MEnvSc Program; Field: Conservation and Biodiversity

Minimum Admission Requirements

• Applicants are admitted under the General Regulations of the School of Graduate Studies. Applicants must also satisfy the Graduate Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences' additional admission requirements stated below.

• Applicants whose primary language is not English and who graduated from a university where the language of instruction and examination was not English must demonstrate proficiency in English. See General Regulations section 4.3 for requirements.

• A minimum mid-B grade average in the last two years of the undergraduate program.

• Applicants must submit a written statement explaining their objectives for entering the program and the suitability of their background. Appropriate post-graduate work experiences will be considered as part of the admission application.

• An undergraduate degree in biology or a closely related field, and successful completion of an undergraduate course in conservation biology. Students who have not successfully completed an undergraduate course in conservation biology will be required to complete an undergraduate course, BIOC63H3 Conservation Biology (0.5 FCE), as an extra (EXT) course.

Completion Requirements

• Coursework. Students must successfully complete a total of 5.5 full-course equivalents (FCEs) as follows:

  • EES1100H Advanced Seminar in Environmental Science

  • EES3000H Applied Conservation Biology

  • EES3001H Professional Scientific Literacy

  • EES3002H Conservation Policy

  • EES3003H Topics in Applied Biodiversity

  • Completion of either:

    • 1.0 FCE in elective courses (see the course list) and 2.0 FCEs for the internship (EES1116Y) or

    • 1.5 FCEs in elective courses (see the course list) and 1.5 FCEs for the research paper (EES1101Y).

• Students will choose either a research or internship option.

  • Research option: Each student is required to have a research supervisor. For full-time students, the intensive research necessary for the research paper will normally be completed in the final Summer session. The final research paper needs to be written in scientific journal format and will be presented and defended orally in front of an examination committee. The committee will include the supervisor and two other members of the graduate faculty.

  • Internship option: For full-time students, the internship in private industry, government, or a non-governmental organization (NGO) will normally be completed in the final Summer session. It will consist of a minimum of four consecutive months. Successful completion of the internship is based on an assessment completed by the student's work supervisor, the satisfactory completion of a written experience report, and the satisfactory completion and presentation of a poster highlighting the internship experience.

• A final grade below 70% in any course equates to an FZ, which is an insufficient grade. A MEnvSc student who receives more than one final grade of FZ (i.e., two or more) will be recommended for termination of registration from the MEnvSc program.

Mode of Delivery: In person
Program Length: 3 sessions full-time (typical registration sequence: FWS); 6 sessions part-time
Time Limit: 3 years full-time; 6 years part-time