the cultures, traditions and experiences of many communities and regions not just through academic learning but through exposure to other cultures. There is the opportunity to participate in co-curricular activities including overseas field studies courses and community development projects with local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and social agencies. This experiential learning helps student build leadership and intercultural communication and language skills in the community, alongside research and program development skills essential to solving development issues.

The undergraduate specialization in Energy and the Environment is the first of its kind in Canada, and is one of the programs that has earned the Schulich School of Engineering the top ranking by Corporate Knights among engineering schools in Canada for sustainable education and research. Forty students are accepted into the specialization each year, after completing a successful first year in the common core engineering program. The Energy and Environment Specialization provides education and training necessary for understanding, avoiding, minimizing and (effectively and efficiently) solving industrial challenges related to the impact of energy utilization on the environment. It prepares high-quality undergraduate students for careers in engineering that link energy and the environment.

In 2017, UCalgary launched its embedded Certificate in Sustainability studies that undergraduate students from all faculties, departments and disciplines can take to complement their program of study at no additional cost. The first graduates of the embedded Sustainability Certificate graduated in spring of 2018. Graduating students’ degrees state that they received the Certificate in Sustainability Studies. The Certificate in Sustainability Studies is the first program of its kind to be offered at UCalgary and among the first embedded certificate models for education in sustainability in Canada.