Bachelor of environment and sustainability

The bachelor of environment and sustainability (BES) program equips students with the tools and critical thinking skills necessary to make decisions regarding how we use the environment now with a view to a more sustainable future for the next generations.

The BES bridges natural science approaches to sustainable resource and environmental management challenges with social science and environmental policy considerations. This four-year degree program offers two majors, one in environmental studies and one in resource management.

All students in this degree program take a common set of courses in sustainability issues, such as systems thinking, geographic information systems, and ecological economics. Students also select one of the two majors where they develop more specialized skill sets.

Environmental studies majors take an additional set of courses from a social science perspective (such as economics, political science, and geography) whereas resource management majors take a set of courses that have an ecological or science-based perspective (such as geographic information systems, population and resource dynamics, and quantitative methods).

This program provides our students with ‘hands-on’ experience, requiring participation in the CityStudio course as well as enrollment a field course (sometimes based at the Bonne Bay Marine Station) and our outdoor pursuits courses which include hiking, canoeing, skiing, and outdoor recreation group 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. The natural environment also holds special cultural and spiritual significance for many individuals. It is our responsibility to help ensure that the way we use the natural environment today does not impair the ability of future generations to also meet their needs.

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 throughout 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).

Sample first year

Environmental studies

Students pursuing a bachelor of environment and sustainability with a major in environmental studies at Grenfell Campus will normally take the following courses in their first year:

FALL SEMESTERWINTER SEMESTER
Geography 1050 Environmental Science 1000
Environment and Sustainability 1000 English 1000
Economics 1010 Environment and Sustainability 2001
Political Science 2600 elective
elective elective

Resource management 

Students pursuing a bachelor of environment and sustainability with a major in resource management at Grenfell Campus will normally take the following courses in their first year:

FALL SEMESTERWINTER SEMESTER
Geography 1050 Environmental Science 1000
Environment and Sustainability 1000 English 1000
Economics 1010 Environment and Sustainability 2001
Biology 1001 Biology 1002
elective elective

Career opportunties

Careers include but are not limited to:

  • environmental consulting
  • natural resources policy analyst
  • conservation officer
  • environmental education
  • environmental impact assessment

Contact information

For additional information, visit the School of Science and the Environment or contact Dr. Stephen Decker.