Geography is a diverse discipline that studies physical and human environments from local to global scales. Whether it is finding solutions to the climate emergency, understanding the relationship between economy and society, analysing change in our physical environment or developing novel technologies to better map our world, Geography bridges the social sciences (human geography), environmental information technologies (geomatics), and the natural sciences (physical geography) to find sustainable solutions to the problems that face our planet. If you are interested in a deep-rooted discipline that offers hands-on training, quantitative and qualitative skills development, and an integrative perspective needed to tackle the toughest contemporary environmental and sustainability challenges, you have come to the right place. Our Department offers Bachelors degrees (B.E.S.), a Masters of Climate Change degree (M.C.C.), Masters research degrees (M.E.S., M.A., M.Sc.), and a Ph.D. degree.
The Department of Geography and Environmental Management at the University of Waterloo is proud to be ranked in the top 100 Geography departments in the world, and 5th in Canada. We boast 35 faculty members with research expertise in a wide range of human geography, physical geography, geomatics and aviation topics. The Department is twinned at the graduate level with the Wilfrid Laurier University's Geography and Environmental Studies department, and the resulting Waterloo-Laurier Graduate Program in Geography offers the combined faculty, staff and research resources of two quality institutions. We offer three thesis master's degrees (MA, Master of Environmental Studies (MES), and MSc) and three coursework-based degrees (MA, MES, and Master of Climate Change (MCC)). Interdisciplinary opportunities abound in the program, with links to numerous labs, research groups, and research centres, and interdisciplinary study opportunities, such as the Collaborative Water Program. The University of Waterloo's reputation as a top innovative and progressive University is also reflected in the Department, making this an ideal place to support your intellectual and educational goals.