FAQ Page for 2026-2027 Curriculum Changes

Changes take effect for students starting in Fall 2026.  

Students who began their studies in Fall 2025 will be shifted over to the Fall 2026 degree requirements.  

All other students will follow the academic calendar in effect when they started their degree (e.g., if you started your program in Fall 2024, you will follow the degree requirements outlined in the Fall 2024 academic calendar). However, students have the option to opt into parts of the new curriculum (e.g., by completing a specialization or diploma listed in the Fall 2026 calendar).  

In some cases, students may be interested in shifting their entire program to the Fall 2026 calendar (e.g., if they are interested in completing the Geospatial Data Science degree rather than the Geomatics degree). Note that this would require completion of all degree requirements outlined in the Fall 2026 calendar, such as updated first-year and second-year requirements. If you are considering this option, please ensure you reach out to an academic advisor for discussion.  

The official degree requirements are always listed in the Undergraduate Academic Calendar. Program pages will be updated as new calendars are published. 

Yes. Starting Fall 2026, students (except for those enrolled in the GDS program) have the option to complete a Certificate in GIS. Requirements can be viewed in the academic calendar.  

Yes. Starting Fall 2026, there are some minor revisions to requirements for the Diploma of Excellence in GIS. Requirements can be viewed in the academic calendar.  

• A streamlined core curriculum, especially at the second year or 200-level courses.  

• Revised specializations, reduced from 5.5-unit clusters to focused 2.5-unit specializations. Students can now select up to two specializations (from a total of seven specializations):  

  • Climate Change 

  • Earth Systems Science 

  • Economy and Development 

  • Environment, Society, and Well-being 

  • Geographic Information Systems 

  • Remote Sensing 

  • Aviation 

• A redesigned research training pathway that shifts intensive methods training to the 300-level (GEOG 390: Geographic Research Methods and Design). 

• Harmonized co-op sequencing with other Environment programs. Students will end their co-op requirements with a double work-term (in the Winter and Spring term) and return to academic studies for a Fall 4A term immediately followed by a Winter 4B term.  

Yes. If you started in the GEM program in the Fall of 2025, you will now be required to complete your degree requirements using the updated Fall 2026 calendar. There are no changes to your first-year (100-level) requirements, but your required second-year (200-level) courses are changing. Please review the updated curriculum maps for more details on courses you should be selecting in your second year.   

No – your program degree requirements are not changing, and you will still work through the same course requirements as before. However, if you are in co-op, your sequencing may be changing.   

A small number of required courses will be retired starting in Fall 2027, including GEOG 293, GEOG 294 and GEOG 391. We have made every effort to ensure that all students can complete these degree requirements before these courses are retired. Please ensure you complete these degree requirements as follows:  

• GEOG 293: will be offered in Fall 2026 for the final time 

• GEOG 294: will no longer be offered; students must complete GEOG 293  

• GEOG 391: will be offered in the Fall 2026 and Winter 2027 terms for the final time. 

If you have any questions about required courses, please reach out to your academic advisor.   

Yes. GEM students can now complete focused 2.5-unit specializations, including: 

• Climate Change 

• Earth Systems Science 

• Economy and Development 

• Environment, Society, and Well-being 

• Geographic Information Systems 

• Remote Sensing 

• Aviation 

Capstone-style courses are no longer required to complete a specialization.  

If you began your studies prior to Fall 2025 and started completing a specialization using the previous requirements, you may still complete the specialization. However, some courses may no longer be offered (e.g., capstone courses) which may make completing the specialization requirements difficult. In these cases, we recommend reviewing the updated specialization requirements from the Fall 2026 academic calendar and working towards completing those requirements instead.  

Yes. GEM, Geomatics/GDS, and CEC co-op students move to a harmonized co-op sequence shared with most other programs in the Faculty of Environment. 

• Two consecutive work terms now occur before fourth year. 

• 4A and 4B are back-to-back academic terms, allowing students to complete a thesis and/or capstone course. 

These changes will be implemented as follows:  

• Starting in Winter 2027, students beginning their fourth work-term will be completing a double work-term (in Winter 2027 and Spring 2027) and will return to campus for academic studies in Fall 2027 (4A) and Winter 2028 (4B).  

• First, second, and third co-op work terms will continue as previously scheduled, but after Winter 2027, all fourth and fifth work terms will occur back-to-back.  

• If you are scheduled to complete your 4A term in Spring 2026, and your fifth work term in Fall 2026 – this will continue as originally planned.  

Some GEOG courses in mapping, GIS, and remote sensing now use the GDS (Geospatial Data Science) code. These count fully toward GEM degree requirements as do any AVIA course codes. 

• While maintaining a foundation in the use of Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing to conduct spatial analyses, generate impactful maps, and address challenges in science and society, the program is being renamed Geospatial Data Science (GDS) to better reflect:
  • The program’s emphasis on spatial data, analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence, and programming  
  • Alignment with industry terminology and employer expectations

• Stronger integration of machine learning and artificial intelligence, spatial statistics, and data management training.  

• A streamlined core curriculum, especially at the second year or 200-level courses.  

• Revised specializations, reduced from 5.5-unit clusters to focused 2.5-unit specializations. Students can now select up to two specializations (from a total of five specializations):  

  • Climate Change 

  • Earth Systems Science 

  • Economy and Development 

  • Environment, Society, and Well-being 

  • Aviation 

• A redesigned research training pathway that shifts intensive methods training to the 300-level (GEOG 390: Geographic Research Methods and Design). 

• Harmonized co-op sequencing with other Environment programs. Students will end their co-op requirements with a double work-term (in the Winter and Spring term) and return to academic studies for a Fall 4A term immediately followed by a Winter 4B term.  

Yes. If you started in the Geomatics program in the Fall of 2025, you will now be required to complete your degree requirements using the updated Fall 2026 calendar and your program will now be called Geospatial Data Science. There are no changes to your first-year (100-level) requirements, but your required second-year (200-level) courses are changing. Please review the updated curriculum maps for more details on courses you should be selecting in your second-year.   

No – your program degree requirements are not changing and you will still work through the same course requirements as before. You will receive email notification of any courses that will only be offered once more to ensure you enroll and complete your degree requirements.  

However, if you are in co-op, your sequencing may be changing.   

A small number of required courses will be retired starting in Fall 2027, including GEOG 293, GEOG 294 and GEOG 310. We have made every effort to ensure that all students can complete these degree requirements before these courses are retired. Please ensure you complete these degree requirements as follows:  

• GEOG 293: will offered in Fall 2026 for the final time  

• GEOG 294: will no longer be offered; students must complete GEOG 293  

• GEOG 310: will be offered in the Spring 2026 and Fall 2026 terms for the final time. 

In some cases, course options are being retired (e.g., GEOG 316, offered for the final time in Spring 2026). Students will be required to complete the alternate option to complete degree requirements (e.g., GEOG 318).  

If you have any questions about required courses, please reach out to your academic advisor.   

Yes. Geomatics/GDS students can now complete focused 2.5-unit specializations, including: 

• Climate Change 

• Earth Systems Science 

• Economy and Development 

• Environment, Society, and Well-being 

• Aviation 

Capstone-style courses are no longer required to complete a specialization.  

Yes. GEM, Geomatics/GDS, and CEC co-op students move to a harmonized co-op sequence shared with most other programs in the Faculty of Environment. 

• Two consecutive work terms now occur before fourth year. 

• 4A and 4B are back-to-back academic terms, allowing students to complete a thesis and/or capstone course. 

These changes will be implemented as follows:  

• Starting in Winter 2027, students beginning their fourth work-term will be completing a double work-term (in Winter 2027 and Spring 2027) and will return to campus for academic studies in Fall 2027 (4A) and Winter 2028 (4B).  

• First, second, and third co-op work terms will continue as previously scheduled, but after Winter 2027, all fourth and fifth work terms will occur back-to-back.  

• If you are scheduled to complete your 4A term in Spring 2026, and your fifth work term in Fall 2026 – this will continue as originally planned.  

Some courses previously labelled as GEOG courses will now use the GDS (Geospatial Data Science) code. These include courses focused on mapping, spatial statistics, GIS, and remote sensing. Both GDS and GEOG courses will count towards your degree requirements. For example, if your program requirements list GEOG 481 as a degree requirement, but you end up completing GDS 481, this will still meet your degree requirement for completing GEOG 481.  

• Better integration between aviation courses and geography/environment content. 

• Updated aviation course numbering (e.g., AVIA 210, AVIA 317, AVIA 370, AVIA 470). 

• Expanded elective flexibility across AVIA, GEOG, GDS, ENVS, ERS, PLAN, and ENBUS. 

• A streamlined core curriculum, especially at the second year or 200-level courses.  

• Revised specializations, reduced from 5.5-unit clusters to focused 2.5-unit specializations. Students can now select up to two specializations (from a total of six specializations):  

  • Climate Change 
  • Earth Systems Science 
  • Economy and Development 
  • Environment, Society, and Well-being 
  • Geographic Information Systems 
  • Remote Sensing 

• A redesigned research training pathway that shifts intensive methods training to the 300-level (GEOG 390: Geographic Research Methods and Design). 

Yes. If you started in the Geography and Aviation program in the Fall of 2025, you will now be required to complete your degree requirements using the updated Fall 2026 calendar. There are no changes to your first-year (100-level) requirements, but your required second-year (200-level) courses are changing. Please review the updated curriculum maps for more details on courses you should be selecting in your second-year.   

No – your program degree requirements are not changing and you will still work through the same course requirements as before.  

A small number of required courses will be retired starting in Fall 2027, including GEOG 293, GEOG 294 and GEOG 309. We have made every effort to ensure that all students can complete these degree requirements before these courses are retired. Please ensure you complete these degree requirements as follows:  

• GEOG 293: will offered in Fall 2026 for the final time 

• GEOG 294: will no longer be offered; students must complete GEOG 293  

• GEOG 309: students can take AVIA 370 Aviation Meteorology to count in lieu of GEOG 309 

If you have any questions about required courses, please reach out to your academic advisor.   

Yes. Geography and Aviation students can now complete focused 2.5-unit specializations, including: 

• Climate Change 

• Earth Systems Science 

• Economy and Development 

• Environment, Society, and Well-being 

• Geographic Information Systems 

• Remote Sensing 

Capstone-style courses are no longer required to complete a specialization.  

Yes. The Aviation Specialization has been streamlined to align with the new 2.5-unit model, while preserving professional aviation requirements. 

If you began your studies prior to Fall 2025 and started completing a specialization using the previous requirements, you may still complete the specialization. However, some courses may no longer be offered (e.g., capstone courses) which may make completing the specialization requirements difficult. In these cases, we recommend reviewing the updated specialization requirements from the Fall 2026 academic calendar and working towards completing those requirements instead.  

Yes, including: 

• AVIA 370: Aviation Meteorology 

• AVIA 470: Airline Planning and Management 

No. Required PPP courses and PGI components remain unchanged. Curriculum changes affect the academic degree structure, not licensure pathways. 

Some GEOG courses in mapping, GIS, and remote sensing now use the GDS (Geospatial Data Science) code. These count fully toward the Geography and Aviation degree requirements as do any AVIA course codes. 

• Greater flexibility in upper-year choices while maintaining strong physical climate science foundations. 

• Updated fourth-year course options emphasizing applied climate solutions. 

• A streamlined core curriculum, especially at the second year or 200-level courses.  

• Revised specializations, reduced from 5.5-unit clusters to focused 2.5-unit specializations. Students can now select up to two specializations (from a total of five specializations):  

  • Economy and Development 
  • Environment, Society, and Well-being 
  • Geographic Information Systems 
  • Remote Sensing 
  • Aviation 

• A redesigned research training pathway that shifts intensive methods training to the 300-level (GEOG 390: Geographic Research Methods and Design). 

• Harmonized co-op sequencing with other Environment programs. Students will end their co-op requirements with a double work-term (in the Winter and Spring term) and return to academic studies for a Fall 4A term immediately followed by a Winter 4B term.  

Yes. If you started in the CEC program in the Fall of 2025, you will now be required to complete your degree requirements using the updated Fall 2026 calendar. There are no changes to your first-year (100-level) requirements, but your required second-year (200-level) courses are changing. Please review the updated curriculum maps for more details on courses you should be selecting in your second-year.   

Some students may have minor changes to their upper-year degree requirements based on how far they have progressed in the program. If you have already completed your degree requirements, there is no change. If you are still working to complete 300- and 400-level degree requirements, we have made some minor changes to offer further flexibility. If there are changes, you would have received an email from the Associate Chair, Undergraduate (Erin O’Connell) outlining these changes. If you have any questions about these changes and whether or not they apply to you, please contact your academic advisor.  

A small number of required courses will be retired starting in Fall 2027. We have increased the flexibility of the CEC program requirements to accommodate for these retirements.  

If you have any questions about required courses, please reach out to your academic advisor.   

Yes. CEC students can now complete focused 2.5-unit specializations, including: 

• Economy and Development 

• Environment, Society, and Well-being 

• Geographic Information Systems 

• Remote Sensing 

• Aviation 

Capstone-style courses are no longer required to complete a specialization. 

If you began your studies prior to Fall 2025 and started completing a specialization using the previous requirements, you may still complete the specialization. However, some courses may no longer be offered (e.g., capstone courses) which may make completing the specialization requirements difficult. In these cases, we recommend reviewing the updated specialization requirements from the Fall 2026 academic calendar and working towards completing those requirements instead.  

• CEC students who start in Fall 2025 or later will now complete GEOG 390 in third year. GEOG 294 will no longer be required. There are no changes for students who started prior to Fall 2025.

• Field and lab experience remains embedded through courses like ENVS 200 and upper-year climate and Earth system courses. 

Yes. GEM, Geomatics/GDS, and CEC co-op students move to a harmonized co-op sequence shared with most other programs in the Faculty of Environment. 

• Two consecutive work terms now occur before fourth year. 

• 4A and 4B are back-to-back academic terms, allowing students to complete a thesis and/or capstone course. 

These changes will be implemented as follows:  

• Starting in Winter 2027, students beginning their fourth work-term will be completing a double work-term (in Winter 2027 and Spring 2027) and will return to campus for academic studies in Fall 2027 (4A) and Winter 2028 (4B).  

• First, second, and third co-op work terms will continue as previously scheduled, but after Winter 2027, all fourth and fifth work terms will occur back-to-back.  

• If you are scheduled to complete your 4A term in Spring 2026, and your fifth work term in Fall 2026 – this will continue as originally planned.  

Some GEOG courses in mapping, GIS, and remote sensing now use the GDS (Geospatial Data Science) code. These count fully towards CEC degree requirements.