Athabasca University

What you'll study

Course availability varies by term and delivery mode. Recent and recurring course offerings include:

• ENSC 510 Earth System Science (Dr. Ken Munyikwa)
• ENSC 530 Ecohydrological Modelling (Dr. Junye Wang)
• ENSC 620 Environmental Data Analysis (Dr. Junye Wang) — offered in some terms
• ENSC 680 Research Methods (Dr. Roland Treu) — offered in paced terms
• ENSC 681 Research Seminar: Current Topics in Environmental Science (Dr. Roland Treu) — listed for some paced sessions
• ESSC 675 Thesis I (Proposal Writing) (Dr. Farook Al-Shamali)
• GEOL 501 Quaternary Geology and GEOL 610 Quaternary Dating Methods (Dr. Ken Munyikwa)
• Computing and bioscience electives taught in the programme stream: COMP 625 Algorithms for Bioinformatics (Dr. Srijak Bhatnagar), COMP 682 Data Mining (Dr. Larbi Esmahi), BIOL 520 Microbial Genomics (Dr. Shawn Lewenza), and BIOL 625 Bioinformatics and Genomics (Dr. Srijak Bhatnagar).

Delivery details: paced courses run on a 13-week schedule with cohort activities, synchronous elements and set start dates in September, January or April/May. Individualized-study courses begin on the first of each month, run on a four-month contract period (effective Sept. 1, 2026), and are self-directed with instructor contact via email or discussion forums.

Entry requirements

The course listings note that students registered in a Faculty of Science and Technology graduate programme may register via a Registration Form and course fee submission. Prospective students not yet admitted must apply to the university as a program or non-program student before registering in listed courses. Specific admission criteria (e.g., degrees, grades, or documents) are not specified on the course offerings page.

Career prospects

Course content spans earth system science, ecohydrology, quaternary geology, environmental data analysis and bioinformatics, preparing graduates for research roles in academic, government or industry settings focused on environmental monitoring, climate-related research, hydrological modelling, geological dating and environmental data analysis. The thesis component emphasises research skills applicable to scientific careers or further doctoral study.

Scholarships & funding angle (general)

The course page does not list scholarships or funding specifics. As with most master's research programmes, students should investigate university graduate funding opportunities, supervisor- or project-specific assistantships, and external scholarships from government and professional bodies relevant to earth and environmental sciences.