Bachelor of Arts in English

at Kwantlen Polytechnic University - Langley Campus Canada

The KPU Creative Writing Department offers students a community of creativity in which writers discover a purposeful craft and explore the gifts of the imagination. We offer award-winning faculty, small class sizes, and a rigorous approach to the discipline of writing. The department is known for a strong sense of community which supports writers to discover their voice and develop their craft.

Learning in the Creative Writing Department is based on foundational principles of mentorship, discovery, purposefulness, and learner autonomy. Faculty demonstrate an authentic spirit of inquiry intended as a model for learners. In turn, learners engage with a teaching environment that is collaborative, creative, and respectful. We embrace emerging and experimental teaching methods in support of a dynamic educational community that is innovative, interdisciplinary, and socially and culturally responsible.

In the Creative Writing Department, learner engagement extends beyond the classroom to encompass learning from community and industry partners and peers. Creative Writing provides an excellent foundation in communication skills as well as the development of divergent and creative thinking abilities. Graduates with these skills are highly sought in today's dynamic workplace.

The Bachelor of Applied Arts degree program is geared towards helping students gain the skills and experience necessary to be job-skills ready. The Bachelor of Applied Arts also emphasizes research skills, and gives students a bit of the grad school experience and skills, without going to graduate school. The program is more rigorous and challenging than the more flexible Bachelor of Arts, but includes courses hand-picked by faculty and employers to target hard and soft job skills. The Bachelor of Applied Arts is ideally suited for students interested in workplace expertise, tests and measurements, and UX design.

Lower-level students establish a foundation of knowledge in psychology, before concentrating on applications of psychology to modern community and workplace settings for their upper-level work. Required courses provide students with general, transferable workplace skills (e.g., Interpersonal Relations), as well as specific knowledge and skills used in a variety of public and private sector jobs such as program evaluation and technical writing. Electives provide further training in additional areas selected by the student.

Students also participate in a workplace practicum coordinated by KPU and co-supervised by faculty and employers in relevant fields of employment. This practicum placement will assist students in gaining workplace experience and in meeting potential future employers.

Those interested in further study and graduate school or who prefer more extensive research experience may augment their knowledge and skills by taking the  research-focused Honours program in Psychology. The Honours program affords students an opportunity to develop and report on a research project under the direct supervision of a faculty member within the Psychology Department.

You have a passion for communication and connecting with people, and a desire to make a positive impact on society. In our two-year, hands-on diploma program, you will learn the theory and practice of public relations, and will develop the skills and knowledge necessary to successfully manage relationships on behalf of businesses and other organizations through the use of creative and strategic communication.

Upon graduation, you will be prepared for careers in PR and communications, social media, publicity, media and influencer relations, public affairs, organizational communications, special events and fundraising, or continuing your studies in a Bachelors of Business Administration (BBA) or Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree program at KPU.

The PR Diploma curriculum is carefully aligned with the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management’s Global Capabilities Framework and Global Body of Knowledge, and was developed in consultation with an advisory committee consisting of senior PR and communication practitioners from industry, government and the nonprofit sector.

Co-operative Education
The Public Relations diploma is offered with a Co-operative Education option. Co-operative Education gives a student the opportunity to apply the skills gained during academic study in paid, practical work experience semesters. Students can complete two work semesters while completing their diploma. Work semesters alternate with academic study.

Students wishing to enter and participate in the Co-op Option must meet the following requirements:

• Declaration and Entrance Requirements
• Currently admitted to the Diploma in Public Relations program.
• Good Academic Standing
• Maximum of 30 credits completed

The Marketing Management Diploma is a comprehensive program designed to provide a solid, general foundation in this exciting field. Study begins with emphasis on basic business knowledge and skills, and then intensively explores the discipline of Marketing, with emphasis on the job skills and experience that business demands. Projects with local businesses and organizations are also included in order to provide real world experience.

Graduates of this program may also be eligible to continue their business study by pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree in Entrepreneurial Leadership, Human Resources Management, or Marketing Management.  Many of the courses required for the Marketing Management Diploma are requirements for these BBA degree programs.  Students wishing to progress into a BBA degree should consult with a School of Business advisor for course planning assistance.

Co-operative Education

The Marketing Management diploma is offered with a Co-operative Education option. Co-operative Education gives a student the opportunity to apply the skills gained during academic study in paid, practical work experience semesters. Students can complete two work semesters while completing their diploma. Work terms generally occur full-time in separate 4 month work semesters. Work semesters alternate with academic study.

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.

All prospective music students apply to enter the Bachelor of Music in Musical Arts Degree. Those students who wish to graduate with a Diploma in Music may apply after completing one of six concentrations.

The Diplomas in Music are two-year, four-semester programs. Each concentration is designed to help students develop their abilities in both academic and applied studies. All students receive four semesters of private instruction on their chosen instrument and participate in a large ensemble each semester. The core curriculum is augmented by electives chosen by the student in consultation with a faculty advisor.

The facilities at the Langley Campus have been designed to accommodate music instruction in solo performance, orchestral, band, choral, and chamber music.

Intake occurs once a year in September for full-time program students. It is expected that most students will enroll in a full-time program, but part-time participation will be allowed subject to seat availability and the fulfillment of the course prerequisites.

Credit for courses completed at other institutions may be transferred subject to the approval of the Music Chair. As well, first time registration for some courses may be allowed in January subject to the approval of the Music Chair and fulfillment of any course prerequisites.

Diploma Concentrations

• There are six concentrations within the Diploma program:
  • Comprehensive Studies
  • Guitar Performance
  • Orchestral Instrument Performance
  • Piano Performance
  • Vocal Performance
  • General Studies

The Accounting Diploma program prepares graduates for entry-level accounting positions in the work force or to continue their studies at KPU in the Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Accounting.

The Diploma program includes courses in financial accounting, management accounting, finance, taxation and auditing. Graduates will also take courses in economics, business math, business statistics, Simply Accounting, information management, English and communications. The Accounting Diploma is carefully aligned with the requirements of the CPA accounting designation.

The Bachelor of Arts, Major in Asian Studies degree will allow you to develop the competencies characteristic of a traditional BA program while preparing you to respond creatively to the challenges you will encounter in an increasingly interconnected world. In this four-year interdisciplinary program, you will not only acquire practical skills that you can employ in your multicultural communities locally, you will also develop the intellectual and cultural competencies required to operate successfully in a world where the nations of East and South Asia are increasingly influential.

As an Asian Studies student you will begin your first year of studies with courses that introduce you to Asian Studies as a discipline and to the countries and cultures of East and South Asia. These courses will begin to build the critical thinking, communication, and intercultural competencies that will allow you to succeed in more advanced courses. As you progress to more narrowly defined regional and thematic courses, you will examine in greater depth the societies, cultures, political systems, economies, and histories of the peoples and nations of South and East Asia, as well as their interactions with Canada and the rest of the world.

The Bachelor of Arts Major in Psychology is a traditional degree focusing on core areas in psychology including biopsychology, cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, social/personality psychology, and clinical/abnormal psychology. As KPU’s flagship Psychology degree program, the BA is a flexible degree that allows students to explore many different content areas of psychology as well as other areas within the social sciences and humanities. Because of the flexibility of the program, BA students have the opportunity to consult with advisors, faculty and peers to determine their own degree specialization. The emphasis is on transferrable skills, including critical thinking, writing, group work, and oral presentations. Students also have the option of completing a workplace practicum coordinated by KPU and co-supervised by faculty and employers in relevant fields of employment.

Those interested in further study and graduate school or who prefer more extensive research experience may augment their knowledge and skills by taking the research-focused Honours program in Psychology. The Honours program affords students an opportunity to develop and report on a research project under the direct supervision of a faculty member within the Psychology Department.

In the Associate of Arts Degree in History you will be introduced to the discipline and will be prepared for further study, either in History, or in other areas. By completing the Associate of Arts degree you will gain a broader understanding of the world in which you live and will become a more informed and engaged citizen. You can focus on a particular geographic region; however, we recommend that you complete as broad a range of courses as possible.

The Associate of Arts degree can be used as an entry pathway into the Bachelor of Arts Degree in History; however, you should note that the BA only requires six credits of History at the first year level and six credits of History at the second year level.
History courses are reading and writing intensive. It is therefore strongly recommended that you complete the English requirements of your degree within your first two semesters.