Environmental Governance Co-op Information for Employers
Adding Value to Your Team
Environmental Governance at the University of Guelph refers to the processes through which societies make decisions that affect the environment. Governments play an important role in this, however they alone cannot manage our most pressing environmental challenges like climate change, sea level rise, or invasive species. Students in the Environmental Governance program learn to coordinate governments, community organizations, and businesses to work collectively to affect positive environmental change.
University of Guelph Advantage
Through the completion of courses in geography, political science, agricultural economics, and economics, students will gain a solid foundation in the processes and mechanisms of environmental governance, an understanding of geographical, political, and economic factors that shape governance in Canada and around the world. They also benefit from exposure to innovative approaches to environmental governance that address persistent and emerging societal concerns. Students are prepared to conduct research, perform environmental assessments, participate in literature searches, and assist in data collection and analysis in either an office environment and/or in a field setting.
Our co-op process responds to your needs. Employers can post, hire and interview throughout the semester and our students are available for 4 or 8 month work terms. The Experience Guelph hiring tool makes hiring Guelph co-op students easy!
Student Strengths
Critical Thinking
Ability to apply inquiry, analysis, and problem-solving skills to analyze and address environmental governance issues, and issues of corporate social responsibility in a real-world and professional setting.
Deep Understanding
An understanding of the opportunities and challenges in coordinating multiple stakeholders toward a common goal.
Effective Communication
Ability to communicate geographical concepts and spatial data related to corporate sustainability, environmental law, environmental policy, and environmental social movements using oral, written, and visual forms.
Environmental Governance Work Term Schedule
| YEAR | FALL | WINTER | SUMMER |
|---|---|---|---|
| ONE | Academic | Academic | Off |
| TWO | Academic | Academic | Work |
| THREE | Academic | Work | Academic |
| FOUR | Work | Work | Off |
| FIVE | Academic | Academic |
Environmental Governance Course Sequencing
Based on the 2023/24 undergraduate calendar. Please see the current undergraduate calendar for more information.
Fall
- Introductory Microeconomics
- Earth: Hazards and Global Change
- 3 Electives
Winter
- Human Impact on the Environment
- Indigenous-Settler Relations
- 3 Electives
Fall
- Introduction to Cooperative Education
- Environment, Justice and Society
- Commodity Chains and Cultures of Consumption
- Public Policy
- Analysis in Geography or Introductory Applied Statistics I
- One Of: Economic Growth and Environmental Quality or Survey of Natural Resource Economics or Policy, Economy and Society
Winter
- Climate and the Biophysical Environment
- 3 Electives
- One Of: Postcolonial Literatures, Film and Other Media or Environment and History or Philosophy of the Environment
Summer
Work Term One
Fall
- Corporate Social Responsibility
- Indigenous Politics in Canada
- 3 Electives
Winter
Work Term Two
Summer
- Indigenous-Settler Relationships in Environmental Governance
- Environmental Politics and Governance
- 3 Electives
Fall
Work Term Three
Winter
Work Term FourSummer
Off
Fall
- Environmental Governance
- 4 Electives/Restricted Electives
Winter
- 5 Electives/Restricted Electives
Restricted Electives
Electives must be chosen to ensure 1.50 credits are completed from the following lists:
0.50 credits from:
- Local Environmental Management
- Environmental Impact Assessment
- Global Environmental Politics
0.5 credits from:
- Protest, Resistance, and Collective Action
- Global Environmental Change
- Business-Government Relations in Canada
0.50 credits from:
- Cost-Benefit Analysis
- Media, Digital Technology and Environment
- International Political Economy
About Us
The Experiential Learning Hub is home to experiential learning opportunities on and off-campus, co-op, career education and community engaged learning.