Sustainable Environmental Management (BES)

Explore some of the most critical issues facing the earth today: the climate crisis, the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services, waste management, energy consumption and sustainable solutions.

In the Sustainable Environmental Management program, you will investigate how the environment and natural resources are managed, and how we can transition toward more just and sustainable systems. You will learn key problem-solving, innovation and holistic strategies, combined with an understanding of policy, social dynamics with applied aspects of environmental science and technology.

Students will explore these critical issues in environmental and resource management:

• Low-carbon energy transition
• Environmental policy and governance
• Ecological economics
• Climate change science and mitigation
• Urban ecology
• Sustainable and just transitions
• Community energy and planning
• Wildlife conservation

As you learn first-hand about energy, water, biodiversity, food and waste, you will develop the technical skills to analyze, synthesize and evaluate political, economic and social dimensions of environmental problems and develop pathways to sustainability transitions and innovation.

You will benefit from practical experience through hands-on classroom activities, field and lab-based courses, guest lectures, case studies, and community engagement. The program offers educational work placements and opportunities to participate in the Las Nubes EcoCampus in Costa Rica. You will develop transferrable skills in critical thinking, communication, leadership, and project management to effectively engage in environmental issues in government, the private sector, and not-for-profit sectors in Canada and abroad, and make positive contributions toward a sustainable future.

The environmental sector is one of the fastest growing in the world. With issues of sustainability, climate crisis, and equity at the forefront of the public conscious, more organizations and businesses are looking to hire environmental professionals. By developing technical, hands-on abilities coupled with transferrable skills such as project management, critical thinking, and communication, our graduates are working in both the public and private sector in a variety of fields including business, science and technology, education, government, and more.

To help you succeed, our Experiential Education Coordinator provides a variety of career support services to our students including resume help, interview prep, and career planning workshops, and maintains an exclusive job board just for our students.

Sample Careers

• Environmental Outreach and Stewardship Coordinator
• Energy Assessor
• Geographic Information Systems Technologist
• Environmental Educator
• Green Entrepreneur
• Policy Analyst
• Project Coordinator
• Environmental Site Assessor
• Environmental Consultant