Sustainability Management - Master of Environmental Studies (MES)

Environment 3

Environment 3 (EV3) Building located on Waterloo's Campus, across from Laurel Creek.

Support the economic, social and political transition to sustainability with the Master of Environmental Studies in Sustainability Management program. 

As a future sustainability innovator, you’ll gain interdisciplinary research skills, management approaches, strategies, and processes to realize sustainable growth outcomes within business, government and not-for-profit organizations and others.  

A broad range of courses covers a spectrum of topics in sustainable development, environment, management and innovation, with elective courses available from other graduate programs in the School of Environment, Enterprise and Development (SEED) and in other departments at Waterloo. Sustainability Management MES graduates work as consultants, program managers, junior analysts, and many other positions that utilize the skills they developed in the program.

Study options

NEW Coursework option:

The course-work option allows you to complete 9 courses, including a graduate-level projects course. Full-time students can complete the program in 3 terms (1 year). 

Thesis option:

The thesis option allows you to conduct research in your chosen topic, complete 6 courses, and produce a thesis that contributes to the sustainability field. Full-time students can expect to be enrolled for 6 terms (2 years).

Research project opportunities for this program

The Metabolism of Islands

Often referred to as ‘canaries in the climate change coal mine’ due to their sensitivity to climate change risks, small islands are facing increasingly frequent and intense extreme weather events, changing precipitation patterns, and threats from future sea-level rise. These events, such as tropical cyclones, often cause significant infrastructure damage, disrupting critical food, water, and energy supplies.

Municipal Net-Zero Action Research Partnership

The main goal of this climate mitigation project is to support Canadian municipalities to monitor, measure and achieve net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation goals. The aim is to ensure emissions reduction projects, policies and programs are aligned with Canada's national reduction commitments. The project is creating improved measurement, analysis and monitoring systems for both municipal and community-wide GHG emissions to advance the quantification of GHG emissions and enable the application of methods to identify mitigation opportunities and evaluate their effectiveness. This research augments national reporting processes and aligns with international practice.

Program overview

Department/School: School of Environment, Enterprise and Development
Faculty: Faculty of Environment
Admit term(s): Fall (September - December)
Delivery mode: On-campus
Program type: Master's, Research
Length of program: 12 - 24 months (full-time, depending on study option)
Registration option(s): Full-time, Part-time
Study option(s): Thesis, Coursework

Application deadlines

  • February 1 (for admission in September)

Key contacts

Thesis option: Janine Graham
grad.seed-research@uwaterloo.ca

Coursework option:
grad.seed-course@uwaterloo.ca

Tobi Oyewole

Tobi Oyewole, a first year Master of Environmental Studies in Sustainability Management (SUSM) student, won the United Nations award on business and sustainable development.

Supervisors (for thesis option only)

Admission requirements

  • A four-year undergraduate degree equivalent in a humanities, social science, health, engineering, natural science, environmental science, or business discipline with an overall average of at least 75% in the last two years.

Degree requirements

Application materials

  • Resume
  • Statement of interest
    • A statement of maximum 500 words explaining your interest in and fit for the program you’re applying to, uploaded as a supporting document in the online application. Review the writing your personal statement resources for helpful tips and tricks on completion.
  • Program-specific questions (PSQ)
    • These are questions specific to the program you’re applying to. They can be viewed once you’ve started an application and are completed through a form in the online application.
  • Transcript(s)
  • References
    • ​​​​​​​Two academic references are required.
  • Proof of English language proficiency, if applicable
    TOEFL 100 (writing 26, speaking 26), IELTS 7.5 (writing 7.0, speaking 7.0)

Tuition and fees