Students enrolled in a Major or Honours Bachelor's program complete two field courses: GEG/ENV 2918, an introduction to field research, and one of the fourth-year Advanced optional courses, regardless of their specific program. Students may also choose to take additional Advanced field courses if they wish.
Field courses and excursions
Step out of the classroom and see your studies come to life!
Take part in three hour-long excursions in Ottawa’s region to study hydrology, landscapes or past environments. For more immersive field experience, leave on a multi-day field course to study Urban Geography in Montreal, Environmental change in the Georgian Bay area, Cold environments in Gaspésie, Canada’s North in the Yukon, Glaciology in Iceland or Tropical Coastal Environments in Zanzibar. Take a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to study in a transformative learning environment.
This page provides information on 1. Local Excursions which we run from campus, 2. the Introduction to Field Research course, 3. Advanced Field Courses in Canada and 4. Advanced International Field Courses.
Take part in three hour-long excursions in Ottawa’s region to study hydrology, landscapes or past environments. For more immersive field experience, leave on a multi-day field course to study Urban Geography in Montreal, Environmental change in the Georgian Bay area, Cold environments in Gaspésie, Canada’s North in the Yukon, Glaciology in Iceland or Tropical Coastal Environments in Zanzibar. Take a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to study in a transformative learning environment.
This page provides information on 1. Local Excursions which we run from campus, 2. the Introduction to Field Research course, 3. Advanced Field Courses in Canada and 4. Advanced International Field Courses.
Short local excursions
Get a little adventure in your day! Many of our classes offer short excursions that allow you to learn about and experience the Ottawa region’s geography and environment. Head out for a short field trip and be back in time for your next class.
GEG 2301 Earth Surface Processes and Landforms (3 units)
Course desccription: Geomorphology is a scientific discipline that explores the landforms and processes of this Earth we call home. Through the exploration of features such as mountains, volcanoes, glacier flow, permafrost distribution, flood recurrence, coastal erosion, and extreme environments such as deserts, the geomorphological approach will help you develop a solid understanding of natural landscapes, the close links that bind us to them, and their sensitivity to environmental change. By the end of the course, students will have a better understanding of the formation of landscapes, their evolution over time, as well as natural and man-made disasters.
To better understand the physical environment, the Earth on which we live. Geomorphology helps us understand how landscapes are formed and how they change over time. It helps to understand and explain natural and man-made disasters. Although ambitious, the main objectives of this course are achievable: 1. to learn to observe landscapes and recognize the landforms that make them up, 2. to understand the genesis as well as the past and future evolution of these landforms, with the aim of 3. developing a solid understanding of the morphology of natural landscapes and their sensitivity to contemporary changes.
Course includes Lectures, Laboratories and Field excursions.
GEG 3101 Advanced Geomorphology (3 units)
Go further in your understanding of landforms and processes.
Description: Earth surface processes and landforms, including slope processes, fluvial erosion, transportation and sedimentation. Analysis of deposits and forms in relation to energy regimes.
Course Component: Laboratory, Lecture.
Prerequisite: GEG 2301. Course includes laboratory or field work.
GEG / ENV 3102 Hydrology (3 units)
Water on Earth. Water, a valuable resource that plays a key role in the global energy balance and climate, an agent that shapes the landscape through weathering and erosion, and impacts our lives when rivers flood. Students will learn hydrologic measurements and data sources, the hydrological cycle: from evaporation to runoff, watershed hydrology and hydrograph separation, and explore some landscapes shaped by water. By the end of the course, students will be able to tackle key concepts that relate to water on Earth and its management.
Prerequisite: GEG1301 or EVS1101. Course with laboratory and field work. Also offered as ENV 3102.
GEG 3306 Quaternary Paleogeography (3 units)
Dig into the past and explore evidence of our region’s past landscapes.
Description: Scales of climatic change and impacts on the global environment. Paleo-biogeography. Glacial and interglacial cycles. Methods of analysis of environmental change.
Course Component: Laboratory, Lecture.
Prerequisite: GEG 1301 or GEO 1111 or GEO 1115. Also offered as GEO 2334. Course includes laboratory or field work.
Your introduction to field research
GEG / ENV 2918 Introduction to Field Research (3 units)
Experience this week-long field course, where you will learn a variety of field research techniques in physical geography, human geography, and environmental studies. All students from our different programs come together to take part in this course, which hosts up to 75 students at Camp Awacamenj Mino in the Gatineau Hills near Ottawa. You will spend time in nature and nearby communities, work with various field instruments, connect with your cohort and your professors, and make lasting friendships!
Course Description: One week of field work at an off-campus location preceding the beginning of the fall semester. Analysis of data continues throughout the fall semester. Also offered as ENV 2918.
Course Component: Field work, Theory and Laboratory
Dates: September 1-8, 2026, at Camp Awacamenj Mino, Low, Québec. Registration for this course must be done before July 1, for late registration contact the professor.
Incidental fees: Visit uOttawa website for up-to-date information.
Prerequisites: GEG1301 and either GEG1302 or ENV1101. Priority given to students registered in the Honours, in the Joint Honours, in the Major in geography or in environmental studies. Registration for this course must be done before July 1.
Information: Please contact Sonia Wesche.
Students enrolled in a major or honours bachelor's degree program are required to complete two field courses. The first, GEG/ENV 2918, provides an introduction to field research and serves as a prerequisite for all fourth-year field courses. Students must then complete one of the advanced fourth-year optional field courses. Those who wish to gain additional field experience may choose to take many advanced optional field course.
Why there?
As has been the tradition for many years, the fall field camp GEG/ENV 2918 will take place at Awacamenj Mino camp on the shore of Lac de l’île (Lake Isabel) about 75 km north of Ottawa, near Low, Qc. The camp is approximately 750 acres in extent and offers outdoor and wilderness activities to various users.
What will I do?
You will participate in three two-day workshops. One on physical geography during which you will study Lake de l’île physical and chemical environment. The second one on human geography focuses on the influence of the physical, socio-cultural, and economic environments on aspects of well-being. The third workshop studies the Camp’s user needs and possibility of expansion from an environmental point of view
What will I learn?
Students will have the opportunity to learn how to collect and analyze data in the field, and discuss approaches to research.
Where will I stay?
Participants will stay at Awacamenj Mino camp, situated on Lac de l’Île, west of Low, Quebec. The accommodations are single beds and bunks in dormitories holding from 8 to 20 students. All meals are included and showers are available at any time. You may bring your own tent and camp by the lake.
Advanced Field Courses in Canada
ENV 4910 Environmental Studies Field Research (3 units)
Set in the Georgian Bay area, this 4th year field camp is addressed to students with strongest interest in environmental studies. This six day field course focuses on environmental change and its implications for Parks and Protected Areas management.
Course description: Study of environmental problems on the basis of empirical examples. Meetings with decision makers, enterprises, NGOs and concerned citizens.
Dates: September 2-8, 2026 (2-3 in Ottawa and 4-8 in the field in the Georgian Bay Area, Ontario)
Incidental fees: Visit uOttawa website for up-to-date information.
Prerequisite: ENV 2918. Priority is given to students registered in the Honours or Major in Environmental Studies or in Geography.
Information: Please contact us
Students enrolled in a major or honours bachelor's degree take two field courses: GEG/ENV 2918 which is an introduction to field research and, regardless of their program, any of the fourth year Advanced optional courses. Students may, if they wish, take two Advanced optional field courses. This course satisfies the fourth year field course program requirements for GEG and ENV students.
What will I do?
While on the field course you will take part in a variety of classroom and experiential activities including a day hike down to Cedar Springs and a visit with Parks Canada employees. You will also have the chance to participate in optional activities such as camp fires, canoeing, kayaking, sailing, and swimming.
Why there?
The field portion of the course will take place in Georgian Bay Islands National Park which consists of 63 small islands or parts of islands in Georgian Bay, near Port Severn, Ontario. The park is 13.5 km2. We will be staying on the largest island of the National Park – Beausoleil Island. The region is famous for its island chains, exposed rocks and wind swept pine trees of the Canadian shield. The park can only be reached by boat. We will be transported to the island from the Honey Harbour Boat Club Marina.
What will I learn?
In this field-based course, we will take an in-depth look at; 1) the role parks and protected areas play in mitigating climate change, and 2) the implications that climate change pose for protected areas and their management. We will explore the concepts of mitigation, adaptation, policy, and governance in the context of parks and protected areas in Canada. We will engage in experiential learning and have the opportunity to discuss these challenges with several stakeholders of Georgian Bay Islands National Park.
Where will I stay?
Accommodations are at the YMCA-YWCA Camp Queen Elisabeth located on beautiful Beausoleil Island. You will be staying in rustic cabins in bunk beds with several other classmates. Washrooms with flushing toilets and washstands are located nearby the cabins. There is also a dining hall where all meals will be served. Because the camp is located within a National Park, camping in tents or sleeping anywhere outside the established cabins is not permitted.
Advanced International Field Courses
GEG 4000 / ENV 4002 Tropical Field Research (6 units)
During this intensive two-week field course in Mexico and Belize (6 course units), students will learn how to integrate field-based data collection with GPS, GIS, and remote sensing technologies to investigate spatial ecology in both terrestrial and marine environments.
For its 2026 edition, the Tropical Field Research course will take place in the Caribbean. The first week will be based on Holbox Island, Mexico, where field activities will focus on beach and mangrove ecosystems. The second week will take place at the Glover’s Reef Research Station in Belize, with fieldwork centred on coral reef and seagrass habitats. Through hands-on research and data analysis, students will gain practical experience in applying geospatial technologies to ecological field studies across diverse tropical ecosystems.
Course description: Research on environmental changes.
Dates: In 2026 the course will take place during the last two weeks of June.
Prerequisites: Permission of the Department.
Information: Please contact Anders Knudby
Students enrolled in a major or honours bachelor's degree take two field courses: GEG/ENV 2918 which is an introduction to field research and, regardless of their program, any of the fourth year Advanced optional courses. Students may, if they wish, take two Advanced optional field courses. This course satisfies the fourth year field course program requirements for GEG and ENV students. This course satisfies the fourth year field course program requirements for GEG and ENV students.
Why there?
Holbox and Glovers Reef Atoll provide contrasting examples of coastal environments. Holbox is a barrier island with wide, low-energy sandy beaches on the ocean side and spectacular mangroves that support biodiversity and coastal protection along the lagoon. Glover’s Reef Atoll is a remote and protected marine environment located 45 km from the mainland on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System which provides an ideal natural laboratory to study coral reef and seagrass ecosystems.
What will I do?
Students will engage actively through hands-on fieldwork, conducting species identification across beach, intertidal, subtidal, and reef environments. They will carry out snorkeling-based observations and collect field data using methods such as photo transects, physical sampling, and basic statistical analysis. The course will also include drone-based local environmental mapping and the use of satellite imagery to monitor coastal systems at broader scales. These activities will be grounded in applied research and framed within the region’s ecotourism and environmental conservation challenges.
What will I learn?
This course will introduce students to the history, societies, and physical environments of the Yucatán Peninsula and Belize, with a particular focus on coastal systems and how people use and manage them (e.g., raw materials, fisheries, tourism, transportation, and conservation). Students will gain hands-on experience with practical tools and techniques to identify and study coastal flora and fauna, conduct above-water and in-water monitoring, and perform basic data analysis and visualization.
Where will I stay?
While in Holbox, students will stay in a comfortable and lively hostel just steps from the beach and the village’s central plaza. Its social atmosphere encourages interaction, offering opportunities to meet travellers and international guests. In contrast, the Glover’s Reef Research Station is located on a small, isolated island with no nearby neighbours. The station is fully equipped to host small groups, support field research, and provide boat transportation to the surrounding coral reefs where we will conduct snorkeling-based observations.
