Environmental issues are increasingly becoming a part of business operations. Similarly, business approaches are becoming integral to the management of many environmental challenges. As the links between environment and business grow, there is a demand for individuals with a strong foundation in interdisciplinary environmental studies complemented by expertise in core business subjects. Decision-makers, not only in business, but in government and non-governmental organizations as well, often need to understand key environmental relationships as well as the economic ramifications of alternative courses of action.
Environment and Business is a distinctive interdisciplinary plan designed to equip its graduates with a unique blend of knowledge in environmental studies and business areas, as well as a set of flexible problem solving and decision making skills. Graduates will be prepared to make valuable contributions to the understanding of environmental and business issues and to act on these challenges. The potential to develop a rewarding career is great. Graduates from Environment and Business might develop business plans for alternative energy suppliers. They might analyze the environmental record of a set of Fortune 500 companies. They might help businesses plan and reduce their ecological impact using environmental management systems.
This plan develops students' expertise in three key areas:
- Integration of Environment and Business: These courses serve as the core of the Environment and Business degree experience. Each course examines an aspect of the explicit intersection between environment and business; for example: voluntary initiatives, environmental management systems, and industrial ecology. Students will also have the opportunity to investigate case studies of specific environment and business experiences.
- Environment: These courses provide the necessary expertise in environmental issues, allowing specialization in particular sub-areas, for example field ecology, environmental research methods, and environmental law.
- Business: These courses provide the necessary expertise in business issues, providing basic competencies in the sub-areas of finance, project management, accounting, economics, marketing, and law.
The strength of the plan is enhanced not only by its own multidisciplinary core faculty, but also by the wider expertise available to it at the University of Waterloo. Ten different academic units contribute to the Environment and Business program. Insights gained from across the campus will allow students to develop their own interdisciplinary set of skills.
The formal admission requirements are listed in the "Admissions" section of this Calendar.
The Honours Co-op plan provides for alternate terms of practical work experience and academic study. The first work term is in the Winter of the second year. Co-op Environment and Business students must normally follow the work and study-term sequence outlined in the "Co-op Course Scheduling Recommendation." Students complete five work terms. A work-term report is required upon completion of each work term and the minimum number of "satisfactory" work reports required to fulfill Co-op degree requirements is normally four.
The Faculty of Environmental Studies expects that students should be able to demonstrate competence in writing. Accordingly, all students newly admitted to the Faculty are required to write the English Language Proficiency Examination during their first term of enrolment (normally scheduled during the first week in December). The requirement in all plans in the Faculty of Environmental Studies for ELPE is the achievement of 65 out of 90. This must be met by students by the end of Year Two or the decision "May Not Proceed" will be assigned.
Inquiries for additional information regarding Co-operative studies, or additional information on this plan, should be directed to the Director of Environment and Business.