What exactly do we mean by 'bioenvironmental monitoring & assessment', or BEMA? We define this as biological monitoring & assessment within an environmental context.
M.BEMA
This one-year course-based Master's program provides students with the necessary knowledge and skills for the practice of bioenvironmental monitoring and assessment, through coursework and a professional work placement with government, conservation authority, environmental consultant, and NGO agencies. Our goal is to prepare graduates for work in the environmental sector, in fields that require skills in environmental sampling design, data analysis using R, science communication and critical thinking skills to conduct and evaluate environmental assessments. The M.BEMA will be attractive to recent BSc graduates and early/mid career professionals who are seeking environmental sector experience and/or seeking more targeted knowledge and skills for this field.
The program's Placement Coordinator will assist students in finding an appropriate placement based on their locations, skills, experience & goals, which can be paid or unpaid depending on the partner's ability to pay and funding sources available to them.
The full-time program will consist of:
- Eight online courses over two terms (September to May) - online courses are
asynchronous (pre-recorded mini-lectures arranged into bi-weekly modules) - A 16-week placement (May to August)
- A one-week face-to-face capstone course on the Trent campus in the 3rd week of August (Sunday through Friday)
- Flexibility to complete the program part-time over 2 years, with 2 online courses per term, followed by completion of the placement and capstone courses in the Summer term of Year 2
“One of the aspects I appreciated most about the M.BEMA program was how it rewarded effort and engagement—what you put into the experience directly reflected what you gained from it. The program fostered my personal and professional growth by encouraging me to take initiative and immerse myself in industry-relevant content. Overall, the M.BEMA program has left me highly confident in my ability to tackle real-world environmental challenges in the workforce.”
G.Dip in BEMA
This 8-month fully online Graduate Diploma (G.Dip) provides students with the necessary knowledge and skills for the practice of bioenvironmental monitoring and assessment through coursework, without the experiential learning component. Our goal is to prepare graduates for work in the environmental sector, in fields that require skills in environmental sampling design, data analysis using R, science communication and critical thinking skills to conduct and evaluate environmental assessments. The G.Dip will be attractive to early/mid career professionals who may have environmental sector experience but are seeking more targeted knowledge and skills for this field.
The full-time program will consist of:
- Six online courses over two terms (September to May) for full-time studies
- Flexibility to complete the program part-time over 2 years, with 1-2 online courses per term and no courses in the first summer term
M.Sc. in BEMA
This 28-month full-time thesis-based program will prepare its graduates for the environmental workforce by allowing students to complete a 4-month professional placement during their thesis research. Students will answer questions within the field of environmental monitoring and assessment using state-of-the-art data collection and analytical tools in landscape genetics, population viability and trend analysis, environmental genomics, ecological stoichiometry, and nutrient cycling assessment.
The program will consist of:
- One core online course (Sampling Design for Environmental Research), taken in the Fall term of Year 1
- One required BEMA Placement course, which is a 4-month paid professional placement with an external partner that most likely collaborates with your supervisor and complements your research work
- Completion of a thesis based on original research