Green Chemistry

Bachelor of Sustainability (BSust)

Examine chemical synthesis to improve efficiency and reduce hazardous effects to living things and the environment.

Green Chemistry Undergraduate Student in Lab

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Degree

Bachelor

Length

4 years

Faculty/School

Interdisciplinary

Why study Green Chemistry at UBC Okanagan?

The Green Chemistry concentration analyzes how modern society relies implicitly on an affordable supply of materials, textiles, fertilizers and medicines—all of which must be synthesized from other substances by chemical reactions.

A sustainable society is impossible without the creation of improved production methods for these commodities—methods that must consume fewer and locally generated resources, demand less energy, produce less waste and employ fewer hazardous reagents—thereby embodying the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry.

Such efforts will require the development of new synthetic procedures with an increased reliance on innocuous solvents, renewable and benign reagents, and efficient catalysts.

Degree Options

Students enrolled in BSust take a set of core integrative courses specific to sustainability along with a set of advanced courses in one of four concentrations.

BSust

Sample Courses

These are examples of courses you can enrol in during your studies. To plan your academic journey, please visit undergraduate student resources.

INDG 102 - Introduction to Indigeneity: Ways of Knowing
SUST 100 - Sustainability: People, Place, and Process
SUST 104 - Introduction to Environmental Humanities
CHEM 121 - Atomic and Molecular Chemistry

BIOL 202 - Introduction to Biostatistics
SUST 200 - Application, Practice and Management Approaches
SUST 205 - Sustainability Economics
CHEM 204 - Organic Chemistry

SUST 300 - Achieving Sustainability at the Regional Scale
SUST 301 - Methods in Solving Wicked Problems
CHEM 336 - Green Inorganic Chemistry
CHEM 338 - Organometallic Chemistry

SUST 402 - Community Service Learning
CHEM 333 - Spectroscopic Techniques in Organic Chemistry
CHEM 334 - Green Organic Chemistry

Explore customized Program Plans designed to support your journey to graduation and beyond.

Careers and Outcomes

UBC degrees are respected by employers around the globe. Program graduates will have the skills to pursue a career in a variety of fields like,

  • Recycling specialist
  • Waste management specialist
  • Water resources management
  • Environmental assessment analyst
  • Environmental or sustainability auditor
  • Environmental consultant
  • Compliance and regulatory affairs (provincial and federal agencies, or private sector)
  • Environmental health and safety
  • Quality assurance in manufacturing (food, paper, chemical, plastics)
  • Energy transition specialist
  • Clean technology or clean energy analyst

Admission, Fees, Applying

You could soon be studying at one of the world’s top universities. Be sure to review the content below to prepare for attending UBC Okanagan.

Experiential Learning

Expand your horizons while studying abroad, conducting meaningful research, or working in the community with your UBC colleagues.

Learn more about Co-op, Go Global, Undergraduate Research Awards and other opportunities at Experiential Education.

Global and Close-Knit

At UBC Okanagan, you gain all the benefits of attending a globally ranked, top 5% university while studying in a close-knit learning community. 50% of graduates, from all across the globe, choose to stay in the region.

Discover the Okanagan

A diverse natural region with sandy beaches, beautiful farms, vineyards, orchards and snow-capped mountains, the Okanagan is an inspirational landscape perfect for those seeking leisure or outdoor adventure.

UBC's Okanagan campus borders the dynamic city of Kelowna, a hub of economic development with a population of more than 150,000 people— the fourth fastest-growing population in Canada.