Bachelor of Science in Biology

at Mount Saint Vincent University Canada

Are you interested in a critical study of educational issues? Do you want to become a more effective educator by thinking deeply about how the foundational disciplines of history, philosophy and sociology affect educational theory and practice? If so, the Master’s programs in Educational Foundations may be right for you

The Foundations of Education
The foundations of education are three distinct scholarly traditions of practice – philosophy of education, history of education, and sociology of education – that inform education and conceptualize frameworks for education research.

Here are three suggested areas of study in Foundations, each built around core course offerings:

• Philosophy, History & Sociology of Education: study all the foundations or specialize in one; learn how to use a method of inquiry for individual or collective practice.
• Value, Bias & Social Justice: examine key themes, their socio-historical influence and value for decision-making in policy and practice.
• Arts, Media & Culture: study the arts as historical, sociological, and philosophical projects in teaching, learning and research.

Once you are admitted to the program, you will work with the Program Coordinator to design a program plan that will focus on one of these areas, or another area of study in the field of Educational Foundations.

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.

At Mount, we are aware that the business world is both thought-provoking and diverse. Our program will equip you with 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.

Marketing
Every company has a product or service to offer, but that alone is usually not enough to make them successful. Companies must be able to bring their products or services to market. That’s where marketing comes in. This is a broad field stretching from product management and market research to sales and advertising, and everything in between.

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.

Mathematics is one of the most original products of the human mind. It has many important applications in science, engineering, and statistics, but mathematics is also an important field of study for its own sake. Throughout history each culture has developed its own mathematics to solve its problems. Today there is an internationally accepted mathematics that is studied and used across the world. Its practitioners work in fields as diverse as astronomy, meteorology, agriculture and banking. With our increasing need for information and technology, mathematics will play an even more important role in most occupations and fields of study. It will also continue to be a critical topic in the history of ideas, documenting fundamental modes of human thought.

Some students may take mathematics courses which apply only to their individual areas of study. Others may wish to minor or major in the subject and pursue careers in teaching, statistics, computer science, actuarial science, or many other areas. Whether studied for its many applications or for the beauty of its logical structure and expressive power, mathematics will reward the effort of students with a deeper understanding of the world and how it works.

Philosophy, said Oxford philosopher Gilbert Ryle, is “thinking hard.” And what do philosophers think hard about? The most fundamental questions you can ask about what exists, how we should live, and what we can know.

Using imagination and careful reasoning, students who sign up for a philosophy course at the Mount get a chance to think hard about questions like these:

• Does God exist?
• Are there basic principles that tell us what to do about poverty or war?
• Is any action really right or wrong?
• Do we have free will?
• Is science the only path to truth?

Philosophy students learn to think for themselves about deeply rooted cultural assumptions, and so experience a kind of intellectual liberation that can be empowering for both women and men. As a side-effect, philosophy courses will give you critical thinking skills you can use to advantage in any other course as well as in your career.

The degree with a major is intended for those students with a clearly focused interest who wish to gain knowledge in depth of a single discipline.

Students intending to complete the major degree must declare their intention to do so 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. In order to complete the major in Economics it may be necessary to complete courses at another university.

The Mount's Cultural Studies program is the only degree program of its kind to be offered in Eastern Canada. In this program, you will study the nature and criticism of culture in its multiple forms and expressions, including literature, film, visual art, and popular culture. This interdisciplinary program fosters inquiry into the social and political conditions in which thought and expression take place. Forms of cultural expression such as films, literature, and paintings are thus analyzed both as texts and as practices in context.