Climate and Environment at St. Francis Xavier University at Main

The Bachelor of Arts and Science in Climate and Environment serves students who seek an interdisciplinary education with a unique strength in both Environment and Climate. The field of Environment focuses on the physical and chemical composition, nature, and the societal relationship people maintain with their physical setting, while the field of Climate focuses on how the Earth’s energy balance affects their environment.

In the program, students will join an intimate, dynamic, and cohesive group of likeminded peers and scholars with whom they can grow intellectually. St. Francis Xavier University is fortunate to house some premier scholars in the field of Climate and Environment.

Scholars in climate and environment are spread out across many departments on campus, from Economics to Chemistry to Philosophy, and as students complete the degree, they’ll have the opportunity to complete courses pertaining to Climate and Environment in those departments. These are professors who are active in their fields, but also have the time to help their students reach their utmost potential by engaging them inside and outside the classroom.

Opportunities to work closely with professors on cutting-edge research outside of the classroom, and to learn from both Masters’ and PhD students at St. Francis Xavier University who are themselves emerging minds in the fields of climate and environment provide an unparalleled educational experience. Past graduates of similar programs have worked on research across the globe from Alberta to Antarctica as well as on projects that have a more local impact.

St. Francis Xavier University has a history of engaging with the community within which it resides as well as engaging students in real-world problem solving. They have ample opportunity to gain hands-on experience. Students will have the opportunity to participate in practical service learning experiences coupled with critical reflection for credit.

In students' fourth year, they will take courses that explicitly prepare them to apply their classroom learning in a research or work environment. Students will identify and tackle a real and current climate or environment issues using the material they’ve learned over the last three years. Those experiences, coupled with the option to complete a Co-op Internship placement lasting between 12 and 16 months, means that students can start putting into practice what they learn in the classroom long before they graduate. They will move on to the next stage of their lives equipped with the skills, knowledge, and experience to confidently succeed.