Students Enrolled Before July 2022
How to successfully complete the certificate
If you enrolled in the certificate before July 1, 2022, you will find detailed information below for how to complete each step on the road toward successfully completing your certificate.
Email sustain.cert@ualberta.ca if you have any questions about these requirements.
Certificate in Sustainability courses can be completed at any time during your degree, including your final semester. To earn the certificate, you must complete ★12 credits of coursework:
- ★6 credits in core courses
- ★6 credits in elective courses
Additional criteria, such as limits on the number of transfer credits and the number of courses that overlap with other certificates, are outlined in the Certificate requirements document.
Engineering students
Engineering students can take approved certificate courses by carefully selecting their program electives, complementary studies electives (CSE), and impact of technology on society (ITS) courses. Please consult the engineering course list to learn which courses are eligible for the certificate.
Augustana students
Augustana students use the same core and elective course lists as other students. See the course links above for details. Given the logistical difficulty of requiring students in Camrose to take a course outside of their faculty, Augustana students are not required to take ★3 credits of courses outside their faculty.
Campus Saint-Jean students
Many French courses from Campus Saint-Jean are also approved for the Certificate in Sustainability. Please consult the course lists above for details.
Course exceptions
A course exception request may be possible for a special topics course, transfer course, or a new sustainability-related course that is not yet on the approved course list. If you would like to request a course exception, please email sustain.cert@ualberta.ca and include the course name, course outline (if available) and a brief description of why a course exception should be granted.
The integrative project is the capstone on your Certificate in Sustainability experience. Our graduates attest that this is one of the most rewarding parts of the certificate.
You can begin work on your integrative project at any time during your degree. We strongly recommend that you start the process five or six months prior to your graduation, although it is possible to finish all steps in one term with careful attention to detail.
Steps to complete an integrative project
- Think of an idea for your project.
- Review the integrative project requirements.
- Request a meeting with an advisor.
- Complete the project proposal form.
- Submit the project proposal to your advisor for authorization to proceed. Note that your advisor needs to approve your proposal before you can work on your project.
- Complete your project. Your project should involve 25-40 hours of work.
- Present your project at an approved venue. See the "Presentation" tab for options.
- Submit the project completion form
Note that SUST 410 - Directed Study in Sustainability can satisfy the integrative project/presentation requirement for the certificate. For details on how to register in SUST 410, please email Apryl at apryl@ualberta.ca.
Preparing to meet an advisor
Prior to meeting with your advisor, please review the project proposal form and brainstorm ideas for your project in advance. Do not worry if you are not completely clear about what you want to do before your advisor meeting, however. Your advisor will discuss your idea with you and go over the proposal requirements.
Deadlines
Certificate deadlines depend on your expected graduation date. Note that if the deadline falls on a weekend, the deadline will be moved to the Friday before the weekend.
March convocation:
- Please check again in late June 2025 for project deadlines
Spring convocation:
- Submit your project proposal: January 31st in your final year
- Complete your project: March 15th in your final year
- Present your project: April 30th in your final year
Fall convocation:
- Submit your project proposal: June 30th in your final year
- Complete your project: September 30th in your final year
- Present your project: October 14th in your final year
To complete the certificate, you must present your integrative project in public. This can be in person (e.g., poster presentation, seminar or workshop) or by remote (e.g., podcast, video or website).
*Important: Your project must be approved by your advisor before you can present it.
Once you have chosen your presentation venue, please email Apryl at sustain.cert@ualberta.ca to indicate your presentation plans.
Affiliated presentation venues
The affiliated presentation venues below are approved for the Certificate in Sustainability. To present at one of these venues, please seek the approval of your certificate advisor and then contact the event organizers listed below.
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TBD |
Poster presentation opportunity on the North Campus. Check later for more information. |
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TBD |
Poster presentation opportunity. Check later for more information. |
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March 2026 |
To present at FURCA, you will need to submit an abstract to the Undergraduate Research Initiative prior to the deadline. See the FURCA website for instructions for submitting an abstract. Check later for more information. |
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SustainSU Research Night in Sustainability |
TBD |
Poster presentation opportunity on the North Campus. Email sustain.cert@ualberta.ca for more information. |
| Student Academic Conference |
TBD |
The Augustana Campus hosts this event at the end of the fall and winter terms. For more information, go to the website or email augsas@ualberta.ca. |
| Celebrate Sustainability Awards |
April 2026 |
Poster presentation opportunity on the North Campus during CSA event. Email sustain.cert@ualberta.ca for more information. |
Independent presentation venues
You may choose an independent presentation venue in consultation with your advisor. For example, you could present at a conference hosted by your department or faculty or give a presentation to a local community group.
To give an independent presentation, please email sustain.cert@ualberta.ca to indicate your plans and bring the confirmation of presentation form for the event organizer to complete. After the event, the last step is to complete the project completion form (see "Completion" tab).
Social media presentations
You can choose to create a video, podcast, Instagram or LinkedIn presentation for your project presentation. See the following documents for detailed instructions on how to post and share your presentation:
Email sustain.cert@ualberta.ca to sign up for a social media presentation.
The last step of integrative project is to submit the CIS project completion form and upload your project file. If you presented at an independent event, please also upload the signed confirmation of presentation form.
You can also choose whether to add your project to the online library of integrative projects, which may provide inspiration to future students.