Bachelor of Arts Community Studies in Communication (Co-op Optional)

at Cape Breton University Canada

When it comes to the prosperity of a business, nothing is more important than a solid financial foundation. Finance is a body of concepts, principles and theories dealing with making strategic investment acquisitions, and identifying where the firm will get the long-term capital to finance the strategic investments.

Finance courses explore the day-to-day operations of a firm and examines how to ensure the business is successful.

Everyone has to deal with money. Finance takes a closer look at this dynamic by studying the management of money for individuals, companies and governments. Topics in world capital markets, investments in real and financial assets and the world of international finance are covered.

What skills will I gain from this program?

• Acquire the ability to make sound financial decisions that will maximize the value of a business.
• Learn to effectively manage money to provide growth in investments.
• Understand the time value of money and how to use the concept to make sound financial decisions.
• Learn to help a firm raise capital to foster growth.
• Acquire the knowledge needed to make sound strategic decisions to ensure a successful business.

Why study at CBU?
A finance concentration at CBU will prepare students for many careers in the financial services industry and in other related fields. The skills and concepts learned include the ability to make sound financial decisions and will lead the way to achieve a successful work-life environment.

The scope of finance is broad. Finance courses at CBU explore the full spectrum, from corporate finance, personal finance, investments, capital market theory, financial markets and international finance. Courses in accounting and economics are also ideal for a concentration in finance.

Throughout Cape Breton culture, you’ll find music, dance, theatre and the arts all around you. At CBU, we collaborate and take the stage together to engage with our community through a positive, creative medium.

Applied Theatre helps you adapt practical theatre skills to achieve your goals in non-traditional performance contexts and styles. You could work as an animator at a living history site, use theatre to raise awareness around social issues, create experiences that build or celebrate community, engage youth in learning opportunities, and help at-risk populations develop skills and support networks.

At CBU, you can study traditional theatre skills such as acting, directing and stage management, alongside the versatile techniques of applied theatre, including improvisation and devising. Enhance your studies with work placements and courses that support applied theatre careers, like entrepreneurship, marketing, musicology or cultural policy.

Nothing is more important to our overall health than the food we put inside our bodies. With an incredible amount of access to instructors, and a global community on campus, you gain a unique perspective on how proper nutrition can make a difference anywhere in the world. Our modern facilities and inclusive culture give you the space and freedom to chart your own course in nutrition.

Additionally, the nutrition transfer option focuses on preparing students for entry into the third year of a BSc in Nutrition at a specified university. The first two years completed at Cape Breton University allow students to gain a background in the nutritional sciences by taking courses in biology, microbiology, anatomy, physiology, chemistry, nutrition, statistics, the humanities, the social sciences and business.

What skills will I gain from this program?

• Food labelling
• Canada’s food guide
• Food security and the factors affecting it
• Chemistry of nutrition
• Relationship of nutrition to disease prevention and management

Why study at CBU?

• Aside from the incredible island lifestyle and the world-class facilities, you get the opportunity to interact with our faculty and lab instructors on a one-on-one basis. Get the individualized attention and support you need from experienced faculty. This kind of support is critical for your success.
• Nutrition courses at CBU provide an excellent overview of normal and clinical nutritional science. Professors and laboratory assistants provide around-the-clock support and opportunities to gain hands-on experience, while intellectually challenging students along the way.

With the world facing so many complex problems, the knowledge mathematics students acquire at CBU can be used to find success in a variety of fields, both scientific and artistic. These are the kind of skills you’ll gain at CBU. From our modern facilities, to our accessible, experienced faculty, you’ll find peace and tranquility along our world-famous shores.

As a language of logic used by scientists and philosophers alike, the valuable skills developed in a math degree can take you anywhere. You just have to follow the numbers. From graphic design, to environmental engineering, astrophysics and business, you’ll learn sophisticated mathematical models for use in the real world.

By creating and discovering new mathematical objects and structures, students come to Cape Breton University from across the world to understand and answer meaningful mathematical questions.

What skills will I gain from this program?

• Argument and logic skills
• Computer math skills
• Problem solving & analytical skills
• Risk assessment skills

Why study at CBU?

• From programming and graphic design to environmental engineering, astro physics and business, many of the world’s problems are solved using sophisticated mathematical models. So, with a rich history of innovation and exploration, it’s no surprise Cape Breton University attracts the world’s top math talent to our thriving campus. CBU welcomes a diverse student body who come to our island for more than the world-class education and relaxed lifestyle. They come to find success for their future.
• Whether you’re studying to be a math teacher, lawyer or banker, here, faculty make all the difference. That’s because our friendly and accomplished professors offer CBU students a unique, competitive edge for what comes next. Students are introduced to both pure and applied mathematics with a focus on graph theory, analysis, ordinary and partial differential equations, computer programming, statistics and numerical analysis.
• Enriching courses contribute to a vital field of study that makes this program at Cape Breton University a solid foundation for your short and long-term future.

On Cape Breton Island, you’ll find the path to your successful future by discovering today’s world of psychology. With students coming to study at CBU from over 40 countries around the world, our diverse campus of thought leaders set the stage for your future success.

Psychology courses at CBU emphasize the genetic, physiological, sensory, cognitive, personality-based and social structures that mediate behaviour and mental processes. As the science that examines the structure and function of behaviour and mental processes, we’re proud to offer relevant programs for today’s world.

What skills will I gain from this program?

• Understanding of mental health
• Learn theories and history of psychology
• General research skills·
• Specific knowledge to your specialization

Why study at CBU?

• At CBU, our comprehensive curriculum focuses on understanding individual behaviour so you can apply your skills to a wide variety of opportunities in the field of psychology. Studying psychology here will provide you with the skills you need to think, be innovative and design your own experiments to answer your own questions. You will critique work, yours and others, as well as conduct and report on experiments to help build a foundation for tomorrow.
• With modern facilities and breathtaking scenery, not many places in the world can offer what Cape Breton Island can offer. Plus, with accessible and experienced faculty, CBU encourages active research alongside your professors.
• Because hard work and dedication are noticed here, students are often hired as research assistants to help professors in their duties. Here, we also believe that what we learn from psychological research can be used to understand past, current, or future events. That means the knowledge you gain at CBU can also help analyze mental health issues, and improve education, employment and relationships.
• Our Honours Psychology Program (BA, BSc, or BACS) provides advanced training in research methods, statistical analysis, as well as guaranteed one-on-one thesis supervision. This program prepares students wishing to go on to graduate school or professional programs.

Chemistry is the study of matter — anything that has mass and occupies space. Everything you touch, hold, smell or taste involves chemistry and chemicals. So, when you step onto Cape Breton Island and look into our waters, across our landscapes and throughout our communities, you’ll discover a natural sense of opportunity and wonder that opens your path to success.

Chemistry is the science of change that affects virtually all other scientific disciplines and is essential to many new technological developments. Chemistry is a physical science, which puts importance on mathematics and physics. Students who study chemistry here take part in a world class curriculum that produces results for tomorrow. That’s because the CBU Chemistry program is nationally accredited by the Canadian Society of Chemistry, designed for students with a passion for chemistry and desire to learn. With accessible faculty and modern facilities, CBU truly has it all.

Here, you study the relationship between the chemical structure of matter and its properties. From new pharmaceuticals that fight disease, industrial catalysts for efficient manufacturing and leading-edge nanotechnologies—what CBU teaches you has the power change the world we live in.

What skills will I gain from this program?

• Analytical and problem-solving skills
• Exposure to chemical literature
• Laboratory safety training
• Interpretation and experimental skills
• Ethics in chemistry training

Why study at CBU?

• At CBU, students gain hands-on research with state-of-the-art equipment in modern facilities. This makes all the difference as you continue your studies or start your career in a number of different possible fields, such as biology, medicine, pharmacy, oceanography, environmental sciences and more.
• CBU Chemistry graduates have been very successful with graduate scholarships. Students find success thanks to the hands-on research experience they gain from our award-winning faculty. About 75% of our students have the opportunity to participate in undergraduate research projects with real-world applications.
• CBU also has a Chemistry Outreach Program, working with students from primary school through grade 12 to share the wonderful world of science with audiences of all ages. This program creates opportunities for CBU Chemistry students to share their knowledge and also learn from other students, while engaging with our friendly community.

There’s an instant connection that’s made between the study of biology and living on Cape Breton Island. In this incredibly bio-diverse region on the coast of Atlantic Canada, we’re constantly reminded that we’re all part of nature.

Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of all living organisms. Although living organisms share some unifying themes, such as their origin from the same basic cellular structure, and their molecular basis of inheritance, they are extremely diverse. This diversity of life leads to many divisions in biological science. That’s why, at CBU, collaboration and collective learning environments are so important.

As a biology student, you will look at such topics as origins, structure, function, reproduction, growth and development, and behaviour and evolution of different organisms. In addition, you will consider how living organisms interact with each other and the environment on an individual and group basis.

What skills will I gain from this program?

• Solid grounding in key biology concepts and essential skills.
• Ability to specialize in multiple areas of
• Exposure to scientific research and educational experience.
• Skills required for any future career in biology.

Now, more than ever, Canada’s health care system needs strong, compassionate and capable leaders. By studying CBU’s Post-Baccalaureate Diploma in Health Care Management, the only of its kind in the Maritimes, you’ll learn the essential skills and aspects of managing and leading a health care unit successfully and efficiently.

In a climate of rising costs and tighter budgets, health care units are in the continual process of adapting, innovating and reinventing themselves. Health care organizations are looking for employees who are knowledgeable of policy and quality of service directives and, at the same time, have the skills to manage people, resources, innovation and costs. The comprehensive curriculum of this program allows students to learn essential aspects of managing a health care unit, including accounting, statistics, analytics, organizational behavior and more, all within a culturally respectful environment.

This program is for domestic or international students who have an undergraduate degree, and wish to pursue supervisory careers in the field of health care. Or, for those students wishing to gain a foundational knowledge of management prior to pursuing a Master’s degree.

What skills will I gain from this program?

• Understand the effect of external environments (political, legal, market, sector) on the management of health care organizations
• Use data analytics tools and techniques to make strategic decisions, support operational goals and maximize resources
• Understand and respect the diverse beliefs, values and health care needs of the community, including Indigenous health care priorities, barriers and needs
• Ability to integrate technical knowledge of management, incorporating theoretical and ethical concepts in managing people, operations and finances

Experiential Learning Opportunities
Choice of completing a 12-week internship placement within an organization Or, completing a capstone project where students are supervised and closely mentored by their professors, having the opportunity to apply skills to a business project.

One look at island life and it becomes clear: CBU is a special place that is focused and determined to make the world a better place. The passion for innovation and collaboration runs deep in our history and fuels our future.

The engineering transfer program is offered at CBU on an associate basis with Dalhousie University. CBU is one of the few Associated Universities to offer the first two years of all seven engineering disciplines. These include civil, environmental, mineral resource, electrical, industrial, mechanical and chemical engineering. We deliver the first two years of the four-year Bachelor of Engineering program.

The first year of the program is common for all seven discipline options. At the end of the first year, you must make a decision on a specialty. Application is made at this time to both CBU and Dalhousie for a seat in the particular discipline of choice.

During year two, you will be registered at both CBU and Dalhousie University.

Students can also combine a BSc in either chemistry or mathematics with the Engineering Diploma. This program requires a third year of study at CBU to complete the BSc, followed by two years at Dalhousie University to complete the BEng.

What skills will I gain from this program?

• Reduce complex problems using appropriate assumptions.
• Identify appropriate engineering tools for real-world problems.
• Learn to plan for safety and sustainability issues.
• Explain interactions between technical systems in various contexts.
• Become an effective leader and team member.

Why study at CBU?

• Our friendly, welcoming, respectful community helps engineering students connect solutions with real-world problems.
• By starting the BEng Transfer Program at a smaller institution, students get individualized attention and support from experienced faculty, which is critical for success.
• CBU is home to the newest Engineering Department in Nova Scotia, and second in size only to Dalhousie University. CBU is also one of the few Associated Universities to offer the first two years of all eight engineering disciplines.

Nurses are at the forefront of our health care system. The Bachelor of Science, Nursing (BScN) is an incredible opportunity. It’s a program that prepares students to be eligible to practice as registered nurses in a variety of health care settings. At Cape Breton University, you arrive inspired and leave prepared with the skills you need to thrive, with lifelong knowledge, skills and ability guiding you along the way.
The nursing curriculum is an intentional blending of courses from many disciplines, integrating theory and practice to facilitate self-growth, critical inquiry and a commitment to lifelong learning. Teachers and students engage in continuous professional development. From perfecting evidence-informed practice to respond to changing patient needs, to learning modern technologies, our faculty and students work together in a supportive and dynamic learning environment.

CBU’s BScN strives for excellence in preparing our future registered nurses to be knowledgeable, compassionate and ethical professionals.
What skills will I gain from this program?

• Knowledge of nursing theories, research and evaluation.
• Acquire practice-based learning.
• Learn to promote, maintain and restore health.
• Skills to prevent illness or injury.
• Qualify to write the NCLEX-RN exam.

Why study at CBU?
The nursing program at CBU uses a concept-based curriculum, so it’s easy to find the resources you need to gain the skills you need. Our concept-based learning is an approach to education that is more student-centered and student-directed. This means you’re fully immersed in real-world studies through engaging, hands-on learning.

CBU students have access to a wide variety of nursing practice placements (hospitals, community, long-term care) within the Nova Scotia Health Authority as well as private community partners that provide the experiential learning nursing students need to bridge theory to practice.

You also have an opportunity to take part in a two-week International Experience designed to help you learn about health and nursing in another culture and engage in service-learning. Our students have travelled to Quito, Bali, and Argentina. Students have the opportunity to study for a Specialty Nursing Certificate in oncology, acute and critical care, mental health, public health or Indigenous health nursing, along with others. Additionally, qualified students can enhance their research knowledge and skills by completing an advanced major in an area of interest.