WATER .. impacting our daily lives!
 

The Aquatic Resources Program [AQUA] uses an interdisciplinary approach - combining natural and social science perspectives - to motivate student engagement and foster understanding of water resource issues, how water permeates our lives, shapes our world and sustains living organisms.  

AQUA students develop a keen understanding of topics that impact our planet, such as water resources and management, climate change (i.e., extreme weather, land erosion, desertification, etc.), sustainability of food resources (i.e., fisheries, aquaculture, and agriculture), resource privatization, conservation, Indigenous rights, environmental stewardship, policy development, energy production, social justice, species-at-risk, and biodiversity, among others.  AQUA students are well-positioned to understand global resource issues, including those involving water that occur between countries, cultures, cities and rural communities, and between regions within countries.

Students majoring in Aquatic Resources may complete a BACHELOR of ARTS or a BACHELOR of SCIENCE degree. The AQUA Program offers a core set of courses, only available to AQUA major students - AQUA 101, 102, 202, 298, 398, 400 and 450 - that provide a broad background in water-related subjects ranging from freshwater and marine ecosystem resource management to environmental policy development, the challenge of a changing climate, with all that implies, and opportunities to delve into topics of specific individual interest.

Key to the success of AQUA students is experiential learning.  AQUA students participate in field trips, interact with guest speakers, network at local and international conferences, participate in academic exchanges and service learning trips, and they each complete a required work term where they can apply what they have learned in university while gaining valuable experience.

Important Days