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  3. Environmental Chemistry

Environmental Chemistry

Explore how chemicals form, move through, and interact with the environment, and investigate the effects of contaminants on ecosystems. Bridging chemistry and environmental science, this program gives students the opportunity to develop technical skills in chemical analysis and modern analytical techniques while tackling issues such as pollution, toxicology, pest control, and climate change. You will graduate with high demand scientific and practical expertise in environmental monitoring, research, consulting, and related fields.

  • Gain hands-on experience with advanced analytical tools in state-of-the-art facilities such as the Trent Water Quality Centre, home to one of Canada’s leading mass spectrometry systems.
  • Conduct undergraduate research on today’s most pressing environmental challenges such as emerging contaminants, greenhouse gas emissions and carbon sequestration alongside faculty in Chemistry and the Trent School of the Environment.
  • Take your learning into the field through Trent’s 11 on-campus nature areas, connecting laboratory analysis with real environmental systems.
  • Build professional experience through work placements with environmental organizations and businesses, applying your expertise to real-world challenges. 

Accelerated Masters

Fast-track your education, by earning your M.Sc. in Environmental & Life Sciences in only 12-20 months of graduating from your Honours B.Sc.

Featuring hands-on training utilizing cutting-edge instrumentation in state-of-the-art research facilities like Trent’s Water Quality Centre, this program combines advanced chemical analysis with environmental science to investigate and solve real-world environmental challenges. 

Locations
Peterborough
Co-op available
Available
Experiential Learning

Gain valuable career experience while earning academic credit.

Requirements
Tabs
  • Ontario
  • Non-Ontario
  • International
  • International Baccalaureate
  • Mature
  • Transfer

Requirements

If you are coming straight from high school in Ontario or are a recent grad, the general admission requirements are:

  • Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD)
  • A minimum of six Grade 12 4U or 4M courses, including program-specific prerequisites
  • ENG4U with a minimum of 60%
Admission RequirementsRecommended Admission RequirementsEstimated Admission AverageCo-op Admission Average
ENG4U, SCH4U, and MHF4U or MCV4U 70-75%80-85%

Requirements

Students from across Canada can use their grades from their home province to apply to Trent.

Requirements

Requirements

International students from outside Canada can apply based on the curriculum of their home country.

Requirements

Requirements

IB students apply to Trent based on the overall score in their diploma.

Requirements

Requirements

Mature students can apply to Trent based on previous education and professional or volunteer experience.

Requirements

Requirements

With many transfer agreements and flexible pathway options, Trent University makes it easy for students to make the most of the credits you have already earned.

Requirements

New
No
Level of Study
Undergraduate
Faculty
School of the Environment
Admissions

Whether you're graduating from an Ontario high school, looking to study in Canada, or training for a second career, Trent has clear pathways for students to apply and be admitted to study at either of our campuses.

Start Terms
Fall
Winter
Summer
Degree
Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.)
Time dedication
Part time/Full time
Area
Environment & Sustainability
Gallery
Images
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A student working with machines in a lab
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Two students and a professor in a river examining water samples
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A professor and student collecting water samples from a pond
Gallery Video
Co-op Location
Peterborough
Credential Type
Undergraduate Degree
Careers List
Environmental Assessment Analyst
Environmental Auditor
Water Treatment Chemist
Environmental Consultant
Policy Advisor
Analytical Laboratory Technician
Environmental Health Inspector
Research Scientist
Hydrogeologist
Pollution Control Engineer
Environmental Modeller
OUAC Code
RVC - Peterborough
Program Website
https://www.trentu.ca/envirochem/
Experiential Points
  • Put your skills and knowledge to work in a paid co-op stream, launching fall 2027. You’ll graduate with a distinct career advantage – building valuable connections, gaining hands-on work experience all as part of your Trent degree.
Paid Co-op Available
  • Conduct fourth-year Honours thesis using advanced instrumentation in the Water Quality Centre, diving into contemporary topics including emerging contaminants, greenhouse gas emissions, and carbon sequestration.
  • Previous student research has included microplastic pollution and developing methods to detect antidepressants in freshwater mussels. 
Research Opportunities
  • Gain hands-on experience both in the field and laboratory, learning to design investigations of environmental problems and apply chemical-analysis techniques to real environmental samples.  
  • Examine ozone chemistry, global climate chemistry, aquatic chemistry, water pollution and treatment, soil formation and solid-waste chemistry in hands-on courses 
Field Schools and Hands-On Courses
  • Take your Trent education global. Spend a semester or year studying at one of Trent’s 50+ international partner universities, participate in a summer field course, or gain international experience through a placement or internship.
  • With opportunities in more than 35 countries, you can broaden your academic perspective, experience new cultures, and build skills that prepare you for a global career.   
Study Abroad
  • Gain practical work experience through placements with environmental agencies or businesses
Placements
  • Work with an environmental business or organization on a paid internship, building career-ready skills, making industry connections, and exploring potential career paths.
  • One Trent intern developed methods to extract and detect antidepressants from freshwater mussels as part of a Great Lakes Basin monitoring program, combining field/laboratory research with contaminant and pharmaceutical-toxicology analysis.
Internships
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Program Banner
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Climate Communication
Circumpolar Studies
Planning
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Trent University respectfully acknowledges it is located on the treaty and traditional territory of the Mississauga Anishnaabeg.

We offer our gratitude to First Peoples for their care for, and teachings about, our earth and our relations. May we honour those teachings.

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