Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology

at St. Francis Xavier University Canada

Learning is a creative and multidisciplinary venture in the StFX Engineering Department. Here, the history of civilization and the history of engineering are one in the same and faculty have structured the program around that very idea.

WHY STUDY ENGINEERING AT STFX?
Small classrooms and a close-knit atmosphere ensure you graduate with the best possible education – one that allows you to compete for jobs and graduate study opportunities all over the world. With dedicated and talented faculty and some of the most contemporary facilities in the country, it’s no surprise that many StFX engineering students go on to successful, rewarding careers.

The first degree program of its kind at StFX, the Bachelor of Arts and Science in Health is true to its name: a program for students interested in the ever-broadening field of health, including scientific, social and humanistic dimensions. Students in the BASc in Health will take courses in a wide range of disciplines and have the opportunity to focus on either the Biomedical or Social Determinants and Health Equity field as they customize their degree. Additionally, all students will complete courses in Health Humanities – a unique feature of the degree at StFX – a growing and recognized facet of the health landscape that is integral to health problem-solving in the 21st Century.

Students in the StFX Philosophy Department are taught by Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, René Descartes, David Hume, Immanuel Kant and all great philosophical minds. The goal, however, is not merely to learn what the philosophers have said but to learn the truth and a wisdom by which we ought to live our lives. Great minds do not think alike, but they are the best guides for our own independent thinking.

WHY STUDY PHILOSOPHY AT STFX?
Professors in this department view teaching and research as their primary academic mission. The department has special strengths in the history of philosophy, especially ancient and mediaeval philosophy. As well, the department has strong offerings in ethics, theory of rights, and political philosophy; it offers advanced instruction in areas such as biomedical ethics.

Do you care deeply about the inequities that exist in our world? Are you passionate about making a difference? Are you looking for a unique and engaging approach to the first year of your Bachelor of Arts program? If so, the Social Justice Colloquium is for you.

The MACS program is a course-based Masters (full-time) completed over a period of a 16 months or 2 years of full-time study. It is open to students with an undergraduate major in Computer Science, or the equivalent combination of courses. Students have flexibility to select from numerous elective courses to design a Master’s program that meets their professional interests and aspirations. Students will also have the option to complete an elective, project-based course in a workplace environment or a co-operative education option. The Department also offers a thesis- based, research-intensive Master’s in Computer Science. 

Why Computer Science at STFX?
StFX’s Computer Science program is recognized as the top ranked program in Atlantic Canada (Maclean’s Magazine October 2019). It has earned its ranking in part due to the department’s field-weighted citation impact index rank, a measure of research output, for which the group is ranked first in the country. In the Master of Applied Computer Science program, students take advanced courses that will equip them well for working in industry. As well as the course-based program, the department offers a thesis-based Master of Science in Computer Science and undergraduate programs, which contribute to a lively community of computer scientists working and studying together.

Experiential Learning
One of the cornerstones of this program is the opportunity provided to students to engage in experiential learning, which will help build confidence and gain experience in the field prior to entering the workforce. The program is structured so that real-world problems are embedded throughout the program (in the Computer Science Graduate Seminar course and throughout the elective courses). Additionally, students have the opportunity to complete CSCI 591–Project, providing real-life software development experience by applying classroom learning in a real work context. In CSCI 591, students work with an industry or academic partner and develop a computing a solution to a real-world problem. Students are responsible to manage the project from development to execution to presentation to the client and final review.

Co-op Option
Students in the MACS program can apply to complete Co-operative Education (Co-op). Co-op offers paid work experience for students interested in developing a career in various areas within computer science fields and also integrate work experience in their field of interest within their academic studies while earning 6 credits towards their MACS. Students complete professional development seminars and workshops offered through the Co-op department prior to work term placement. This will prepare students to be professional, committed for the challenges of work term placements, and ensure that good relations with employers are fostered, right from the start. Students can apply to Co-op during their first semester of the MACS program. Space is limited.

In Religious Studies, students analyze fundamental questions relating to the meaning of human existence. The program provides a strong basis for compassionate global citizenship and global cultural literacy. It interests students associated with a particular religious tradition, and those with no formal religious traditions.

WHY STUDY RELIGIOUS STUDIES AT STFX?
The StFX Religious Studies Department is growing and, in addition to traditional courses, offers you innovative studies covering topics that range from the paranormal to cults and new religious movements.

You learn from dedicated faculty who also work in the areas of ethics and religion and health, who have extensive knowledge in the study of mindfulness, and who bring a strong ability to work in primary languages and a series of modern languages.

Students have presented research papers at the Congress of the Social Sciences and Humanities, and have opportunity to enroll in a one-of-a-kind course offered in cooperation with Gampo Abbey that includes one week residential study at this Buddhist monastery on Cape Breton Island.

Catholic Studies at StFX is a program that uses courses in art, history, literary studies, religious studies, philosophy and the social sciences to provide you with a wider perspective on the influences of Catholicism in world culture and history as well as on moral and spiritual life. The program emphasizes the significant contribution of Catholicism to the arts, sciences, society, human fulfillment and the overall human condition. Catholic Studies courses are for anybody who wants to have an informed, adult-level understanding of the Catholic Church's beliefs, traditions, and contributions to contemporary culture.

WHY STUDY CATHOLIC STUDIES AT STFX?
The program offers an intimate learning environment in which you explore some of the most challenging and valuable themes of human existence drawing on the insights of the Catholic Christian religion, such as human nature, the necessity of grace, and the compatibility of faith, reason and freedom. Your professors are accomplished scholars. Combine that with small class sizes and you are guaranteed to be included in intellectually inspried discussions.

As a StFX Political Science student, you will study how power is used in politics and public life. This involves analysis of government structures, historical political trends and the role of ideas and ideologies in politics. It extends from global systems to nation states to local communities and it varies dramatically in form and practice. Politics is central to addressing the shared concerns of citizens and political science highlights the underlying forces that drive and constrain power and government.

WHY STUDY POLITICAL SCIENCE AT STFX?
The department is a dynamic scholarly environment where professors believe that research and teaching flourish together. It is a place where you feel comfortable debating current issues in the classroom and beyond it, broadening your understanding of the political world. Here you can have close contact with your professors and fellow students in a positive, accessible setting for learning.
 

Psychology is the scientific study of thoughts, feelings, and behaviour. At StFX, students are taught by active research psychologists studying both human and animal behaviour. Studying psychology at StFX will give you an understanding of the ways that psychological scientists apply their knowledge to solve problems in the real world.

WHY STUDY PSYCHOLOGY AT STFX?
The StFX Psychology Department is led by a team of professors and lab instructors with varying perspectives on behaviour, development, health, social relationships, mental processing, and culture. As a psychology student at StFX, you will have opportunities to gain first-hand experience with psychological research in our lab courses and by working with your professors, lab instructors, and senior honours students. Many of our courses also have service learning options enabling you to apply your knowledge in community settings. In our program, you will receive a foundation in basic psychological science and the opportunity to choose from a wide selection of courses that give you a depth of knowledge in various fields, including forensic, gender, developmental, social and personality, abnormal, cultural, biopsychology, and health, with several courses available in each field. 

The Entrepreneurship stream provides a unique opportunity to gain the entrepreneurial competencies needed to start, develop and/or manage a small business venture, to engage in social entrepreneurship, and to pursue a career that requires entrepreneurship or one that provides assistance to the small business sector. Considering that the majority of net new jobs are being created by firms with less than 100 employees (where entrepreneurship is usually a key success factor) and that individuals with entrepreneurial skills and competencies are among the most sought after by growth industries, there is no shortage of career opportunities. Even communities and not-for-profits that are taking responsibility for their own destiny still often need help in identifying and pursuing entrepreneurial initiatives, and that is where our graduates can help.

Entrepreneurship is an interdisciplinary business program to which almost all other streams in the Schwartz School of Business contribute. As a result, courses cover a range of topics related to entrepreneurship, including:

    • entrepreneurship and new venture creation
    • social entrepreneurship
    • entrepreneurial finance
    • marketing research
    • marketing management
    • small business management

Courses in topics ranging from management accounting to business ethics to project management may also contribute to earning a business degree in Entrepreneurship.

Entrepreneurship students are persistent and determined, committed to seeing things through, and are never satisfied with the status quo. The Entrepreneurship stream will interest you if you thrive on taking responsibility, acting independently on your own initiative, finding creative solutions to problems and learning new things. You like to learn by becoming actively involved in the learning process, taking initiative, having opportunities to integrate and apply your knowledge, skills and abilities in a real-life context, and using creativity to solve problems and capitalize on opportunities. These opportunities are realized through an experiential and engaging learning environment that includes new venture start-ups, community-based projects, field trips and more.

Entrepreneurship students have several avenues to extend what they have learned into research, internships and society work. There are funding opportunities specifically aimed to assist student entrepreneurs, and faculty frequently supervise students in research and community engagement activities.