Experience at Your Fingertips
On Campus, in the Community, Into the World
At Trent, you don't have to wait to graduate to start putting your environmental education to work. Trent School of Environment (TSE) students have access to a range of on-campus and community-based career-enhancing experiences. Research projects are hands-on and take full advantage of the local ecology and international study opportunities that offer a global perspective on all things environmental.
Experiential Learning (EL) is a part of both the curricular and co-curricular life of the institution and has been for many years. Students, community organizations, staff, and faculty work and grow together through these deep teaching and learning opportunities.
Set on the banks of the Otonabee River and surrounded by 580 hectares of land, Trent offers one of Canada’s most sought-after locations for environmental research. Students conduct on-campus field and laboratory work, pursue community-based research projects, placements, co-ops, and take advantage of international study opportunities that offer a global perspective on all things environmental.
TSE offers many undergraduate experiential learning and research opportunities. We work alongside community host partners to provide enriching, hands-on experience in the following types of courses:
| Course Type | Number of Semesters | Description | Contact Person |
|---|---|---|---|
| Placement | One | Students work alongside a placement host working on projects and tasks related to their degree program and skills development (~8 hours per week) | tse@trentu.ca |
| Community-Based Research | One and/or two | Students help to identify issues or opportunities and develop solutions or strategies to industry and community questions (~8-10 hours per week). | tse@trentu.ca |
| Co-op work experience | Three | Students complete a 12-month full-time, paid work experience and receive in-depth exposure to a single employer. Will begin in 27/28 academic year for all TSE degrees. | tse@trentu.ca |
| Honours Thesis | Two, double-credit | Students develop and complete a major thesis project through discovery, synthesis, and/or application of information to address a problem or question. | Dr Autumn Watkinson autumnwatkinson@trentu.ca |
| Reading Course | One or Two | Reading courses involve independent research and are based on a clear conception of a minor research project negotiated with a faculty supervisor and conducted by the student | tse@trentu.ca |
