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Walkerton Clean Water Centre Workshop

 

Collaborative Research Program (thesis-based)

Masters and PhD Program in Environment and Sustainability


MA, MESc, MSc and PhD degrees
Home Degree Program + Environment and Sustainability

Quick link to Application (note: you must be a registered graduate student at Western to apply)

Program Overview and Course Description Summary

The Collaborative Program in Environment and Sustainability is an enrichment program designed for current graduate students (MSc/MA/MESc or PhD) who wish to become specialists in specific aspects of environment and sustainability, and who also wish to gain an appreciation of the interdisciplinary nature of environmental problems and solutions. 

The Collaborative Program in Environment and Sustainability was designed with three goals in mind:

  1. to build upon and complement the discipline-based programs relevant to environment and sustainability;
  2. to promote an appreciation on the interdisciplinary nature of environmental problems; and
  3. to develop a community of students and faculty across Western who are interested in environment and sustainability.

In order to promote the interdisciplinary nature of environmental research, the students are also required to have at least one faculty member on their Thesis Advisory Committee who is from another Department and who is approved by the School of Graduate and Post-Doctoral Studies (SGPS) for participation in graduate education in the Environment and Sustainability graduate programs (i.e., an Environment and Sustainability faculty member).

Students in the Environment and Sustainability Collaborative Graduate Program are required to take 1.5 course credits in Environment and Sustainability. Each student must take at least 0.5 course credits in Foundations of Sustainability and the 0.5 course credit Interdisciplinary Research Seminar course (the course numbers differ for Master’s and PhD students, see below).  Students who opt to take only 0.5 credits in the Foundations of Sustainability course must take an additional 0.5 credit from a list of elective Environment and Sustainability courses, which will vary from year-to-year.

Foundations of Sustainability (condensed course delivered in the fall term only)
EnvrSust 9011W: Foundations of Sustainability Masters (1.0 course credit)
EnvrSust 9112A: Foundations of Sustainability Masters (0.5 course credit)
EnvrSust 9111W: Foundations of Sustainability  PhD (1.0 course credit)
EnvrSust 9113A: Foundations of Sustainability PhD (0.5 course credit)

Interdisciplinary Research Seminar (continuous enrollment course)
EnvrSust 9410Y: Interdisciplinary Research Seminar Masters (0.5 course credit)
EnvrSust 9420Y: Interdisciplinary Research Seminar PhD (0.5 course credit)

Fridays (January - April 2013)
9:00 am – 10:30 am
Natural Sciences 12
Instructors: Yolanda Morbey and Daniel Shrubsole

Interdisciplinary Topics in Environment and Sustainability (Elective Courses)
Elective course offerings are subject to change from year to year. Information on electives offered in any specific term is posted within the first two weeks of the term in which it is offered.

2012/2013 Elective Course Offerings
Collaborative Program students wishing to enrol in Envrsust elective courses must contact the course instructor first, to determine eligibility and learn course details. Students with instructor permission to enrol in an Envrsust elective course must submit an Outside Home Program Course Enrolment form to the Environment and Sustainability program for approval before the course can be added.

Course List and Instructor Contact Information:

Elective Courses Fall of 2012
Envrsust 9502A Environment and Health (Dept. of Geography) (prerequisites: consult instructor)
Envrsust 9503A Environmental Change (Dept. of Geography) (prerequisites: consult instructor)
Envrsust 9506A Environmental Law (Faculty of Law) (prerequisites: consult instructor)
Envrsust 9512A Aquatic Chemistry (Dept. Civil & Environmental Engineering) (prerequisites:basic chemistry, civil or chemical engineering)

Elective Courses Winter 2013
Envrsust 9515B Section 2 Ancient Ecosystems (Dept. Earth Sciences)(prerequisites: consult instructor)

Additional Elective Choices 2012-2013
In addition to the electives listed above, the following courses from the campus-wide interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary graduate course listing can be taken for Environment and Sustainability Collaborative program elective credit. Students can enroll in these courses using the course numbers given. As with the electives listed above, a student seeking Environment and Sustainability program credit for these courses must fill out the Outside Home Program Course Enrollment form to the Environment and Sustainability program office for approval before the course can be added.

For details on the following courses, please see the campus-wide Interdisciplinary and Cross-disciplinary Graduate Course Listing

2012-2013
Computer modelling of natural processess (Dept. Earth Sciences) Geophysics 9531B
(prerequisites: suitable for students of Physics, M/M Engineering, Biology, Geography, Chemistry)
Instructor: R. Shcherbakov

Fundamentals of ground water flow (Dept. of Earth Sciences) Geology 9540B
(prerequisites: suitable for students of Civil & Envir. Engineering, Physical Geography)
Instructor: R. Schincariol

Isotope geochemistry in Earth and Environmental Science (Dept. of Earth Sciences) Geology 9506
(prerequisites: suitalbe for students of Biology, Chemistry, Geography, Civil & Envir. Engineering)
Instructor: E. Webb

Management of water resource systems (Civil & Environmental Engineering) CEE 9564
(prerequisites: familiarity with systems modelling)
Instructor: S. Simonovic

Course Description Summary

Foundations of Sustainability
EnvrSust 9011W: Foundations of Sustainability Masters (1.0 course credit)
EnvrSust 9111A: Foundations of Sustainability  PhD (1.0 course credit)
EnvrSust 9112W: Foundations of Sustainability Masters (0.5 course credit)
EnvrSust 9113A: Foundations of Sustainability PhD (0.5 course credit)

The Foundations course will cover a wide range of interrelated topics, from population to energy to pollution, which highlight the environmental issues that have brought us to the point in time where we recognize the need to act in a sustainable manner.  The course will generally meet twice weekly over the Fall semester.  The first half of the course (corresponding to the 0.5 course equivalent) will cover a series of topics presented using a lecture/discussion format.  The second half of the (1.0) course (equivalent) will take a more experiential approach to learning, and include an environmental project, and two field trips addressing key issues in sustainability.

Interdisciplinary Graduate Student Seminar Series
EnvrSust 9410Y: Interdisciplinary Research Seminar Masters (0.5 course credit)
EnvrSust 9420Y: Interdisciplinary Research Seminar PhD (0.5 course credit)

The objective of this seminar series is to initiate interdisciplinary dialog between students and faculty from the various disciplines represented in the Environment & Sustainability Program.  The seminar series provides graduate students in the collaborative graduate program the opportunity to discuss their research with a multi-disciplinary group that shares a common interest in the environment and sustainability.  Students are required to attend seminars and participate in discussions.  Each student will give one seminar each year.  The seminar will provide background information on the student’s general research area as well as specific aspects of their research project.  Critical to the success of this seminar series is active participation in the discussion to follow each presentation.
In this course, students will:

 

Interdisciplinary Topics in Environment and Sustainability

Graduate students not enrolled in the Collaborative Environment and Sustainability Program
The Interdisciplinary Topics in Environment and Sustainability is a graduate-level series of elective courses offered to all UWO graduate students with the appropriate prerequites, as determined by the instructor. Interdisciplinary Topics courses are cross-listed courses delivered by faculty in departments across campus, offering students the opportunity to engage in study on a broad range of environment and sustainability subjects out of interest.

Collaborative Environment and Sustainability Program Graduate students
Interdisciplinary Topics courses serve as optional courses for students enrolled in the Collaborative Environment and Sustainability Program, to complete Environment and Sustainability program requirements to a maximum of (0.5) credits. Students in the program may enroll in more than one elective course out of interest but may not substitute additional elective courses for required course credits to complete 1.5 FCE. Students may not choose an Interdisciplinary Topics elective course from their home department towards earning credit in the Environment and Sustainability Program.

More Program Information

Is It for You?

The student graduating with a Master's from the collaborative, research-based program is ready to go on to a PhD in their chosen field or become a researcher in industry, a non-government organization, or a government office.

The student graduating with a PhD from the collaborative, research-based program, will be ready for post-doctoral research, a faculty position, or a career as a senior researcher in industry or a government office. 

About Collaborating Home Programs

Students enter the Environment and Sustainability graduate program by first being accepted as a graduate student in a discipline-based HOME PROGRAM such as (but not limited to) Chemistry, Engineering, Political Science, Anthropology, History, Microbiology and Immunology, Geography, Biology, Physics, Computer Science or Information and Media Studies, with a designated supervisor overseeing their research/thesis work within that discipline. PLEASE NOTE: Each home program has its own application process, deadlines and graduate student selection criteria. For information about home program eligibility and application procedures, please contact and consult directly with the home program of your choice.

Students accepted to and pursuing an MA, MEng, MSc or PhD in a HOME PROGRAM at Western apply to the Environment and Sustainability Program by internal application.  All applicants must have the approval of their HOME PROGRAM supervisor to participate in the Environment and Sustainability Program prior to enrollment.

What Degree Will I Graduate With?

The Collaborative Environment and Sustainability program is an enrichment program taken in addition to HOME degree studies pursued through a department. Students enrolled in the program will graduate with a collaborative degree, the HOME degree with Environment and Sustainability. In other words, we do not offer a stand-alone research (thesis-based) degree in Environment and Sustainability. Prospective students interested in a stand-alone degree in Environment and Sustainability are encouraged to learn more about the MES degree program.

Course Work and Progression

The length of your studies will depend in part upon the length of your home program, whether you are partaking in full-time or part-time graduate studies. Students join the program in the first term of graduate study at Western (please see Collaborative Program Student Handbook for entry exceptions). Progression through the Environment and Sustainability component is based upon the successful completion of the required Environment and Sustainability Collaborative Program courses.

How To Apply

Application Form

This page was last updated on December 21, 2012
Centre for Environment and Sustainability Web Contact: hsanders@uwo.ca