DEPARTMENT of PHYSICAL SCIENCES
Environmental Sciences Minor
You’re curious about how the natural world connects to everything around you—from ecosystems and climate to human societies and industries. An Environmental Sciences minor lets you explore these connections, adding depth to whatever major you choose.
Whether you’re studying human cultures in anthropology, the complexity of life in biological sciences, chemical interactions in chemistry or the forces shaping our planet in geoscience, this minor gives you an interdisciplinary edge. Faced with global challenges like climate change, sustainability and conservation, an understanding of environmental science is more important than ever. This minor equips you with the knowledge and skills to make a real impact—no matter where your career takes you.
Why take this minor?
In this minor, you develop practical skills for careers in the environmental sciences. Using appropriate tools and techniques, including geographic information systems (GIS), you gather and analyze environmental data in the field and the laboratory. You uncover ways for returning ecosystems to a place of balance, reversing the damage that humans have done to the natural world and preventing future destruction.
What to expect
Using an analytical approach, you learn about environmental systems and the impact that humans have on the natural world. You also learn to critically evaluate environmental science publications and data.
You begin with foundational courses that teach you about geographic information systems, the foundations of environmental science and principles of ecology. Then you choose from a selection of environmental science courses that cover topics such as aquatic ecosystems, ecology, environmental chemistry and geosciences.
Gain experience in the field and the lab
Many of the courses in this minor provide experiential learning opportunities, including the possibility of receiving university credit for work you do in an environmental science position.
Job-ready skills
Your environmental sciences minor prepares you to effectively communicate environmental sciences concepts to a variety of audiences, including Indigenous communities, regulators and stakeholders. No matter where your career in science takes you, your employer will value your ability to integrate knowledge from multiple disciplines.
- Think analytically
- Collect and anyalze data
- Use appropriate tools and techniques, including geographic information systems
- Introduce ethical and environmentally responsible practices into the workplace
- Collaborate effectively in team and group situations
The Alberta Learning Information Service (ALIS) has detailed occupational profiles, salary survey data, trend reports and assessment tools to help you choose and plan a career that matches your skills and interests.
Academic advisors in the Faculty of Arts and Science have prepared resources to help you understand how your major/minor fits within overall degree coursework. Consult the academic planning information to choose and enrol in courses and complete the major/minor declaration process.