Bachelor of Business Administration, Concentration in Economics (Co-op)

at Cape Breton University Canada

Take one step onto the breathtaking shores of Cape Breton Island and you’ll instantly realize this is a place where philosophy and nature come together to create a unique learning environment. CBU’s modern facilities and accessible faculty make every day a valuable learning experience. Students from more than 40 countries around the world come to learn the lessons they need to plot their path into the future.

Philosophy at CBU helps you create a customized compass for navigating the intellectual, ethical and emotional complexities of life. Engaging philosophically with the world around you can provide a sense of overall direction which is essential for personal, social and professional growth. In the process, students benefit from exceptional training in the art of logical reasoning.

Many of Canada’s top lawyers, writers, business people, and other professionals have undergraduate degrees in philosophy. That means you can trust the skills you learn here to take you well into the future.

What skills will I gain from this program?

• High-level critical thinking skills
• Analytical writing skills
• Ability to discuss complex ideas effectively
• Knowledge of diverse world views & intellectual traditions
• Expertise in understanding contemporary ethical issues

Why study at CBU?

• In an ever-changing electronic age, philosophical expertise is essential for untangling the complications of core ethical and legal concepts, such as privacy, self-identity and intellectual property. That’s why, when you’re studying philosophy at CBU, you take a case study approach to examine problems in law, business and other areas that cannot be resolved by simply applying familiar principles and practices.
• Our approachable, friendly faculty help you build the solid foundation you need for success in the future. Because of their experience, CBU is a place you can come to learn answers to the world’s toughest questions. For example, are there justifiable limits to the bio-engineering of human life? Does science provide “all the answers?” What roles do love, appreciation of art, athletic achievement, or other experiences play in life? And, in an increasingly virtual world, is it worth trying to distinguish genuine (or “real”) from fake experiences? Once you have the skills CBU prepares you with in our Philosophy program, you can truly go anywhere your passion for success takes you.

Hospitality is an important part of our Cape Breton culture. At CBU, our Bachelor of Hospitality and Tourism Management (BHTM) degree is a three-year program that combines tourism and hospitality, business education and the opportunity to augment a specialty area with elective courses. This blended approach to the program, in conjunction with two paid internships, prepares students for a position in this multifaceted industry.

From event planning and management, to service training and hands-on learning, this program provides students with the opportunity to get up close and personal. Discover how small details make every guest feel special, and how unforgettable moments are brought to life every single day. Here, the skills you learn truly impact real lives and influence real experiences.

With results-oriented courses that explore destination marketing, international travel, and event management, it’s no wonder students from more than 40 countries come to Cape Breton Island to learn what they need to succeed in the hospitality industry. Careers in tourism, hotel management, food and beverage, and much more are easy to envision when you spend time living and learning in one of Canada’s most popular tourist destinations.

The BACS degree is highly flexible, with a wide range of opportunities for academic specialization as well as highly specific focused degrees in different areas of study. The program is a process-oriented, experiential degree program that prepares students for the job market. The core community studies courses are focused on problem-solving, critical thinking, community-based research and work placements.

Why study at CBU?
What makes the decision to study at CBU the right decision to make? The unique academic programs. The undergraduate research opportunities. The people. The location. It all comes together to create the perfect environment for learning and living. And as #8 on the top islands to visit in the world by Travel + Leisure Magazine, CBU prides itself on our beautiful landscapes, tradition of excellence and innovative culture of collaboration.

Our BACS degree offers a unique experiential education with volunteer or work placements built into the core of the program. We strive to ensure students have real work experience before graduation. Additionally, students engage with their communities in projects that help foster both community awareness and establish a true sense of teamwork.

CBU also provides an easy destination for transfer students as CBU has articulation agreements with Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) and a number of other Canadian colleges. In some areas of study, it is possible to complete a three-year BACS degree entirely online.

What skills will I gain from this program?

• Critical thinking
• Problem solving
• Reflective learning
• Workplace experience
• Community involvement

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.

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.

Experiential Learning Opportunities

• Directed study course work
• Co-op opportunities
• Working as a research assistant

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.

Cape Breton Island is a hotbed of culture, with a rich, varied landscape of traditions and lore. Traditionally, folklore is the study of informal culture.

The study of a group’s folklore yields valuable insights into how that group operates in the world, but also reveals biases, prejudices and other obstacles to a more inclusive worldview. Most often, folklore is expressive and manifests itself in certain forms, such as story and song, festival and feast, architecture and craft. Although these forms may be manifested in a distinct way by each group, they recur in similar ways across cultures, so folklore examines both the particular context and the general formal patterns of expressive culture.

After providing a solid introduction to folklore genres, analytical approaches and ethnographic methods, folklore students take a balance of regional folklore courses (courses primarily about folklore in Atlantic Canada), and courses emphasizing genres and issues (such as urban legend, gender, food and cultural tourism).

CBU students learn practical skills in interviewing, fieldwork, and ethnographic research while also gaining an awareness of international heritage policy. Folklore’s interdisciplinary nature promotes sharing concerns, methods and insights with others. Through this group learning dynamic, folklore students acquire skills and knowledge that are applicable in a wide range of careers.

What skills will I gain from this program?

• Understand how folklore informs our worldview.
• Recognize the prevalence of folklore in contemporary society.
• Ethnographic fieldwork.
• Analyze the use of traditional forms and styles in popular culture.
• Research and writing.

Why study at CBU?

• Cape Breton is home to several distinct language and expressive communities, including Mi’kmaq, Scottish Gaelic and Acadian. It is home to the only African Orthodox Church in Canada, the only Ukrainian and Polish churches east of Montreal, and a vibrant, multicultural community with many members descended from Italian, Greek, Jewish and Lebanese immigrants, among others.
• Students in the folklore program have access to cutting-edge technological equipment, software and facilities at CBU. The Digitization Lab lends audio and video equipment to students so they can conduct ethnographic fieldwork and interviews. The Media Interpretation and Reception Lab enables video documentation of group interviews and focus groups.
• CBU is also home to the Beaton Institute and the Mi’kmaq Resource Centre, exceptional archival resources that provide primary and historic data sources about the history and culture of Cape Breton Island and its cultural groups. They also regularly accept student research materials, allowing students to leave a legacy that will help future scholars.

Experiential Learning Opportunities

• International exchange agreements with institutions in Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland, as well as other countries around the world.
• An archival internship working with folkloric and/or archival materials at an institution such as the Beaton Institute or in a library or museum outside of CBU.
• A significant number of courses involve experiential learning units, such as our festivals course (FOLK 3603), which involves attending and analyzing the Celtic Colours International Festival, and our ethnography course (FOLK 2114), which requires producing a unique ethnographic project.

French is one of the most widely spoken languages in Canada after English and hence it has great professional as well as academic value. CBU offers an undergraduate level course for four years in French with excellent faculty and an exquisitely designed curriculum. Learning a language is a an obvious upper hand over other people and gives the students a cutting edge over other people willing to enter the Canadian workforce and various government degrees.

Since learning a language can be a daunting task, students are guided through this course with step by step instructions to students as well as personalized attention from the teachers. This four year course is divided into multiple sections, with each level and section dealing with various specificities of the French language. The first two years of the course deals with improvement of the listening and speaking skills. The third year of the program deals with linguistics and French literature. This year is very crucial for the students for it helps them delve into the literary aspects of the French language. By the fourth year students have the opportunity of studying francophone studies at a deeper level.

Today’s world is in constant flux, and not only are gender studies no different, they can often be at the centre of our major cultural issues. Every day, unique stories emerge in our lives, from gender politics to gender and economics, that can impact the way we work and live.

Our minor in Gender and Women’s Studies gives students the opportunity to study a full range of human experiences and arrangements of social organization. We offer a comprehensive curriculum to help process the issues we face as a society, which can provide lessons needed for life in a modern, multicultural and diversified culture.

This program prepares students with the skills to manage, nurture and shape society through a critical understanding of leadership and responsible action. We examine alternative institutional arrangements that will help students cope with an increasingly diverse workplace, as well as with the combination of work and family responsibilities.

What skills will I gain from this program?

• Knowledge of complex social problems
• Understanding of gender differences
• Critical comprehension of key texts
• Ability to analyze gender issues

Why study at CBU?

• Picture a place where a completely unique collective of people with a passion for learning all come together to make their world a better place. That place is Cape Breton University.
• Here, you can study multiple disciplines within the Gender and Women’s Studies program and develop a solid foundation with skills for the real world. Through a continual sharpening of widely useful analytical skills, our accessible faculty teach you to think critically about the production of knowledge. We also emphasize undergraduate student research to help you get the best start possible when you begin your career.