Environmental Sustainability Brock

[Mirtha Hinrichs]

Studentsapply for this two-year program during their tenth-grade year, to attend for the eleventh and twelfth grade years. Within the program students are exposed to multiple pathways that will assist them in continuing their education or entering the workforce or military. The program includes:

Students will take AP Environmental Science, Sustainability: Core Concepts and Environmental Systems, Watershed Hydrology, and Natural Resources Management during the eleventh-grade year. The twelfth-grade year will be comprised of the Topical Research course and Internship and EcoSummit.

This college level course provides students with the scientific principles, concepts, and methodologies required to understand the interrelationships of the natural world. It is designed in accord with the requirements of the College Board. Students are expected to take the Advanced Placement examination in May. (1 credit)

This course will focus on the three interacting systems: Social, Economic and Environmental, which will introduce students to a wide variety of domestic and international environmental policy and sustainability issues. Students will explore how political processes, scientific evidence, ideas and values affect environmental policymaking. (1 credit)

Students will engage in their independent research project in conjunction with our community partners. Students will solve sustainability issues in our local community through the design thinking learning model: Discovery (I have a challenge, how do I approach it?); Interpretation (I learned something, how do I interpret it?); Ideation (I see an opportunity, how do I investigate it?); Experimentation (I have an approach, how do I put it into practice?); Evolution (I have results, how do I communicate and evolve it?). (1 credit)

Minor in Environmental Sustainability

This minor allows students to gain the core skills necessary for problem-solving in the contemporary era, where business and governments adhere to new environmental legislation, organizations are concerned with conservation, and society responds to environmental changes.

Environmental Sustainability is a transdisciplinary area of study that combines economics, social and environmental sciences. It seeks to protect the natural environment and ecological health, while maintaining or improving the quality of human life through development.

The micro-certificate in Environmental Sustainability is designed for those who already have a degree or who do not wish to pursue a degree. The program consists of required courses which introduce students to conceptual and applied aspects of environmental sustainability.

We acknowledge the land on which Brock University was built is the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe peoples, many of whom continue to live and work here today. This territory is covered by the Upper Canada Treaties and is within the land protected by the Dish with One Spoon Wampum agreement. Today this gathering place is home to many First Nations, Metis, and Inuit peoples and acknowledging reminds us that our great standard of living is directly related to the resources and friendship of Indigenous people.

The thesis pathway is designed to be completed in 24 months (6 terms). Students who complete these requirements will earn the designation of Master of Sustainability.

Each year the ESRC offers graduate level courses to students in the SSAS program, and students in other graduate programs at Brock. Please note that not all courses are offered every year. For a full list of current graduate course offerings, visit the Brock Graduate Registration Guide.

An overview of the concepts of sustainability, the interactions between natural and social systems and how those interactions affect how societies can meet their current and future needs while protecting the environment. The course includes lectures, experiential education, discussion panels, and debates.

Current research approaches and methods, concepts, and forms of inquiry used by transdisciplinary researchers interested in environmental sustainability. The different ways that issues related to sustainability and the environment are examined and discussed using qualitative and quantitative tools.

Students present their research to peers, academics, and professionals, participate in scholarly exchanges with visiting and guest academics, and engage with professionals within the sustainability field. Note: This course will be evaluated as credit/no-credit.

Students in the co-op and thesis pathways may choose their elective courses from those offered by ESRC and a maximum of one half-credit from a graduate course in another program. Students in the coursework pathway must complete a minimum of three electives from the ESRC offerings. Please note a maximum of one-half credit course at the undergraduate level (above 3P90 with appropriate revision for graduate credit). SSAS elective courses will be rotated, with at least two being offered by ESRC annually.

The values associated with water resources, its management, and decision-making processes. International and Canadian case studies to explore innovations in water science from social and biophysical perspectives.

Aspects of climate change from multiple perspectives including climate change scenarios and projections, adaptation, resilience in climate change and steps towards transformations. Special focus will be devoted to the theoretical and applied aspects of climate change adaptation and planning.

The drivers and consequences of global changes on the ecology of species at a range of spatial scales using geospatial technologies (e.g., GIS and RS) and spatial data analyses. Topics include spatial ecology, disturbance ecology, conservation, restoration, management principles, public policy, and health.

This course aims to explore and discuss current trends in this field using an interdisciplinary approach. Topics may include concepts related to conservation strategies, impacts of conservation efforts on ecosystems, communities or species populations, biodiversity assessment, invasive species, balance of conserving biodiversity versus ecosystem services, and issues related to policy, management, economic and social concerns. Note: Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in BIOL 5P02.

There are also many other professional development (non-credit) opportunities for graduate students in the SSAS program who are interested in enhancing their professional skills while studying at Brock. These include:

Our students have secured co-op placements with a wide variety of employers. For specific positions, check out our current student and alumni profiles, but here are just a few other examples of positions:

Our Master of Sustainability students in Scheme A are required to do a co-op placement during the Spring/Summer term (May-August). If you are interested in learning more about how your organization could hire a SSAS co-op student, please visit the Prospective Employers webpage or connect with the Co-op Programs Office at 905-688-5550 ext. 4325 or co...@brocku.ca.

With a population of approximately 130,000, St. Catharines is a friendly, mid-sized community that is within easy reach of major cities such as Toronto, Hamilton, Niagara Falls and Buffalo, New York. The local community offers a wealth of entertainment, recreational and cultural activities. St. Catharines provides Brock students with all the advantages of a prosperous urban centre located in a safe, inviting and affordable community.

In your OUAC application, you will be required to include a ranked list of three Core Faculty members who can potentially act as your supervisor in principle. Students should consult the listing of core faculty and indicate their top three choices on the application. Please ensure your chosen faculty members have indicated that they are available to supervise students for the upcoming year.

References should be from qualified academic scholars attesting to, and documenting, your potential for graduate level study/research. For more information on reference requirements and procedures, click here.

When you have submitted the application, you will be prompted to pay the non-refundable application fee. You must pay the fee for each program to which you are applying. The application fee for the Master of Sustainability program is $110 CAD. The fee is payable to the Ontario University Application Centre and can be paid by VISA or Mastercard.

The Graduate Programs in the ESRC, including the Sustainability Science and Society Masters Program and the Sustainability Science PhD Program are governed by a Graduate Program Committee, administered by a Graduate Program Director, and supported by a Coordinator. For detailed information about the governance of the ESRC Graduate Programs, including Rules of Procedure, visit our Graduate Programs Governance Webpage.

Environmental Sustainability is a relatively new discipline that combines economics, social and environmental sciences. It seeks to protect the natural environment and ecological health, while maintaining or improving the quality of human life through development.

With a Minor in Environmental Sustainability, you will gain core skills necessary for problem-solving in the modern world as businesses and governments adhere to new environmental legislation, and society adapts to a changing world. You will have the opportunity to study sustainability issues from a transdisciplinary perspective, thinking outside the traditional boundaries of your discipline, and gain practical insight into how Canada and the world is moving forward to address these issues.

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