One of the unique aspects of the School is that we have students enrolled in Major/Faculty/Interfaculty/Honours/Joint Honours programs through four degrees, in three Faculties, on two campuses. This means that you will often be in class with students from a variety of backgrounds, which is a great opportunity to connect with those from other areas and with different knowledge and interests.
However, this also means that some of the other Environment students you meet may be in a different degree/program/Faculty and their requirements may not be the same as yours.
Don't rely on rumours when it comes to your program requirements!
Always verify with the BSE website, the , or by checking with the Program Advisor when you have questions.
Majors and Concentrations
If you have just completed U0 or if you are a new student entering U1 year from CEGEP (or with at least 24 credits of advanced standing from high school), then you need to choose a Major. All of the Environment degree programs (except for the BA&Sc Interfaculty Program) require that you also choose an area of specialization called a Concentration.听
Students in the BA and BSc in the Faculty of Science can add their Major and Concentration in Minerva. Even if you're not sure which Concentration you're planning to complete, enter the one you think you're most likely to follow and you can change this later, if needed.
Students in the BSc (AgEnvSc) must submit the form found on the SAO website to add/change their Major or Concentration.
U1 Courses
All U1 Environment students should take the four 200-level ENVR courses:
Students who have not already completed statistics in U0/with an exemption from high school should complete the statistics requirement for their program in U1 as well. In addition to these courses, you will start taking Required/Complementary courses for your specific Environment concentration (usually another 6-9 credits of Environment program courses).听
If you are still deciding on the concentration you want to complete, there are some courses that you'll find are common across a number of the options which you may want to take such as:
or
(M)
or
(M)
Two Campuses
When planning your schedule and registering for courses, pay close attention to the campus that your courses will be offered at. The ENVR courses (other than ENVR 401) are offered both downtown (Sec. 001) and at Mac (Sec. 051). Courses offered at the Macdonald campus are shown on the Bieler School of Environment website with an (M) beside them and will be indicated in the Course Catalogue as "Offered by: Faculty of Agric Environ Sci." Regardless of which campus most of your courses are on, if you wish to take some courses on the other campus, the program is flexible enough to allow this. The ENVR courses are the easiest way to get to experience life on another campus, so students are highly encouraged to take some of their core courses at the opposite campus!
The two campuses are about about 40 minutes by shuttle bus or car (closer to 50 minutes in rush hour), and about 90 minutes by city bus and metro or by Exo train. Students can use the free Shuttle Bus service which runs regularly between the campuses throughout the school year. (Don't forget your ID card!)
ENVR Courses
As noted above, the core ENVR courses can be taken on either campus. Be careful which Section you register in for the ENVR courses! The courses will vary slightly depending on the section, and you will not be able to write the final exam if you are in the wrong section! Section 001 is Downtown, Section 051 is at Macdonald. This applies only to ENVR courses
Degree requirements
As was also noted above, the requirements in each Faculty and degree are not the same. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the regulations for your Faculty and degree, including things like: Foundation Program requirements, the number of courses which can be taken outside your Faculty/must be taken in your Faculty, courses that may be restricted to students in your Faculty/degree, etc.
- BA degree requirements听(Faculty of Arts)
- BA&Sc degree requirements听(Faculty of Science)
- BSc degree requirements听(Faculty of Science)
- BSc(AgEnvSc) degree requirements听(Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences)
*Please note that in all Faculties/degrees, the ENVR courses are considered to be courses in your home Faculty, regardless of which campus you take them on
Student Affairs Offices
Your Student Affairs Office can provide general academic information and advice about issues such as Faculty and degree requirements, registration issues, inter-faculty transfer, exchange and study away, academic standing, and graduation. In addition to advising students about such issues, either by appointment or on a daily drop-in basis, Faculty Advisors offer a variety of information sessions each term, for example: degree planning workshops, study away workshops, and Foundation Program sessions.
For more information, consult the Student Affairs Office website of your Faculty:
- BA students -听Office of Advising and Student Information Services (OASIS)
- BA&Sc Students - Science Office for Undergraduate Student Advising (SOUSA)
- BSc students - Science Office for Undergraduate Student Advising (SOUSA)
- BSc(AgEnvSc) students - Mac Student Affairs Office
Wellness Resources
The is our students' place to go for their holistic health and wellness needs. It provides access to basic physical and mental health services, as well as health promotion and peer support programs, in convenient locations at both our Macdonald and downtown campuses. The Hub offers specialized programming related to stress, anxiety, depression, addictive behaviours, and sleep issues which can have a major impact on academic performance for broad segments of the student population. Our programming is geared towards helping students overcome these challenges and meet their academic objectives.
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