Collaborative Specialist Major and Minor Programs

Collaborative Programs

The Collaborative Programs are offered in collaboration with other departments in the Faculty of Arts & Science and combine the interdisciplinary focus of environment with a traditional social science, humanities, or science discipline. Most of these programs are available only as a Specialist, Major or Minor. 

 

Jointly sponsored by Department of Psychology and the School of the Environment.

This minor program focuses on understanding issues of psychological motivation and attitudes that underlie environmental decision-making. Little positive environmental change can occur in the absence of broad-based behaviour changes.

Jointly sponsored by Department of Chemistry and the School of the Environment.

This specialist program brings the basic science orientation of environmental science to a fundamental background in chemistry as applied to understanding the chemical impacts of humankind’s activities on the soil, water, and air. Emphasis is given to developing the analytical skills and mechanistic understanding of the subject.

Jointly sponsored by the Department of Geography and the School of the Environment.

This interdisciplinary minor program addresses the scientific, technological, environmental, and policy aspects of energy use and supply, with a focus on the reduction of environmental impacts.

Jointly sponsored by Department of Philosophy and the School of the Environment.

This program explores how value judgements and worldviews affect environmental decision-making. This program description applies to both the major and minor programs.

Jointly sponsored by the Department of Earth Sciences and the School of the Environment.

This program focuses on physical, chemical, and biological events that have occurred over the past 4.5 billion years, including the present influences of humans as agents of geological change. Topics include earth materials, sedimentary geology, aqueous geochemistry, hydrogeology, and biogeochemistry.

Jointly sponsored by the Human Biology Program (a collaborative program of the Faculty of Arts&Science and the Faculty of Medicine), and the School of the Environment.

This program is designed to provide a basic understanding of behaviour of the planet Earth, the workings of the human body, and the relationship between the two. The program also introduces students to the economic, political, and cultural influences that govern the choices that we make about the environment, and the implications of those choices for human health. This program description applies to both the specialist and major programs.

Jointly sponsored by the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, and the School of the Environment.

Toxicology is the study of the harmful effects of chemicals. This program brings the basic science orientation of Environmental Science together with the examination of the adverse effects of chemicals to human beings and ecosystems. The program prepares students for a wide variety of careers related to environmental toxicology, including positions in chemical industries, government, and research and academia. Students interested in biomedical toxicology (the adverse effects of toxic chemicals on human health) should consider enrolling in the Specialist Program in Biomedical Toxicology offered by the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology.

 

Directed Environmental Minor Programs

Environmental Minor programs are offered by several departments and are intended for students interested in acquiring a hierarchical body of environmental knowledge in a specific discipline. They can complement one of the core or collaborative programs offered by the School. Three of these minors are in the sciences, and four are arts minors. Please note that these minors are offered and administered by other departments, so questions and inquiries should be directed to them.

For more information on Directed Environmental Minors listed below, please consult the Faculty of Arts & Science online calendar.

  • Environmental Anthropology (BA)
  • Environmental Biology (BSc)
  • Environmental Chemistry (BSc)
  • Environmental Economics (BA)
  • Environmental Geography (BA)
  • Geographic Information Systems (BA)
  • Physical & Environmental Geography (BSc)