Conservation Leadership
The Master of Conservation Leadership combines learning across a wide spectrum of conservation sciences with leadership studies to build capacity within the conservation sector to address complex challenges faced by conservation professionals and organizations. Graduates will be equipped to catalyze transformative change throughout the sector.
The objective of the Master of Conservation Leadership is to provide early to mid-career working professionals employed in conservation, resource management, and environment governance an opportunity to upgrade their knowledge base, enhance their research skills, and develop their leadership skills to address complex conservation issues at local, regional, and global scales.
The program is comprised of three residency components, online interactive learning modules, an Individualized Development Plan (IDP), and a final learning portfolio that addresses a contemporary need in the sector, preferably identified in collaboration with the student’s employer and/or stakeholders. The program has been intentionally designed to be completed in 24 months of full-time study, leading to a Master of Conservation Leadership.
Administrative Staff
Graduate Program Coordinator
Faisal Moola (HUTT 350, Ext. 54367)
fmoola@uoguelph.ca
Graduate Program Assistant
Erich Keyser
mconslead@uoguelph.ca
Graduate Faculty
This list may include Regular Graduate Faculty, Associated Graduate Faculty and/or Graduate Faculty from other universities.
Benjamin E. Bradshaw
BA Trent, PhD Guelph - Associate Professor and Assistant Vice President (Graduate Studies)
Graduate Faculty
Noella Gray
B.Sc. McGill, MA Western, PhD Duke - Associate Professor
Graduate Faculty
Jamie Gruman
BA Concordia, MA Lakehead, PhD Windsor - Professor
Graduate Faculty
Phil Loring
BA Florida, MA, PhD Alaska - Associate Professor
Graduate Faculty
Faisal Moola
B.Sc. Toronto, M.Sc. Lakehead, PhD Dalhousie - Associate Professor
Graduate Faculty
Eric Nost
BA Grinnell, MA Kentucky, PhD Wisconsin-Madison - Assistant Professor
Graduate Faculty
Robin Roth
BA Victoria, PhD Clark - Professor
Graduate Faculty
Jennifer Silver
BA Mount Allison, MA Western, PhD Simon Fraser - Associate Professor
Graduate Faculty
Wanhong Yang
B.Sc., Hubei, M.Sc. Chinese Academy of Sciences, PhD Illinois - Professor and Chair
Graduate Faculty
MCL Program
Admission Requirements
Applicants to the Master of Conservation Leadership will have a minimum average of at least 77% (B+) in the last completed degree and at least three years working experience in the field of conservation post honours bachelor’s degree. Preference will be given to applicants with some experience in leadership or management roles. Applicants must submit a statement of interest. A letter of recommendation from a current employer or a conservation professional emphasizing the applicant's leadership potential is also required. Students are admitted in the Summer. Alternate admission may be offered to applicants who do not meet the admission requirements but have completed more than 5 years of relevant work experience. The Program office should be consulted for further admission information and deadlines.
Learning Outcomes
Graduates of the Master of Conservation Leadership will be able to:
- Employ both natural and social science perspectives to analyze regulatory and non-regulatory frameworks for conservation governance
- Analyze and explain the significance of Canada’s settler colonial context to conservation and understand the principles of Indigenous law, Indigenous knowledge systems, and Indigenous approaches to conservation in order to facilitate change in the sector
- Develop and utilize best practices for operating within ethical space as a basis for conflict resolution, negotiation, relationship building and collaboration in conservation initiatives
- Synthesize knowledge, skills, and actions by initiating and implementing a project of significance for a host organization
- Effectively communicate conservation initiatives, issues, and strategies to a variety of stakeholders and rights holders through the use of audience-appropriate tools and formats
- Synthesize, critique, and assess existing multi‐disciplinary research on a conservation issue to inform evidence‐based decision making
- Utilize and reflect on theories of leadership to develop the skills necessary to become a change agent
- Evaluate a range of current and innovative techniques and tools utilized in conservation governance
- Explain the significance of the trajectory of conservation governance nationally and internationally, in order to situate specific conservation initiatives within the broader context
Program Requirements
The Master of Conservation Leadership is comprised of 4.0 credits organized into four units: Foundations, Leadership and Communication, Innovation in Conservation, and Addressing a Conservation or Organizational Challenge. Each unit is comprised of a residency component and online modules, with the exception of Unit 4, which is dedicated to the final learning portfolio.
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Year 1 | ||
Unit 1: Foundations | ||
Residency 1: Program Orientation, IT Orientation, Collaborative Learning, Ethical Space, Individual Development Plans | ||
CONS*6000 | Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Governance Models | 0.50 |
CONS*6100 | Conservation Past, Present and Possible | 0.50 |
CONS*6010 | Conservation Biology for Professionals | 0.25 |
Residency 2: Lectures and Assessment Activities, Leadership Self-Assessment; Discussions of Leadership in Conservation; Indigenous-led Conservation & Governance | ||
Unit 2: Leadership and Communication | ||
CONS*6000 | Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Governance Models | 0.50 |
MGMT*6200 | Leadership Assessment and Development | 0.50 |
CONS*6020 | Public Communication for Conservation | 0.25 |
CONS*6050 | Partnerships for Conservation | 0.25 |
Year 2 | ||
Unit 3: Innovation in Conservation | ||
Residency 3: Lectures, Workshops, Assessment Activities, Innovation in Conservation Field Trips | ||
CONS*6030 | Conservation Tools and Technology | 0.25 |
CONS*6040 | Conservation in Working and Private Landscapes | 0.50 |
Unit 4: Addressing a Conservation or Organization Challenge | ||
CONS*6300 | Final Learning Portfolio | 1.00 |
Courses
Through face-to-face land based learning and lectures from Indigenous knowledge holders and scholars, students are introduced to the different components of knowledge systems, investigate how western knowledge systems have engaged with Indigenous knowledge, and explore conservation models rooted in Indigenous knowledge and governance.
This course provides an overview of conservation biology in the Anthropocene with an emphasis on peer-reviewed journals and data sets. Through increased comprehension of contemporary conservation challenges, students build leadership capacity for decision-making in the context of uncertainty and complexity.
This course builds leadership skills in public communications and engagement. Students will learn how to produce several communications products and gain practical experience in engaging conventional and social media.
This course provides a critical review of classic and emerging tools for conservation planning and governance, such as: GIS modelling for landscape assessment and planning; public participation GIS; integrated modelling; social science tools; cost effectiveness analysis; cost benefit analysis; drones; DNA barcoding; and non-intrusive monitoring.
This course examines both regulatory and non-regulatory measures for advancing conservation outcomes in intensively impacted and managed landscapes including agricultural, forested, and urban areas.
This course builds leadership skills in the assessment, development, and maintenance of effective conservation partnerships that span Crown and Indigenous governments, the private sector, and civil society.
This course offers an overview of historical, contemporary, and emerging approaches to conservation governance and their consequences. Focus is on the shifting roles of key actors including government, non-governmental organizations, industry, science/academia, and the public.
The Final Learning Portfolio (FLP) is the capstone experience where students plan, organize, and execute a project that demonstrates leadership and advances knowledge or practice to address a conservation or organizational challenge.
Required Management Course
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
MGMT*6200 | Leadership Assessment and Development | 0.50 |