Bachelor of Engineering in Software Engineering (Co-op optional)

at EduCo - Western University Canada

Are you moved by crisis in Darfur? Do social movements such as the Arab Spring and Occupy Wall Street interest you? Do you want to work for a public service or a non-profit organisation? Then the Media and the Public Interest (MPI) program might be for you. The MPI program is the only one of its kind in Canada and connects issues of communication and media to social justice issues such as democracy, equity, class, race, and gender. Students in MPI examine social movements and how media can be used to further these causes. Some example courses in the MPI program include Alternative Media, Social Movements and Media, and Activism in Mainstream Media. A primary goal of the program is to connect media theory learned in the classroom to real world experiences. Students are encouraged to put what they learn to use. Many of the courses feature a service learning component or practicum that gives students the opportunity to volunteer in a community organisation.

Anthropology is the study of humans in all our social, cultural, linguistic, and biological diversity and complexity.  The four subfields of Anthropology (Archaeology, Biological Anthropology, Linguistic Anthropology, and Sociocultural Anthropology) are united by shared perspectives on how we study the full breadth of humanity. 

Western offers music students a unique combination of musical and academic options, within a comprehensive university setting, on one of Canada’s most beautiful campuses. One of the largest music faculties in Canada, it is also one of the friendliest. Our reputation of excellence continues to draw music students from across Canada and beyond. Our history as a leader in Music Education is well known, where students are guaranteed entry into Western’s Faculty of Education. Richness in performing opportunities, combined with world class instruction and breadth of ensembles creates an ideal environment to reach the highest levels of performance. Academic excellence and breadth of course and program selection allows music students at Western to be among the best anywhere and prepare for a future in any discipline.

Students in Film Studies delve into the aesthetics, history, philosophy and the technology of film making through practical historical and theoretical courses. Film is considered from several viewpoints; including political, sociological, historical, and cultural ones – all enabling students to understand, analyze, discuss and explain film in its many forms. Shaped by contemporary, interdisciplinary scholarship, students will critically engage in the art of cinema and explore the global and historical conditions that have made it one of the most influential forms of visual culture.

Medical Biophysics is best described as a discipline that improves people’s lives. And it draws on many research areas, techniques and technologies to improve human health. In studying medical biophysics you will apply the principles of biology, mathematics, physics and engineering to solve problems. When you study Medical Biophysics, you learn how to apply your knowledge of mathematics, biology, chemistry and physics to areas such as medical imaging, cancer therapy, biomechanics and cardiovascular disease.

Medical Biophysics students take basic principles from mathematics, the physical and biological sciences, and computer science, and apply them to improving medical diagnosis, treatment and patient health. The experience of students in Medical Biophysics goes beyond “textbook knowledge” and places them in settings where they solve real-world problems such as: how blood flows in arteries and veins, designing a better joint replacement, improving lung ventilation in asthma, how MRI forms images of the brain, and targeting radiation therapy in cancer to protect the healthy surrounding tissue.

Economics is a social science devoted to the study of scarcity, and how individuals, organisations, and governments make choices. The discipline’s guiding principle is found in the idea that all of these choices can most usefully be seen as decisions to allocate scarce resources across a range of competing uses. This single principle is always in play, and leads economists to study a wide array of social questions.

In the first year Economics courses you will be exposed to the use of this basic principle and the analytical tools that go with them in both the microeconomic and macroeconomic realm. The first of these (micro) refers to the study of choices made by individuals and/or individual firms, and how these decisions interact in markets. The macro segment then looks at how this principle allows us to better understand the behaviour of the economy in the aggregate. This leads to the study of unemployment, inflation, government budgets and international trade balances. These courses then provide the basis for all of the more senior – and more specialized – courses offered by the Department.

The Major in Economics Module, by itself, can be either a 3 or 4 year Degree. The Economics Major can be combined with a Major in another subject in order to create an Honors Double Major Degree. For the purposes of progression and graduation, ALL Honors Economics courses taken shall be counted as principal courses, and the requirements for both majors must be met in order to graduate with an Honors Double Major.

Genetics is the study of the process and implications of trait inheritance which is linked explicitly to the concept of the gene and the molecule DNA. The Department offers four modules in this foundational area of biology that are built upon its research and teaching strengths. In the area of molecular genetics students will be able to take a range of courses focused on gene structure, function and regulation that introduce modern 'omic' approaches (e.g. genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics) that are taught using a range of animal, plant and microbial systems. Related topics such as genetic engineering and developmental genetics form the basis of additional courses. Building on research expertise in other subdiscipline there are courses in behavioural genetics, and evolutionary genetics.

This degree program is designed for students interested in advanced study in the basic medical sciences and focuses on all aspects of biology that define and influence the human condition. Emphasis is placed on understanding the normal human condition, mechanisms of current treatment and the search for cures.

Geography and Environment at Western centres around the following sub-disciplines; Physical Geography, Geographic Information Science (GIS), Urban Studies and Environment, Development and Health. This broad, integrative perspective makes Western geographers employable in a wide range of occupations.