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Launched in 2011 as the first dedicated environmental studies degree in the Maritimes, the Bachelor of Environmental Studies (BES) at Saint Mary’s University offers students a rigorous and multidisciplinary environmental education. Drawing on research expertise and teaching excellence from across the university, the BES degree integrates environmentally-focused courses in the social sciences, humanities, natural sciences, and business. From environmental policy to nature writing, habitat restoration to environmental history, natural resource economics to environmental justice, the BES program delivers a diverse, flexible, and intimate learning experience emphasizing critical thinking and the comprehensive analysis of environmental issues. Ultimately, our program equips students to develop appropriate and innovative responses to pressing environmental challenges, while helping to create more sustainable communities at every scale, from the neighbourhood to the planet.
Please contact the Bachelor of Environmental Studies program for more information.
The BES program is a four-year (120-credit-hour) Bachelor's degree offering students a rigorous, multidisciplinary, environmentally-focused education.
Note: BES Honours students are required to take BES Honours Thesis (BEST 4599) (six credit hours) plus three credit hours in approved BES electives at the 3000-level or higher, rather than nine credit hours of approved BES electives.
In selecting their courses, BES students are advised to follow the program structure outlined below, prioritizing required courses as much as possible. Students should also be aware of course prerequisites when choosing their courses. In the event that a stated prerequisite has not been earned, students must obtain the instructor’s permission in order to enroll.
Provided they meet the specific prerequisite and course requirements, BES students are able to pursue a minor in any subject. BES students may be particularly interested in three minor programs with a strong environmental focus:
Minor in Climate Change Studies (24 credit hours): this program is described in the BES section of the Academic Calendar.
Minor in Geography for BES students (30 credit hours): this program is described in the Geography section of the Academic Calendar.
Minor in Global Environmental Politics (24 credit hours): this program is described on the Department of Political Science and Global Development Studies website and in the Academic Calendar.
A BES degree with Cooperative Education (Co-op) is designed to provide interested and qualified students with an opportunity to integrate academic studies with active work experience in an approved job placement. The BES Co-op option is supplementary to the BES and Honours BES degree requirements, alternating periods of full-time academic study with three months or more of practical experience in the working world. The Cooperative Education program will make every effort to provide students with up to three (3) paid work placements relevant to their undergraduate degree and/or future careers but cannot guarantee placements. Work terms start in September, January, or May, and have a minimum duration of 13 weeks, with at least 32.5 work hours per week.
The overarching Honours regulations for the Faculty of Arts will apply to students wishing to enter, continue and graduate with an Honours Bachelor of Environmental Studies degree. The Honours option requires BES students to achieve a higher standard of academic performance and to complete a thesis, encompassing research related to environmental studies.
List of Approved BES Elective Courses
Climate change is one of the defining environmental and social problems of our lifetime, and one that will become ever more relevant and important as we move into the future. Employers in all fields will increasingly seek to hire those with an understanding of climate change and how it relates to business, public policy, economies and livelihoods, conservation, and human health and happiness. As a student pursuing a specialization in Climate Change Studies, you will engage in an interdisciplinary program of study that prepares you with an understanding of climate change from diverse perspectives, examining scientific, political, psychological, economic, and ethical dimensions of the problem and its solutions. Courses are drawn from disciplines across the University, including Geography and Environmental Studies, Environmental Science, Global Development Studies, and Social Justice and Community Studies.
The learning goals and outcomes are aligned with and expands upon the established essential principles of climate literacy (NOAA (2022) https://www.climate.gov/teaching/climate) including;
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