This program is open only to students in the B.Sc. Major Environment.
The resources necessary for human society are extracted from the earth, used as raw materials in our factories and refineries, and then returned to the earth as waste. Geological processes produce the resources humans depend on, and they also determine the fate of wastes in the environment. Understanding Earth's geologic processes provides us with the knowledge to mitigate many of our society's environmental impacts due to resource extraction and waste disposal. Additionally, economics frequently affects what energy sources power our society and how our wastes are treated. Earth sciences and economics are essential for our understanding of the many mechanisms, both physical and social, that affect Earth's environment.
This Concentration includes the fundamentals of each discipline. Students learn of minerals, rocks, soils and waters and how these materials interact with each other and with the atmosphere. Fundamental economic theory and the economic effects of public policy toward resource industries, methods of waste disposal, and the potential effects of global warming on the global economy are also explored.
See also Information for Students for details concerning:
- Suggested First Year Courses
- Taking courses on the Macdonald campus
- ENVR course sections - beware!
Program Requirements
NOTE: Students are required to take a maximum of 34 credits at the 200 level and a minimum of 15 credits at the 400 level or higher in this program. This includes Core and Required courses.
Core: Required Courses (18 credits)
ENVR 200. The Global Environment.
ENVR 201. Society, Environment and Sustainability.
ENVR 202. The Evolving Earth.
ENVR 203. Knowledge, Ethics and Environment.
ENVR 301. Environmental Research Design.
ENVR 400. Environmental Thought.
Core: Complementary Course — Senior Research Project
(3 credits*)
ENVR 401. Environmental Research.
ENVR 451. Research in Panama.(in Panama)
FSCI 444. Barbados Research Project.(in Barbados)
* Only 3 credits will be applied to the program; extra credits will count as electives.
Domain Required courses (21 credits)
ECON 230D1. Microeconomic Theory.
ECON 230D2. Microeconomic Theory.
ECON 405. Natural Resource Economics.
EPSC 210. Introductory Mineralogy.
EPSC 212. Introductory Petrology.
EPSC 220. Principles of Geochemistry.
EPSC 240. Geology in the Field.
Domain Complementary courses (24 credits)
3 credits in statistics
AEMA 310. Statistical Methods 1.(M)
or GEOG 202. Statistics and Spatial Analysis.
or MATH 203. Principles of Statistics 1.
or equivalent
12 credits from Economic Resources:
AGEC 333. Resource Economics. (M)
ECON 209. Macroeconomic Analysis and Applications.
ECON 305. Industrial Organization. (not offered 2024-2025)
ECON 313. Economic Development 1.
ECON 314. Economic Development 2.
ECON 326. Ecological Economics.
ECON 347. Economics of Climate Change.
ECON 408. Public Sector Economics 1.
ECON 409. Public Sector Economics 2.
ECON 416. Topics in Economic Development 2.
ECON 511. Energy, Economy and Environment. (not offered 2025-2026)
ECON 525. Project Analysis. (not offered)
ENVB 437. Assessing Environmental Impact. (M)
ENVR 422. Montreal Urban Sustainability Analysis. (offered alternate years, in May term)
9 credits from Natural Resources:
*Note: ANTH 451 or GEOG 451 can be taken but not both; BIOL 451 or NRSC 451 can be taken but not both; ENVB 529 or GEOG 201 can be taken but not both.
AGRI 550. Sustained Tropical Agriculture. (M) (offered alternate years; in Panama)
ANTH 451. Research in Society and Development in Africa.* (in Africa)
BIOL 343. Biodiversity in the Caribean. (in Barbados)
BIOL 451. Research in Ecology and Development in Africa.* (in Africa)
BIOL 553. Neotropical Environments. (in Panama)
ENVB 500. Advanced Topics in Ecotoxicology. (M) (offered Fall 2025 and alternate years)
ENVB 529. GIS for Natural Resource Management.*(M)
ENVR 421. Montreal: Environmental History and Sustainability. (offered alternate years, in May term)
EPSC 331. Field School 2.
EPSC 341. Field School 3.
EPSC 355. Sedimentary Geology. (offered Winter 2025 and alternate years)
EPSC 425. Sediments to Sequences. (offered winter 2024 and alternate years)
EPSC 435. Applied Geophysics. (not offered)
EPSC 452. Mineral Deposits. (offered fall 2024 and alternate years)
EPSC 519. Isotopes in Earth and Environmental Science. (offered fall 2023 and alternate years)
EPSC 549. Hydrogeology.
EPSC 590. Applied Geochemistry Seminar. (offered winter 2025 and alternate years)
GEOG 201. Introductory Geo-Information Science.*
GEOG 302. Environmental Management 1.
GEOG 305. Soils and Environment.
GEOG 322. Environmental Hydrology.
GEOG 451. Research in Society and Development in Africa.* (in Africa)
MIME 320. Extraction of Energy Resources.
NRSC 451. Research in Ecology and Development in Africa.* (in Africa)
SOIL 300. Geosystems. (M) (no longer offered)
SOIL 315. Soil Nutrient Management. (M)
SOIL 535. Soil Ecology. (M)