University Diploma - Environment and Society - Environmental Studies

The University Diploma in Environment and Society - Environmental Studies is the two-year social-science route into environmental work, and at $20,693 a year one of the more affordable credentials in CapU’s catalogue.

Coursework covers environmental policy and governance, resource and land-use management, environmental economics, sustainability planning, community engagement and consultation, Indigenous perspectives on land and stewardship, environmental ethics, and research and communication methods, supported by foundational ecology and an introduction to GIS so graduates can interpret technical material.

It suits students who want to work on the human side of environmental problems — policy, engagement, program delivery — and it transfers with credit into the four-year Bachelor of Environment and Society. As with all CapU diplomas, PGWP eligibility depends on IRCC’s field-of-study list rather than the automatic bachelor’s exemption.

CapU is a fully public teaching university on Vancouver’s North Shore — a Designated Learning Institution (DLI O19280078102) with university status since 2008. Classes are small, faculty teach rather than delegate to assistants, and tuition sits well below the big Vancouver research universities while the credential carries the same public-institution standing.

Its field maps to CIP 3.0103 (Environmental studies). Important: this is a non-degree credential, so unlike CapU’s bachelor’s programs it is not exempt from the November 2024 PGWP field-of-study restriction — eligibility depends on this CIP field appearing on IRCC’s current eligible list at the time you apply. Confirm the live list with an Apply Study Visa counsellor before committing. Final decisions rest with IRCC.