Bachelor of Arts in Child and Youth Study

at Mount Saint Vincent University Canada

Gerontology is the study of issues related to aging and the challenges that older persons encounter.  As health care improves and birth rates decline, the proportion of older adults in Canada and around the world is increasing rapidly.  The faculty in the Family Studies and Gerontology department will help you to learn to recognize aging issues, and understand the dynamics in the health and human service system that must respond to our aging population. 

Our Masters programs in Studies in Lifelong Learning prepare students with knowledge and skills to take leadership roles as lifelong educators. Our graduate students benefit from our small classes, knowledgeable instructors, hands-on experiences, and an exciting curriculum. Whether they are interested in supporting learning in formal education institutions, families, communities, or workplaces, students find our program rich, engaging, and pertinent. Our students come from many different educational and workplace backgrounds. The common denominator is that they are interested in how learning occurs across the lifespan. Often they are currently involved or would like to become involved in teaching other adults.

Acquiring new skills
A graduate degree in lifelong learning will provide you with a wealth of academic knowledge and research that will be effective in the workplace, and best-practice methods for sharing information with others, and more – including:

• Understand the process of learning across the lifespan
• Design educational programs (workshops, seminars, curriculum)
• Strategies for teaching effectively
• Improved communication skills
• Increase your capacity for creativity

Connect Through Practicum
Students in the program gain practical experience through a practicum. The practicum is a full unit course that provides students with an opportunity to take some of the concepts, theories and ideas that they have learned about in the program and put them into practice. Over the course of two semesters, students will work with their practicum instructor and a mentor at their practicum site to develop and carry out a “hands-on” project that fits with their particular interests.

The practicum requires approximately a hundred and fifty hours of work, is voluntary (so no payment can be received for this work), and is usually done with a community organization although sometimes it is done in the student’s place of work, provided the practicum tasks are clearly above and beyond work that they would be paid for.

At the Mount, we know Tourism is about more than hotels, restaurants and resorts. It's excursion and adventure tour companies, bed and breakfasts, experiences and memories that last a lifetime. Tourism is the world's largest service industry and careers in tourism and hospitality are available locally and around the world. Here in Nova Scotia, the tourism and hospitality industry is an exciting, vibrant and rapidly growing sector. Students in our program benefit from small class sizes and faculty who have a wide range of research interests and industry experience. Tourism is the world's largest service industry and the second largest industry overall. Here in Nova Scotia, the tourism and hospitality industry is an exciting, vibrant and rapidly growing sector.

If you want to change things in the present, it helps to know how people changed things in the past. History examines all aspects of recorded human experience (social relations, cultural expressions, political events, economic activities) and seeks to understand how the thoughts, actions, emotions and habits of people have changed over time.

History courses are designed to meet the needs and interests of various students: those who choose to take one or two courses as electives or as part of their program in another course of study; those who decide to minor in the field of history; and those who register to do a concentration, major, or honours degree in history. Courses are offered primarily in the areas of European, North American, and World history with an emphasis on the theme of women’s history. Certain courses adopt a comparative perspective. Many may be taken to fulfill requirements in women’s studies, Canadian studies, cultural studies, peace and conflict studies, and child and youth studies.

The Master of Arts program in School Psychology is a speciality program which prepares students to enter the profession of school psychology. The program is designed to address the academic, research and professional practice requirements for registration/licensing as a psychologist in provinces/territories where master’s level preparation is permitted. As well, the program is designed to enable participants to move to doctoral level programs.

The two-year full-time program balances research, theory and practice. It follows a holistic approach to children, youth, and young adults as key collaborators, along with their parents/guardians and other professionals, in addressing their individual strengths and needs within the context of home, school and community.

The Master of Science Applied Human Nutrition program provides students with the opportunity for advanced level study in nutrition, with an emphasis on issues related to community nutrition, food and human nutrition. The programs explore the theoretical foundations of nutrition through critical reflection on current research and practice within the discipline and drawing from other related disciplines. The Master of Science Applied Human Nutrition is comprised of three and a half units of course work and one and half units of thesis research. 

The MEd is an applied (non-thesis) program designed to help teachers and educators to become leaders in their fields.

Whether your goal is to become a more effective classroom teacher, a school administrator, or an educator outside the traditional classroom setting, the MEd can help you to develop the skills to build a satisfying career in education.  
 

The Family Studies and Gerontology program offers studies in two areas: (1) Gerontology, which focuses study on issues related to aging, and (2) Family Studies, which encompasses a study of individuals and families across the life course. Students are prepared for a variety of careers in the social welfare, aging policy and family support sectors that focus on prevention, support and community development. For example, graduates of this program are employed in family resource centres, transition houses, senior centres, long-term care facilities, and government departments that develop programs and policies related to issues associated with aging individuals and families across the life course.

The combined major degree is intended for those students who wish to gain in-depth knowledge of two disciplines. Students must declare a major or combined major before registering for their sixth unit of coursework. Students who do not make this declaration within this time frame will not be permitted to register for further coursework.

Our Sociology and Anthropology program strives to challenge the way students understand and engage with some of the most complexes and pressing social issues of our time. The program's offerings are diverse and well-balanced, with a cross-cultural, comparative focus and strengths in the areas of gender, globalization, and the life course.  Read more about the program »

Skill Development
Mount's undergraduate degree in Sociology and Anthropology is designed to provide you with transferable skills that will serve you well in your future career path or studies.  

• Analytical and critical thinking
• Improved writing and presentation skills
• Understanding the role of research, gaining skills in interviewing and data collection

At the Mount, we are aware that the business world is both thought-provoking and diverse. Our program will equip you with the essential leadership skills. These skills will prepare you for your career in business, whether you choose to become an entrepreneur or work in a large corporation, a small business, or a not-for profit organization.

Management
You will gain the knowledge and experience necessary to manage businesses, non-profit and public sector organizations. To earn a BBA with a management major, you must complete a total of six full units of management courses in your degree program. If you plan on earning professional designations in management, you may want to complete a major in management, rather than a minor. The more management courses you complete, the greater the chances of getting course exemptions in post-grad professional studies.