Environmental sustainability is a topic of growing interest in B.C.’s and post-secondary schools are creating new programs to meet the demands of students.
New programs with focused on sustainability are being introduced by University of British Columbia, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, and Simon Fraser University as well as the British Columbia Institute of Technology.
At UBC, the applied biology program has been filled to capacity. The sciences of animals, plants or soil are looked at from the perspective of environmental preservation and protection, as well as biodiversity and sustainability.
Established last year, the program had a surprising inaugural year and applications were up by 21 percent this year for the applied biology program. UBC’s environmentally focused forestry program, enjoyed an application increase of 39 per cent this year.
Kwantlen’s new horticulture program also reflects the environmental and sustainability trend at B.C.’s undergraduate schools.
This program has two branches, plant health and urban ecosystems. Graduates work in greenhouse management, or urban garden design and similar projects.
At BCIT, a program in sustainable business leadership is filling fast in it’s first year and only has three seats left from a total of twenty.
BCIT’s new program in sustainable energy management is designed for students who are looking to be responsible for encouraging energy efficiency in buildings, also has a strong attraction. The new program is part of the Power Smart Partnerships initiative by BC Hydro.
