Students in the atrium

Faculty of

Agricultural, Life &Environmental Sciences

UA graphic depicting wheat and raindrops on water

The Faculty of ALES at the U of A provides solutions to global challenges, such as agriculture and food, the environment, community and individual well-being, and bioresource innovation.

Comprising four departments and more than 40 undergraduate and graduate programs, ALES turns science into solutions that encompass the entire human experience.

Prospective Students

An undergraduate degree in ALES challenges you to find solutions for real-life problems. Pursue a degree that matters and secure a job in an in-demand career.

Our UNDERGRADUATE Programs

Graduate Programs

ALES offers a variety of science-based graduate programs, including several specializations that are available as course or thesis-based.

Our Graduate Programs

Research

ALES conducts a robust research program that provides solutions to global challenges in our comprehensive research and teaching facilities.

Our Research

  • 17,500+

    Alumni with over 60%
    living in Alberta

  • $48M

    in external research
    funding annually

  • 25,000

    Acres of farm and ranch land
    spanning Alberta

Cover of publication reads Shaping Alberta with three pictures: one of a forest, one of a field of crops, and an aerial view of rural Alberta

Shaping Alberta: The Impact of the Faculty of ALES

2023

Since our inception in 1915, the faculty has contributed to the province's economics, environment and society. Read more about the activities and successes of our students, faculty and researchers, and our ambitious vision for the future.

Read the publication

Quick Links

ALES Directory
Current ALES Students
ALES Intranet
ALES Research Centres + Facilities

What's on

Branded graphic reads Congratulations Class of 2025

Spring 2025 Convocation

Join us in celebrating the graduating class of 2025! Years of studying and exams have paid off with degrees for these dedicated students, who are joining a community of more than 340,000 U of A grads. Hear our faculty present as convocation speakers and watch our graduates cross the stage on Monday, June 16 at 3 p.m. Congratulations to everyone graduating this year, and their loved ones who supported them along the way.

More information

See all ALES events

SHAPE THE FUTURE

Our students are tomorrow’s change makers - seeking out today’s challenges to keep us moving forward. They will overcome barriers, help feed the world, improve food sustainability and contribute to a better world for all of us. They will, with our support. Give today to the Shape the Future campaign for student success.

Our Latest News

UNIVERSITY NEWS
Convocation ‘25: Emily Mahon, BSc Environmental & Conservation Sciences
Students
Convocation ‘25: Emily Mahon, BSc Environmental & Conservation Sciences
“My five years at the U of A were a collection of small, meaningful moments.”
June 12, 2025
UNIVERSITY NEWS
Convocation ‘25: Caleb Reid, BSc Forest Business Management
Students
Convocation ‘25: Caleb Reid, BSc Forest Business Management
Putting two and two together leads to a career in forest management
June 12, 2025
Alumni Fuel Economy Amid Tariff Tensions
Discovery
Alumni Fuel Economy Amid Tariff Tensions
Brew, Beauty and Bounty: A curated list of U of A-linked grad-owned, Canadian-based small shops
April 23, 2025
New research helps Alberta communities take fuel away from wildfires
Science and Technology, Research
New research helps Alberta communities take fuel away from wildfires
Study reveals highest-priority areas for removing trees and brush that heighten the threat to buildings.
April 01, 2025
UNIVERSITY NEWS
Using GIS to find connection in the environment and in the classroom
Instructors, Research
Using GIS to find connection in the environment and in the classroom
Collaboration across disciplines key to management of natural resources and climate change solutions, says Sheika Henry, the new assistant lecturer in renewable resources
March 21, 2025
Traditional diet shows promise for modern gut health
Health And Wellness, Research, Science and Technology
Traditional diet shows promise for modern gut health
Restoring the gut microbiome could help reduce risk of diabetes and heart disease, study shows.
March 13, 2025
Rubik’s Food
Feature
Rubik’s Food
To solve the puzzle of sustainable sustenance, researchers boost crop yields, combat pests and create new foods
February 28, 2025
From skydiving to seedlings: GoPro finds new use in forestry
Research, Science and Technology, Business
From skydiving to seedlings: GoPro finds new use in forestry
Using action cameras to track tree growth could save time and money for low-tech nurseries.
February 10, 2025
Researchers genetically engineer yeast to produce healthy fatty acid
Research, Health And Wellness, Science and Technology
Researchers genetically engineer yeast to produce healthy fatty acid
CRISPR-based technique could offer a way to produce more of the valuable fatty acid along with a protein supplement for food.
January 21, 2025
Breakthrough research helps young liver transplant patients preserve muscle
Research, Health And Wellness
Breakthrough research helps young liver transplant patients preserve muscle
Pilot study shows resistance training could alleviate adverse outcomes associated with sarcopenia, a type of muscle loss prevalent in transplant patients.
January 07, 2025
UNIVERSITY NEWS
Convocation ‘25: Janna Ehrenholz, BSc Clothing, Textiles & Material Culture
Students
Convocation ‘25: Janna Ehrenholz, BSc Clothing, Textiles & Material Culture
A long ago but not forgotten field trip inspires a new career
June 12, 2025
Plant partnership: fungi help spruce trees fight off budworm attacks
Science and Technology, Research
Plant partnership: fungi help spruce trees fight off budworm attacks
New study could help researchers and industry boost forest resilience by taking advantage of natural symbiosis.
May 23, 2025
UNIVERSITY NEWS
Awards and accolades: Spring 2025
Students, Instructors
Awards and accolades: Spring 2025
Join us in celebrating some of the recent achievements of our students, faculty and community.
April 09, 2025
Bioengineered red yeast turns wood waste into a valuable fatty acid
Research, Science and Technology
Bioengineered red yeast turns wood waste into a valuable fatty acid
Discovery could offer economic wins for forestry and food industries.
March 31, 2025
The ‘smartwear revolution’ begins: clothing with built-in sensors will improve balance, reduce injuries and support people with muscle weakness
Health And Wellness, Science and Technology, Research
The ‘smartwear revolution’ begins: clothing with built-in sensors will improve balance, reduce injuries and support people with muscle weakness
Interdisciplinary U of A team wins $24-million federal grant to advance the frontier of assistive technology.
March 19, 2025
UNIVERSITY NEWS
Seeing the forest through the trees in Mexico
Students, Travel
Seeing the forest through the trees in Mexico
The forestry field school in Mexico exposed students to new environments, making them better foresters wherever they will practice in their careers.
March 12, 2025
Rheumatology enters the chat: research projects use AI and collaborative thinking to improve patient care
Research, Health And Wellness, Science and Technology
Rheumatology enters the chat: research projects use AI and collaborative thinking to improve patient care
Research to develop an empathetic chatbot and reduce a side-effect of anti-cancer drugs among 28 U of A projects receiving nearly $20 million from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
February 12, 2025
Research could help focus efforts to restore habitat for threatened caribou
Research, Science and Technology
Research could help focus efforts to restore habitat for threatened caribou
Study guides industry and government in deciding where to step in to regrow forest along seismic lines in northern Alberta.
February 06, 2025
Gluten-free food affordability a struggle for nearly half of Canadian households with kids who have celiac disease
Health And Wellness, Research
Gluten-free food affordability a struggle for nearly half of Canadian households with kids who have celiac disease
Researchers point to “urgent need” to relieve price pressures for families.
January 14, 2025
Women are still doing most of the housework
Society and Culture, Health And Wellness, Research
Women are still doing most of the housework
Unequal patterns persist for decades throughout relationships and into parenthood, study shows.
January 06, 2025
UNIVERSITY NEWS
Convocation ‘25: Amanda Hardman, BSc in Agriculture, Sustainable Agriculture Systems major
Students
Convocation ‘25: Amanda Hardman, BSc in Agriculture, Sustainable Agriculture Systems major
Self-proclaimed 'ag-vocate' dedicated to improving the food system and limiting waste
June 12, 2025
North American boreal forest holds 31 per cent more trees than thought
Research, Science and Technology
North American boreal forest holds 31 per cent more trees than thought
New AI-enhanced estimate suggests the vast forests may have more potential to mitigate climate change.
May 13, 2025
Video Spotlight: Research in record time
Science and Technology, Health And Wellness, Research, Society and Culture
Video Spotlight: Research in record time
In the Three Minute Thesis competition, grad students showcase the impact of their research in compelling elevator pitches anyone can understand.
April 07, 2025
UNIVERSITY NEWS
Making waves at the Ronald O. Ball Lecture in Food & Agriculture
Research, Society and Culture, Science and Technology
Making waves at the Ronald O. Ball Lecture in Food & Agriculture
William Cheung, director and professor of the University of British Columbia’s Institute for Oceans and Fisheries, shared his expertise in fisheries and aquaculture in the face of extreme events and irreversible climate impacts.
March 31, 2025
UNIVERSITY NEWS
The Ag Club’s annual Bar None, the longest running event on campus, reaches fund-raising milestone
Students
The Ag Club’s annual Bar None, the longest running event on campus, reaches fund-raising milestone
77 years of tradition, 30 years of supporting STARS
March 18, 2025
Alberta researchers aim to revolutionize animal feed
Science and Technology, Research
Alberta researchers aim to revolutionize animal feed
Gates Foundation backs U of A partnership with startup to turn coal-derived methanol into a more sustainable protein source.
March 10, 2025
UNIVERSITY NEWS
Field researcher's early evacuation decision safeguards team from wildfire threat
Research, Health And Wellness, Employees
Field researcher's early evacuation decision safeguards team from wildfire threat
Colleen Sutheimer was recognized for exhibiting exemplary safety leadership by preemptively evacuating her research team from northern Alberta's wildfire zone.
February 12, 2025
U of A ranked in the Top 100 worldwide in five subjects
Research, Business, Society and Culture, Science and Technology, Health And Wellness
U of A ranked in the Top 100 worldwide in five subjects
Excellence in a broad array of disciplines shows in Times Higher Education’s latest ranking.
January 22, 2025
UNIVERSITY NEWS
Awards and accolades: Winter 2025
Students, Instructors
Awards and accolades: Winter 2025
Join us in celebrating some of the recent achievements of our students, faculty and community.
January 08, 2025
3D printability of pea protein shapes up with plasma treatment
Research, Science and Technology
3D printability of pea protein shapes up with plasma treatment
Innovation strengthens potential for using the low-cost, nutritious protein source in food products.
December 03, 2024