Requirements

NOTES

Student requests for course substitution can be completed using the request template and sent to Minor Committee Co-Chair Kate Whalen at whalenk@mcmaster.ca. The Request for Course Substitution template can be found at the appropriate tab above.

1. Students should note that not all courses listed are available each year. As well, it is the student’s responsibility to check carefully for prerequisites, co-requisites and enrolment restrictions.
2. Students are strongly encouraged to seek guidance from their academic advisor to ensure they are meeting all enrolment requirements, including Faculty-specific requirements for double counting courses required for a student’s major.
3. All courses have enrolment capacities. The Faculty cannot guarantee enrolment in courses for minors, even when prerequisites have been met.
4. ENVIRSC and EARTHSC courses are administered by the Faculty of Science.
5. GEOG courses will be considered as Social Sciences courses

Committee

Roles and Responsibilities

The roles and responsibilities of the Committee are as follows:

• Establish goals for the development and enhancement of the Minor and report annually on progress made
• Promote the Minor, including Sustain 1S03 and other courses on the Minor Course List
• Advise on the administrative processes involved, such as course exception process, course list, requirements, etc.
• Consult with Faculty colleagues on the course list and other administrative aspects
• Approve the course list, specifically for courses under each member’s home Faculty. Offer insight on courses outside home Faculty.
• Provide pan-campus perspective as it relates to development and management of the Minor

Guiding Principles

McMaster’s Minor in Sustainability is guided by the following principles:

• Provide students with foundational sustainability knowledge
• Create a consciousness and respect for the diversity of sustainability perspectives held in different Faculties
• Ensure an interdisciplinary educational experience
• Encourage and support student-directed learning
• Complement existing McMaster educational offerings while avoiding redundancy
• Ensure inter-Faculty equity, including student accessibility

Meeting Frequency

Twice annually in July and November  

Membership

Student Committee

Roles and Responsibilities

The roles and responsibilities of the Student Committee are as follows:

• Promote the Minor and increase student awareness about the Minor
• Provide opportunities to meaningfully engage with the McMaster community
• Encourage opportunities for student experiential learning about sustainability
• Increase enrollment in SUSTAIN classes 
• Increase engagement on social media

Meeting Frequency

Weekly meetings from September to April. 

Membership

Request for Course Substitution

Students wishing to have a sustainability-related course, which is not currently on the Sustainability Minor Course List, and have it count towards their minor are encouraged to email Kate Whalen, Senior Manager of Academic Sustainability Programs and Co-Chair of the Interdisciplinary Minor in Sustainability (whalenk@mcmaster.ca), with the following information:

• Your Name:
• Your Home Faculty:
• Your Program of Study and Level:
• Faculty (of the course you are submitting the request for):
• Program (of the course you are submitting the request for):
• Course Code and Title:
• Course Outline (link or attach a copy):
• Name and Email of Course Instructor (who taught when you took the course):
• Have you had any other courses approved for substitutions?
• If yes, please list using Course Code and Title:
• A key objective of the minor is to enable students to select from a diverse list of courses in order to tailor a minor to suit their unique passions and interest in sustainability. Please describe how this course, and/or what you have done in this course, contributes to your learning about sustainability and your sustainability minor. Your request will be reviewed by the minor committee and students can expect a response within approximately 1-2 weeks. The requirements for the Minor in Sustainability can be found here.