Master’s of
ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE “Moving towards a truly sustainable future requires leaders who have an understanding of the current barriers, and how they might be overcome. This requires understanding the scientific, economic, legal and political dimensions of sustainability – understanding that the MES program is specifically designed to deliver.”
SCOTT FINDLAY, PHD Associate Director (Graduate Studies) Institute of the Environment
One of the things that has repeatedly struck me
communities, to a better future. The program’s
in my work on environmental sustainability is how
unique curriculum gives students a common
interwoven the issues are. Climate change is as much
foundation in key environmental concepts from
about energy and the global economy as it is about
several disciplines, teaches methodologies specific
poverty and water. Biodiversity is not only about the
to environmental decision-making and creates
richness of life, but is also the foundation of human
opportunities for students to apply these skills to real
society. Similarly, policies are interconnected — how
problems both in and out of the classroom. Students
we manage agricultural, economic and social policy,
gain professional skills that are usually learned on the
for instance, has vast implications for environmental
job, such as oral communication, team leadership,
sustainability, and vice versa. Although we have
project management and negotiation. It is a rigorous,
long recognized these inter-relationships, we
cutting-edge program meant for students who are
have struggled as a society to adopt policies that
serious about wanting to help create the public policy
effectively address environmental challenges. We
and actions that will lead society to change.
must transform our economy to reflect these realities and align price signals with social and environmental values. This new graduate program is designed to do just that — train professionals to have the skills needed to transition us to a new economy, to sustainable
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If you are someone who is passionate about environmental issues, wants a meaningful career and is not afraid of hard work, I invite you to apply to be part of this ground-breaking initiative. – Nathalie Chalifour, PhD, Founding Director
ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS AND APPLICATION INFORMATION: WWW.UOTTAWA.CA/ENVIRONMENT/GRAD-PROGRAMS
IS THIS PROGRAM FOR YOU? Are you passionate about the environment and do you want to direct that energy into your work? Are you interested in influencing change, either through public policy, greening business or hands-on action, leading to a more sustainable future? Are you a creative thinker who enjoys exploring unconventional perspectives when seeking out solutions? Are you a recent graduate who is searching for a meaningful career that aligns with your values? Are you working in government, the private sector or civil society and wish to deepen your capacity for integrated problem-solving?
If you are seeking a career that makes a difference in the community, the Master’s of Environmental Sustainability may be right for you.
DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS? WOULD YOU LIKE TO PLAN A VISIT TO THE CAMPUS TO LEARN MORE? Please contact the Academic Coordinator: Telephone: (613) 562-5895 Email: envirograd@uOttawa.ca
WE LOOK FORWARD TO SPEAKING WITH YOU!
ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS AND APPLICATION INFORMATION: WWW.UOTTAWA.CA/ENVIRONMENT/GRAD-PROGRAMS
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PRAGMATIC. RIGOROUS. REAL. Environmental challenges are multi-faceted — they do not fit within one particular discipline, nor do they get resolved by policies that ignore the scientific, economic or political realities that created them in the first place. To be effective, solutions must be developed using integrated, systems-based thinking and by professionals with the pragmatic skills to translate those ideas into tangible action. This interdisciplinary master’s program will prepare graduates to navigate key environmental sustainability issues using a real-world approach to education, bringing practice into the classroom and learning into the community. The program is designed to address a growing need in the marketplace for sustainability professionals who can influence decision-making through deep understanding of the problems and the interconnected processes through which they persist.
LEARN AND SOLVE PROBLEMS IN A BROADER
PEER LEARNING IN A COHORT: Attend courses
CONTEXT: Deconstruct the scientific, economic,
exclusive to the program as one cohort; having
legal and political elements of environmental issues
different disciplinary backgrounds in the classroom
and apply evidence-based techniques to finding
simulates the kind of interactions encountered in
effective policy solutions.
sustainability careers.
REAL-WORLD EXPERIENCE: Combine course work,
DEVELOPMENT FOR ANY STAGE OF YOUR
research and practical experience, working with
CAREER: The program is suitable for recent
external partners through a capstone course.
graduates as well as mid-career professionals who
PROFESSIONAL SKILLS: From engaging with the
meet the competitive admission requirements.
media to preparing policy briefs, learn professional
BRINGING MEANING TO YOUR WORK: Train for a
skills needed in a sustainability career.
career that aligns with your values, providing you the
PRIME LOCATION: Located in the nation’s capital, the University of Ottawa is steps away from where
tools needed to channel your energy into becoming an agent of change in society.
the country’s environmental policy is made and where many NGO’s, think-tanks and industry associations are headquartered.
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ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS AND APPLICATION INFORMATION: WWW.UOTTAWA.CA/ENVIRONMENT/GRAD-PROGRAMS
REAL, MARKETABLE SKILLS UPON GRADUATION The Master’s of Environmental Sustainability prepares graduates for a variety of careers through which one can influence environmental policy and practice, and to do work that reflects their passions. Students of the program will graduate with professional skills that are in high demand for careers in environmental sustainability. Students will learn to:
DECONSTRUCT ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY CHALLENGES with an understanding of their scientific, economic, and political underpinnings. CRITICALLY EVALUATE AND INTEGRATE KNOWLEDGE from key disciplines in environmental sustainability. DEVELOP EFFECTIVE EVIDENCE-BASED POLICY SOLUTIONS AND STRATEGIES for adoption in a given socio-economic and political context. PERFORM CRITICAL EVALUATION of sustainability policies, reports and regulations. DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT sustainability plans and strategies. COLLABORATE WITH DIVERSE STAKEHOLDERS in the context of environmental decision-making and creative problem-solving. COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY about environmental sustainability issues in diverse settings. TRANSLATE AN ETHIC OF INTEGRITY, entrepreneurialism, efficiency and justice into environmental solution-building.
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ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS AND APPLICATION INFORMATION: WWW.UOTTAWA.CA/ENVIRONMENT/GRAD-PROGRAMS
CAREERS THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE POLICY ADVISOR
RESEARCHER
to a Minister
for a sustainability think tank
SUSTAINABILITY MANAGER for an industry association
SENIOR POLICY ANALYST for government
LEADER of a sustainable community initiative
ENTREPRENEUR for an environmentally progressive company
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR of a non-governmental organization Energy Efficiency
OFFICER
BE A CATALYST FOR CHANGE
INSTITUTE OF THE ENVIRONMENT The Institute of the Environment (IE) is the University’s hub of research, teaching and activities relating to environmental sustainability. The IE supports students’ learning and success by: DEVELOPING AND HOSTING WORKSHOPS,
TAPPING INTO EXPERTS AND DECISION-MAKERS
conferences and lectures as well as offering career
FROM GOVERNMENT, INDUSTRY, AND NGOs
development resources.
in the national capital region, across Canada and
CREATING OPPORTUNITIES for students to engage
internationally.
with professors and fellow students from a range of
OFFERING A GATEWAY to academic, student and
faculties in a bilingual milieu.
community-based environmental sustainability initiatives.
SUSTAINABLE PROSPERITY — CANADA’S GREEN ECONOMY THINK-TANK LOCATED AT THE INSTITUTE OF THE ENVIRONMENT. Made up of business, environment, policy and academic leaders, Sustainable Prosperity (SP) is a national initiative that harnesses leading-edge thinking to advance innovation in policy and markets, in the pursuit of a greener, more competitive Canadian economy. SP actively helps broker real-world solutions by bringing public and private sector decision-makers to the table with expert researchers to both design and apply innovative policies and programs.
ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS AND APPLICATION INFORMATION: WWW.UOTTAWA.CA/ENVIRONMENT/GRAD-PROGRAMS
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PROGRAM STRUCTURE Students may choose between two options: CAPSTONE PROJECT with research paper (1 year) or THESIS PROJECT (2 years). The program begins in September for all students. Students may study part-time after one full-time term.
BUILD FOUNDATIONS Take courses in science, economics, law and policy. The courses are coordinated to foster a deep understanding of the connections and tensions between the disciplines, and the particular vocabulary, methods and perspectives inherent within each.
INTEGRATE Learn methodologies to critically evaluate the scientific, economic, legal and political underpinnings of environmental problems and inform decisionmaking based on evidence from multiple fields.
APPLY Using a current topic like climate change, learn to synthesize information about the problem from multiple disciplines, and using the robust methodologies taught, develop creative, rigorous and effective solutions for change. Students in the research paper option conduct their research as part of the capstone course, in which students work on a current sustainability issue in partnership with a public or private sector or local community group.
Thesis students pursue in-depth research in partnership with a committee of faculty members engaged in diverse sustainability projects.
To view the courses that are part of this program, please visit
www.uottawa.ca/environment/grad-programs *Currently, compulsory courses for the program are offered in English. In the future, they will also be offered in French. In accordance with the regulations of the University of Ottawa, examinations, assignments, and the research paper or thesis may be written in the official language of the student’s choice (either English or French).
BE PART OF THE ACTION Learn from and work alongside leaders in environmental sustainability inside and outside the university community. Below are only three examples of the many areas of research underway at uOttawa.
THE TRANSITION TO A SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY
ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE
TOXICS, SCIENCE AND LAW
From carbon taxes to feed-in
How Canada and the rest of the
When deformed frogs and
tariffs, economic instruments
world choose to produce and
changing birth ratios call into
are part of the policy toolkit for
consume energy in the future will
question the regulatory framework
progress on many sustainability
have profound implications for
for the management of toxic
problems. Students in our program
everyone. Students in this program
substances in Canada, how do
can engage with Sustainable
can join faculty and students from
science and law interact to identify
Prosperity, a green economy
across campus working in labs,
effective solutions? Students can
think-tank based at the Institute
in classrooms and with partners
participate in the development
of the Environment that is leading
in the public and private sector
and evaluation of innovative
the charge on helping Canada
on finding sustainable and ethical
approaches to bring science into
transition to a more sustainable
ways to power the future in the
the courtroom, and community
economy.
context of a changing global
issues into political discussions.
climate.
ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS AND APPLICATION INFORMATION: WWW.UOTTAWA.CA/ENVIRONMENT/GRAD-PROGRAMS
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SOME OF OUR PROFESSORS “Building an environmentally sustainable economy is probably the greatest challenge of our time. The problems are complex, and solving them requires multi-dimensional skills.” STEWART ELGIE, PhD Associate Professor, Faculty of Law Director, Institute of the Environment Chair, Sustainable Prosperity
“All the important problems of today are, by definition, complex. Finding and implementing effective solutions demands that decision-makers not only appreciate this complexity but have the skills, knowledge and attitudes required to exploit it.” C. SCOTT FINDLAY, PhD Associate Professor, Department of Biology Faculty of Science Chair in University Teaching
“The demand for people who can bridge the gap among the social and biological sciences will continue to grow in the field of sustainability.” DAVID RUNNALLS Visiting Professor, Institute of the Environment Senior Fellow, Sustainable Prosperity Past President, International Institute of Sustainable Development
“Graduates of this program will be trained to better integrate scientific knowledge and environmental policy — a skill increasingly in demand in the workforce.” DANIELLE FORTIN, PhD Professor, Department of Earth Sciences Faculty of Science
“In the past we concerned ourselves with localized environmental problems that could be solved through local resources. Today, we are dealing with environmental problems that are global in scope and political in nature.” JACKIE DAWSON, PhD Assistant Professor, Department of Geography Canada Research Chair in Environment, Society & Policy
“The challenges raised by sustainability require us to organise our study and research around the problems we face as we try to decarbonise the economy, deal with water scarcity and pollution, or address the crisis of biodiversity, rather than around the disciplines that structure academic life.” MATTHEW PATERSON, PhD Professor, School of Political Studies Faculty of Social Sciences
“Modern economics provides the toolkit for understanding how the natural environment and the human economy interact and co-evolve, and as such is essential in environmental policy design and operation.” ANTHONY HEYES, PhD Professor, Department of Economics Canada Research Chair in Environmental Economics
“Today, ensuring the protection of the natural environment, whether it’s protecting biodiversity, limiting pollutants or dealing with climate change, is not just a scientific challenge: it’s also a tremendous social, economic and political challenge.” LUC JUILLET, PhD Associate Professor, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs Faculty of Social Sciences
“The arguments for and against environmental policies are often presented in extremist formats. The truth is much more nuanced, and involves far less doom and gloom.” NIC RIVERS, PhD Assistant Professor, Department of Economics Canada Research Chair in Climate and Energy Policy
Front and Back Cover Photo Credit: Jeffrey Meyer Photography.ca
INSTITUTE OF THE ENVIRONMENT www.uottawa.ca/environment/grad-programs University of Ottawa 1 Stewart Street Ottawa, Ontario  K1N 6N5 (613) 562-5895 envirograd@uOttawa.ca