Program Information

The Master of Science Environment & Geography is the appropriate science-stream graduate program option for those interested in furthering their academic training in the areas of environmental sciences, including physical geography. It is an integrative program with strong linkages between physical geography, environmental science, and many disciplines within the physical and natural sciences, including earth and agricultural sciences, chemistry, biology, physics, and applied mathematics.

Research

The major pillars of the Master of Science Environment & Geography program are:

• Climatology
• Meteorology
• Hydrology
• Geomorphology
• Oil geography
• Biogeography
• Ecology
• Toxicology
• Geomatics

Current research can be broadly divided into 5 integrated themes:

• Biogeography and Terrestrial Ecology - socio-ecology of risk, restoration ecology of prairie, riparian forest and urban habitat, population dynamics, and dispersal of invasive species.
• Environmental Chemistry and Toxicology – the chemical processes, and transport of contaminants across environmental interfaces, ecotoxicology; ecological risk assessment, and water quality.
• Atmosphere-Surface Coupling – surface climates, biogeophysics of surface heat and mass exchange, atmospheric dynamics, thermodynamics, and severe weather.
• Sea Ice and Ocean Science - sea ice geophysics, polar marine systems, trophic structure, energy and contaminant flows.
• Geomatics and Remote Sensing – closely integrated with the other five themes, this involves the development of techniques for the gathering and analysis of information.

Admission

Students with an honours degree or equivalent (including a 4-year advanced degree) in Geography (physical geography specialization) or from a program in the Earth or environmental sciences will be considered. The requirement for admission is a minimum GPA of 3.25 in the last 60CH of course work. Applicants must be accepted by an advisor prior to submitting an application to enter the program.  Please review the academic listing found at the following link and communicate directly with those whose research most closely matches that of your own interests.  The department will not consider applications that have not identified a confirmed program supervisor.

Academic Listing

Required documentation and application deadline dates

Program Requirements

Minimum program requirements of the Faculty of Graduate Studies are found in the Graduate Studies Regulations Section of the Calendar. Master of Science students are required to complete at least 12 credit hours as follows: 6 credit hours from the 7000 level, 6 credit hours of any other course at the 3000-level or higher. Students who began their program after June 2008 must present their thesis research at a seminar offered and advertised at the department level prior to their defence. Students are also encouraged to attend and present at an academic or a professional conference or seminar as approved by their Advisory Committee. In addition, a thesis is required. An oral defence of the thesis is an integral part of the Master of Science examination.

Complete supplementary regulations of the program can be found and should be consulted HERE (PDF) or on the Faculty of Graduate Studies website. It is the students' responsibility to read and follow these regulations.

Second Language Reading Requirement: none
Expected Time to Graduate: two years