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Bachelor of Environment and Society (Environmental Studies)

Credential
Bachelor

Duration
4 year(s)

The Bachelor of Environment and Society (Environmental Studies) degree program at CapU will help you develop the skills, knowledge and understanding to work in environmental advocacy across multiple public and non-profit sectors and industries.

At CapU, we offer two degree options for students interested in the Environment & Society program: Environmental Sciences and Environmental Studies.

If you choose the environmental studies degree, you'll take courses in various subjects, including anthropology, biology, ecology, economics, First Nations and Indigenous Peoples, geography, history, ethics, political science and statistics. 

You'll have the advantage of studying in small classes and receiving mentorship from expert instructors who combine theory with practical, applied learning.

Work with local partners

You'll also work with community partners on environmental issues, helping build a sustainable balance between the needs of our region's economy, society and environment.

One of our most critical collaborative partnerships is with the Átl'ka7tsem/Howe Sound Biosphere region, which works toward ensuring the biodiversity of Howe Sound is protected and sustainable.

You'll combine the concepts of innovation, experiential learning, teamwork and leadership as you gain the confidence to tackle more complex projects.

With the training and skills you'll pick up in this bachelor's degree, you'll graduate ready to become an environmental leader.

Study in Squamish in Fall 2025

CapU students eating lunch in the Squamish cafeteria.

Starting Fall 2025, CapU will welcome its first students to the environmental studies degree in Squamish. Our stunning location offers a dynamic setting for environmental research.

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CapU student on an archaeological dig.

Complete your capstone in the field

The final stage of your bachelor's degree is completing the capstone course, where you'll spend the final term taking part in an experiential learning research project on an environmental topic directly connected to the local region.

Career paths

  • Environmental planner
  • Emergency preparedness consultant
  • GIS/mapping technician
  • Land use planner
  • Municipal planner
  • K-12 teacher
  • Policy analyst
  • Social sciences researcher
  • Sustainability, transportation systems and waste management consultant

Pick your environmental specialty

In your environmental studies program, you’ll have the flexibility to specialize in areas that match your career goals by choosing from a variety of modules as you move into the upper levels of the program:

  • Biodiversity and conservation
  • Climate change mitigation and adaptation
  • Urban sustainability

Each module includes four courses and offers its own set of challenges. This structure allows students to build advanced skills and engage in community-based projects.

Related links

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Contact us

For more information about the two Bachelor of Environment and Society degree programs, contact us today.

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Information sessions

Plan ahead with this calendar of important program information sessions and open houses.

Upcoming info sessions

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Are you ready to start?

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Intakes

Important dates

Applications open

Oct 1, 2024 – Sep 2, 2025

Course Registration & Waitlisting start

Jul 3, 2025

Fee payment deadline

4:00 PM - Aug 25, 2025

Important dates

Applications open

Oct 15, 2024 – Aug 5, 2025

Course Registration & Waitlisting start

Jul 3, 2025

Fee payment deadline

4:00 PM - Aug 25, 2025

Important dates

Applications open

Feb 4, 2025 – Jan 6, 2026

Course Registration & Waitlisting start

Nov 12, 2025

Fee payment deadline

4:00 PM - Dec 15, 2025

NOTE: Important dates may change.

How to Apply

Are you applying as a domestic or as an international student?

English language requirements

English is the language of instruction at CapU. All applicants are required to demonstrate competence in the English language prior to admission.

If English is not your first language or you’ve received your education in a language other than English, you must meet our English Language Requirements.

Basic requirements

  • High school graduation
  • A minimum grade point average of 2.0 (60%) calculated on English Studies 12 or English 12 or English First Peoples 12 and two academic Grade 12 courses

Current high school students

Current Grade 12 students can be conditionally accepted based on final Grade 11 grades or interim Grade 12 grades. Students can upload proof of grades (e.g. unofficial transcripts, copies of report cards) through EducationPlannerBC when applying to Capilano University. Final acceptance will be based on high school graduation and having met the program specific requirements.

Note: All B.C. applicants must release their grades to CapU via the BC Ministry of Education at Student Transcripts Services (STS). Please do this as soon as possible.

Every student must apply to CapU through EducationPlannerBC (EPBC), a website for applying to universities and colleges across British Columbia.

Visit Apply Now to make sure you're ready to fill in your application.

  • When you submit your application, you will need to pay an application fee of $50, which gives you the opportunity to apply for 2 programs. 
  • You will need to upload a digital (PDF) copy of your transcripts and supporting documents at this time.
  • If you are currently in Grade 12, you must request that the Ministry of Education submit your transcript directly to Capilano University.
  • Documents must be in the original language of issue and translated into English by a recognized translator, if required.
Apply on EPBC

After submitting your application on EducationPlannerBC you will receive an acknowledgement message from us to your personal email.

  • This email will include your Student ID number and your myCapU account and email address.
  • Instructions on how to track your application will also be included.
  • All future messages from us will be sent to your myCapU email.
  • If you're applying to CapU as a new student, you can use your myCapU account to apply for entrance awards.

For students who have previously attended post-secondary, even though you submitted a digital copy of your transcripts on EducationPlannerBC, you must submit official university or college transcripts for transfer credit.

Please send all official documents to:

Registrar's Office
Library Building, Room LB152
2055 Purcell Way
North Vancouver, BC
V7J 3H5

Official documents may include:

These documents must be sent directly from that institution to Capilano University. They must include the seal of the institution and the signature of the authorizing school representative.

We will accept photocopies of transcripts if certified by the authorizing university or college officer. Notarized copies are not acceptable.

Students may also submit photocopies of academic documents verified by the issuing authority. These authorities include the Ministry of Education, the high school, university, or college, the apostille* or by the appropriate examination board.

Notarized copies are not acceptable.

*Apostille countries refers to an international form of a notary seal as certified by the Hague convention. These would be official notary documents from countries such as Russia, Ukraine, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, etc. and can be accepted in place of original or school-certified documents. The Apostille is prepared by either the Ministry of Education or the Ministry of Justice in these countries.

Please note: Documents issued in a language other than English must also include certified English translations. Documents must be in the original language of the issue and translated into English by a recognized translator, if required.

An academic document is original if issued to the student by the institution following that institution’s policies.

Notarized copies are not acceptable.

Once you've been accepted into a program, you'll need to start planning your courses.

  • You will be notified of your acceptance through your CapU email and your myCapU account.
  • View our page for admitted students to learn how to prepare for your first day.
  • If you wish to receive transfer credits, please submit official university/college/International Baccalaureate (IB)/Advanced Placements (AP) transcripts either electronically or by mail:

     

    Registrar's Office
    Library Building, Room LB152
    2055 Purcell Way
    North Vancouver, BC
    V7J 3H5

New Students

Apply Now

Are you ready to rise to the challenge?

Apply now to CapU

Transfer Students

Find out how you can transfer your credits from another post-secondary institution to CapU.

Applying as a Transfer Student

Returning Students

If you're returning to CapU to complete your program or to apply into a new program, please contact the Registrar's Office.

Contact Registrar's Office

Switching Programs

If you want to change your program of study, you need to submit a new application to CapU.

Re-apply to CapU

Tuition and Fees

Are you applying as a domestic or as an international student?

Tuition Fees Total
Year 1 $4,401 $1,792 $6,193
Year 2 $4,401 $1,792 $6,193
Year 3 $6,017 $1,792 $7,809
Year 4 $6,188 $1,792 $7,980
Total $21,007 $7,168 $28,175

Tuition & Fees Estimator

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Entrance Awards

All new CapU students can fund their education with entrance awards.

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Term Awards

Continuing your studies at CapU? You may be eligible for awards, too.

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The courses below reflect the current program profile. Login to myCapMap to see the program requirements for the term you started.

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Required Courses

Lower-Level Requirements

Total credits: 42.00

Choose 4.00 credits from the following list:
GEOG 112Physical Landscapes I4.00 credits
GEOG 114Weather and Climate I4.00 credits
Choose 3.00 credits from the following list:
AHIS 250Art and Nature Now: Environmental Crisis3.00 credits
ANTH 202Anthropology and the Environment3.00 credits
POL 202Government and Politics of British Columbia3.00 credits
POL 203International Organizations3.00 credits
POL 204Canadian Public Policy3.00 credits
Choose 3.00 credits from the following list:
ANTH 206First Nations of British Columbia3.00 credits
ANTH 208Indigenous Peoples of North America3.00 credits
HIST 209History of Indigenous Peoples in Canada3.00 credits

 

Upper-Level Requirements

Total credits: 18.00

 

Upper-Level Modules

Total credits: 24.00

Required:

Students must complete a minimum of 24 credits of coursework from the module options listed below - either 2 modules, 1 module plus 12 credits, or 24 credits of coursework selected from any of the module options.

Module Requirements24.00 credits

 

Electives

Total credits: 36.00

Required:
ENGL 100University Writing Strategies3.00 credits
CMNS 250 Introduction to Technical Writing OR ENGL 220 Research Voices: Clarity and Style for the Academic Writer3.00 credits
Electives 100-level or higher27.00 credits
Electives 300-level or higher3.00 credits

 

Applied Ecology Module

Required:
BIOL 401Applied Population Ecology4.00 credits
BIOL 402Applied Ecosystem Ecology4.00 credits
GEOG 325GIS Applications in Natural Resource Management4.00 credits
Required:

Select 3.00 credits

BIOL 409Global Change Biology3.00 credits
GEOG 316Climate Change: From Science to Sustainability3.00 credits

 

Biodiversity and Conservation Module

Required:
BIOL 308Conservation Biology3.00 credits
BIOL 408Ecosystem Restoration4.00 credits
BIOL 409Global Change Biology3.00 credits
Choose from the following list:

Select 3.00 credits

BIOL 350Natural History of BC3.00 credits
BIOL 351Global Biogeography3.00 credits
ENSO 301Traditional Systems of Resource and Land Use3.00 credits
GEOG 330Water Changes Everything3.00 credits
PSYC 340Psychology of Environmental Sustainability3.00 credits

 

Climate Change - Mitigation & Adaptation Module

 

Urban Sustainability Module

Required:
BIOL 305Ecological Principles for Sustainability3.00 credits
GEOG 355Urban Ecology3.00 credits
GEOG 455Green Infrastructures and Community Networks3.00 credits
Choose from the following list:

Select 3.00 credits

ENSO 301Traditional Systems of Resource and Land Use3.00 credits
GEOG 350Cities in the Global South3.00 credits
SOC 330Sociology of the City: Issues and Processes of Exclusion3.00 credits

Total program credits: 120.00

Additional information

Students pursuing a baccalaureate degree must meet Cap Core graduation requirements in addition to their program requirements. In their final two years, students will further specialize their degree by completing a minimum of 24 credits of coursework associated with modules dedicated to Climate Change, Urban Sustainability, Biodiversity & Conservation, and Applied Ecology.

Learning outcomes

  • Locate, analyze, and integrate information from natural and social sciences to build an evidence-based understanding of environmental problems and solutions.
  • Support the Calls for Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and gain competency in First Nations, Inuit and Métis history, and contemporary Indigenous perspectives including traditional ecological knowledge, and apply to work in cross-cultural environments.
  • Employ systems thinking and ethical and critical analysis to design inquiries that incorporate perspectives of interested parties in approaching environmental challenges.
  • Apply foundational knowledge, quantitative reasoning, and evidence-based analysis encompassing ecological, economic, and social frameworks to identify, address, and mitigate environmental issues.
  • Use regional-integrated and problem-based approaches that amplify the partnership between Indigenous and Western knowledge.
  • Model effective communication practices for relaying and interpreting environmental data and issues to a variety of audiences and for cooperating with interested parties.
  • Embrace roles and identities as mindful, eco-literate citizens, practitioners, and environmental leaders in delivering and designing solutions in a complex, interconnected world.

How to Declare

For the official publication of programs, course descriptions and admission requirements please view the Capilano University Calendar.

Have a question?

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General inquiries

Student Information Services
Library Building, room LB152

604-984-4900
604-984-1798 (fax)
registration@capilanou.ca