Master of Education

at Thompson Rivers University - Kamloops Campus Canada

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.

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.

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.

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.

Acting, directing, theatre history and technical theatre courses offer students a full range of theatre options. In addition, students can acquire credit through their participation and performance in several major productions staged by the department each year.

Develop the skills to work with people who have exceptional needs, helping them acquire educational, social, vocational, recreational and personal life skills. This employment-ready eight-month certificate will prepare you for a career working in schools and community agencies.

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 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.

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.

Students will gain a foundation of basic knowledge and skills for working in the general field of tourism, as well as developing more specialized knowledge and skills relevant to event and festival planning and management. In the first year of the program, they will gain an overview of the industry; demonstrate understanding of issues fundamental in tourism planning, marketing, and service provision; and gain an awareness of central issues related to tourism’s engagement with culture and the natural environment, as well as exploring the experiential dimensions of this phenomenon. In the second, specialized year, they will master research skills; gain competencies relevant for creating, designing, operating, and evaluating events and festivals; and develop an understanding of the place of festivals and events within the larger tourism field and within contemporary culture.

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