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When applying online at Education Planner BC select: "Science - Associate Degree".
Please visit the International application deadline page to find out when applications may be available.
Explore how our planet formed and evolved over the past four and a half billion years with the Associate of Science in Earth and Environmental Sciences. You’ll learn how the various spheres of our planet interact, how life evolved over time and the modern threats to biodiversity. Specific topics of study may include plate tectonics, earthquakes, volcanoes, fossils and the ancient rock record, the science and environmental impacts of resource extraction, as well as global climate change over time.
What is an Associate degree?
Associate degrees take two years to complete and concentrate on one area of study. If you plan your courses carefully with a university program in mind, you’ll be able to transfer all 60 credits to university. In most cases, an associate degree will allow you to enter the third year of a four-year bachelor's degree program. To ensure your courses transfer, see the BC Transfer Guide.
Get paid, full-time work experience during your studies
Put your skills to work by joining the optional Co-operative Education Program, which alternates semesters of study with paid, full-time work in your field. You’ll earn money while gaining experience, building your resume and getting an employer reference, all before you graduate. To participate in Co-op you need to plan two semesters in advance, so we strongly recommend contacting the Co-op Office at the start of your program.
Applicants must meet the admission requirements listed below:
Calculate your tuition and see the approximate cost of taking your program at Douglas College with the tuition and fee estimator. See costs broken down into categories including tuition fees, textbooks, student activity fees, U-Pass and more.
For more information, refer to the tuition fee charts.
Graduation Requirements:
Co-operative Education Option:
Students enrolled in this program may be eligible for a Co-operative Education designation. Co-operative Education involves alternating full-time academic and work terms. For information contact the Co-operative Education Office.
Course Requirements:
To complete an Associate of Science Degree with a Specialization in Earth & Environmental Sciences, students must complete:
The following are the general requirements for an Associate of Science Degree at any BC college:
*English courses include courses in Communications, Creative Writing and Print Futures that transfer to one of the BC research universities (SFU, UBC, UBCO, UVic or UNBC) as English credit.
**Arts courses are available in the Faculty of Language, Literature, and Performing Arts, and the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. Courses in Economics and Mathematics also may be used as Arts electives toward an Associate of Science Degree. Please see the Associate of Science Course Classifications table below for further information.
Definitions:
A course is defined by the subject for which it is granted transfer credit at one of the research universities (SFU, UBC, UBCO, UNBC, or UVic).
For detailed information you should meet with a Student Success Advisor.
Program Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this program and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the program, consider the previous version as the applicable version.
A Student Success Advisor (SSA) is someone you can go to for academic support and financial planning throughout your time at Douglas College. A student is assigned an SSA when they have registered and started their first semester courses.
You can find your assigned SSA's contact details through the "Student Profile" link under Student Records on your myAccount. Click on the name under "Advisors" to see your SSA's contact information. Students who are admitted and registered in classes after the semester has started will be assigned an SSA during the third or fourth week of the semester. New international students will be assigned to an SSA after Week 4 of their first semester. Until assigned, they can email dci@douglascollege.ca for assistance.
You will be required to complete 60 credits which is approximately twenty courses in a credit based system (one course = 3 credits). However, you may need fewer than twenty courses if you take any courses that are more than three credits per course.
If you plan to complete a bachelor’s degree in a specific field of study at a particular institution, you should try to select courses that will satisfy the requirements for both degrees. Consult your Student Success Advisor (SSA) for advice. Note that Douglas College is developing many transfer pathways from the Associate of Science to various university bachelor’s programs. The courses in these pathways will satisfy the associate of science requirements as well as course requirements for the bachelor’s degree at your institution of choice. Once again, your SSA can provide further information about which courses to select and confirm whether or not a specific set of courses that you plan to complete will meet the requirements for an associate degree as well as the specific first and second-year requirements for the bachelor’s degree. In addition, you are strongly encouraged to read university calendar requirements and review the BC Transfer Guide.
An associate of science specialization is a secondary concentration within the existing associate of science degree framework. To earn a specialization, you must complete at least 18 credits within a single academic discipline, with at least 9 of those credits at the second-year level. A specialization is a great way to show an employer that you have more in-depth knowledge and skills in a field of study. Consult your SSA for more information regarding specializations.
If you study full-time, you should be able to complete the associate degree within two academic years (based on 15 credits per term for 4 terms).
Yes, a limited number of courses in outside Arts and Science can count towards the associate degree. The Associate of Science degree allows up to 6 credits of “Other” courses. See the “Program Requirements” tab for more details.
No. Generally, courses in Human Geography are designated as Arts courses whereas courses in Physical Geography or Mathematics are designated as Science courses.
Yes, it can count towards completing the requirement of “a minimum of 18 credits in Science at the second year level” because a second year course is defined as a course that has assigned or unassigned transfer credit at the 200-level or higher level at SFU or UBC (Vancouver or Okanagan Campus) or UNBC or UVic.
Yes, providing the courses in Communications transfer as English credit. A course is defined not by what it is named at the sending institution but rather by the subject for which it is granted transfer credit at a university. For example, CMNS 1135 transfers to UVic as ENSH 202 (1.5 units). Therefore, it is considered an English course and can count towards meeting the English requirement for the Associate Degree.
That depends. Many departments consider that knowledge acquired more than ten years ago may no longer be current, so they may not grant credit for “stale-dated” courses. Courses in rapidly evolving fields such as information technology may have an even shorter shelf life. Check with your Student Success Advisor (SSA) regarding Douglas College policy in this matter.
The requirements for an associate degree define a laboratory science as “one in which a substantial component of student instruction involves the study of natural phenomena, either in the laboratory or in the field.” Many science courses in biology, chemistry, physics, earth science, etc. include a laboratory component. Check with your Student Success Advisor (SSA) regarding Douglas College policy in this matter.
No. Douglas College has reviewed this question in consultation with the BC Computing Science Articulation Committee and has recommended to institutions that computing science lab courses not be acceptable for fulfilling the laboratory science requirement.
No. Douglas College normally calculates the GPA based on just the 60 credits used to fulfill the requirements. However, if your GPA is close to a 2.0, you should with your Student Success Advisor (SSA) precisely how your GPA will be calculated.
Yes. The associate degree is designed with two main purposes in mind. One is to provide a solid foundation for further study. The other is to provide an experience that prepares you for work, citizenship and an enriched life as an educated person. Even if you don’t transfer into a degree program, having obtained an associate degree can prove useful when you seek employment. Completing an Associate Degree may enhance your employability - it looks great on a resume! Finally, many universities (eg. SFU) will accept students with an Associate of Arts Degree at a lower grade point average than students without such a degree.
Career opportunities include: