Founded in 1970 as Environmental Studies (ES) Program, it was one of the first interdisciplinary undergraduate environment programs in Canada, and one of the first few to emerge worldwide. During the last three decades the activities and the functions of the ES program grew substantially, and in 2012, the program changed its name and status to a department.
Following the general principles of sustainability, the Department of Environmental Studies and Sciences (DESS) takes an integrated yet practical approach to human-environmental interactions and resource and environmental problems.
The mission of the DESS is to maintain and restore the health of the ecosphere and its people by:
- educating and training the environmental leaders of tomorrow,
- creating and disseminating knowledge, and
- engaging with communities at local, regional and global levels.
Also our degrees and program streams are recognized by ECO CANADA - NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAM ACCREDITATION
The BA degrees in Environmental Studies and the BSc degrees in Environmental Science at The University of Winnipeg have been accredited by the Canadian Environmental Accreditation Commission (CEAC) and Environmental Careers Organization (ECO) Canada.
The Environmental Studies BA degrees were the first of their kind in the Province of Manitoba to be accredited.
This accreditation to both BSc and BA programs demonstrates to students, parents, educators and industry that our degrees meet a national standard of quality.