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Post Secondary Environmental Education in British Columbia, Canada

Introduction

In North America, post secondary education refers to community college or university education undertaken after graduation from high school (secondary education).

Environmental education, unlike disciplines such as chemistry or English literature, defies a simple definition. This isn’t surprising, given the complexity of defining the environment. Further complicating the definition of environmental education, post secondary institutions, either universities or community colleges, offering environmental education programs frequently describe their offerings as multi-disciplinary.

Aspects of what are now considered environmental careers were previously classified within other disciplines. For example water and wastewater treatment and solid waste management were historically applications of civil engineering. Similarly, air pollution control was an application of mechanical and chemical engineering while ecology, geography and land use planning remain as separate disciplines and are integral to environmental education.

The mix of multi-disciplinary studies for environmental education programs varies from institution to institution reflecting unique program objectives and philosophies. Typically, environmental education programs include combinations of courses in physical and natural sciences as well as in the humanities.

A common criticism of academic disciplines is the reductionist approach or dissection of the whole into separate topics resulting in losing sight of the bigger picture. To counter this, post secondary environmental education programs offer courses which attempt to integrate knowledge from various disciplines into a more holistic perspective.

Students are actively encouraged to view disciplines from multiple perspectives and to attempt to understand issues from unfamiliar or opposing viewpoints. Non-traditional teaching methods such as seminars, group projects and discussion circles are employed to achieve a holistic view.

Post secondary environmental education programs examine the structures and functions of nature, relationships between the biotic and abiotic and the factors, both natural and anthropogenic, that cause nature to evolve. Moreover, post secondary environmental education is not solely the study of nature and its dynamics in isolation from humanity, but of how nature shapes human culture and civilization.

This relationship between humanity and the environment is a major theme in environmental education. It leads to two contrasting world views: either an anthropocentric or ecocentric position. An anthropocentric worldview places humanity at the centre of the universe and assumes nature exists exclusively for the service of humankind. At the other extreme, an ecocentric worldview assumes humanity to be entirely dependent for its survival and prosperity on a healthy environment.

Given the relationship between humanity and the environment regardless of worldview, an objective of environmental education is to develop and implement rational public policies and practices that support the betterment of humankind through environmental planning, environmental protection, environmental justice and environmental sustainability.

Environmental education programs may be offered as Certificates, Advanced Certificates, Diplomas in Environmental Technology, Associate Degrees in either Arts or Sciences, Applied Degrees offered by colleges, Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies, Bachelor of Environmental Science or Bachelor of Applied Science Environmental Engineering programs and post-graduate programs.

In Canada, certificates are one year or less in duration while technology diploma programs are two or three years in duration. Both certificates and technology diplomas are delivered at community colleges while bachelor degrees are four years in length and offered at universities. Associate Degrees of Arts or Sciences are the first two years of a degree program. They are most often delivered at community colleges and created to articulate into the third year of specific university degree or degree completion program. Advanced certificates are specialized programs of one year or less in duration that require for admission the completion of either a technology diploma or partial or full completion of a degree program. Advanced certificates may be offered by either community colleges or universities.

Post Secondary Environmental Education Programs in British Columbia, Canada

In this article, discussion of post secondary environmental education programs in BC, Canada is restricted to colleges and universities that meet the BC Ministry of Advanced Education EQA (Education Quality Assurance) designation and that offer environmental education programs that satisfy the Ministry’s program review and approval processes.

Table 1 summarizes the types of post secondary environmental education programs offered in British Columbia, Canada as well as program durations and entrance requirements. The information is generalized. For greater detail such as which high school or secondary courses are required and minimum grades, consult specific institutions.

Program Type	Duration (years)	Entrance Requirement'
certificate	one year or less	high school graduation
technology diploma	two years	high school graduation
advanced certificate	one year or less	technology diploma or partial or full degree completion
associate degree	two years	high school graduation
undergraduate degree	three or four years	high school graduation
applied degree from colleges	four years	high school graduation
degree completion program	two years	technology diploma or two years of a degree program
graduate degree	variable (one or more years)	undergraduate degree

Environmental Articulation

Within the Canadian post secondary education, British Columbia possesses one of the most well-established articulation systems facilitated by the British Columbia Council on Articulation and Transfer ( BCCAT). Many, but not all post-secondary education institutions in BC offering environmental education programs employ articulation agreements to the advantage of their students.

Articulation refers to agreements negotiated in advance between two or more post secondary institutions. Specifically, articulation agreements address the recognition of either individual courses (course by course transfer) or groups of courses (block transfer) delivered by one institution and recognized for full credit including the assigned grade by a second institution.

For example, a student at Selkirk College can complete Calculus 100, receive a B+ grade and have that course and grade transferred to the University of British Columbia where it will be credited towards a degree program requiring Calculus 100 or equivalent course. BCCAT facilitates course by course articulation agreements and maintains an online list of equivalent courses negotiated by post secondary institutions. Course by course articulation agreements are negotiated in advance, equivalent courses are posted online so transferring students can transfer from institution to institution and program to program with ease.

Beyond course by course articulation, there are block transfer agreements whereby a group of courses completed at one institution is accepted as being equivalent at a receiving institution even if the specific mix of courses differs between the institutions.

For example, a student may complete an environmental technology diploma at Camosun College and transfer to the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) where the environmental technology diploma is accepted as equivalent to the first two years of a degree in environmental studies. The difference with a course by course articulation agreement is that the courses studied at Camosun College may not be the same courses required by students completing the first two years of a degree in environmental studies at the UNBC. Yet Camosun College and UNBC have agreed the Camosun courses are equivalent and Camosun graduates are admitted into the third year of the UNBC Environmental Studies program.

Finally, there are degree completion programs. As an example, the British Columbia Institute of Technology ( BCIT) offers the third and fourth year of its Bachelor of Technology degree in Environmental Engineering program. All students must complete an environmental technology diploma program at BCIT or other institution or an associate degree in science program as the admission requirement for entrance into the third year of the BCIT Bachelor of Technology in Environmental Engineering program.

A major advantage to block transfer articulation is that a student may complete a two year technology diploma program as an incremental step towards completing a degree.

As one example of this advantage, a student may complete a two year technology diploma program at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, obtain a position as an environmental technologist, work for two years and gain environmental work experience, then transfer to a university where two years of credit is conferred for the technology diploma and finally complete a degree in an additional two years.

Another example to illustrate the benefit of articulation, if a student completes a two year technology diploma, then chooses to complete two additional years of a degree program and elects to withdraw after the third year, the student still has the technology diploma. In contrast, if a student begins in a four year degree program and then withdraws after completing only three years, they receive no credential for their three years of effort.

A third example illustrates the potential cost savings created by articulation agreements. Typically, tuition costs less at a community college than at a university so the total tuition paid to complete a degree is less if the first two years are completed as a technology diploma. This cost advantage may be further enhanced if the student is able to live at home or in lower cost accommodation while attending the community college for two years rather than attending a university at a greater distance from home or in a more expensive community for four years.

A drawback to articulation is that not all post secondary environmental education programs are fully or even partially articulated. In this case, students will not be able to realize the advantages of articulation.

For example, some university environmental education programs require that students complete all courses at their institution or require a review of previously acquired courses for transfer and credit on an applicant by applicant basis. This complex application process can inhibit or even block student access to environmental education programs at such institutions.

The opportunity to articulate and the differences in articulation agreements between post secondary institutions and their programs reinforces the need for students to plan an educational pathway to achieve their objective early in their post secondary education career.

List of Community Colleges and Universities in British Columbia, Canada offering Post Secondary Environmental Education programs

The following table lists community colleges and universities in British Columbia, Canada offering post secondary environmental education programs. For specific program information including articulation details, contact the specific institution or visit their program web site.

Item	Institution	Program	Program type	Duration
1	BCIT	Environmental Engineering	BTech degree completion	2 years
2	BCIT	Public Health, Environmental Inspection	BTech degree completion	2 years
3	Camosun College	Environmental Technology Diploma	diploma	32 months
4	College of the New Caledonia	Natural Resources and Environment Technology	diploma	2 years
5	College of the Rockies	Environmental Studies Certificate	certificate	1 years
6	College of the Rockies	Environmental Science Diploma	diploma	2 years
7	College of the Rockies	Associate of Science - Environmental Sciences	associate degree	2 years
8	Douglas College	Environmental Science	associate degree	2 years
9	Douglas College	Environmental Studies	associate degree	2 years
10	Kwantlen Polytechic University	Environmental Protection Diploma	diploma	2 years
11	Langara College	Environmental Studies	associate degree	2 years
12	North Island College	Associate of Arts	associate degree	2 years
13	North Island College	Associate of Science	associate degree	2 years
14	Northern Lights College	Environmental Practice	certificate	10 months
15	Northwest Community College	Applied Coastal Ecology (ACE)	certificate	1 year
16	Northwest Community College	Applied Coastal Ecology (ACE)	diploma	2 years
17	Okanagan College	Water Engineering Technology	diploma	2 years + 4 months
18	Royal Roads University	Environmental Science	BSc Env degree completion	12 consecutive months equivalent to two years
19	Royal Roads University	Environmental Management	BSc Environmental Management	two years part-time
20	Royal Roads University	Environmental Practice	BAEP/BScEP	online part-time
21	Royal Roads University	Environmental Management	Master of Science	two years part-time
22	Royal Roads University	Environmental Practice	Master of Arts or of Science	online part-time
23	Selkirk College	Integrated Environmental Planning Technology	diploma	Example
24	Selkirk College	Advanced Diploma in GIS	advanced certificate	12 months
25	Selkirk College	Bachelor of GIS	BGIS	4 years
26	Simon Fraser University	Environmental Science programs	BSc	4 years
27	Thompson Rivers University	BSc Major in Ecology & Environmental Science	BSc	4 years
28	Thompson Rivers University	Bachelor of Natural Resource Science	BNRS	4 years
29	Thompson Rivers University	Master of Science & Environmental Science	MSc	variable
30	Trinity Western University	Environmental Studies	BSc	4 years
31	UBC Earth & Ocean Sciences	Environmental Science	BSc	Example
32	UBC Earth & Ocean Sciences	MSc and PhD in Environmental Science	MSc, PhD	variable
33	UBC Institute for Resources Environment and Sustainability	MSc and PhD in Environmental Science	MSc, PhD	variable
34	UBC Okanagan	Freshwater Science and Biology program	BSc	4 years
35	UNBC	Environmental Science	BSc	4 years
36	UNBC	Environmental Planning	BSc	4 years
37	UNBC	Environmental Studies	BA	4 years
38	UNBC	Environmental Engineering	BASc	4 years
39	University of the Fraser Valley	Geography, concentration in Environmental Studies	BA	4 years
40	University of the Fraser Valley	Physical Geography	BSc	4 years
41	University of the Fraser Valley	Biology, concentration in Ecology	BSc	4 years
42	University of Victoria	School of Environmental Studies	BSc and BA	4 years
43	University of Victoria	Restoration of Natural Systems Program	diploma (follows 3rd year of BA or BSc)	12 month
44	Vancouver Island University	Resource Management Officer Technology (RMOT)	diploma	2 years
45	Vancouver Island University	Bachelor of Natural Resource Protection	BNRP degree completion post RMOT diploma	2 years

References

Post Secondary Environmental Education in British Columbia, Canada

Introduction

Post Secondary Environmental Education Programs in British Columbia, Canada

Environmental Articulation

References

Post Secondary Environmental Education in British Columbia, Canada

Introduction

Post Secondary Environmental Education Programs in British Columbia, Canada

Environmental Articulation

References

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