Bachelor of Fine Arts

at Thompson Rivers University - Kamloops Campus Canada

Bachelor of Arts, Major in Communication
This four-year degree allows you to choose between two streams:

• Communication and New Media Studies
• Communication and Public Relations

Although there is some overlap in core courses, the two streams have different lower and upper level requirements.

Communication and New Media Studies
This stream covers the aesthetic, narrative and theoretical aspects of technology, as well as computer-mediated communication. If you have an interest in the ways technology, design and business interact, this program is for you.

Taking this stream will help you understand how "new" media fit in with forms and practices that are a part of "old" media. You will be able to anticipate developments in new media, and the genres and other patterns that they manifest — such as story and play in computer games; community, conversation and interpersonal communication with smartphones and social software; the way charisma, character and identity are communicated across a range of media.

Opportunities within the community
Three 3700 CMNS students tried their hand at deep mapping the Kamloops Art Gallery (KAG). Each played a different role on the team — social media/blogging, mapping and videography. Their objective was to deploy deep mapping as a strategy for TRU students and the Kamloops Art Gallery to co-placemake, to move away from just the consumption of the cultural products in the KAG to the creation of a community of producers and consumers where the distinction between the two is a little more blurred. One of KAG’s mandates is to create community, and one of TRU’s mandates is to connect with the community, so this worked well on so many levels. Please visit their website below. They were guided in their studies by their professor, Dr. Kathleen Scherf, employees and members of the KAG and by TRU webmaster Robline Forsythe.

Communication and Public Relations
This stream covers the practical and commercial application of communication. If you have business, tourism, entrepreneurial and public service ambitions, this program will show you how communication can enhance your business practices. Close ties with the Tourism and Business faculties offer the benefit of preparing you for a wide variety of business and event planning situations. No other such program exists in the Kamloops region.

This program offers graduates a background in communication history and theory, a wide reservoir of meaning-making skills (image-based, language-based, etc.), marketing knowledge and event planning. The communication courses offer training in strategies of communication design and the application of theory through pragmatic application. Public relations graduates should be well-rounded professional communicators who are prepared to enter the public or private sectors.

Students acquire a foundation in tourism related subjects including marketing, cultural issues, applied research methods, product operations and risk management. Students are then be free to explore a range of related topics such as rock climbing, surfing and skiing as well as programming, consulting and ecotourism.

Get the first-year knowledge you need for all engineering disciplines while developing hands-on practical skills for Foundation and Level 2 electrical instrumentation apprenticeship. Graduates can pursue second-year engineering at the University of Victoria, a Bachelor of Science, a Bachelor of Technology Leadership, or a Bachelor of Technology.

Expand your career options as a respiratory therapist. Graduate with both a three-year Respiratory Therapy diploma and a BHS degree within a four-year period in the dual diploma/degree stream. Year one is the same for both the RT diploma and dual credential.

Become a certified power engineer in two years and perform an essential role in society.

Power engineers are responsible for keeping critical systems running, from lights and heating to compressors and refrigeration. If you like problem solving and understanding how things work, this could be career for you.

You will learn the details of power engineering, maintenance and operation in order to work in industrial and commercial workplaces, including oil and gas, mining, pulp and paper, food processing, agriculture, hospitals, cities, power plants, manufacturing and more.

What you learn in the classroom we reinforce in the shop through practical exercises and scenarios. You not only will learn to operate and maintain pumps, compressors, generators and pressure vessels, you will learn to prepare, test and inspect equipment that is found in large facilities, buildings, industrial power plants, processing plants and thermal electric generating stations.

Our program follows the Standardized Power Engineers Examination Committee (SOPECC) material you will need to know in order to write the Technical Standards and Technical Safety BC exams - the same ones you will need to pass to receive your 4th and 3rd class power engineering certification.

Your first year covers everything you need to know to take the 4th class power engineer exams. It is the same material covered in our one-year certificate program, and if you already have 4th class certification from a provincial safety authority you will receive a credit for the first year and enter the second year of the program.

The Master of Science in Data Science (MScDS) is normally a 2-year program. The goal of the program is to provide students with solid knowledge, techniques, and experience in the research and application of data science, and to prepare students to become researchers and leaders in the emerging area of data science at the regional, national, and global levels.

The program is unique in that it can be an application-orientated or a research-orientated master’s program depending on whether students choose the Graduate Project option or the Graduate Thesis option. Regardless of their choice, graduates will develop the strong data analytics, critical-thinking, communication, and interpersonal skills required for success as a data scientist in big data or to pursue further advances in research.

The Architectural & Engineering Technology Program (ARET) at Thompson Rivers University (TRU) emphasizes the design processes in building, civil and mechanical technologies, involving design projects for building structures, subdivisions, municipal services, and electrical, plumbing, lighting and HVAC (heating, ventilating and air-conditioning) systems.

Courses in architectural design, statics and strength of materials, structural analysis, fluid mechanics, mechanical design, electrical design, steel design, wood design and reinforced concrete design will round out student's problem solving skills in engineering and building design. ARET students will also acquire knowledge in construction management, construction contracts, specifications, estimating, building regulations, technical writing and construction surveying.

Developing the entrepreneurial abilities and spirit of Canadians is critical in generating a dynamic economy that can compete globally and provide a growing standard of living. The risks of owning a small business are significant and the hours are generally quite long, but there is no better feeling than that which comes from launching a successful new business venture and being respected by one’s fellow citizens for making a contribution to the local community. Opportunities for new venture creation in Canada are very good due to a vibrant economy, a stable political environment, and close proximity to the US market. For creative people with a strong work ethic and a lower aversion to risk, a career as an entrepreneur may be the right choice.

Entrepreneurship Majors will learn to research new business ideas, prepare formal business plans, secure initial financing, and manage small businesses on an on-going basis. After graduation, it is hoped that many students will start-up their own ventures after acquiring some valuable industry experience and saving needed equity capital. A few will also return home to work in the family firm with the hope of eventually taking over.

Students in the Visual Arts at Thompson Rivers University can have the best of two worlds: courses can be counted toward a Certificate, a Diploma and toward a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Bachelor of Arts with a Minor in Visual Arts, or other university degrees at the same time. The Certificate gives students an introduction to current art practices, in 2D and 3D media, with emphasis on 2D design, drawing, painting, colour theory, printmaking, photography, 3D design, sculpture and ceramics. The Certificate is useful on a resume for job applications or entrance to academic programs that require some practical knowledge in visual arts.

The TRU Visual Arts Diploma program consists of 30 credits of first and second year Visual Arts studio classes, usually taken over 2 years, all of which may be taken singly, if desired.

The Economics Major introduces students to the core body of knowledge in the discipline. In addition, students improve their abilities to conduct pricing, cost-benefit and program analysis, forecasting and industry analysis. They learn how economies interact which aids in all facets of business decision making. Finally, they learn to analyze the economics of the regulatory process and the reaction of businesses to the regulatory environment. Emphasis is placed on the application of basic economic tools to policy areas.

Learning objectives

• Upon completion of this program, students will be able to:
  • Discuss the theories and principles of microeconomics including trade and comparative advantage, the functioning of markets, consumer theory, uncertainty and risk, production and costs, market structure under varying competitive conditions, price theory, public good provisions, externalities and other market failures, environmental protection, taxation and welfare economics.
  • Discuss the theories and principles of macroeconomics including economic fluctuations, growth and development; unemployment; inflation, interest rates, deficits and debt, balance of payments and exchange rates, fiscal, monetary and various other polices using economic growth models, aggregate demand and supply as well as other applicable models.
  • Collect, analyze and interpret relevant economic information from multiple sources.
  • Demonstrate how quantitative/statistical methods and software packages can be used to examine economic data.
  • Describe the role of government and institutions in the economy including taxation, spending, regulation and production.
  • Integrate ethical concerns including efficiency, fairness, equity and individual freedom in policy development.
  • Analyze the behaviour of individuals, businesses and industries in market-based systems; social issues; and the challenges of developing economies using different microeconomic and macroeconomic theories and principles.
  • Assess and revise public policies addressing both market and non-market issues.
  • Apply economic theories and principles in a professional setting.