Associate of Arts in Creative Writing

at Kwantlen Polytechnic University - Surrey Campus Canada

This 30-credit certificate program provides graduates with diverse computing knowledge to meet the computer and information system needs of organizations of all sizes. The program is designed to provide graduates with a solid foundation in computer systems and user support, network administration, and systems design.

 The Computer Information Systems programs (CISY) offer a unique practitioner-oriented approach to systems support and software development. Computer Information Systems courses are offered by the Computer Science and Information Technology department.
Upon completion of the Computer Information Systems certificate program students are encouraged to pursue the Computer Information Systems diploma program and subsequently, the Bachelor of Technology in Information Technology degree, to strengthen their IT skills and broaden their career options. Students interested in the CISY diploma and/or the BTECH degree program should consult a School of Business Advisor for course planning assistance.

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.

Graduates work with Kindergarten through Grade 12 students and assist teachers in providing personal care and behavioural and learning support to a variety of students in public and independent schools.

There is a high demand for Education Assistants and they are employed by every school district throughout the province. The graduates work in a variety of settings, including regular classrooms, resource rooms, work experience sites, and in life-skills activities.

To integrate the knowledge and skills learned in the program, all students complete two four-week, full-time practicums in the schools over the course of their studies, one in an elementary school and one in a secondary school. During this time, a student will observe, assist, and work with children and adolescents with diverse needs under the guidance and supervision of professional staff. This certificate transfers to the BA at KPU. 

The Philosophy Major at KPU provides students a broad-based, general education in the principal areas of Western Philosophy. Philosophy majors will complete courses in logic, epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and history of philosophy. The program is expressly set up to satisfy a variety of additional pedagogical and intellectual objectives, chief among these being the development of critical reasoning and writing skills, both in general and with regard to specialized research in the discipline. Philosophy majors at KPU will experience a learning environment that is supportive and challenging. It is one that prepares students for graduate work in philosophy. It develops effective citizenship, community leadership, and the critical reasoning, writing, and problem-solving skills required for successful careers in any area.

The Bachelor of Arts Major in Philosophy provides students the opportunity to build a sturdy educational foundation in one of the core areas of the Humanities. All Philosophy majors take a course in formal logic at the 1000-level. At the 2000-level, five courses in philosophy are obligatory: Moral Theory (the study of the nature of right and wrong), Metaphysics (the study of the nature of reality), Epistemology (the study of the nature and limits of knowledge), Ancient Greek Philosophy, and Modern Philosophy.

Upper-level students will have the following options: to take smaller, more participatory courses in Special Topics in Philosophy; to pursue an Applied Ethics Stream by taking specially designed courses in Business, Environmental, and Biomedical Ethics; to participate in a Practicum course where research and work skills are enhanced; and to apply to a selective sequence of honours courses with a focus on researching and writing an honours thesis.

The Associate Degree is designed to provide an educational experience that prepares students for work, citizenship, and an enriched life as an educated person, and to lay a solid foundation for further study in the field of Sociology. 

If you have an Associate of Arts Degree in Sociology and you are interested in continuing your degree studies at KPU, you can apply for the Bachelor of Arts, Major in Sociology degree or a Minor in Sociology when combined with another BA program. Admission to this program requires specific courses and GPA. For more information, please see the BA Major or Minor in Sociology program description.

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.

The Bachelor of Science in Applied Psychology is ideal for students interested in pursuing a health sciences career. This is also the Psychology degree program most suited for students who have an interest in neuroscience, particularly at the graduate level. The BSc is the most interdisciplinary of our psychology degrees, exposing students to biology, chemistry, math, and physics in addition to a broad array of psychology courses. This degree is also very “hands-on” with students being exposed to lab and research experiences as well as developing technical writing skills and workplace expertise.

The degree was developed in close connection with employers in the field and community partners, and has an applied focus that prepares students for employment upon graduation, for research-focused graduate studies, or for entry into professional programs of study. Many courses within this program have a lab component. The program takes a systems/ecological approach, recognizing the interrelationships between humans and their environments.

As part of their upper-level coursework, students will take courses across three main topical areas within Psychology:

• Research skills;
• Biological psychology; and
• Health psychology.

The degree will be embedded throughout with psychological application, including hands-on lab experience and courses focusing on human interaction with and use of modern technology, professional business practices, and technical writing. 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.

Students interested in applying to graduate school or who prefer a more extensive research experience are encouraged to apply to the Honours program. 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. B.Sc. in Applied Psychology students can complete the Honours program within the 40 courses required for the degree.

The Bachelor of Arts, Major in General Studies degree program provides students with the opportunity to develop a degree program in thematic areas across disciplines. Working with an Arts Degree Advisor, the student creates a personal program of study in concert with specific career and personal goals, or simply develops a broad interdisciplinary liberal arts education. Such a program of study will normally involve a selection of courses from a number of departments that form around a coherent theme.

The program includes:-

• The development of knowledge, core competencies, and skills characteristic of traditional Bachelor of Arts programs
• The preparation of students for entry into the labour market by incorporating essential and employability skills in all courses
• The preparation of students to respond innovatively to emerging trends in society
• Clear benefits to students and to the community by providing an opportunity for them to complete a Bachelor of Arts degree at KPU where there is established emphasis on teaching, emerging emphasis on undergraduate research, long-standing connections to South Fraser communities, and accessibility to students in the expanding South Fraser region.

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.

The Associate Degree is designed to provide an education experience that prepares students for work, citizenship, and an enriched life as an educated person, and to lay a solid foundation for further study in the field of Political Science:-

WHAT IS POLITICAL SCIENCE?
Political Science studies power in all its forms. Since power is in a sense everywhere – from the workplace to the family, from communications media to the classroom, and beyond – practically everything can be grist for political analysis. Most often, however, political scientists focus upon power as exercised by governments and states, and in the international arena, between governments and states - as well as non-governmental organizations, businesses, social movements, and armed groups - that seek to influence all of these. Thus, Political Science explores the forces that shape our lives through public rule.
Political Science instils a range of highly transferable skills that are marketable in many fields and several career paths which place a premium upon training in Political Science.

The Operations and Supply Chain Management Specialist (OSCM) program is designed for students who have completed a Bachelor’s degree with industry experience, or have a technical or science diploma with significant relevant industry experience.

The OSCM program will allow students to develop critical thinking and analytical skills, communication skills, effective project management abilities, teamwork and interpersonal skills. Students will attain a solid understanding of how to interpret and synthesize core business, financial and performance data to make informed decisions.

Focused OSCM content prepare students to apply best in practice processes and tools to a wide range of operations and supply chain areas, identify and assess performance improvement opportunities in a variety of industries, and competently support informed decision making. Note: This is a two-year program, though students can choose to complete the program in an accelerated form.

Co-operative Education
The Post-Baccalaureate Diploma in Operations and Supply Chain Management is offered with a Co-operative Education option for full-time students entering the program in the Fall term. This option requires an additional 10 credits of Co-operative Education courses. Students wishing to enter and participate in the Co-op option must meet the following requirements: