About | Grenfell Campus | Memorial University of Newfoundland

The Certificate in Sustainable Rural Communities is designed for those who are interested in the study of practical and theoretical understandings of sustainable rural communities, with a focus on real-world applications of contemporary strategies to address opportunities and issues within rural places. Core courses will dissect the term “rural” and examine the urban-rural divide through a critical lens. Specific attention will be paid to current issues facing rural Newfoundland and Labrador across multiple sectors: tourism, environment, economy, culture, and heritage.

The Certificate in Sustainable Rural Communities requires a total of 21 credit hours as outlined under Table 18 and may be completed on a full or part-time basis.
A student may count courses satisfying the Honours, Major, Minor and elective components of an undergraduate degree to satisfy the requirements of the certificate program.
Prerequisites for courses are applicable. This may increase the number of courses students will have to take to complete the certificate program.
A minimum of 9 credit hours in courses prescribed for a certificate program must be completed at Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Certificate in Sustainable Rural Communities

Core Courses	Electives (15 credit hours)
Sustainable Rural Communities 1800	Anthropology/Sociology 3210 – Persistence and Change in Rural Society
Sustainable Rural Communities 3800	Anthropology 2200 – Communities
	Anthropology 2230/Sociology 2230/Folklore 2230 – Newfoundland Society and Culture
	Anthropology 2300/Folklore 2300 – Newfoundland Folklore
	Archaeology 2482 – Indigenous Self-Determination*
	Business 1000 – Introduction to Business in Society
	Business 1020 or 1600 – Introduction to Entrepreneurship
	Business 2060 – Business Ethics
	Environment and Sustainability 1000 – Introduction to Sustainability
	Environment and Sustainability 2001 – Introduction to Systems Thinking
	Environment and Sustainability 3100 – Environmental Planning and Management
	Geography 1050 – Geographies of Global Change
	Geography 2302 – Issues in Economic Geography
	Geography 2425 – Natural Resources
	Geography 3350 – Community and Regional Planning and Development
	History/Archaeology 1005 – Indigenous Studies*
	Political Science 2600 – Introduction to Public Policy and Administration
	Political Science 3351 – Politics and the Environment
	Tourism 1000 – Introduction to Tourism
	Tourism 2000 – Tourism and Sustainability
	Tourism 3240 – Cultural and Heritage Tourism Development
	Tourism 4903 – Special Interest Tourism
A minimum of 3 credit hours in any course focusing on Indigenous studies must be taken as part of the electives requirement of the Certificate (noted above by an *). Further courses will be added to this list. Click here for a complete list of approved courses. This list will be updated and approved by the Committee on Academic Programming each semester.

Sustainable Rural Communities courses are designated by SURC.

1800 Introduction to Sustainable Rural Communities provides students with foundational knowledge of the history and theories of the ‘rural’. These broad understandings will be considered as they apply to interdisciplinary sectors in rural Newfoundland and Labrador such as rural tourism, natural resource sectors, economic development, culture, entrepreneurship, governance, and/or Indigenous communities.

3800 Independent Community Project – Sustainable Rural Communities is a capstone course for the Certificate in Sustainable Rural Communities completed under the supervision of a current faculty member. It will connect students with rural community partners across various sectors of industry, government, and/or NGOs to engage with a current issue or question that requires potential solutions/answers.

PR: SURC 1800 and successful completion of an additional 9 credit hours.

Notice for international applicants

Please note that due to the program's length, the focus of the program on the context of rural Newfoundland and Labrador, and the remote nature of some course offerings in this program, it is not recommended that international students apply for the Certificate in Sustainable Rural Communities as a standalone program. International students seeking to apply for the certificate are recommended to complete the program requirements as a component of another degree program rather than applying only for the Certificate in Sustainable Rural Communities. International applicants seeking to complete the certificate as a standalone program should consult gcstudy@mun.ca before applying to ensure this program's suitability for their academic and career goals.