Thesis option 

Students in the thesis-based program must complete 15 credit hours in graduate program as specified in Table 1, an internship (ENVP 6030) and a thesis. There are four required courses (representing 12 credit hours) as specified in Table 2. One elective, representing 3 credit hours, related to the student’s research specialty is to be completed and may be chosen from Table 3 in consultation with the student’s thesis supervisor.  

Research paper option 

Students in the research paper-based program must successfully complete 18 credit hours in graduate program courses as specified in Table 1, an internship (ENVP 6030) and a research paper (ENVP 6999). There are four required courses (representing 12 credit hours) as specified in Table 2. Two electives, representing 6 credit hours, are to be completed, of which at least one is to be from Table 2. The second elective, related to the student’s research specialty, may be chosen from Table 2 or Table 3 in consultation with the student’s research paper supervisor.

Further courses beyond the minimum number may be required, depending on the background and needs of the student. Students are responsible for fulfilling all prerequisites. 

All students are required to attend two workshops:

Policy and science orientation workshop

This workshop is held the first week of September each year. Its intent is to provide students with a limited policy or biophysical background with conceptual tools to frame each discipline in order to orient students to the program. The workshop is team-taught and is three full days in length.        

Pre-internship workshop         

This two-day workshop reviews the internship requirements, aids students in writing resumes and cover letters, discusses interviewing practices and examines student/employer relationships. It is held during the first week after classes end in December of each year. 

Internship requirements 

All students are required to complete an environmental policy internship (ENVP 6030) with a relevant government office, non-governmental organization, community group, or business. Internships are normally selected from a list of approved organizations that is maintained by the internship officer and graduate officer. Internship placements may be outside the Corner Brook area and possibly outside Newfoundland and Labrador. Final decisions for internship placements rest with the graduate officer in consultation with the internship officer. Internships are usually completed in the spring semester of each year. Internships are for full-time employment hours for the duration of the semester (12 weeks). Part-time internships over longer periods may be considered and will require approval from the internship officer and the graduate officer. A competition for internships is organized by the internship officer. By entering the competition, students give permission for the internship officer to supply their university transcripts to potential employers. Students who do not wish to accept an internship arranged by the internship officer shall be responsible for finding an alternative acceptable to the internship officer in consultation with the graduate officer. Students must attend scheduled pre-internship orientation workshop, professional development, and exit meeting. Each internship placement is supervised and evaluated by the internship officer, the onsite supervisor assigned by the employer and the graduate program co-ordinator.  

The internship shall consist of two components

Onsite student performance as evaluated by the internship officer in consultation with the on-site supervisor assigned by the employer. An internship report graded by the internship officer or the graduate officer in consultation with the onsite supervisor assigned by the employer. Evaluation of the Internship shall result in one of the following final grades: pass or fail. A student must obtain a pass in both the onsite student performance and the internship report to obtain a final grade of pass. If a student fails to achieve the internship standards specified above, the student may be required to withdraw from the program. Such a student may reapply to the program after a lapse of two semesters, at which time the student will be required to complete a further internship with satisfactory performance before being admitted to any further academic term in the faculty.

An internship may only be repeated once. Students who voluntarily withdraw from the internship without prior approval from the internship officer and the graduate officer, or who conduct themselves in such a manner as to cause the host organization and the internship officer to terminate the placement, will normally be awarded a grade of fail in the internship. Students are not permitted to drop internships without prior approval of the internship officer in consultation with the graduate officer. The internship officer will make a recommendation to the graduate officer who will make the final decision. Students who drop an internship without permission, who fail to honour an agreement to work with a host organization, or who conduct themselves in such a manner as to cause their discharge from the internship position will normally be awarded a failed grade for the internship. Permission to drop an internship does not constitute a waiver of degree requirements, and students who have obtained such permission must complete an approved internship in lieu of the one dropped.

Students in the MA in environmental policy shall meet the minimum residency of at least two semesters required under general regulation, registration - period of study of the university calendar. Students are encouraged to meet this residency requirement in the first two semesters of their program.  All students will be required to present a seminar on their thesis or research paper in the final semester of their program as part of their thesis or research paper requirements. For applicable students, the thesis will be examined in accordance with the general regulations - theses and reports of the School of Graduate Studies.