Requirements

Note: For the most up-to-date requirements, please visit the link to this year’s course calendar in the top right of this page.

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. ENVSOCTY and GEOG courses are counted 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 – 2020/2021

Student Sub-Committee

Roles and Responsibilities

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

• Promote the Minor and increase student awareness about sustainability education at McMaster
• Provide opportunities to meaningfully engage with the McMaster community
• Encourage opportunities for student experiential learning about sustainability

Meeting Frequency

Weekly meetings from September to April. 

Get Involved

To join the Student Sub-Committee, email Abbie at asp@mcmaster.ca

Membership – 2020/2021

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 (whalenk@mcmaster.ca) with the following information:

• Your Name:
• Your Home Faculty:
• Your Program of Study
• Level of Study:
• 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:
• Name of the academic advisor you have been working with in your home Faculty, if appropriate. If you haven’t been working with a specific advisor, that’s fine too.
• Describe how this course, and/or what you have done in this course, contributes to your learning about sustainability and your sustainability minor. Connecting your learning to one or more of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (see here or here) is encouraged. Additional information on each Sustainable Development Goal can be found by reading the associated Indicators and Targets.

Nominate a Cool Course

We are looking to hear from students about the cool course(s) you’ve taken that counts towards McMaster’s Interdisciplinary Minor in Sustainability. We want to share your favourites on our social media for others to see! 

Criteria:

Nominated courses must meet the following requirements:

• Undergraduate course at McMaster
• Counts towards the Interdisciplinary Minor in Sustainability (see list here)
• Nominated by a student who has completed the course

Nomination form:

If the course you want to nominate meets the criteria above, and you approve of us sharing the information you provide, please email Abbie Little at asp@mcmaster.ca your response to the following:

1. Name of professor and course code you are nominating:

2. Write a 1-2 sentence testimonial about why this course is cool and/or how it enhanced your sustainability education:

3. Include your name, faculty, and level of study:

4. Provide us with your Facebook name and/or Instagram handle to be tagged (optional):

5. Provide us with a photo to be included in the post (optional):

Process:

After submitting your nomination, our team will connect with the professor and invite them to collaborate on a post by providing some more information about them and their course. Our team will create the social media graphic and content, have it approved by the student and professor, and post it on the @macsustain Instagram and Facebook accounts.