UCalgary offers one of country's first embedded sustainability programs

Undergraduate students can now register for the University of Calgary's new Certificate in Sustainability Studies — the first program of its kind at the university and one of few comparable sustainability education programs in Canada.

Students from most disciplines can integrate the certificate into their existing program of study at no extra cost. They complete four required core courses and choose six units from more than 220 sustainability-related courses currently offered at the undergraduate level across over 45 disciplines on campus.

The university began unveiling the program last fall with UNIV 207: Exploring Sustainability; the first required core course of the program (now SUST 201: Exploring Sustainability). Students completed class projects where they worked with community to solve real-world problems.

“It gives you the opportunity to get hands-on, experiential learning, it’s not just theoretical,” says Maria Granados, a fourth-year geography student who will be one of the first graduates of the program next year. In her project, she and her classmates participated in the Vivacity 24 Hour Challenge and worked with students from other post-secondary institutions to re-imagine sustainable uses for vacant office spaces downtown.

Calvin Ng’s class project delved into energy systems and the transition to renewables. “I’m always interested in more projects with solar and wind energy in Alberta, and during this course I was able to learn more about it,” says the fourth-year business student in energy management. “I think it’s going to help me go forth and look toward more community-oriented projects and companies.”

The second core course, UNIV 401.30: Sustainability Research I (now SUST 401: Sustainability Research Methods), was launched this past winter semester and the next two required core courses are being launched in Fall 2017 and Winter 2018. Taking the certificate ensures students work with interdisciplinary problems and modes of thinking both in theory and practice. When they graduate, they will be equipped to understand real-world problems and define solutions.

“The program emphasizes sustainability, interdisciplinary teaching and applied research, and finding solutions to a growing list of local, national and international issues,” says Dru Marshall, provost and vice-president (academic). “The focused concentration on sustainability in this certificate program will allow students to graduate with the knowledge and skills needed to become sustainability leaders in their careers and communities.”

The University of Calgary committed to offering an embedded Certificate in Sustainability Studies as part of the Institutional Sustainability Strategy launched in February 2016. Students who are interested should speak to their faculty or program advisor or visit UCalgary’s sustainability website to learn more.

“I think it’s awesome that the certificate can be embedded into your existing degree so you don’t have to go out of your way to do anything, just take the four main courses,” says Granados. “I was looking at different universities that offered sustainability programs but I am really excited that I didn’t have to move and I get to do what I want in my city.”