Get a post-graduate work permit for up to three years if you are a full-time Ä¢¹½´«Ã½international student graduating from a bachelor’s degree program and meet all .
Want to learn more?
Visit the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science website to learn more about Environmental Chemistry.
Program information
Environmental chemists employ advanced analytical techniques and problem-solving skills to study the chemistry of air, water, and the Earth’s surface.
Program overview
- Campus
- Okanagan
- Program length
- 4 years
- Honours This option has additional requirements compared to those required in a Major specialization. Students must maintain high academic standing and may have to write a graduating thesis.
- Yes
- Co-op Co-op is an optional program where students alternate between academic terms and paid work terms. It’s an opportunity to gain relevant job experience while completing your degree.
- Yes
- Faculty
- Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science
- Degree
- Bachelor of Science
What you'll learn
Climate adaptation, natural resource development and emerging clean-technology demand skilled environmental chemists. The Ä¢¹½´«Ã½degree in Environmental Chemistry provides students with a solid foundation across all subdisciplines of chemistry, along with core courses in environmental science, biology, and environmental chemistry.
Learn how to use advanced analytical techniques to detect and monitor environmental contaminants from smoke particulates to microplastics. Use problem-solving and teamwork to assess risk, inform policy, and remediation.
Experiential learning and research
The Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science supports student research through the Undergraduate Research Awards, which allow students to carry out their own projects over the summer months, and other awards, which provide opportunities to work with professors on their research.
You can also join the Environmental Chemistry Course Union to build friendships, get academic support, and gain increased access to career resources. In addition to having an active social schedule, the course union brings in speakers from industry and government to advise students on career opportunities.
Program advantages
As an Environmental Chemistry student, you will have the opportunity to learn on a tight-knit campus where you can work closely with professors and peers, acquire the skills to work in one of the fastest-growing fields of science, and have the opportunity to work on your own research or alongside professors on their research.
Courses
There are hundreds of courses you can take within Environmental Chemistry. Here are a few you might like.
First of a pair of courses that introduce students to the biological concepts necessary to continue into second-year biology. Covers evolutionary theory and its underlying genetic basis, basic cell biology, plant and animal nutrition, and energy acquisition.
Origin, distribution, and cycles of elements in Earth. Low-temperature aqueous solution chemistry, fluid-rock interaction, mineral stability, isotopes. Atmospheric chemistry and biogeochemical cycling.
Introduction to structure, composition, and chemical processes occurring in Earth’s atmosphere including interactions with solar radiation, stratospheric ozone layer, photochemical smog, and acid rain.
Chemical analysis of the metabolites in biological samples: study design, sample extractions, method development and validation, targeted and untargeted experiments, data processing, isotope tracer studies, chemoinformatics, compound identification, metabolic pathway and network mapping, data interpretation and presentation.
Outcomes
Graduates from the Environmental Chemistry program on UBC’s Okanagan campus are equipped for career opportunities with:
- Environmental consulting companies
- Environmental protection organizations in industry and government
- Public and private analytical laboratories
Take action & plan
Program requirements
Choose application type:
English-language requirements
English is the language of instruction at UBC. All prospective students must demonstrate English-language competency prior to admission. There are numerous ways to meet the English Language Admission Standard.
General admission requirements
IB Diploma Programme
- Completed IB Diploma, including at least three Higher Level courses.
IB Certificate Courses
- IB Certificate courses (Standard and Higher Level) may be used in an admissions average if you are graduating from a recognized high school curriculum that can be used as your basis of admission.
- IB Math Applications and Interpretations SL, or IB Math Studies, do not satisfy the math requirement for admission to UBC’s science-based programs, the Faculty of Management, the Ä¢¹½´«Ã½Sauder School of Business, or the Vancouver School of Economics.
Degree-specific requirements: Science
- IB Math Analysis and Approaches SL or HL, or IB Math Applications and Interpretations HL (IB Math Applications and Interpretations SL, or IB Math Studies, are not acceptable)
- One of IB Biology, IB Chemistry, or IB Physics
- Grade 11 or equivalent Chemistry
- Grade 11 or equivalent Physics is strongly recommended
Note: Grade 11 Chemistry and Physics requirements listed are only relevant to students who are not completing the equivalent IB Diploma Chemistry and/or Physics courses.
For students studying outside of Canada, some examples of courses that may be accepted as Grade 11 equivalents are junior-level courses for American students, and IGCSE and O Level for those following British-patterned curricula.
Related courses
The following subject categories are particularly relevant for this degree. Consider taking courses in these areas in your junior year and senior year.
- Language Arts
- Mathematics and Computation
- Sciences
Want to get a feel for campus?
If you’re unable to visit Ä¢¹½´«Ã½in person, or you just want to get a sneak peek at your new home campus before you arrive, take one of our virtual tours. Current Ä¢¹½´«Ã½students walk you through UBC’s residences, study spots, recreational facilities, lecture halls, academic buildings, and more.
Related programs
Want to learn more?
Visit the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science website to learn more about Environmental Chemistry.
Get a post-graduate work permit for up to three years if you are a full-time Ä¢¹½´«Ã½international student graduating from a bachelor’s degree program and meet all .
Want to learn more?
Visit the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science website to learn more about Environmental Chemistry.