Faculty of Environment

About Faculty of Environment

The Faculty of Environment is an academic division of the University of Waterloo, located in the city of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Established in 1969 as the Division of Environmental Studies, it became the first dedicated faculty of environmental studies in Canada. The institution operates within the main campus of the University of Waterloo, serving as a center for interdisciplinary education, research, and policy development focused on sustainability, climate change, geography, and urban planning. The faculty accommodates undergraduate and graduate students across a range of specialized degree programs.

The faculty comprises five primary academic units: the Department of Geography and Environmental Management, the Department of Knowledge Integration, the School of Environment, Enterprise and Development (SEED), the School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability (SERS), and the School of Planning. Degree offerings include Bachelor of Environmental Studies (BES), Bachelor of Knowledge Integration (BKI), Master of Environmental Studies (MES), Master of Applied Environmental Studies (MAES), Master of Planning (MPlan), and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees. Many of these programs integrate cooperative education, allowing students to combine academic terms with paid work experiences in government, non-profit, and corporate sectors.

Academic professional recognition and accreditations apply to several programs within the faculty. The professional planning degrees offered by the School of Planning are accredited by the Professional Standards Board for the Planning Profession in Canada, qualifying graduates for full membership in the Canadian Institute of Planners and the Ontario Professional Planners Institute. Additionally, specific undergraduate programs, such as Geomatics, align with standards established by professional organizations like the Canadian Institute of Geomatics. The university as a whole is publicly funded and governed under the University of Waterloo Act by the Province of Ontario.

Facilities dedicated to the Faculty of Environment are housed in several connected buildings on the main Waterloo campus, including Environment 1 (EV1), Environment 2 (EV2), and Environment 3 (EV3). The EV3 building, opened in 2011, holds LEED Platinum certification from the Canada Green Building Council and features sustainable architectural elements such as a two-story living wall, a green roof, solar panels, and energy-efficient lighting and heating systems. Facilities include specialized computer labs for Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and remote sensing, soil and water analytics laboratories, design studios for urban planning, and dedicated collaborative workspaces for research groups.

The faculty maintains several research centers, institutes, and academic laboratories dedicated to environmental science and resource management. Key facilities include the Interdisciplinary Centre on Climate Change (IC3), which conducts research on climate science, policy, and societal impacts, and the Water Institute, which operates in collaboration with other faculties at the University of Waterloo to address global water management challenges. Other research entities affiliated with the faculty focus on sustainable aviation, tourism, spatial analytics, ecological restoration, sustainable finance, and local governance.

Notable academic strengths of the faculty include geomatics, spatial analysis, climate change adaptation, water resource management, sustainable enterprise, and urban design. The Department of Geography and Environmental Management emphasizes spatial technology, physical geography, and human-environment interactions. The School of Planning focuses on land-use development, transportation planning, urban design, and community resilience. The School of Environment, Enterprise and Development bridges business practices and environmental sustainability, offering specialized education in corporate social responsibility, sustainable finance, and economic development. The School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability applies interdisciplinary methods to complex ecological and resource governance issues.

The Faculty of Environment maintains partnerships with public sector agencies, private industries, and international institutions to facilitate applied environmental research and field training. Field courses are integrated into several curricula, providing practical experience in locations across Canada and internationally. The faculty’s research activities are funded through Canadian federal research granting agencies, such as the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), as well as provincial funds and private sector partnerships.