McGill University, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
B.Sc. Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Canada
BSc
DURATION
4 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
TUITION FEES
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
Key Summary
About: McGill University's B.Sc. Agricultural and Environmental Sciences offers five majors—Agricultural Economics, Environmental Biology, Environment, Life Sciences, Sustainable Agricultural Systems—with specializations and minors. Macdonald Campus is a 650-hectare living lab for teaching and research in agriculture, environmental, food and nutritional sciences, and bioresource engineering. You’ll customize coursework, gain field experience, and conduct research.
Career Outcomes: You can work in corporate, social and environmental responsibility advising; environmental assessment; environmental communication; climate science; policy development; green innovation and entrepreneurship; public health; sustainable development. Students gain internships and research experience on agroforestry projects, with Parks Canada, municipal partners, wildlife censuses, and education roles.
The B.Sc. Agricultural and Environmental Sciences is offered on McGill University's Macdonald Campus. Students can also explore courses and other opportunities on the Downtown Campus, and pursue field courses and research activities locally and around the world, including field study semesters in Panama, Barbados, and Africa.
Students can customize their learning experience by picking one of five different majors with multiple specializations, concentrations, and/or minors.
Major in Agricultural Economics: This major will show you how to use economic and management principles to understand and optimize the way we produce and distribute food and other natural resources. You will gain a foundation in agriculture and international devlopment, food systems, trade and natural resource management, and policy.
Major in Environmental Biology: This major offers world-class training in the biology, conservation, and ecology of plants, animals, insects, and microbes. By studying the human impact on species and ecosystems, you can help solve some important environmental challenges.
Major in Environment: This major brings together a broad range of perspectives, ideas, and expertise to tackle some of the most pressing challenges facing our world and create change through systems thinking.
Major in Life Sciences: This major will help you understand the molecular and biochemical foundatinos of life that lead to genes, cells, and the organisms around us. A major in life sciences can lead to a career in biotechnolgoy, medicine, veterenary medicine, or forensics.
Major in Sustainable Agricultural Systems: This major provides training in innovative agricultural practices that promote ecological stewardship adn improve global food security. In this interdsicplinary and solution-oriented program, you will learn how to produce food while protecting the environment.
The Bachelor of Science (Agricultural and Environmental Sciences) - Major in Environment will introduce you to interdisciplinary approaches to viewing and understanding our social and natural ecosystems in all their complexity.
At the core of your program will be 18 credits of courses on global change, sustainability science, environmental ethics, and environmental research design and a 3-credit research project. You will also choose a concentration, consisting of 39–42 credits of complementary courses.
Concentrations
In this major, you’ll choose a concentration. You could focus on:
- Biodiversity and Conservation
- Ecological Determinants of Health
- Environmetrics
- Food Production and Environment
- Land Surface Processes and Environmental Change
- Renewable Resource Management
- Water Environments and Ecosystems
Career paths
This program provides broad training which can lead to a variety of careers. You’ll be prepared to tackle pressing environmental issues from many angles. Some examples:
- Advising in corporate, social, and environmental responsibility
- Environmental assessment
- Environmental communication
- Environmental or climate science
- Environmental policy development
- Green innovation and entrepreneurship
- Public health
- Sustainable development
Internships & research
As you progress in your program, you can gain valuable hands-on experience by completing a field course or internship. You can also gain research experience with a professor over the summer, through independent study, and through the Honours program. Our students have been:
- Interning on agroforestry projects in Ecuador
- Working with Parks Canada and the City of Montreal
- Assisting with research on a Quebec beaver census
- Educating the public as local Environment Awareness Agents