Master of Climate Change Graduate Student Handbook

The Department of Geography and Environmental Management (GEM) is one of five academic units within the Faculty of Environment, which is one of six faculties at the University of Waterloo.

Dr. Bruce Frayne is the Dean of the Faculty of Environment, Dr. Peter Deadman is the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies, and Dr. Susan Elliott is the Interim Chair of the Department of Geography and Environmental Management.

Dr. Daniel Scott is the Master of Climate Change (MCC) Program Director and Teresa Wilson is the MCC Graduate Program Administrator.

There are a number of faculty members affiliated with the MCC that represent each of the five academic units in the Faculty of Environment:

• Department of Knowledge Integration – offices in EV1;
• School of Environment and Resource Studies – offices in EV2;
• Department Geography & Environmental Management – offices in EV1;
• School of Environment, Enterprise and Development – offices in EV3;
• School of Planning – offices in EV3.

GEM is one of the leading Geography Departments in Canada with a strong commitment to the discovery, dissemination, and application of geographic knowledge focused on the complex interactions within and between the human and natural environments. The Department embraces a three-fold mission of excellence in research, excellence in research-led teaching in all undergraduate and graduate degree programs, and celebration of, and respect for all, members of the Department, Faculty, and University.

The Faculty of Environment, and other Faculties at the University of Waterloo, have developed a significant concentration of faculty members with diverse climate change research programs that cover the three Working Groups of the United Nations (UN) Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) - climate change science; vulnerability, impacts and adaptation; and mitigation (greenhouse gas emission reduction and carbon sequestration).

The interdisciplinary MCC program will provide students access to experts in the scientific, social, political, policy, legal, economic and ethical dimensions of climate change, including: paleoclimate, contemporary climate variability and trends, global climate services, climate prediction and modeling, the impact of climate variability and extremes on society and human welfare, climate change links to hazards/disasters, international and local ecosystems and economic development (including sectoral and geographic vulnerability assessment), climate change policy and governance (international, regional, national scales), the role of climate science in policy development, GHG emissions trajectories and scenario development, mitigation pathways and energy policy, GHG accounting and management, carbon markets and trade, adaptation strategies and processes, trade-offs and synergies between mitigation and adaptation, the economics of climate change mitigation and adaptation, climate compatible development, climate change law, and climate change ethics (including varied regional perspectives). 

GEM Faculty Members by Research Area:

Climate Change and Environment

Economy and Society

Earth Systems Science

Geomatics

The Graduate Studies Academic Calendar is the main contractual document between the student and the University.

General Information and Regulations

Important Dates

(click on the description of the event for further details)

Current Students Pathway

QUEST - Login

QUEST – Resources and Information

Student Financial Services

LEARN - Login

LEARN – Resources and Information

Library

Subject guides

Quest

You have already used Quest for various purposes, such as to upload your application documents, check your application status, and review your offer of admission. You will also use Quest to enroll in courses, obtain your fee statement, view your financial aid, change your personal information, view your unofficial transcript for grades, and view your course schedule. Be sure to familiarize yourself with this system. More information regarding Quest can be found on the Quest website.

Tuition Fee Information

Hard copy fee bills are not mailed to you from Finance. Your up-to-date fee statement is available on Quest.

Payment Procedures

Information on making fee payments and becoming 'fees arranged' is provided on the Finance website.

Enrollment Regulations

Familiarize yourself with the regulations in the current graduate studies academic calendar.

By registering and paying fees, students assume responsibility for knowing the regulations and pertinent procedures as set forth in this handbook and the University of Waterloo Graduate Calendar.

Ultimately, it is your responsibility to ensure that you have met coursework and other requirements to complete your degree. The MCC Graduate Program Administrator can assist you with this process.

Students are expected to maintain continuous registration, either active status or inactive status, throughout their program. Failure to register and pay any required fees each term will mean you will have to apply for readmission. Special permission is required to change your registration status from full-time/part-time to inactive. If you do request inactive status, you must submit a Change of Enrolment Status form. A rationale explaining the reasons for the request must be submitted. Requests for inactive status will not always be approved.

Students are required to enroll and pay fees each term that they are active in the program. Terms when students are working on major research papers or internships are considered active terms.

Important Dates and Deadlines

Academic Term Deadlines and Holidays/University Closures

Schedule of Due Dates

Master’s Research Paper

Course Evaluation: Numerical grade

A pre-requisite is that all program core courses are completed prior to beginning the Master's Research Paper. The core courses are GEMCC 601 Climate Change: Physical Science Basis, GEMCC 602 Climate Change Vulnerability and Adaptation, and GEMCC 603 Climate Change Mitigation.

Student’s Responsibility: over the first two terms, the student develops the topic of the Master’s Research Paper and identifies a suitable Supervisor. The topic must have a climate change focus.

Review the research interests of professors in the Faculty of Environment in order to identify a Supervisor.

Approval: students must email the MCC Program Director for final approval of the chosen topic to ensure it has sufficient climate change focus. This email should contain a two page summary and provide Supervisor details. Please copy in the MCC Graduate Program Administrator.

The two page summary will include the research topic and the approach (methods, data, etc), as well as any specific outputs agreed upon with the Supervisor (e.g., a report, book chapter/journal publication, briefing note) and proposed work plan (i.e., tasks and timelines) including timelines for submission of drafts which are to be reviewed before the final copy is submitted.

At the end of this two page summary, the student and the supervisor must add their signatures to acknowledge that they have reviewed and agree upon the document.

Formally declare a Supervisor: complete a ‘Change of supervisor’ form.

1. The student will complete sections 1 & 2, and sign and date the form.
2. The student will obtain the signature of the declared supervisor in section 2.
3. The student will submit the completed form to the MCC Graduate Program Administrator for further approval.

The form can be e-signed using the Fill & Sign function in the Tools option and can be saved as a PDF and emailed to the MCC Graduate Program Administrator who will send it through for further electronic approvals.

The student works one-on-one with their supervisor to complete the Master’s Research Paper.

The Supervisor, in consultation with the MCC Program Director, will approve one additional independent Reader to evaluate the paper. The assigned grade will reflect the evaluation of both the Supervisor and the Reader.

The Master’s Research Paper will be between 40 and 60 pages in length (double-spaced, 12 point font size, and font style of Arial or Times New Roman).

It should include clearly defined sections that cover the following:

1. author's declaration,
2. problem statement/research question,
3. status of research literature,
4. research procedures/methods,
5. findings/results, and
6. conclusions/recommendations

Author's Declaration:

I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this master’s research paper. This is a true copy of the master’s research paper, including any required final revisions, as accepted by examiners. I understand that this master’s research paper may be made electronically available to the public.

The APA citation style is used.

Graphical, tabular and photographic illustrations: Graphs, maps and tables all provide information so they can be used in any report, including a proposal.  However, never include filler, such as graphs that are not referred to in the text or tables that contain too much detail. Always think about how information can be best communicated to the reader. Be careful so as not to over describe a graph or table; just make the points which are central to your argument.

Students are encouraged to use iThenticate before they submit their Master’s Research Paper. More information regarding iThenticate can be found on the Academic Integrity website.

The University of Waterloo library website has more information on reference material and referencing:

• Library
• Subject guides

The submission deadline of the final copy for students completing their Master’s Research Paper in the Spring term is August 15th (December 15th for students completing their Master's Research Paper in the Fall term; April 15th for students completing their Master's Research Paper in the Winter term).

Submission of the final copy of the Master's Research Paper should be via email as a PDF – one email to the supervisor and the reader with the MCC Graduate Program Administrator copied in (a copy is required for the student file).

Once the Master’s Research Paper is graded by the Supervisor and Reader, a Milestone Completion form will be completed by the MCC Graduate Program Administrator and submitted to the Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs.

Graduate Studies Internship

All internship students are required to spend the equivalent of one academic term as an intern working on climate change in the public or private sector, at a research institute, or for a non-governmental organization. It is the student’s primary responsibility to identify potential organizations with which to undertake their internship, although some employers recruit for positions through the program. The work term will normally take place in the third term of the program. The internship must be approved as being a suitable practical learning experience having sufficient climate change focus to be eligible. Students will be required to submit a short proposal outlining how the work of the organization and the internship position relates to the climate change program curriculum, the student’s professional interests, and the professional experience sought through the internship. A final written report arising out of the internship experience will be required and will be evaluated.

Course Evaluation: Credit / No Credit

Internships must be predominantly climate/climate change focused. This is a requirement of the Ministry of Education for the Master of Climate Change program.

Pre-requisite: a normally all core courses are completed prior to beginning the internship. The core courses are GEMCC 601 Climate Change: Physical Science Basis, GEMCC 602 Climate Change Vulnerability and Adaptation, and GEMCC 603 Climate Change Mitigation.

Student’s Responsibility: it is the student’s primary responsibility to identify potential organizations with which to undertake their internship. Students can do this on their own and with the support of GradWIL/WaterlooWorks.

Approval: approval must be obtained from the MCC Internship Advisor via the GradWIL/WaterlooWorks/ArrangeOwnJob processes.

Change of Enrolment Status: full-time students who are completing an off-campus internship and who are not taking any on-campus courses should complete a ‘Change of Enrolment Status’ form. The form can be found here:  https://uwaterloo.ca/forms/graduate-studies/change-enrolment-status

• download/open the form as a fillable PDF; fill out sections 1 and 2; select the status change option Full-time off-campus (e.g. internship, exchange)
• e-sign the form using the Fill & Sign function in the Tools option. The form should then be saved as a PDF and emailed to the MCC Graduate Program Administrator who will send it through for further electronic approvals.

Internship Proposal: once approved, the student will prepare an internship proposal (approximately 1 - 2 pages in length, double spaced, 12 point font size, and font style of Arial or Times New Roman).

A copy of the proposal should be submitted via email to the MCC Program Director with the MCC Graduate Program Administrator copied in.

The proposal should be submitted at least two weeks before the start of the internship.

This proposal should outline:

• how the work of the organization relates to the climate change program curriculum and the student’s professional interests
• the professional experience sought through the internship

Internship Report: To complete the internship milestone, students submit a written report, summarizing their internship activities and reflecting on their internship experience.

The report should be no more than 20 pages double-spaced, 12 point font size, and font style of Arial or Times New Roman. The 20 pages includes all references, images, title page, etc. Examples of key professional outputs (e.g., a report, policy brief, designs) and feedback from supervisors and stakeholders/clients can be attached as appendices. Appendices are in addition to the 20 pages.

A copy of the report should be submitted via email to the MCC Program Director with the MCC Graduate Program Administrator copied in.

The report is due August 15th for students completing their internship in the Spring term (December 15th for students completing their internship in the Fall term; April 15th for students completing their internship in the Winter term).

The report should include the following components:

1. Title Page – Include the report title; employer's name and location; date of report; your name, student number, email address, and term and year; the university name; and the phrase ‘In partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Master of Climate Change Program’.
2. Introduction and Professional Experience Summary – Briefly outline of the climate change mandate of the organization and the specific work of the organization division/team you interned with. Include the name of your supervisor and the location and dates worked. Provide a description of your professional experience gained, including specific projects, responsibilities, and key outputs.
3. Experiential Learning Impact – Briefly reflect on and discuss the following:

• In what areas did you experience the most professional growth?
• What insights have you gained into the field of climate change?
• Based on your internship experience, what skills would you like to develop in your career?
• How has the internship influenced your career goals? Please explain.
• What insights have you gained regarding the information gaps and the need for research in the area(s) of climate change that you worked in?
• How your experience links to the program curriculum and your professional developmental goals?
• Feedback from supervisors and stakeholders/clients can be included in your responses or attached as an appendix.

4. Internship Evaluation – Briefly discuss the following:

• Did the internship experience meet your personal expectations?
• How would you assess your performance at the organization?
• Would you recommend this organization/role to future MCC interns?

5. Internship Report Release – If you are willing to give future MCC students permission to review your report from the MCC Graduate Program Administrator to benefit from your internship experience, please include the Internship Release Statement at the end of your report.