Exploring Environmental Issues – in the Field, in the Class and on the Job
Trent’s flexible BEMA Graduate Program helps Katy Hynes to advance career goals
Just two years after gradating from Trent with a B.Sc. in Biology Katy Hynes has returned to her alma mater to complete her Master of Bioenvironmental Monitoring and Assessment (M.BEMA) degree further advance her career in environmental studies.
Previous to returning to Trent as a part-time graduate student in the BEMA Graduate Program in 2019, Katy was working for the Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry (NMNRF).
“Throughout this process, I found that I was really interested in environmental issues, policy, and monitoring,” she says. “I decided to push myself to complete my Master’s degree to help further my career goals.”
BEMA graduate program interdisciplinary, flexible, and online
Trent’s BEMA Graduate Program is an interdisciplinary program that leads to either a Masters (M.BEMA) – an intensive online course-based degree that can be completed in one year – or a Graduate Diploma (G.Dip) that can be completed in eight months.
The fact that she enjoyed her Trent undergraduate experience so much was not the only thing that drew Katy back for the second time.
“It’s also because the program is so flexible and enabled me to complete it in two years as a part-time student while I continued working, which was important to me,” Katy adds.
Professional placements an integral part of program
Trent’s M.BEMA program features a hands-on placement, which Katy completed with the NMNRF’s Water Resources Section (Resources Planning & Development Branch) this past summer. Her duties included completing a literature review and jurisdictional scan regarding low water response plans in Canada and internationally.
“I had been looking forward to my placement as a great opportunity for hands-on experience and to apply my knowledge from the course work,” says Katy. “I also think that Trent and the BEMA program have a lot of connections to our community, which was really helpful for the placements.”
Jennifer Bull, BEMA program coordinator, explains that these placements are very important for students to gain professional experience in the environmental sector.
“While the Trent-NMNRF partnership has been long-established, it is relatively new for the BEMA program,” Ms. Bull adds. “This summer we were able to place two students with the Water Resources Section at the NMNRF, Katy being one of them, and hope to expand our partnership with them next year and beyond.”
A great student experience – even during pandemic
Was the Trent student experience as great the second time around? Katy says it definitely is.
“Trent is a great size, and I find it’s also very inclusive and everyone is willing to help each other out,” says Katy. “Having that more personable experience was important to me.”
Neither the online program delivery nor the pandemic stopped Katy from getting to know her professors and fellow students.
“Each professor made a real effort to bring the class together and get to know everyone,” she explains. “They were beyond accommodating, especially with the pandemic going on!”
Ready for an exciting environmental career
With her degree now complete, plus additional work experience, skills, and connections, Katy feels well prepared to succeed in an environmental career, likely in environmental policy.