November 29, 2001 For Immediate Release

The University of Northern British Columbia will begin offering its first Engineering degree this fall after developing a joint program with The University of British Columbia.

The Environmental Engineering program will be a four-and-a-half year (nine-semester) program that will train students to assess environmental and economic factors in future developments. "Problems in water, air and soil pollution and remediation all require highly skilled engineers who have a balanced understanding of engineering principles and the environment," says UNBC Environmental Studies professor Peter Jackson. "The need for a particular focus on environmental engineering has been recognized by the industry for some time."

The program is expected to prepare graduates for a wide range of employment in areas where strong technical and environmental understanding is critical. This is expected to be the case particularly in natural resource industries (forestry, mining, oil and gas, pulp and paper, fisheries, etc) and the agri-food industry. The program has been designed to meet the criteria for accreditation by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board.

The new program capitalizes on UNBC's strengths in basic and environmental science and UBC's solid programs in engineering. This will be BC's first accredited undergraduate program specifically focussed on Environmental Engineering. The unique program represents the first joint degree between UNBC and any other university. Students will be completing the first two years of the program at UNBC, taking courses in math, the basic sciences, and the environment. In the third and fourth years of the program, students will register for courses on engineering fundamentals and design at UBC in Vancouver. The final semester will again be at UNBC, where students will be exposed to practical environmental engineering problems. At the completion of the program, students will receive a Bachelors of Applied Science (BASc) degree in Environmental Engineering, awarded jointly by both institutions.