University Transfer – Environmental Studies
Overview
Start your environmental studies degree at VCC in a supportive learning environment with attentive instructors. Credits transfer to post-secondary institutions across British Columbia.
| Tuition | N/A |
|---|---|
| Credential | Certificate |
| Length | 16 months |
| Hours | N/A |
| Delivery | N/A |
| Campus | Downtown |
What to expect
What you will learn
- Incorporate critical thinking into global interdisciplinary processes and decision making.
- Collaborate with peers by participating in research projects and laboratories.
- Critically interpret literature and determine the nature and extent of information required.
- Apply the appropriate presentation style to produce clear and accurate written, verbal, and visual communication for public individuals, professionals in industry/NGOs, scientists, and politicians.
- Utilize accepted research process and abilities in all professional enquiries, communications, and scholarship.
- Assimilate scientific and quantitative methodology as well as analytical skills for entrance into second year science courses.
- Apply problem-solving techniques in biology, math, geography, global environmental change, management, and leadership.
Program duration and maximum time for completion
The time limit on completion is sixteen months for assured admission to SFU. The time limit on completion is three years for competitive admission to SFU.
The maximum allowable time for students to complete the program is three years.
Admission requirements
Program-specific
-
English Studies 12 with a minimum ‘B’ grade, or equivalent
-
Life Sciences 11 with a minimum ‘C+’ grade, or equivalent
-
Anatomy & Physiology 12 with a minimum ‘C+’ grade, or equivalent
-
Chemistry 11 with a minimum ‘C+’ grade, or equivalent
-
Pre-Calculus 11 with a minimum ‘C’ grade, or equivalent
- For Option C (BSc – Environmental Science): Applicants must also meet the following additional admission criteria:
- Pre-Calculus 12 with a minimum ‘B’ grade, or equivalent
- Chemistry 12 with a minimum ‘C+’ grade, or equivalent
- Physics 12 with a minimum ‘C+’ grade, or equivalent
Learn more about VCC's academic upgrading or English as a Second Language (ESL) courses, or discover which university transfer options are right for you.
Recommended characteristics
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Program availability
Fall 2026 |
|
|---|---|
| Program start date | |
| Status | Open |
| Application opens | Mar 15, 2026 |
| Application deadline | Aug 1, 2026 |
Winter 2027 |
|
| Program start date | |
| Status | Open |
| Application opens | Jul 15, 2026 |
| Application deadline | Dec 1, 2026 |
Spring/Summer 2027 |
|
| Program start date | |
| Status | Open |
| Application opens | Nov 15, 2026 |
| Application deadline | Apr 1, 2027 |
Courses
Course Credits (Option A: BEnv – Environmental Resource Management)
Successful completion of a minimum of 35 credits of first-year university transfer courses articulated to SFU courses as per the British Columbia Council on Admission and Transfer Guide (BCCAT) is required for completion of the certificate. Credit distribution in the following courses is required:
| Term One | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 1100 | Biology 1 | 4 |
| ENGL 1100 or ENGL 1101 |
Academic Writing or Academic Writing for EAL Students |
3 |
| GEOG 1100 | Society, Space, Environment: Introducing Human Geography | 3 |
| GEOG 1110 | Earth Systems | 3 |
| Credits | 13 | |
| Term Two | ||
| BIOL 1200 | Biology 2 | 4 |
| INDG 1100 | Introduction to First Nations & Indigenous Studies | 3 |
| GEOG 2241 | Social Geography | 3 |
| EVSC 1100 | Introduction to Environmental Science | 3 |
| Credits | 13 | |
| Term Three | ||
| BIOL 2105 | Introductory Ecology | 4 |
| MATH 1111 | Introduction to Statistics | 3 |
| REMA 1100 | Global Change | 3 |
| Credits | 10 | |
| Total Credits | 36 | |
Course Credits (Option B: BEnv – Global Environmental Systems)
Successful completion of a minimum of 35 credits of first-year university transfer courses articulated to SFU courses as per the British Columbia Council on Admission and Transfer Guide (BCCAT) is required for completion of the certificate. Credit distribution in the following courses is required:
| Term One | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 1100 | Biology 1 | 4 |
| ENGL 1100 or ENGL 1101 |
Academic Writing or Academic Writing for EAL Students |
3 |
| GEOG 1100 | Society, Space, Environment: Introducing Human Geography | 3 |
| GEOG 1110 | Earth Systems | 3 |
| Credits | 13 | |
| Term Two | ||
| BIOL 1200 | Biology 2 | 4 |
| SOCI 1100 or ECON 1200 or INDG 1100 |
Sociology 1: Intro to Sociology or Macroeconomics or Introduction to First Nations & Indigenous Studies |
3 |
| GEOG 2241 | Social Geography | 3 |
| EVSC 1100 | Introduction to Environmental Science | 3 |
| Credits | 13 | |
| Term Three | ||
| BIOL 2105 | Introductory Ecology | 4 |
| REMA 1100 | Global Change | 3 |
| MATH 1111 | Introduction to Statistics | 3 |
| Credits | 10 | |
| Total Credits | 36 | |
Course Credits (Option C: BSc – Environmental Science)
Successful completion of a minimum of 38 credits of first-year university transfer courses articulated to SFU courses as per the British Columbia Council on Admission and Transfer Guide (BCCAT) is required for completion of the certificate. Credit distribution in the following courses is required:
| Term One | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 1100 | Biology 1 | 4 |
| CHEM 1121 | Chemistry 1 | 4 |
| MATH 1100 | Calculus 1 | 3 |
| PHYS 1100 | Physics 1 | 4 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Term Two | ||
| BIOL 1200 | Biology 2 | 4 |
| CHEM 1223 | Chemistry 2 | 4 |
| EVSC 1100 | Introduction to Environmental Science | 3 |
| PHYS 1200 | Physics 2 | 4 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Term Three | ||
| ENGL 1100 or ENGL 1101 |
Academic Writing or Academic Writing for EAL Students |
3 |
| MATH 1200 | Calculus 2 | 3 |
| Credits | 6 | |
| Total Credits | 36 | |
Option A: SFU Bachelor of Environment (BEnv) Degree Major: Environmental Resource Management Second-Year Transfer
Assured Admission Pathway
Assured admission under this pathway requires completion of the VCC Environmental Studies Certificate with a VCC GPA of 2.75 (calculated based on the best attempt for each course). All credits must be obtained within sixteen months. In addition, for at least two of the terms at VCC students must meet a minimum course load of 12 credits. The following courses must be completed as part of this pathway: MATH 1111 Introduction to Statistics, BIOL 1100 Biology 1, BIOL 1200 Biology 2, BIOL 2105 Introductory Ecology, ENGL 1100 Academic Writing or ENGL 1101 Academic Writing for EAL Students, INDG 1100 Introduction to First Nations & Indigenous Studies, GEOG 1100 Society, Space, Environment: Introducing Human Geography, GEOG 1110 Earth Systems, GEOG 2241 Social Geography, EVSC 1100 Introduction to Environmental Science, and REMA 1100 Global Change.
The following core courses must be taken at VCC:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 1100 | Biology 1 | 4 |
| BIOL 1200 | Biology 2 | 4 |
| INDG 1100 | Introduction to First Nations & Indigenous Studies | 3 |
| GEOG 1100 | Society, Space, Environment: Introducing Human Geography | 3 |
| GEOG 1110 | Earth Systems | 3 |
| EVSC 1100 | Introduction to Environmental Science | 3 |
| BIOL 2105 | Introductory Ecology | 4 |
| REMA 1100 | Global Change | 3 |
Other (non-core) courses in the certificate taken at post-secondary institutions other than VCC may be transferred to VCC and used towards completion of the VCC/SFU pathway certificate, providing those courses transfer independently to SFU and receive the same credit at SFU as does the VCC pathway course.
Competitive Admission Pathway
VCC students who do not meet the assured admission pathway criteria will be considered for entry to the SFU environment programs using the existing college transfer criteria for SFU admission (currently 24 credits of transferable course work plus meeting the GPA set for that term of admission), plus program-specific requirements.
Applicants from both pathways must meet the general SFU English language and quantitative admission requirements.
Option B: SFU Bachelor of Environment (BEnv) Degree Major: Global Environmental Systems Second-Year Transfer
Assured Admission Pathway
Assured admission under this pathway requires completion of the VCC Environmental Studies Certificate with a VCC CGPA of 2.75 (calculated based on the best attempt for each course). All credits must be obtained within sixteen months. In addition, for at least two of the terms at VCC students must meet a minimum course load of 12 credits. The following courses must be completed as part of this pathway:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MATH 1111 | Introduction to Statistics | 3 |
| BIOL 1100 | Biology 1 | 4 |
| BIOL 1200 | Biology 2 | 4 |
| BIOL 2105 | Introductory Ecology | 4 |
| ENGL 1100 | Academic Writing | 3 |
| or ENGL 1101 | Academic Writing for EAL Students | |
| GEOG 1100 | Society, Space, Environment: Introducing Human Geography | 3 |
| GEOG 1110 | Earth Systems | 3 |
| GEOG 2241 | Social Geography | 3 |
| EVSC 1100 | Introduction to Environmental Science | 3 |
| REMA 1100 | Global Change | 3 |
| And one of: | 3 | |
SOCI 1100 | Sociology 1: Intro to Sociology | |
ECON 1200 | Macroeconomics | |
INDG 1100 | Introduction to First Nations & Indigenous Studies | |
The following core courses must be taken at VCC:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 1100 | Biology 1 | 4 |
| BIOL 1200 | Biology 2 | 4 |
| GEOG 1100 | Society, Space, Environment: Introducing Human Geography | 3 |
| GEOG 1110 | Earth Systems | 3 |
| GEOG 2241 | Social Geography | 3 |
| EVSC 1100 | Introduction to Environmental Science | 3 |
| REMA 1100 | Global Change | 3 |
| BIOL 2105 | Introductory Ecology | 4 |
Other (non-core) courses in the certificate that are taken at post-secondary institutions other than VCC may be transferred to VCC and used towards completion of the VCC/SFU pathway certificate, providing those courses transfer independently to SFU and receive the same credit at SFU as does the VCC pathway course.
Competitive Admission Pathway
VCC students who do not meet the assured admission pathway criteria will be considered for entry to the SFU Environment programs using the existing college transfer criteria for admission (currently 24 credits of transferable work plus meeting the GPA set for that term of admission), plus program-specific requirements.
Applicants from both pathways must meet the general SFU English language and quantitative admission requirements.
The required GPA for transfer to other institutions may vary based on transfer agreements with other institutions.
Option C: SFU Bachelor of Science (BSc) Degree Major: Environmental Science Second-Year
Assured Admission Pathway
Assured admission under this pathway requires completion of the VCC Environmental Studies Certificate with a VCC CGPA of 2.75 (calculated based on the best attempt for each course). All credits must be obtained within sixteen months. In addition, for at least two of the terms at VCC students must meet a minimum course load of 12 credits. The following courses must be completed as part of this pathway:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MATH 1100 | Calculus 1 | 3 |
| MATH 1200 | Calculus 2 | 3 |
| BIOL 1100 | Biology 1 | 4 |
| BIOL 1200 | Biology 2 | 4 |
| ENGL 1100 | Academic Writing | 3 |
| or ENGL 1101 | Academic Writing for EAL Students | |
| EVSC 1100 | Introduction to Environmental Science | 3 |
| CHEM 1121 | Chemistry 1 | 4 |
| CHEM 1223 | Chemistry 2 | 4 |
| PHYS 1100 | Physics 1 | 4 |
| PHYS 1200 | Physics 2 | 4 |
The following core courses must be taken at VCC:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 1100 | Biology 1 | 4 |
| BIOL 1200 | Biology 2 | 4 |
| EVSC 1100 | Introduction to Environmental Science | 3 |
| ENGL 1100 | Academic Writing | 3 |
| or ENGL 1101 | Academic Writing for EAL Students | |
Other (non-core) courses in the certificate that are taken at post-secondary institutions other than VCC may be transferred to VCC and used towards completion of the VCC/SFU pathway, providing those courses transfer independently to SFU and receive the same credit at SFU as does the VCC pathway course.
Competitive Admission Pathway
VCC students who do not meet the assured admission pathway criteria will be considered for entry to the SFU Environmental Science programs using the existing college transfer criteria for admission (currently 24 credits of transferable work plus meeting the GPA set for that term of admission), plus program-specific requirements.
Applicants from both pathways must meet the general SFU English language and quantitative admission requirements.
The required GPA for transfer to other institutions may vary based on transfer agreements with other institutions.
Option D
Contact VCC Advising Services for information on other post-secondary transfer options.
This information is intended as a guideline only. Program and course details are subject to change with the approval of VCC's Board of Governors.
Fees and costs
* Fees are approximate and subject to change with the approval of VCC's Board of Governors. Students are required to pay any applicable fee increases. Application and assessment fees are non-refundable. Tuition fees include a non-refundable deposit.
Any refunds are issued according to VCC's refund policy.
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Technical requirement
How to apply
Ready to apply?
Online
You will be directed to EducationPlannerBC.
Fill out a PDF form and mail to:
VCC Registrar's Office
1155 East Broadway
Vancouver, B.C., V5T 4V5
International students
Apply to VCC international programs online. Check the availability status for your desired program and intake before applying.
Contact us
Advising services
Phone: 604.871.7000, option 2
Email: [email protected]
Advising services for International students
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