School of

Environment and Sustainability

Welcome to the School of Environment and Sustainability (SENS) at the University of Saskatchewan! We are looking for the next generation of problem solvers and change makers who stand ready and willing to tackle issues that affect the quality of life on our planet. Are you one of them?

Our students come from diverse cultural backgrounds and have unique life experiences that shape the way they approach and engage with our programs and course content. They are driven to lead by example, community oriented, and curious; they know that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to sustainability challenges and seek to find the right answers through a mix of qualitative and quantitative methodologies.

SENS offers several professional program streams at the graduate level, in addition to thesis-based graduate degrees. Our professional programs are designed with flexibility and balance in mind to accommodate individual work, family, and life circumstances, while providing you with the mix of marketable skills required to address a variety of United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).

Applications for the 2023-2024 academic year will open 15 November 2022.
Deadline for applications is 15 June 2023.

Professional programs

These programs do not require students to have a supervisor.

Sustainability
Master Degree (M.Ss.), Energy Security

Students graduating from this program will have workforce-ready skills to lead renewable energy development projects in communities across the world. Taught by faculty who work directly in the industry, the Energy Security program is the only one of its kind in North America, with opportunities for both domestic and international internships.

Program highlight: Renewable Energy and Energy Transitions Course
This course explores important solutions to the single greatest threat that faces humanity—energy security—through a comparative understanding of how different countries are tackling this issue. Explore the value proposition of local renewable energy for Northern, Indigenous, and remote communities to build energy sovereignty and create local economic wealth.

Sustainability
Master Degree (M.Ss.), Regenerative Sustainability

The Regenerative Sustainability stream of the Master of Sustainability program is designed to equip the next generation of thinkers and planners to move beyond simply sustaining the environment towards regenerating ecological and social systems for more fundamental transformation.

Program highlight: Regenerative Sustainability Course
Regenerative Sustainability is focused on how humans and all their endeavours can transform societies to become positive forces in the world; helping to enhance ecosystem functions, economic stability and productivity while leveraging diversity. This course provides students with hope for their future and for the future of the planet. Drawing on real world examples, students will 1) explore inter-related systems, 2) design transitions, and 3) evaluate actions that afford prolific regenerative systems within agriculture, manufacturing, energy production and water resources management.

Master of Water Security (M.W.S.)

Water security is one of the defining global challenges of our era. Would you like to be part of the solution? Are you looking for a rewarding career in the water sector? Are you interested in enhancing your skills and knowledge of water science, engineering, management and policy? The Master of Water Security (M.W.S.) is a unique interdisciplinary professional graduate program designed to train the next generation of Water Security professionals, working in government, industry, and NGOs. The M.W.S. program is a joint initiative between School of Environment and Sustainability (SENS) and the Global Institute for Water Security (GIWS).

Students learn about the science and engineering aspects of water security, including field skills, data analysis and modelling. Students also experience how issues of water security play out in the real world, through interdisciplinary problem-based learning activities in sustainable water resources management, water policy and water and health classes. This unique approach takes students from theoretical understanding through to practical application, and the program culminates with the students working on real world water security problems with an external project partner.

Thesis programs

These programs require students to have a supervisor.

Master of Environmental Science (M.E.S.) and Ph.D.

Our M.E.S./Ph.D. students are challenged to think outside of traditional disciplinary boundaries, and to consider a wide range of scientific, technical, political, social, and economic factors when addressing sustainability challenges in research projects.

Certificate programs

Community Energy Planning and Finance

The Graduate Certificate (G.Cert.) in Community Energy Planning and Finance provides tools for planning and financing community renewable energy projects. This certificate can be taken as a standalone program or used to ladder into the Master of Sustainability (M.Ss.).

Energy Transitions

The Graduate Certificate (G.Cert.) in Energy Transitions is designed for professionals who seek to better understand how to navigate policy processes for transitioning to renewable energy. This certificate can be taken as a standalone program or used to ladder into the Master of Sustainability (M.Ss.).

Governance Foundations for Sustainability

The Graduate Certificate (G.Cert.) in Governance Foundations for Sustainability will help professionals who work with (or within) government agencies to better understand the basic structures of governance, actor groups and policy communities that influence governance, and the present-day imperatives of working with Indigenous peoples. Courses related to reconciliation and negotiation will also provide practical tools to become more effective practitioners when planning and implementing sustainability innovations. This certificate can be taken as a standalone program or used to ladder into the Master of Sustainability (M.Ss.).

Sustainability Solutions

The Graduate Certificate (G.Cert.) in Sustainability Solutions teaches new strategies to design and implement solutions to sustainability challenges. Courses build competencies towards regenerative design and sustainability alternatives to common sustainability problems by teaching key concepts and practical tools. New professionals and longstanding professionals will become more effective practitioners by learning about sustainability innovations and how to apply them. This certificate can be taken as a standalone program or used to ladder into the Master of Sustainability (M.Ss.).

Sustainable Water Management

The Graduate Certificate (G.Cert.) in Sustainable Water Management focuses on human dimensions of sustainable water management, including policy approaches and public health. It is designed for professionals who recognize that their work must include a foundational knowledge of how humans affect and are affected by water quality and quantity. This certificate can be taken as a standalone program or used to ladder into the Master of Water Security (M.W.S.).

Water Resources

The Graduate Certificate (G.Cert.) in Water Resources focuses on enhancing foundational knowledge in water resource and hydrological theory, data analysis, and modelling. It is designed for professionals who seek to build expertise and professional networks. This certificate can be taken as a standalone program or used to ladder into the Master of Water Security (M.W.S.).

Water Science

The Graduate Certificate (G.Cert.) in Water Science provides opportunities to apply knowledge in the water sciences to address extant and emerging water quality issues. This certificate is tailored for practitioners with an interest in the water sciences, aiming to deepen their knowledge as it relates to chemical risk, ecosystem management, and hydrogeological processes. This certificate can be taken as a standalone program or used to ladder into the Master of Water Security (M.W.S.).