About

The Bachelor of Environment and Sustainability (BES) program bridges scientific concerns about natural resources with policy development and management. The four-year degree program offers two majors, one in Environmental Studies and one in Resource Management.

Why study environment and sustainability?

We depend on the environment for many aspects of our daily lives, including food, employment, recreation, and natural resources for homes, transportation and consumer goods.  Future generations will have a similar dependence on the environment as we do now; it is our responsibility to ensure that they way we use resources now does not impact access to those same resources by future generations.

This BES equips students with the tools and critical thinking skills necessary to make decisions regarding how we use the environment now with a view to future generations. Students in each BES major take a common set of courses through out the four years of the program. Environmental Studies majors take an additional set of courses from a social science perspective (such as economics, political science, geography) whereas Resource Mangement majors take as set of courses have an ecological or science based perspective (such as geographic information systems, population and resource dynamics, and quantitative methods).  

BES is ideal for students who are looking to design solutions that meet the needs of current society without jeopardizing the quality and quantity of resources for the future.  Students take a holistic approach, exploring ethics, ecology, economics, geography, risk, activism and policy, examining issues through both local and global lenses.

 

Your studies

Your degree will be both theoretical and hands-on; your courses will give you the theoretical background necessary to know why, and the practical skills to know how.

 

Career opportunities​

Our graduates are recognized and are working globally in a wide range of fields:

  •     Resource management, in the public service or private industry
  •     Environmental policy development and planning
  •     Consulting
  •     Environmental education
  •     Journalism
  •     Research
  •     Non-governmental organizations

Graduates are also well prepared for advanced studies in:

  •     Resource management
  •     Geography
  •     Environmental studies
  •     Environmental policy
  •     Sustainability science
  •     Geographical Information Systems