Diploma in Adventure Guide

at Thompson Rivers University - Kamloops Campus Canada

The accounting major is a rigorous program that prepares students to become an integral part of an organization's financial management team or to enter public practice as an auditor, tax specialist, or consultant. Governments, non-profits, major corporations, small businesses, and high-worth individuals all need accountants to manage their financial affairs.

The two main focusses of accounting are public and management accounting. Public accountants provide audit, tax, and consulting services to the organizations that engage their services. Management accountants work for an organization providing professional service to that same organization like a corporation or government entity.

Upon graduation, most students choose to pursue the Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) designation. With the Accounting Major, students will receive all Exemptions from the CPA Prerequisite Education Program (PREP) and move directly to the CPA Professional Educational Program (PEP) if they meet the Grade Requirement. Here they engage in advanced study and learn how to integrate material relating to the six CPA core competency areas of financial reporting, strategy and governance, management accounting, audit and assurance, finance, and taxation. PEP consists of five modules and an exam preparation course and culminates in students writing the rigorous Common Final Exam. After completing the 30-month work experience requirement, students are awarded the CPA designation.

Once they are established in the profession, many accountants go on to earn a second, more specialized designation. Some also complete graduate degrees and pursue careers in education or research at the college or university level. No matter what they choose, accountants are professionals who make a life-long commitment to remaining current in the discipline. The CPA society enforces this through its professional development requirements.

For those students wanting only an exposure to accounting, an accounting minor is also available.

Psychology is the scientific study of thoughts, feelings, actions, perceptions, physiological and neurological responses, and other behaviours in animals and humans. As both a scientific discipline and a profession, psychology relates to virtually every aspect of people's lives. Through research, psychology plays an integral role in understanding and predicting human behaviour. Through clinical practice, psychology strives to help people live more productive and fulfilling lives.

The Department of Psychology offers a variety of courses and the option of obtaining a (Major, Minor or Honours) in psychology as part of the Bachelor of Arts degree.

Why take psychology at TRU
Experience small class sizes and engaging opportunities! To better understand the fascinating field of psychology, first year students participate in research studies conducted by upper-year students and faculty. Upper year students have the opportunitiy to conduct research in the Honours program, by taking Directed studies courses or getting involved in faculty reserach, as research assistants and volunteers. Our students enjoy intimate classroom settings with dedicated, knowledgable, caring professors who have an exciting range of research interest. 

The Faculty of Science is committed to providing its students with a quality education emphasizing personal attention, choice and flexibility. In the Bachelor of Science program, students can expect opportunities for practical, hands-on experience across a spectrum of science disciplines in the classroom, in the lab, and in the field. In addition, there are opportunities for students to work with nationally and internationally recognized professor-researchers in their research laboratories.

The BSc is a rigorous program that provides students with both depth and breadth in their science education. Communication skills and computer literacy are promoted. Flexibility in the program allows students to pursue interests in disciplines outside their area of specialization.

TRU offers three routes to a BSc degree: a major in a specific discipline or disciplines, an honours program in a specific discipline (currently available only in biology, chemical biology, mathematics and computing science), or a general science degree.

Many of our graduates are highly successful and have gone on to science careers in medicine, veterinary medicine, medical genetics, elementary and high school teaching, resource management, high tech industry, biotechnology, optometry, pharmacy, dentistry, wildlife management, respiratory therapy and more. A significant number of TRU Science graduates have been very successful in graduate schools and have received NSERC scholarships to continue their studies.

Majors include:-

• Biology (all majors)
• General Science
• Chemistry
• Chemical Biology
• Environmental Chemistry
• Computing Science
• Mathematics
• Mathematical Sciences
• Physics

Note: declaring majors 1-5 will also require Biology 11 or 12 with a C+ or better.

The Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree in Visual Arts is shaped around a core curriculum of Studio and Art History/Theory courses. There is also the option to pursue a program stream in Gallery Studies. The BFA degree encourages an interdisciplinary approach to learning which takes advantage of the many facets of the university community. A student completing the degree may pursue a variety of employment opportunities or further educational studies.

Gallery studies:-
Students interested in Gallery Studies are able to take courses in and, if they choose, specialize in this area. Courses such as Gallery Management and Public Art provide the student with an understanding of gallery infrastructures and programming at the local, regional, national, and international levels, as well as the economic structure and impact of Arts communities. Other courses in curating and exhibition installation deal more specifically with the planning and implementing of exhibitions. The TRU Visual Arts Gallery and the Kamloops Art Gallery are potential teaching spaces. Directed Studies in Gallery Studies at the fourth year level allow students to pursue this area in greater depth.

Studio and art history offerings:-
The Visual Arts Program is equipped with extensive studios for courses in Ceramics, Drawing, Foundation, Painting, Photography, Printmaking (etching and silkscreen), and Sculpture, as well as Directed Studies. While instruction is offered in each studio area, we encourage students to work across these disciplines as well, particularly in the fourth year Graduating Studies offerings. Courses in these areas, as well as courses in historical, modern and contemporary Art History and Theory make up the core of the BFA.

TRU’s Visual Arts facilities also include an Art Gallery for student, faculty and other exhibitions. Students are encouraged to take part in Gallery activities through the submission of work for scheduled exhibitions, and are invited to consider proposing exhibitions for the Gallery as well. The Gallery is also used as a venue for presenting the work of artists from across Canada who come to TRU as part of our Visiting Artist program.

Of interest to students who have a non-business degree, and who want to return to university for one or two years to acquire a specialty in a functional area of business or economics in order to enhance their employment opportunities. Students with a first degree in business, but who want to change their area of focus, may complete a post-baccalaureate diploma as well.

Program Highlights
Economics and politics is "the study of choices" and so is concerned with all areas of our lives. It provides rigorous analysis of many real world subjects: government institutions, taxes, unemployment, financial markets, international trade, development, and economic growth but also poverty, crime, pollution, healthcare, education, the environment and many other areas.

Students will acquire a strong foundation in tourism studies including tourism experience marketing, environmental issues, community and cultural issues, applied research methods, and product development and innovation. Building upon this base, students will then explore tourism experience management topics such as understanding and influencing tourist behaviour, business strategy, small business management, information technology, and managing service operations in a global setting. Students will also gain valuable field experience with a two-semester consulting assignment in a tourism-related organization.

Study in British Columbia with Canada's premier Nursing program. Prepare yourself for the challenges and rewards of the nursing profession. The BScN program gives you the technical knowledge, human understanding and practical skills to administer responsible and client-centered care as a registered nurse (RN) in a variety of health care practice agencies (institutional, community and international) and with people who have a variety of health concerns.

Criminology prepares students for careers in policing, justice, victimology and law enforcement. Criminology is both a subject of academic study and a field of practice. Graduates of a Criminology degree will have extensive knowledge of the key social and psychological factors that lead to, and can prevent criminological and deviant behaviour. Criminology students develop many skills including:

Substantive skills

• Criminologists develop the ability to understand criminal and deviant behaviour at work in society so that they can better evaluate proposed changes or resistances to change.

Analytical skills

• Criminology provides the ability to identify the contributing parts of a problem and to evaluate proposals for change.
• Critical thinking skills
• Criminology students learn to synthesize existing theoretical knowledge, and research information, and the processes of evaluating arguments and solutions.
• Research and data analysis skills
• Criminology students learn how data are collected and analyzed, how data are used to test hypotheses, and how to evaluate the work presented in research studies and the popular media.

Communication skills

• Criminology courses provide practice in effective communication in written and oral forms. Students are encouraged to develop their ability to explain and interpret as well as to clarify and summarize.

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.

The Marketing Major is a challenging program that prepares students to assume many of the most important positions in business. Marketers, as they like to call themselves, are a company's creative force. Focusing on the marketing mix or four Ps of product, price, promotion, and place, they devise potentially profitable new product or service ideas that meet the needs of specific target markets, and then develop and execute the detailed plans needed for their implementation. Other employees in accounting, finance, or human resource management simply assist marketing professionals in this primary task and depend on them to generate the revenues needed for survival.

After graduation, students secure employment with many types of organizations such as advertising firms, consumer product companies, retail chains, wholesalers, media outlets like TV or radio stations, auto dealerships, tourist resorts, government ministries, and non-profits like hospitals. An increasing number have also been successful in starting their own small businesses, while a few have gone on to earn graduate degrees in hopes of pursuing careers in teaching or research at the college or university level.