Graduate Program

While REM's Master's program involves many courses, the research project is expected to be as high quality as a standard Master's thesis in a single-discipline department. REM's Master's research projects are simply smaller in scope. Nevertheless, the local, national, and international awards given to REM graduate students in fisheries reflect the high quality of research that can be done in these research projects.

REM's Ph.D. program enables students to pursue research for their thesis that focuses on a subject area such as fish population dynamics, while adding a research component from another discipline such as economics or policy analysis. The Ph.D. program also requires a comprehensive exam, which is a comprehensive paper that a student writes over a period of several months that integrates various aspects of (1) environmental sciences, (2) policy and planning, and (3) resource and environmental economics. Topics for these integrative papers are designed to be relevant to the student's research topic.

Graduate students working on topics in fisheries science and management in the School of Resource and Environmental Management have come from a wide variety of backgrounds, although typically they have backgrounds in biology, environmental science, or engineering. In some cases they have also had work experience in government management agencies or environmental consulting firms. For those who do not have such experience, an optional Cooperative Education Program enables eligible REM students to work in a management agency, crown corporation, or private firm before they graduate.

Graduate Courses

Graduate Courses Most Relevant to REM Fisheries Students
Course Number	Course Name
REM 609	Evaluation of Management Strategies for Living Resources
REM 610	Applied Environmental Toxicology and Environmental Management of Contaminants
REM 611	Applied Population and Community Ecology
REM 612	Simulation Modelling in Natural Resource Management
REM 613	Methods in Fisheries Assessment
REM 614	Advanced Methods for Fisheries Stock Assessment
REM 621	Ecological Economics
REM 625	Risk Assessment and Decision Analysis for Management of Natural Resources
REM 631	Physical Processes in the Environment: An Earth Systems Approach to Environmental Management
REM 636	Applications of GIS in Resource and Environmental Management
REM 641	Law and Resources
REM 643	Environmental Conflict and Dispute Resolution
REM 644	Public Policy Analysis and Administration
REM 651	Project Evaluation and Non-Market Valuation Methods
REM 655	Water Planning and Management
REM 662	Co-management and First Nations
REM 670	Introduction to Forestry
REM 671	Forest Ecology
STAT 602	Generalized Linear and Non-linear Modeling
STAT 650	Quantitative Analysis in Resource Management and Field Biology

 

Graduate Diploma in Quantitative Methods in Fisheries Management

Simon Fraser University (SFU) began offering a new Graduate Diploma in "Quantitative Methods in Fisheries Management" in September of 2004. The purpose of this diploma program is to provide professionals who work in the field of fisheries science or fisheries management with an opportunity to upgrade their quantitative skills. Fisheries management and scientific analyses are becoming increasingly quantitative, and expectations for scientific advice and understanding of methods of analysis often go beyond the skills of current staff. Because a full commitment toward a graduate degree is impractical for many full-time working professionals, applying coursework toward a certified upgrading process is an attractive alternative. The School of Resource and Environmental Management (REM) and the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science (STATS) at SFU have put together a series of courses to meet this need. The diploma may be of particular interest to scientists from Fisheries and Oceans Canada's offices in Nanaimo, downtown Vancouver, and Annacis Island. It may also be of broader interest to biologists from other government agencies and environmental consulting firms elsewhere.

This is an interdisciplinary program covering the latest quantitative methods in fisheries management. The program is aimed at those with a background in fisheries science or management, as well as those who would simply like to learn more about this field.  Students will obtain a strong foundation in the quantitative tools that are necessary for doing fish stock assessment and providing scientific advice in support of fisheries management decisions, e.g. statistics, simulation modeling, and analyses of uncertainties and risks. The diploma  emphasizes both the theory and the application of these methods to real-world situations.

To learn more about the institutional setting for this professional development Diploma Program, see the information on fisheries research in the School of Resource and Environmental Management and the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science at SFU at our respective web sites, www.rem.sfu.ca/fishgrp and www.stat.sfu.ca/.

Application and Admission Requirements

Funding of Students and Postdoctoral Fellows

For further information on graduate or postdoctoral opportunities in fisheries science and management, contact Randall M. Peterman, Sean Cox, or Andy Cooper. For general information on applying to the School of Resource and Environmental Management, contact the graduate program assistant.