Environmental Sciences: General Environmental Sciences Major

Not sure yet whether fish, soils, wetlands or energy will become your specialty? Lakeland’s Environmental Sciences: General Environmental Sciences major lets you sample several before you commit. It is a two-year diploma taught face to face on Lakeland’s Vermilion campus.

Year 1 of the General major gives you the core toolkit: Ecology, GPS and GIS software, Rangeland Management, Soil Classification and Forestry. In year 2 you build your own mix of second-year electives, with examples on Lakeland’s page including Fisheries Biology and Technologies, Fisheries Management, Wetlands, Wildlife Habitat Conservation, Human Dimensions of the Environment, Environmental Site Assessment, Environmental Contaminants, Reclamation Field Methods, Soil Conservation, Groundwater Monitoring, Basic Energy Principles and Intro to Wind, Solar or Geothermal.

General Environmental Sciences students practise streamflow and river profile measurements, soil identification, plant and wildlife identification, forest inventory, surveying, drone operation and the principles of risk assessment. Field Week each September, electrofishing, watercourse crossing assessments and field tickets such as boat operation, ATV, spill response and H2S Alive add practical depth. Graduates can apply for Biological Technician in Training with the Alberta Society of Professional Biologists, Environmental Professional in Training with ECO Canada and Level III Water and Wastewater Operator Certification. You can add a focused second major in one more year, enter the Bachelor of Applied Science: Environmental Management, or transfer to the University of Alberta, University of Lethbridge or University of Saskatchewan.

General major graduates work as environmental operations specialists in oil and gas, mining, agriculture, forestry and transportation, environmental regulatory specialists in government, and environmental technologists with consultants. Past employers include Alberta Environment, Environment Canada, Cenovus Energy, Canadian Natural Resources and Klohn Crippen Berger. The major suits curious students who want broad skills.