Applied Sustainability

A solar panel array - Sustainable Solutions

 

The Collaborative Masters Program in Applied Sustainability (CMAS) is an innovative program. Building on the applied sustainability strategic theme of the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, the objective of the CMAS program is to expose students to the implementation of sustainable engineering solutions within the context of broader sustainability theory. To do this properly, engineering students must not only advance their technical education, but must gain insights into how public policy impacts on the success of engineering solutions to multidisciplinary sustainability problems.

The program is a collaborative effort with faculty members from six programs within the Faculty: Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering, Mechanical and Materials Engineering and Mining Engineering. A unique aspect of the CMAS program is that it includes a component on the importance of Government Policy in the successful implementation of sustainable technology solutions. The School of Policy studies provides a module in the core course (CMAS 801) that discusses various policy strategies that drive the reduction in carbon emissions and the preservation of the environment. CMAS students also are required to take one course related to how policy encourages sustainable practices, for example Environmental Planning in municipal governance. Other key features of the program are:

  • Students will enroll in their respective home departments and must meet the program requirements of their home departments
  • There are two mandatory core courses for all students: 1) Topics in Applied Sustainability (graded) and 2) Applied Sustainability Seminar Series (pass/fail)
  • M.A.Sc. students take four courses, plus the seminar series, plus a thesis (nominally two years to complete), M.Eng. students take eight courses, one of which may be a project course, plus the seminar series (nominally one year to complete).
  • Upon graduation, students will have "with specialization in Applied Sustainability" added to their official transcripts

Graduate Student Support

Full-time students are encouraged to seek external financial support and are encouraged to apply for NSERC and OGS graduate scholarships. Fellowships and teaching assistantships are available through the University and are automatically considered upon admission.

Application Procedure

The program is offered only at the Masters level. Applications must be submitted directly to the Queen's School of Graduate Studies, which can be done on-line.

In that application, students must identify which of the participating departments they wish to identify as their home department. Usually, this is the department aligned with the applicant's undergraduate engineering degree.

The on-line SGS Application Form asks "Describe (in a sentence or two) your Research Interest(s)". This is where students should enter "Collaborative Masters in Applied Sustainability" to indicate their interest in the CMAS program. Later in the form, students are asked to provide a "Statement of Interest". Students can use this section to expand on the nature of their interest in CMAS.

If applicants are unsure as to which department they wish to identify as "home", they are encouraged to contact the Department Representative that is best aligned with their research interests to answer this and any other questions that they may have about the nature of the MAS program:

Grad Map [PDF]