Learn how to critically assess and propose solutions to contemporary sustainability challenges, such as climate change, pollution, and social and economic inequality. You'll gain a diverse set of skills through both foundational knowledge and hands-on, community-based learning.
Why this program?
- Participate in experiential learning activities unique to UBC Okanagan's campus, a location with ready-made access to urban, agricultural, and wilderness environments that are real-world labs
- Gain skills and knowledge that will ensure you have the expertise vital to navigate our complex future, and equip you for you career
- Learn from award-winning faculty and benefit from contributing from UBC's world-class research
- Study one of the few sustainability degrees in Canada
Program information
Send details- Campus: Okanagan
- Faculty: Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science
- Degree: Bachelor of Sustainability
- Length 4 yrs
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Co-op
Yes
You can combine your studies with full-time, paid work at top local and international organizations.
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Honours
No
You can study intense specialization in a single field.
Now more than ever, socially conscious citizens with a diverse set of knowledge and abilities are in high demand. As one of the few sustainability degrees in Canada, UBC Okanagan’s Bachelor of Sustainability will develop your skills and knowledge to enable you to take action to solve sustainability problems at both a local and global scale.
The Sustainability program shapes your abilities an experiences through interdisciplinary course content, as well as allowing you to focus on select concentrations to develop your knowledge.
Your concentrations
The Bachelor of Sustainability combines a broad interdisciplinary approach, with focused concentrations that advance your skills to bring about positive change. You will learn within select topics to develop the expertise to enable you to take action and solve problems at local to global scales.
You can chose from the following concentrations:
- Environmental Analytics
- Environmental Conservation and Management
- Environmental Humanities
- Green Chemistry
All students take a set of core Sustainability courses along with courses specific to their concentration. Visit the Academic Calendar to see your courses for the Environmental Analytics, Environmental Conservation and Management, Environmental Humanities, and Green Chemistry concentrations.
Experiential learning and research
As a Bachelor of Sustainability student, you’ll find your degree is fully immersive, with research and community engagement opportunities imbedded in the curriculum.
You’ll take part in foundational learning alongside hands-on and community-based study. Because UBC Okanagan is located in a unique environment, you’ll have access to urban, agricultural, and wilderness environments that will become your real-world labs. Your learning experience will equip you with key skills to tackle issues including climate change, pollution, and social and economic inequality.
Our close-knit campus allows you to work together with faculty to conduct or assist with research projects. You will learn from award-winning faculty and benefit from being part of UBC’s world-class research. You can also choose to pursue innovative and original research as part of the Undergraduate Research Awards.
Send details
Life at UBC's Okanagan campus
UBC’s Okanagan campus is an innovative hub for research and learning nestled in the hills of Kelowna, British Columbia. Kelowna is the largest city in the Okanagan Valley. It features lush vineyards, a network of rivers and lakes, and some of Canada’s largest ski resorts. It’s also home to hundreds of hiking trails, a thriving arts and cultural district, authentic farm-to-table dining, several championship golf courses, and a booming tech scene.
Find out moreYour future
A UBC education will introduce you to people and ideas from around the world, open doors to new opportunities, and take you places you never imagined. You’ll graduate not only with expertise in your chosen field, but with the skills you need to continue growing, learning, and evolving with your career over time.
Program requirements
English-language requirements
English is the language of instruction at UBC. All prospective students must demonstrate English-language competency prior to admission. There are numerous ways to meet the English Language Admission Standard.
General admission requirements
IB Diploma Programme
- Completed IB Diploma, including at least three Higher Level courses.
IB Certificate Courses
- IB Certificate courses (Standard and Higher Level) may be used in an admissions average if you are graduating from a recognized high school curriculum that can be used as your basis of admission.
- IB Math Applications and Interpretations SL, or IB Math Studies, do not satisfy the math requirement for admission to UBC’s science-based programs, the Faculty of Management, the UBC Sauder School of Business, or the Vancouver School of Economics.
Degree-specific requirements: Sustainability
- IB Math Analysis and Approaches SL or HL, or IB Math Applications and Interpretations HL. (IB Math Applications and Interpretations SL, or IB Math Studies, are not acceptable.)
- A minimum of one of IB Biology, IB Chemistry, or IB Physics
- Academically strong candidates missing IB Math may be considered on a case-by-case basis
Related courses
The following subject categories are particularly relevant for this degree. Consider taking courses in these areas in Grade 11 and Grade 12.
- Language Arts
- Mathematics and Computation
- Sciences
- Social Studies