| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 65.26 |
| Liaison | Matt Wolsfeld |
| Submission Date | March 21, 2023 |
University of Saskatchewan
AC-4: Graduate Program
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.00 / 3.00 |
Matt
Wolsfeld Community Engagement Co-ordinator Office of Sustainability |
Does the institution offer at least one sustainability-focused major, degree program, or the equivalent for graduate students?:
Name of the sustainability-focused graduate-level degree program:
A brief description of the graduate-level degree program:
The School of Environment and Sustainability offers professional and thesis-based Master's and PhD programs.
The two professional Master-level programs are the Master of Sustainability (MSs) and the Master of Water Security (MWS). The Master of Sustainability (MSs) offers two streams:
1. Master of Sustainability: Energy Security
The mission of the Energy Security stream is to empower a network of northern, Indigenous, remote, and career professionals through distance education and purpose-driven practical experience to lead sustainable community energy development. Students graduating from this program will have workforce-ready skills to lead renewable energy development projects in communities across the world. Taught by faculty who work directly in the industry, the Energy Security program is the only one of its kind in North America, with opportunities for both domestic and international internships. Career prospects include job titles such as Community Energy Planner, Clean Energy Researcher, Sustainability Educator, and Renewable Energy Developer.
2. Master of Sustainability: Regenerative Sustainability
The Regenerative Sustainability stream of the Master of Sustainability program is designed to equip the next generation of thinkers and planners to move beyond simply sustaining the environment towards regenerating ecological and social systems for more fundamental transformation. Our mission is to empower our graduates to catalyze positive, transformative, changes in socio-ecological systems by engaging with the latest developments in sustainability thinking and practice. Career prospects include job titles such as Environmental Manager, Communications Officer, Environmental Educator, and Sustainability Coordinator.
The thesis-based programs include the Master of Environment and Sustainability (MES) and the PhD track.
SENS also offers the Master degree course in Environmental Sciences, Policy and Management (MESPOM). MESPOM is an Erasmus Mundus Masters course in Environmental Sciences, Policy and Management operated by four leading European and two North American Universities and supported by the European Commission. MESPOM prepares students for identifying and implementing solutions to complex environmental challenges, especially in an international context. USask is a partner institution and MESPOM students may study with faculty here at the School of Environment and Sustainability (SENS).
Website URL for the graduate-level degree program:
Name of the sustainability-focused, graduate-level degree program (2nd program):
A brief description of the graduate degree program (2nd program):
The Master of Water Security (MWS) is a cross-disciplinary, project-based and professional-style program. Graduates are prepared to address complex water problems, with training in science, engineering and policy analysis enabling them to investigate water security issues of regional, national and international significance. Graduates are ready to pursue careers as water scientists, managers and policy-makers with the necessary expertise needed to tackle the complex water problems facing us now, and in the future.
Website URL for the graduate degree program (2nd program):
Name of the sustainability-focused, graduate-level degree program (3rd program):
A brief description of the graduate degree program (3rd program):
Through interdisciplinary learning and research experiences, students will advance their understanding of sustainability challenges in today’s world. Students will explore a wide range of scientific, technical, political, social, economic, and institutional factors that shape environmental and sustainability problems, their management and their potential solutions.
Website URL for the graduate degree program (3rd program):
The name and website URLs of all other sustainability-focused graduate-level degree programs:
Graduate programs in Environmental Engineering:
https://engineering.usask.ca/departments/cgee.php#GraduatePrograms
Critical Environmental Education Cohort
https://education.usask.ca/students/graduate/efdt-cohorts/critical-environmental-education-cohort.php
Land-Based Indigenous Education
https://education.usask.ca/students/graduate/efdt-cohorts/land-based-indigenous-cohort.php
Does the institution offer one or more graduate-level sustainability-focused minors, concentrations or certificates?:
Name of the graduate-level sustainability-focused minor, concentration or certificate:
A brief description of the graduate minor, concentration or certificate:
SENS offers 8 additional graduate-level certificates out of its school spread across 4 categories: climate change, energy, sustainability, and water.
CLIMATE CHANGE:
Graduate Certificate in Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Action:
The Graduate Certificate in Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Action will provide professionals with an understanding of the relationships among climate science, vulnerability assessments, adaptation development, and management applications. Graduates will support the translation of this understanding by government agencies, private companies, and community planners into specific adaptation plans, leading to climate action.
ENERGY:
Graduate Certificate in Community Energy Planning and Finance:
The Graduate Certificate in Community Energy Planning and Finance provides tools for planning and financing community renewable energy projects. This certificate can be taken as a standalone program or used to ladder into the Master of Sustainability (MSs).
Graduate Certificate in Energy Transitions:
The Graduate Certificate in Energy Transitions is designed for professionals who seek to better understand how to navigate policy processes for transitioning to renewable energy. This certificate can be taken as a standalone program or used to ladder into the Master of Sustainability (MSs).
SUSTAINABILITY:
Graduate Certificate in Governance Foundations for Sustainability:
The Graduate Certificate in Governance Foundations for Sustainability will help professionals who work with (or within) government agencies to better understand the basic structures of governance, actor groups and policy communities that influence governance, and the present-day imperatives of working with Indigenous peoples. Courses related to reconciliation and negotiation will also provide practical tools to become more effective practitioners when planning and implementing sustainability innovations. This certificate can be taken as a standalone program or used to ladder into the Master of Sustainability (MSs).
Graduate Certificate in Sustainability Solutions:
The Graduate Certificate in Sustainability Solutions teaches new strategies to design and implement solutions to sustainability challenges. Courses build competencies towards regenerative design and sustainability alternatives to common sustainability problems by teaching key concepts and practical tools. New professionals and longstanding professionals will become more effective practitioners by learning about sustainability innovations and how to apply them. This certificate can be taken as a standalone program or used to ladder into the Master of Sustainability (MSs).
WATER:
Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Water Management:
The Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Water Management focuses on human dimensions of sustainable water management, including policy approaches and public health. It is designed for professionals who recognize that their work must include a foundational knowledge of how humans affect and are affected by water quality and quantity. This certificate can be taken as a standalone program or used to ladder into the Master of Water Security (MWS).
Graduate Certificate in Water Resources:
The Graduate Certificate in Water Resources focuses on enhancing foundational knowledge in water resource and hydrological theory, data analysis, and modelling. It is designed for professionals who seek to build expertise and professional networks. This certificate can be taken as a standalone program or used to ladder into the Master of Water Security (MWS).
Graduate Certificate in Water Science:
The Graduate Certificate in Water Science provides opportunities to apply knowledge in the water sciences to address extant and emerging water quality issues. This certificate is tailored for practitioners with an interest in the water sciences, aiming to deepen their knowledge as it relates to chemical risk, ecosystem management, and hydrogeological processes. This certificate can be taken as a standalone program or used to ladder into the Master of Water Security (MWS).
Website URL for the graduate minor, concentration or certificate:
Name of the graduate-level sustainability-focused minor, concentration or certificate (2nd program):
A brief description of the graduate minor, concentration or certificate (2nd program):
The following are some areas of study in environmental engineering that could be pursued by students pursuing a Post-Graduate Diploma in Environmental Engineering:
Waste water treatment and disposal for municipal systems
Water supply for human and industrial consumption
Wind engineering and atmospheric dispersion of pollutants
Industrial waste from manufacturing and processing
Waste management from mining and the petroleum recovery
Groundwater contamination, remediation and containment
Surface water management and pollution control
Reduction in toxic emissions from forest products and pesticide plants
Automobile emissions and alternative fuels
Building energy conservation
Agricultural practices, fertilizers, feedlots, etc.
Development of energy alternatives and energy conservation
Improving efficiency of manufacturing processes
Urban land use
Website URL for the graduate minor, concentration or certificate (2nd program):
Name of the graduate-level sustainability-focused minor, concentration or certificate (3rd program):
A brief description of the graduate minor, concentration or certificate (3rd program):
From its multi-disciplinary foundation, Indigenous Studies is progressively acquiring an independent and unique basis for its teaching and research. The Department of Indigenous Studies seeks to provide an intellectual milieu where teaching and research are well grounded in the priorities and knowledge of Saskatchewan’s Aboriginal communities, all the while placing them within the larger fabric of the Canadian Aboriginal experience and the emergent global, social phenomenon of indigeneity.
Researchers and students in Indigenous Studies explore and seek to understand the fundamental nature of Aboriginal society. As a centre of academic inquiry based on sound pedagogical and research principles, the Department of Indigenous Studies strives to develop more expansive and innovative views on Indigenous Knowledge.
Website URL for the graduate minor, concentration or certificate (3rd program):
The name and website URLs of all other graduate-level, sustainability-focused minors, concentrations and certificates:
Graduate Certificate in One Health
https://onehealth.usask.ca/training-programs/graduate.php
All graduate-level minors and concentrations can be found at the link below:
https://grad.usask.ca/programs/find-a-program.php
Our sustainability course inventory includes graduate courses, denoted by an 800 level course number of by a "y" in the "Graduate" field of the Excel document.
https://sustainability.usask.ca/study/sustainability-course-inventory.php
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.