MES Program
MES program
- Information for new students
- SES graduate policy document
- Program requirements
- Major Research Project
- Common Policies and Procedures
- Graduate courses
- Contact Information
Information for new students
Welcome to the School of Environmental Sciences! Please see the MES Welcome Package.
SES graduate policy document
All SES graduate policies can be found here: SES Graduate Student Policies (2021/01/18)
The Graduate Calendar is the foremost source for information concerning university-level regulations of graduate studies in general and SES academic programs in particular.
Program Requirements
The program consists of either 6 courses and a major research project (ENVS*6500), or 8 courses. There are two required courses that MES students must take, ENVS*6501 and ENVS*6502 and the remainder of your program is composed of elective courses. ENVS*6501 is a course where students examine a range of environmental issues focusing on the interplay between science and policy. ENVS*6502 is a seminar-based required course that enables students to examine a range of environmental issues by critically evaluating the literature and discussing and debating various perspectives; the interdisciplinary nature of environmental problems is highlighted. Emphasis is placed on developing critical thinking and oral and written communication skills.
For your courses, you will be able to choose from a number of disciplinary specific seminar courses, independent study courses and lab or field courses spanning the following broad areas of expertise within the school: Earth and atmospheric science, soil sciences, and environmental biology. This allows students to tailor their program to their interests and personal goals. Students may also select related courses from other departments on campus.
For more information see the full program requirements in the graduate calendar.
Major Research Project
If you chose to carry out a research project (ENVS 6500), you will have an advisory committee that consists of your project advisor (a faculty member from SES or your external advisor if your project is with an external partner) and one other graduate faculty (second reader) chosen in consultation with your faculty advisor. If your project is with an external partner, you will have two co-advisors, one SES faculty and the advisor from the external organization. The external advisor must obtain graduate faculty status to be on your advisory committee, by submitting a Graduate Nomination package consisting of a CV and completed Graduate Faculty Nomination form. This may take some time so you will want to initiate this process as soon as possible.
A Learning Contract must be submitted to the Graduate Program Assistant with your course waiver.
Students who have completed a research project will present their findings at a public presentation in the department before the end of the semester. Once your major research project is finalized, it can be submitted to the Atrium (UofGuelph's digital repository). This allows student reports to be available online for others to see and provides a permanent link that can be used in electronic resumes or e‐portfolios. Once the student has received a final grade for their research project report, they will be contacted by the Atrium Online Repository staff with instructions on how to submit their report. The process will include selecting appropriate creative commons and distribution licenses.
Common Forms, Policies and Procedures
- Advisory Committee Appointment and Graduate Degree Program form. This form identifies your advisory committee as well as the list of courses that you plan to complete as part of your graduate degree. This is due by the twentieth class day in your second semester. The Graduate Coordinator for MES should be listed as your Advisor, and the Graduate Coordinator for the department should be listed as a member.
- Course waiver/Request forms need to be filled out if the course requires instructor consent or if a restriction must be waived. Required for all Special Topics courses. Procedure is to collect the course instructor's signature first, sign yourself, then submit to Graduate Program Assistant who can collect the Graduate Coordinator signature.
- Departing Graduate Student Checklist (must be completed before leaving SES if student carried out a major research project with an advisor)
- ENVS*6500 Learning Contract
- Full-Time Distant Fee Status Application (apply for exemption from extra student fees if living at least 200km away from Guelph)
- Graduate Faculty Nomination Form: Your advisor needs to complete this form if you wish to nominate someone for Graduate Faculty status to serve on an advisory committee. Submit the completed form along with a current copy of the nominee's CV to the Graduate Program Assistant. The Graduate Program Assistant can also confirm an individual's current Graduate Faculty status if you are unsure whether a nomination is necessary.
- Leave of Absence and Withdrawal Application Form
- Part-time and Full-time Transfer Form
- Special Topics Courses Learning Contract. For all special topics courses. Including ENVS*6242, ENVS*6452, ENVS*6582, ENVS*6730, ENVS*6882
Graduate courses
Please refer to the SES Graduate Courses page for information on SES courses and current semester offerings. You may also wish to refer to the University Graduate Calendar course listing for information about all SES Graduate courses.
Students must register for courses through WebAdvisor (see Tutorial). You may also search for course availability by semester through WebAdvisor.
NOTE: Students may need to fill out a course waiver/request form with instructor consent to register in some of our courses. For Special Topics courses (section 01) where the graduate coordinator is listed as Instructor: please be advised that students will need to identify a faculty advisor who will work with them on a one-on-one basis to complete the course BEFORE the form is signed by the graduate coordinator. When submitting the form for signature, please state the name of faculty advisor you have identified. All forms need to be complete, filled out in full and in one .pdf file to be accepted. This includes collecting the signature from instructors that are not the Graduate Coordinator. Students should send completed forms to the Graduate Secretary ses.gradsec@uoguelph.ca; she will ensure that the forms are signed and returned to students in a timely manner.
Contact Information
If you require more information or assistance, please contact: