Associate of Arts in Creative Writing

at Kwantlen Polytechnic University - Langley Campus Canada

The one-year General Business Studies Certificate Program is designed to provide students with a broad range of fundamental business skills and an understanding of the business environment. Many classes are offered in the evening to accommodate part-time students.  The Certificate program requires completion of 10 courses and emphasizes real world business applications in key functional areas.

Students may select their elective courses according to the following guidelines for specialization in Business Management or Marketing and have the specialization documented on their transcript.

Courses in the certificate program may also be applied towards the Business Management Diploma program at KPU.

The Bachelor of Arts, Major in General Studies degree program provides you with the opportunity to develop a degree program that suits your unique interests, combining courses across different Arts disciplines. Working with an Arts Degree Advisor, you can create a personal program of study that helps you reach specific career and personal goals, intentionally developing a broad interdisciplinary liberal arts education. Completing this degree will normally involve a selection of courses from a number of departments that form around a unifying theme.

The program includes:

• Development of disciplinary knowledge, core competencies, and transferable skills characteristic of traditional Bachelor of Arts programs
• Preparation for entry into the labour market by incorporating essential and employability skills in all courses
• Increasing your capacity to respond innovatively to emerging trends in society
• Opportunities for forging connections within the South Fraser region by completing research, volunteering, or working in your field of interest while completing your KPU degree

The two-year diploma in Business Administration will provide graduates with foundational business and professional skills, a solid grounding in economics, and a foundation in calculus appropriate for advanced studies and/or research in economics, finance and operations. The program is designed to give graduates a developed portfolio of job-ready skills and a wide range of business principles and concepts to expand the graduate's career options.

The program is recognized by the The British Columbia College of Nursing Professionals (BCCNP).
The Kwantlen Polytechnic University Bachelor of Psychiatric Nursing (BPN) program philosophy consists of three guiding principles and six core concepts. These provide the philosophical foundation for the BPN program and basic assumptions that are inter-woven through all aspects of the BPN program curriculum and underpin its' philosophical framework. They provide grounding in health promotion, therapeutic relationship and diversity.

The core concepts are articulated and place the client at the center of our model. These include: client centeredness, being, situatedness, choice, professionalism, and teaching and learning. The person (client) is considered within the context of their culture, religion, ethnicity, race, historical experiences, spirituality and abilities. Diversity and equality are values running through the entire curriculum. This “ecological” theme considers the impact of the environment, social determinants of health, definitions of health, and prevention and promotion on a person’s well-being.

The BPN program is developed in the context of psychiatric nursing theory based on best practice and the therapeutic use of self in interpersonal relationships. A health promotion perspective has been used to organize and construct the curriculum. This shift in focus from illness to health represents a deliberate move away from a disease model, to a model focusing on the person's experience with health and healing (Austin and Boyd, 2015). Inherent to these orientations is the use of teaching methodologies, which encourage the development of analytical and critical thinking based on praxis, and the discovery of personal meaning and personal power.

The BPN program philosophy recognizes the foundational role of praxis in psychiatric nursing theory and recognizes that psychiatric nursing practice requires thoughtful, reflective action. To assist in actualizing the concept of praxis, nursing practice experiences are integrated throughout the program of studies. The concept of praxis is used to guide learners to critically reflect on their practice and on their application of psychiatric nursing knowledge and clinical judgment within the practice setting.

Students who enroll in the program will receive a student resource manual that provides information regarding program guidelines. Students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with University policies and BPN program guidelines.

Please be advised that applications to this program will only be accepted from Canadian citizens and permanent residents / landed immigrants of Canada.

Nursing Practice Experiences
Psychiatric/mental health nursing practice experiences are essential in the BPN program. Students will be directly involved with clients in their homes, institutional and community settings in each semester. Note: These experiences may involve days, evenings, nights and weekends. Practice experiences occur throughout the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley. Students may choose to have placements locally, nationally and internationally for some components of the program. Students are responsible for their own transportation and other expenses incurred during these experiences.

Some agencies may require students to take an Oath of Confidentiality, have an additional criminal record search, or have a successful interview with their personnel prior to their acceptance. Failure to have documentation acceptable to the agency at the time of placement may result in denial of the experience, which in turn may prevent completion of the program of studies.

The Associate of Arts in Geography is a two-year Human Geography program. It establishes a solid base of conceptual knowledge and applied skills supporting further study in Geography, engaged citizenship, and introductory employment in the public and private sectors. The curriculum combines topical coursework in introductory human geography and urban geography, and lab-science courses in earth science and atmospheric science. The curriculum also provides students with options for focused study of a variety of regions, and develops foundational skills in using computerized Geographic Information Systems (GIS) hardware and software to analyze and present spatial data.

The Diploma in Brewing and Brewery Operations is a two-year diploma where students study the science, production and business of brewing craft beer. The program combines building a solid foundation in brewing science with hands-on practical learning in our state-of-the-art 2 hectoliter pilot brewery located on the Langley campus. The curriculum was developed in consultation with the BC Craft Brewers Guild and an Advisory Committee consisting on local brewmasters, brewery owners and industry experts.

Who Studies Brewing?

• Brewing applicants come from diverse backgrounds and prove to have more than just a passion for craft beer. They demonstrate interest in areas such as biology, chemistry, engineering, business, technology, and food.
• Brewing is a physically demanding, hands-on career; Brewing students are expected to wear appropriate protective clothing and safety gear at all times inside the brewery and science labs.  They should expect to work on their feet for 6 to 8 hours in what may be a hot or cold, wet, noisy environment and should be capable or lifting 25kg or moving 75kg.

The program curriculum and the success of KPU's diploma graduates have established the Horticulture Technology Diploma with or without specialization as a highly valued credential in the workplace. The Diploma program combines theory and technique with best horticulture practice. Students learn how to use the tools and technologies that are an everyday part of industry workplace. The program also provides students with a foundation in horticulture science. Students develop an understanding of the environmental requirements for optimum plant growth. Best practice and sustainability are key learning outcomes.

All students must undertake a minimum 455 hours of 'Work Experience', typically completed between first and second year. This provides opportunity for students to apply their new skills and identify where their careers may lie after graduating.

Specialization Options
The Diploma in Horticulture Technology can be completed without specialization or by choosing one of three specializations:

• Landscape Horticulture Systems
• Sustainable Production Horticulture
• Turf Management

The Bachelor of Arts, Major in History, will provide you with the opportunity to study the many peoples and cultures whose contributions have created the world in which we live today.
Our BA degree allows you to develop the knowledge and core competencies characteristic of a traditional BA program, while preparing you to respond creatively and innovatively to a range of challenges in our community and our world. You will gain the literacy and analytical competencies demanded by twenty-first century employers. Equally importantly, you will become a better-informed citizen of our increasingly interconnected world.

As a History student you will benefit from our faculty's commitment to teaching excellence and from the small class sizes at KPU.
In our lower-level courses, you will begin to build the critical thinking, intercultural, and analytical competencies necessary to succeed in upper level history courses. At the upper-level, you will undertake in-depth studies of particular areas or important themes in global development. Please see the History website at www.kpu.ca/arts/history for more information on our thematic streams.

The Associate of Arts Degree in Sociology is a provincially recognized two-year academic credential program. The aims of this program are to provide students with an entry point into a Bachelor of Arts degree program, to create greater ease in transferring credits to other post-secondary institutions, to enrich students’ intellectual lives, and prepare them with academic knowledge and skills applicable to various work contexts. Students are exposed to an overview of central topics in sociology, fundamental sociological theories and concepts, studies in Canadian society and specialized subject areas in sociology.

Students who complete the Associate of Arts Degree in Sociology and wish to continue their studies at KPU may enter the Bachelor of Arts Major or Bachelor of Arts Minor in Sociology degree program with relative ease. Additional course credits at the 2000 level are required for graduation in these programs so students should be sure to consult the program information on our BA degrees.

The Associate of Arts Degree in Sociology meets common academic standards at post-secondary institutions throughout the province. This means that students may apply for ‘block transfer’ of course credits from their first two years of study at KPU to programs at other universities in British Columbia. Completion of BA programs in sociology at other institutions will also require additional courses at the 2000 level.
Arts Degree Advisors can assist students in ensuring they meet entrance and graduation requirements for the BA in sociology degree programs at KPU.

The BBA in Marketing Management program includes intensive applied business training with an emphasis on marketing management, as well as new and emerging media and marketing analytics. The practical learning outcomes are grounded in curriculum that is accountable, global, team-based and uses contemporary quantitative and qualitative tools. Course content is industry driven and was developed in consultation with industry experts to ensure that KPU's BBA in Marketing Management graduates are ready to work. This degree is an appropriate goal for individuals who aspire to acquire leadership positions in the marketing profession.