University of Ottawa
AC-4: Graduate Program

This unique master’s program in environmental sustainability prepares students to address the complex and interconnected environmental challenges facing our society today. These challenges are multi-faceted – they do not fit within one particular discipline. To be effective, solutions must be developed using integrated, systems-based thinking and by professionals with the pragmatic skills to translate ideas into action. Our interdisciplinary master’s program is designed to fill a growing need for sustainability professionals who can influence decision-making through deep understanding of the environmental challenges and the interconnected processes through which they persist

Issues of global sustainability and environmental law are among the most pressing and complex issues at the global, national and local levels. From the UN to Canadian municipalities, and from multinational corporations to individual citizens, attempts to meet the challenges of global sustainability are evolving at an ever-increasing rate. The role of environmental law in addressing these issues is the focus of the LL.M. with concentration in Global Sustainability and Environmental Law. Through rigorous scholarship, graduate level courses and a range of opportunities for experiential learning, faculty and graduate students work together in the search for solutions to the challenges of global sustainability. To learn more, we invite you to read about the degree requirements and faculty members working in this field.

The Institute of the Environment offers a master’s level collaborative specialization in Environmental Sustainability and an interdisciplinary Master of Science (MSc) in Environmental Sustainability. The master’s level collaborative specialization in Environmental Sustainability allows students enrolled in one of the participating master’s programs to specialize in environmental sustainability. The guiding objective of the collaborative program is to provide graduate students with the knowledge and skills needed to identify and analyze the economic, legal, policy and scientific dimensions of environmental problems, and to employ an evidence-based approach to develop rational policy options for addressing those problems. The degree awarded specifies the primary program and indicates “Specialization in Environmental Sustainability.”

The MA in Geography and MSc in Geography are two programs participating in the collaborative program in Environmental Sustainability as well as in the collaborative program in Science, Society and Policy (at the master's level only). The Department participates in a collaborative program in Canadian Studies at the PhD level. For more information on this program, see “Admission Requirements.” The guiding objective of the collaborative program in Environmental Sustainability is to provide graduate students with the knowledge and skills needed to identify and analyze the economic, legal, policy and scientific dimensions of environmental problems, and to employ an evidence-based approach to develop rational policy options for addressing those problems.

The program draws on the expertise of professors in economics, geography, history, law, political science, religious studies, sociology and anthropology and it benefits from the strength of numerous advanced research institutes and centres. Students are provided with the training needed to address complex, multifaceted problems that may simultaneously encompass economic, political, social, cultural, religious, legal, ethical and environmental elements. The program is administered by a program committee, composed of representatives from the participating academic units and chaired by the program director. The core courses of the program are offered each year in both English and French. The elective courses may be offered in either language; students are advised to check with the academic unit offering the course. The Department offers a collaborative program in Women’s Studies (at the MA level) and in Environmental Sustainability (at the MA level). For more information on this program, see "Admission Requirements". The guiding objective of the collaborative program in Environmental Sustainability is to provide graduate students with the knowledge and skills needed to identify and analyze the economic, legal, policy and scientific dimensions of environmental problems, and to employ an evidence-based approach to develop rational policy options for addressing those problems.

Master of Arts Political Science Specialization in Environmental Sustainability http://catalogue.uottawa.ca/en/graduate/master-arts-political-science-specialization-environmental-sustainability/ Master of Arts Public Administration Specialization in Environmental Sustainability http://catalogue.uottawa.ca/en/graduate/master-arts-public-administration-specialization-environmental-sustainability/ Master of Arts Public and International Affairs Specialization in Environmental Sustainability http://catalogue.uottawa.ca/en/graduate/master-arts-public-international-affairs-specialization-environmental-sustainability/ Master of Science Biology Specialization in Environmental Sustainability http://catalogue.uottawa.ca/en/graduate/master-science-biology-specialization-environmental-sustainability/ Master of Science Earth Sciences Specialization in Environmental Sustainability http://catalogue.uottawa.ca/en/graduate/master-science-earth-sciences-specialization-environmental-sustainability/ Master of Science Health Systems Specialization in Environmental Sustainability http://catalogue.uottawa.ca/en/graduate/master-science-health-systems-specialization-environmental-sustainability/ Master of Science in Geography Specialization in Environmental Sustainability http://catalogue.uottawa.ca/en/graduate/master-science-geography-specialization-environmental-sustainability/ Master of Science Management Specialization in Environmental Sustainability http://catalogue.uottawa.ca/en/graduate/master-science-management-specialization-environmental-sustainability/ Master of Science Systems Science Specialization in Environmental Sustainability http://catalogue.uottawa.ca/en/graduate/master-science-systems-science-specialization-environmental-sustainability/