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Fall 2026:
Winter 2027:
Summer 2027:
On Education Planner BC select the program "Environmental Studies - Associate of Arts Degree".
Program
Environmental Studies (Associate Degree)
Faculty
Humanities and Social Sciences
Department
Interdisciplinary HSS
Credits
60.00
Length of program
Two years
Credential type
Associate Degree
Learning format
Full-time
Part-time
Admission type
Open Enrolment - General Admission Requirements
Offered
Fall
Winter
Summer
Overview
Learn about the environment from different perspectives with an Associate of Arts Degree in Environmental Studies. You'll choose from a wide range of academic and environmental courses in anthropology, economics, geography, sociology, criminology, philosophy, history, political science, and earth and environmental science. Participate in discussions and presentations, gain valuable field experience and engage in classroom lectures to develop and enhance your critical-thinking, writing, research and presentation skills.
Get paid, full-time work experience during your studies
Gain valuable field experience and put your skills to work by joining the optional Co-operative Education Program, which alternates semesters of study with paid, full-time work in your field. You’ll earn money while gaining experience, building your resume and getting an employer reference, all before you graduate. To participate in Co-op you need to plan two semesters in advance, so we strongly recommend contacting the Co-op Office at the start of your program.
Further education
51Ç鱨վ and the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) have a Block Transfer Agreement with regards to the Associate of Arts Degree in Environmental Studies. This means that students can transfer their Associate of Arts In Environmental Studies to UFV to pursue one of the following degree options:
Please speak to your Student Success Advisor to learn more!
This environmental studies program can also lead to a degree in the environmental field. In most cases, an associate degree will allow you to enter the third year of a four-year bachelor's degree program. To make sure your courses transfer, use the as it has all the up-to-date information you'll need to plan your education.
Get math-ready before taking your stats class
Refresh your mathematics skills before taking the required statistics course for your credential. Start with MATU 0500 Set for Stats. It’s tuition-free for domestic students, offered fully online and can be completed in just six weeks. You’ll learn through a combination of lectures, demonstrations, discussions and problem solving practice. No assessment is required. Applicants must have Foundations of Math 11 or Precalculus 11 with a C or better.
Admissions Requirements
Applicants must meet the admission requirements listed below:
Cost
Calculate your tuition and see the approximate cost of taking your program at 51Ç鱨վ with the tuition and fee estimator. See costs broken down into categories including tuition fees, textbooks, student activity fees, U-Pass and more.
For more information, refer to the tuition fee charts.
Program Requirements
Curriculum framework
Graduation Requirements
- Successful completion of 60.00 University Transfer (UT) credits
- Credits must satisfy the requirements of the Associate of Arts Degree framework (see Table 1), including a minimum of 18.00 Arts credits at the 2000-level or higher taken in two or more subject areas.
- Credits must also satisfy the Thematic Emphasis framework for this credential (See Table 2).
- A minimum of 50% (30.00 credits) of all coursework must be completed at 51Ç鱨վ
- A minimum program GPA of 2.00 is required
- Time limit to complete program graduation requirements: seven (7) years. Any courses completed outside of that time limit will not be usable. Students may seek permission from the Department/Program to complete a credential outside the approved time limits.
Additional Graduation Requirements with Cooperative Education Option
- Successful completion of 9.00 additional credits through Cooperative Education (COOP 1100)
- Students completing the Cooperative Education designation will graduate with 69.00 credits
- 50% (34.50 credits) of all coursework must be completed at 51Ç鱨վ
Course Requirements
Table 1 - Associate of Arts Degree Framework (see Notes 1, 2, and 3)
|
Course Number |
Course Description |
Credits |
|
First-year English |
Three credits in ENGL at the 1000-level or higher. |
3.00 |
|
Three credits in English at the 1000-level or higher that transfer to one of the Research Universities as ENGL credit, which could include courses in CMNS, CRWR, and ENGL. |
3.00 |
|
|
Science |
Three credits in Mathematics, Computing Science, or Statistics at the 1000-level or higher, which could include courses in BUSN, CMPT, CSIS, GEOG, MATH, and PSYC. |
3.00 |
|
Three credits in a Laboratory Science at the 1000-level or higher, which could include courses in ASTR, BIOL, CHEM, EAES, GEOG, and PHYS. |
3.00 |
|
|
Three credits in Science at the 1000-level or higher, which could include courses in ASTR, BIOL, CHEM, CMPT, CSIS, EAES, GEOG, MATH, PHYS, and SPSC. |
3.00 |
|
|
Arts (See Note 4) |
Six credits in Social Sciences at the 1000-level or higher, which could include courses in ANTH, CRIM, GEOG, GSWS, INST, POLI, PSYC, SOCI, and SOSC. |
36.00 |
|
Six credits in Humanities (other than English) at the 1000-level or higher, which could include courses in CMNS, CRWR, GSWS, HIST, HUMS, MODL, MUSC, PEFA, PHIL, STGE, and THEA. |
||
|
24 credits in Arts at the 1000-level or higher, which could include courses in ANTH, CMNS, CRWR, CRIM, ECON, GEOG, GLGC, GSWS, HIST, HUMS, INST, LING, MATH, MODL, MUSC, PEFA, PHIL, POLI, PSYC, SOCI, SOSC, STGE, and THEA. |
||
|
Electives |
Nine credits in Arts, Science, or other subject areas at the 1000-level or higher. |
9.00 |
|
Total Credits |
60.00 |
|
Table 2 - Thematic Emphasis: Environmental Studies (see Note 1)
All 24.00 credits required for Thematic Emphasis may be used to satisfy requirements in the Associate of Arts Degree framework (See Note 2).
|
Course Number |
Course Description |
Credits |
|
Choose four courses from the following options: |
||
|
Ecology and Culture |
3.00 |
|
|
ECON 2460 (see Note 5) |
Environmental Economics |
3.00 |
|
Introduction to Earth Sciences |
3.00 |
|
|
Weather and Climate |
3.00 |
|
|
Introduction to Earth Sciences |
3.00 |
|
|
Human Impact on the Environment |
3.00 |
|
|
GEOG 2311 (see Note 5) |
Urban Environmental Sustainability |
3.00 |
|
PHIL 2123 (see Note 5) |
Environmental Ethics |
3.00 |
|
SOCI 2270 (see Note 5) |
Society and the Environment |
3.00 |
|
GEOG 2333 (see Note 5) |
Climate Action |
3.00 |
|
Choose four courses from the following options: |
||
|
Anthropology in Developing Countries |
3.00 |
|
|
CRIM 3320 (see Note 5) |
Environmental Criminology and Law |
3.00 |
|
Introduction to Human Geography |
3.00 |
|
|
Environment and Media |
3.00 |
|
|
The Geography of British Columbia |
3.00 |
|
|
The Geography of Canada |
3.00 |
|
|
Selected Regions |
3.00 |
|
|
GEOG 2210 (see Note 5) |
Atmospheric Environments: Climatology |
3.00 |
|
GEOG 2213 (see Note 5) |
Social Geography |
3.00 |
|
GEOG 2220 (see Note 5) |
Geomorphology |
3.00 |
|
GEOG 2230 (see Note 5) |
The Geography of Biodiversity |
3.00 |
|
GEOG 2270 (see Note 5) |
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) |
3.00 |
|
World History Since 1945 |
3.00 |
|
|
Environmental History |
3.00 |
|
|
Frontiers of Thought |
3.00 |
|
|
Perspectives on the Environment Creating a Sustainable Society |
3.00 |
|
|
Introduction to World Politics |
3.00 |
|
|
POLI 2203 (see Note 5) |
Current International Issues |
3.00 |
|
Principles of Biology: The Biosphere |
3.00 |
|
|
Principles of Biology: The Organism |
3.00 |
|
|
BIOL 2300 (see Note 5) |
Marine Biology |
3.00 |
|
BIOL 3305 (see Note 5) |
Ecology |
3.00 |
|
BIOL 3500 (see Note 5) |
Plant Biology |
3.00 |
|
BIOL 3700 (see Note 5) |
Evolution |
3.00 |
|
CHEM 2303 (see Note 5) |
Environmental Chemistry |
3.00 |
|
History of the Earth |
3.00 |
|
|
Global Environmental Change |
3.00 |
|
|
Introduction to Environmental Science |
3.00 |
|
|
Ocean and the Environment |
3.00 |
|
|
Resources from the Earth |
3.00 |
|
|
EAES 2340 (see Note 5) |
Sedimentology and Stratigraphy |
3.00 |
|
EAES 2537 (see Note 5) |
Environmental Science Project |
3.00 |
|
EAES 2605 (see Note 5) |
Environmental Geology |
3.00 |
Cooperative Education Designation
|
Course Number |
Course Description |
Credits |
|
(see Note 6) |
Cooperative Education |
9.00 |
|
Total Credits with Cooperative Education Designation |
69.00 |
|
Notes:
2. While example course areas have been provided in Table 1, the definitions below clarify expectations for each category. As the course transfer information changes, it is important that students work with Advising Services and reference the BC Transfer Guide information regarding course transferability and the Associate of Arts. Doing so will: (a) ensure they meet the program requirements and (b) maximize the credits that transfer to their desired program at the receiving institutions.
- First-year English – English can include courses in written Communications (CMNS), Creative Writing (CRWR), and English (ENGL) that transfer to one of the Research Universities as assigned or unassigned 100-level or higher English credits. A minimum of 3.00 credits must be from an English (ENGL) course.
- Science: Mathematics, Statistics, or Computing Science – Mathematics, Statistics, or Computing Science can include 1000-level or higher courses that transfer to one of the Research Universities as assigned or unassigned credits in Mathematics, Statistics, Computing Science. Quantitative courses from other subject areas such as Business (e.g. BUSN 2429, BUSN 3431), Psychology (PSYC 2300), or Geography (GEOG 2251) might also satisfy this requirement.
- Science: Laboratory Science – A laboratory science course is one in which a substantial component of student instruction involves the study of natural phenomena, either in the laboratory or in the field. At 51Ç鱨վ, this includes designated courses within subject codes: ASTR, BIOL, CHEM, EAES, GEOG, and PHYS.
- Science - Science courses must be in a subject area for which there is a Baccalaureate of Science degree or Baccalaureate of Applied Science degree at one of the Research Universities. This can include most course subject areas offered by the Faculty of Science and Technology, as well as some CSIS and GEOG courses.
- Arts - Arts courses must be in a subject area for which there is a Baccalaureate of Arts degree at one of the Research Universities. This can include most course subject areas offered by the Faculty of Languages, Literature, and Performing Arts and the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, as well as ECON and some MATH courses.
- Arts: Social Sciences - Courses in Social Sciences normally refer to those taken in disciplines such as Anthropology, Criminology, Economics, Human Geography (courses in Physical Geography are often classified as a Science), International Studies, Political Science, Psychology, Social Sciences and Sociology. Courses in Gender, Sexualities, and Women’s Studies may be classified as either Social Science or Humanities.
- Arts: Humanities - Courses in Humanities normally refer to those taken in disciplines such as History, Humanities, Modern Languages, Music, Performing & Fine Arts, Philosophy, Stagecraft & Event Tech and Theatre. Courses in disciplines such as Women’s Studies may be classified as either Social Science or Humanities. For purposes of the Associate of Arts degree, English courses cannot be counted as Humanities courses.
- Electives – An elective course is any UT course in a subject area for which there is a Baccalaureate Degree in Arts, Science, or Applied Science at one of the Research Universities. It can be a UT Arts course, a UT Science course, or a UT course in another area.
3. No course may be used to meet more than one of the specific requirements in the Associate of Arts Degree framework.
4. A second-year course is one that transfers to one of the Research Universities as assigned or unassigned credits at 200-level or higher.
5. Course may have prerequisites. Please check the Program and Course Catalogue.
6. Students in this program have the option to participate in Cooperative Education, COOP 1100. Each Co-Op work term is a minimum of 420 hours of work and must be taken through 51Ç鱨վ’s Co-Op program. The timing of the work terms is restricted to the following:
- Can be undertaken only after completion of a minimum of two semesters, 18.00 credits.
- Cannot be taken in the last semester of the program.
Program Guidelines
Program Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this program and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the program, consider the previous version as the applicable version.
Career Pathways
With further education, this credential is a first step towards the following careers:
- Park planner
- Environmental consultant
- Environmental impact assessment
- Policy analyst
- Land use planner
- Community engagement
- Climate change analyst
- Recycling program officer
- Sustainability program officer
- Urban Planner
- Land claims officer
- GIS mapping technician