Human Environment (BA)
Bachelor of Arts (BA)
Why study Human Environment?
Explore how geography influences human behavior and examine the impact of human activity on the environment. As a geographer, your knowledge of this complex relationship will lead you towards creative solutions for some of the most important issues we face today: climate change, biodiversity loss, natural resource management and sustainability.
Through labs, lectures and projects, you will:
- Study the relationships between people and places: what places mean, how places shape our lives
- Examine the causes and consequences of environmental change
- Consider the role and significance of social and environmental justice issues
- Identify approaches to support the efficient, equitable and sustainable use of resources
- Learn to gather, analyze and interpret statistical data
- Acquire technical skills in computerized mapping and Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
After graduation, your knowledge and technical skills will prepare you for careers in areas such as climate change adaptation policy, environmental impact assessment, biodiversity conservation and protected areas planning, and urban and regional planning.
Program Details
A Bachelor of Arts degree takes a minimum of three or four years (90–120 credits) of full-time study, depending on your academic background.
Options:
- Honours in Human Environment (60 credits)*
- Specialization in Human Environment (60 credits)
- Major in Human Environment (42 credits)
- Minor in Human Environment (30 credits)
*Honours is a highly concentrated program, ideal for students planning to continue to graduate studies. If you are interested in Honours, speak with your program advisor in your first year of study at Concordia. Students applying to the University are able to apply to the major or specialization.
| You've sent your application from: | Fall term deadline | Winter term deadline |
| Inside Canada | March 1 Certain programs have extended their deadlines. Please check program availability. |
N/A Admission to this program is only available for the Fall Term. |
| Outside Canada (International) |
February 1 | N/A |
We reserve the right to close admission to a program at any time after the official deadline without prior notice.
Sample classes:
- Place, Space and Identity
- The Natural Environment: Land and Life
- Environment and Society
- Environment: Historical and Cultural Perspectives
- Landscape Ecology
- Indigenous Resource Management
- The Climate System
More information
- Consult the undergraduate calendar for a complete list of current courses
- View course requirements on the departmental website
- About our curriculum
Our facilities feature the latest technology that will give you experience with the tools that professionals use in the field. These include:
- A cartography studio
- Climate Modelling Lab
- Landscape Ecology and Environmental Impact Assessment Lab
- Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Lab
Benefits of studying geography at Concordia:
- Curriculum focused on the Environment
- New multidisciplinary Environmental Science
- Strong emphasis on Urban Issues and Public Policy
- An emphasis on techniques and skill building in cartography, computer design, geographic information systems, statistics, field work
- Student centred teaching
- Strong emphasis on undergraduate teaching
- Courses taught by dedicated full and part-time faculty
- Courses given in both the day and evening to accommodate students who work
- We cater to non-conventional students
- Excellent student advising program
- Active Geography student association
Our focus is on the human environment, specifically the ongoing radical transformation of the earth by human action. The program is designed to:
- sustain a critical awareness of the complexity and interconnectedness within and between cultural and natural systems
- foster an understanding of the causes and consequences of environmental change
- identify effective practices and policies for environmental management
- develop student skills in critical thinking and writing
- provide students with important technical skills, such as qualitative and quantitative research methods and Geographic Information Systems.
For all Geography BA programs there is a common 12 credit core in the first year and a common 12 credit core in the second year. The program is made up of courses in human geography, physical geography and techniques. In the first year there is one introductory course in each area followed by a course which integrates all three. At the second year, students take courses in all three areas; while in the final year all courses integrate both physical and human geography.
Human Environment alumni have established careers in a range fields including environmental impact assessment, resource conservation, urban and regional planning, housing and community development, and teaching. Recent graduates have become researchers with the NAFTA Commission for Environmental Cooperation and the Secretariat of the UN Convention on Biodiversity.