Diploma in Environmental Studies

The Diploma in Environmental Studies offers an interdisciplinary opportunity to understand the physical principles governing the environment and the social and cultural aspects that influence human behaviour towards the environment.  Students will gain a holistic knowledge of the environment through courses from the sciences, social sciences and humanities. The interdisciplinary model will equip students with the critical and analytical skills to think through the many complex factors that influence our understanding of the environment.

The diploma has four options: interdisciplinary environmental arts, environmental management, environmental science and geographic information science. Courses have university transfer credit providing students with the option of further study in either environmental studies or other disciplines. Students can also move directly into the workplace for there is a growing demand for labour in the environmental sector.

Prospective students should ensure that they have the prerequisites for the courses in the option that they wish to pursue.

UNBC Block Transfer

Students graduating with a GPA of 2.5 or higher from Okanagan College's Diploma in Environmental Studies may be automatically admitted to the Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies at UNBC through a special block transfer agreement between OC and UNBC. This 60 credit-hour program of study is available only to students from Okanagan College with a diploma in Environmental Studies. There are two options in the Diploma in Environmental Studies that directly transfer for 60 credits of the UNBC BA degree - the Environmental Management Option and the Interdisciplinary Arts Option. For more information, visit http://www.unbc.ca/calendar/undergraduate/environmental-studies. Students interested in the block transfer program should identify the courses required by UNBC for their chosen option.

Students in our Diploma in Environmental Studies - Environmental Science Option are also eligible for direct admission into the BSc in Natural Resources Management degree program. Students may choose one of two majors: Forest Ecology and Management (http://www.unbc.ca/forestry), or Wildlife and Fisheries (http://www.unbc.ca/wildlife-fisheries). Accreditation requirements for both majors and the number of options available to students as part of the diploma program require course by course transfer credit.

Admission Requirements

Regular Applicants: A regular applicant will be a secondary graduate or a secondary school student, or its equivalent, who has or who will complete the requirements for senior secondary graduation, or its equivalent, not less than one month prior to commencement of classes for the semester to which admission is sought - either fall or winter. The following minimum entrance requirements will apply to regular applicants:

• B.C. secondary graduation, or equivalent.

• English 12 with minimum 60% or alternatives.

Students with a passing grade of less than 60% in English 12, English 12 First Peoples or TPC 12 will be admissible to the first year of the Associate of Arts Degree, subject to the following conditions:

1. Registration is restricted to courses for which the student satisfies the prerequisites. Registration in first-year English courses is, therefore, prohibited.

2. Successful completion of the English entrance requirements within the first year of studies. This may be done in one of the following ways:

   • Successful completion of English 12, English 12 First Peoples or TPC 12 or an equivalent course with a minimum grade of 60%. This may be done concurrently through the College's Adult Basic Education Program or by completing an equivalent course through a distance education program.

   • Writing the LPI and obtaining a score of at least 24/40 (level 4).

Mature Applicants: A mature applicant will be at least 19 years of age and will not have attended secondary school on a full-time basis for a minimum period of one year.

Secondary graduation is waived for mature applicants. The English entrance requirements, as stated above, must be satisfied prior to admission. Admission may be granted on the condition that the entrance requirements will be completed prior to the commencement of classes for the semester to which admission is sought - either fall or winter.

Graduation Requirements

The Diploma in Environmental Studies will be granted upon the successful completion of 60 prescribed credits, including at least eighteen (18) credits of 200-level courses as outlined below.