Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Environmental Governance (Co-op)

at University of Guelph Canada

Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental academic discipline that allows students to Pursue questions that have stimulated thinkers across eras and cultures. How should we live? What is it to be a person? Explore these and other questions through modern issues in artificial intelligence, politics, sexuality, and the environment in small seminars and field courses. You will acquire skills in reasoning, communication, critical thinking, intellectual independence, and the ability to understand others’ viewpoints and assumptions. 

Food has a powerful influence on the lives of individuals and populations. The Applied Human Nutrition program provides a thorough understanding of all aspects of human nutrition. Lectures provide core learnings that are grounded in the biological and social sciences. Labs allow for the application of classroom instruction. New topics and emerging research are explored in small group seminars. Students may enrol in an area of emphasis in dietetics. This dietetic education program is accredited under the Partnership for Dietetic Education and Practice (PDEP) and prepares students for eligibility for registration with a provincial dietetics regulatory body.

Students will study elements of physics including the exotic aspects of the universe, such as black holes and subatomic particles, or be involved in the development of exciting modern devices such as particle accelerators and gamma-ray spectrometers.

With an emphasis on hands-on lab work, the physics major covers the fundamentals of mechanics, electromagnetism, and quantum physics, grounding students in foundational physics while preparing them for more specialized study in upper years. The strong analytical, computational, and lab skills developed during the degree provide the flexibility to pursue a broad range of careers upon graduation.

The major builds upon nationally recognized expertise in teaching and research with many of our faculty members having received both national and international awards. Students take an integrated MATH and PHYS course in first year along with the chemistry and biology taken by other science students. Second through fourth year, students will focus on physics specialty courses with an emphasis on hands-on, laboratory learning. Unique to the University of Guelph, students will also take a Science Communications course where they develop activities to help people understand the concepts of physics.

Learning Outcomes
You can expect to learn how to:

• Demonstrate mastery in advanced Electricity and Magnetism, Mechanics, Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics, Optics, and Quantum Mechanics
• Apply Intermediate level Mathematics techniques to enhance understanding in the aforementioned major subject areas
• Demonstrate advanced laboratory skills in order to practically realize concepts in Electricity & Magnetism, Mechanics, Thermodynamics, Quantum Physics, Optics, Nuclear Physics, Spectroscopy, and Electronics and apply these skills in self-directed learning
• Apply modern computational techniques to investigate various physical phenomena and demonstrate proficiency in mathematical software such as Maple, MatLab, and/or Mathematica

Explore the music, literature, cinema, art and politics of France, Quebec and the Francophone world. Do an internship teaching French in a local school, contribute to international research or support organizations in need of translation services. Exercise your knowledge in a small classroom environment, spend a semester in France and become bilingual and acquire intercultural skills.

Sample Careers:

• Communication officer
• Language editor
• French teacher
• Technical writer

Become an expert on a current major global issue—the natural production of food and upon graduation, enter a workforce where there are more jobs than qualified people to fill them. Explore all areas of agriculture, resources, and applied economics. Study courses in food, hunger and poverty, economics of the agri-food system, and international trade. Prepare yourself for related graduate programs and to become a decision maker and strong leader in the agri-food sector and public agencies.

The Environmental Biology major, offered as part of the Bachelor of Science degree program, emphasizes biological diversity at the molecular, population, community and biosphere levels. You will become familiar with how organisms, such as plants, insects, fungi and bacteria, interact with the physical environment (water and soils) and respond to human activities.

Methods of measuring and monitoring the impact of human activities on natural and agricultural ecosystems will be presented. To counter negative impacts, solutions, such as bioremediation of effluent, waste management, restoration of stream quality, and agroforestry will be applied. Upon graduation, you will have an awareness of the social and economic implications of environmental bio-sciences and be prepared to initiate solutions for a diversity of environmental problems.

Environmental governance refers to the processes through which societies make decisions that affect the environment. Governments play an important role in this, however they alone cannot manage our most pressing environmental challenges like climate change, sea level rise, or invasive species. Thus, through environmental governance, we can coordinate governments, community organizations, and businesses to work collectively to affect positive environmental
change.

Through the completion of courses in geography, political science, agricultural economics, and economics, students will gain a solid foundation in the processes and mechanisms of environmental governance, an understanding of geographical, political, and economic factors that shape governance in Canada and around the world, and exposure to innovative approaches to environmental governance that address persistent and emerging societal concerns. Students completing the major will have the skills and experiences needed to participate effectively in environmental governance in a variety of settings.

WHY CO-OP?
As a co-op student, you will gain relevant work experience, build professional networks, and develop essential interpersonal skills needed to succeed in the workplace, all while getting paid and earning your university degree. Guelph’s co-op program is unique due to the exceptional level of support provided, including an online preparatory course, a personal connection with Co-op Coordinators to assist you during the employment process, and access to senior student mentors.

This program provides opportunities for study of the processes and properties of the biophysical environment and a core foundation in the analytical techniques (i.e. Geographical Information Science and Remote Sensing) used for their interpretation, analysis and presentation.

Graduates of the program will have unique specialty in the application of spatial technologies to the study and assessment of biophysical and Earth surface processes.

Want an Engineering degree but not yet sure of a specialization? Choose the Undeclared option: your first semester will be the same as all other Engineering majors, then select your major by the start of Semester 3. To pursue Co-op, we recommend that you apply to the Co-op stream of the program you’re most interested in directly from high school; space can be limited.

Note: It is possible to apply for Co-op once you're a registered student. However, entrance into Co-op for in-course students is subject to your University of Guelph average and availability in the program and major.

We share planet Earth with 30 million other animal species, and virtually nothing is known about most. Zoology is the study of the structure, function and ecology of vertebrates and invertebrates.

This major provides you with a broad grounding in animal biology, with courses in physiology, ecology, evolution, and structure and function of invertebrates and vertebrates. In your third and fourth years, there are opportunities to choose elective courses that suit your areas of interest including mammalogy, ornithology and herpetology. You will also have the opportunity to complete a research or field course. Students have participated in field courses on both coasts of Canada, in Algonquin Park or the Churchill area, as well as Australia, Argentina, Iceland and Costa Rica.

Learning Outcomes
You can expect to learn how to:

• Recognize the relationships between structure and function at different levels of biological organization (e.g., molecules, cells, organs, organisms, populations, species) for the major groups of animals.
• Characterize the biological, chemical, and physical features of environments (e.g., terrestrial, freshwater, marine, host) that animals inhabit.
• Explain how animals function and interact with respect to biological, chemical, and physical processes in natural and impacted environments. Collect and assemble biological data and apply mathematical and statistical methods to the interpretation of data to address questions in zoology.
• Demonstrate an advanced understanding and appreciation of living animals and specimens in field and/or laboratory settings through “hands on” experience