Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Professional Communication

at Toronto Metropolitan University Canada

Scientific findings in the last fifty years have caused a massive shift in our understanding of biology. We have accumulated an atlas of thousands of genomes. Now, in the post-genomic era, we aim to understand how these genes, and the proteins encoded by these genes, are regulated and integrated in space and time at the molecular and cellular levels. These processes are fundamentally linked to health, infection and the development of disease states.

Therefore, a deep understanding of biomedical sciences, such as molecular and cell biology, genetics and genomics, and microbiology, is important for medical research, and the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.

Biomedical Sciences undergraduates will follow a curriculum that emphasizes the molecular and cellular mechanisms that drive health and development of disease-states in all living organisms. The curriculum will also provide opportunities to learn about biomedical technology and innovation and offer versatility between theoretical and applied education so that graduates are poised to enter the workforce directly or further their education in graduate school.

The Biomedical Sciences program aims to train students in the scientific concepts, models and theories in biomedical sciences, applying the knowledge to derive and test new hypotheses, and synthesize better models of knowledge. The Biomedical Sciences program is primarily hosted by the Department of Chemistry and Biology, with contributions from the Departments of Medical Physics and Psychology.

Students in science programs must enrol in SCI 180 in their first semester of studies.

Year 1 of the program primarily consists of science courses in Biology, Physics, Chemistry and Math. Year 1 is designed to give all Biomedical Sciences students a foundational understanding in science to build upon in upper years.

Year 2 is comprised of cell biology, microbiology, biochemistry and biomedical science courses, which will provide foundational knowledge in cornerstone areas of the biomedical sciences as well as being necessary for specialization and development of expertise in Years 3 and 4.

In Year 3, students will begin developing depth of knowledge by acquiring and applying advanced knowledge in biomedical sciences. This will be implemented through specific core courses that include advanced biochemistry, molecular biology and immunology.

In Year 4, students will take specialized courses in biomedical science and select electives so they can gain either a greater depth of knowledge in one area and/or develop multi-disciplinary knowledge in several areas

Co-operative
An optional co-operative program is available which provides the graduating students with 20 months of work experience that enhances their organizational and technical abilities as well as their oral and written communication skills.

Although the Office of Co-operative Education cannot guarantee a placement, they provide assistance in locating suitable positions and counselling of students in their search for suitable jobs. This co-operative program enables students to earn competitive wages to offset the costs of university education.

Students who have completed the first year of the program must apply through their department for admission to the co-operative program in the beginning of the second year. Enrolment in the co-op program is limited. Admission will be based on the student's grade point average.

The Bachelor of Arts (Early Childhood Studies) program offers a combination of academic studies and professional education including practicum experiences.  The courses link theory with field practice that is undertaken in child care programs, public schools (early primary classrooms), specialized programs, family resource centres, children's hospitals, and other related settings.

Commensurate with the technological challenge it faces within an ever-evolving field, the program uses a variety of innovative teaching approaches to move students through an immersive, hands-on course of study.

Emphasizing creativity, New Media expands the idea of computing. It encourages risk taking and experimentation within a supportive, collaborative environment designed to address the emerging challenges of the communication age. To this end, students engage new technologies not only as a means of art production but as instruments of social, cultural, and artistic change.

The curriculum is unique both in its substance and in its structure, which emphasizes depth as well as breadth and flexibility. The remarkable learning environment offered by the Faculty of Communication and Design, combined with Ryerson's proximity to Toronto's art community, as well as the media production, telecommunications, and cultural industries, provide unparalleled opportunities for developing not only the tools, but an understanding of the medium in a field that is continually in the process of self-invention.

The New Media BFA prepares fine art students to become creators of digital art, mobile media, interactive storytelling and virtual worlds.

Students will have the opportunity to develop proficiency in critical thinking, and enhance their ability to question, research, argue, understand, and communicate. Combining their studies in these two disciplines will allow them a unique set of skills to situate complex issues within a broader historical and structural context.

Students in a History and Sociology double major will:

• Explore a diversity of historical and contemporary issues using critical theoretical frameworks.
• Use historical and sociological methods to understand and analyse complex phenomena.
• Understand the impact of structural inequalities (e.g., gender, race, class, legal status) on individuals and communities.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the socio-historical and global context of contemporary social relations and knowledge production, including ways in which a) structural inequalities and social injustice are manifested in individual and group identities; and b) social injustice, inequalities and identities have been legitimated, normalized, and institutionalized over time and c) people individually and collectively resist discrimination and inequality.
• Critically read, interpret, assess, conduct and evaluate research methods and methodologies used within sociology and history, while demonstrating an informed knowledge and respect for epistemological and ethical issues.
• Demonstrate social engagement by bridging academic thought and research in relation to practical challenges, policies and strategic organization in local, national and global communities and forums. Express the intellectual breadth to allow sociology specialists to explore new perspectives on identities, social relationships and the organization of social institutions.

The combination of intensive practical training and academic university theory truly distinguishes Ryerson’s Performance programs. While learning to achieve their professional goals, students gain a well-rounded education in the humanities and liberal arts. They develop valuable skills in problem solving, adaptability, critical thinking, research, and communication. These skills are essential for success in the current arts and cultural industry and they enrich all facets of the student’s life.

The four-year Acting and Dance programs offer an intensive conservatory approach in performance complemented by academics which are a crucial part of the program curriculum. Actors and dancers spend a portion of each day in the studio, and each year brings fresh opportunities to perform in productions of original, innovative and established works. The program trains performers who are distinguished by their capacity to generate original artistic material and their ability to bring a rich mixture of skills into the multi-disciplinary environment. Graduates of the program will be ready for immediate entry into a wide range of performance-related careers and for future professional growth.

The Program of Study
The Performance program challenges students with creative study, critical analysis, and exciting traditional and innovative areas of application for their performance skill development.

In the tradition of all Ryerson programming, the program offers a very strong conservatory perspective to the theoretical exploration of dance or acting. There is a wide variety of practical/studio work, active learning projects, and performance-related assignments. Everyone has the opportunity to perform under the guidance of working professionals who are leaders in the artistic community.

The Core Years - Production
The first two general years of the Production program introduce the student to the multi-disciplinary and collaborative nature of production work. In core courses consisting of lectures and labs, students learn the basics of the skills required to mount a show and apply those skills in junior capacities on the School’s shows. Lecture courses include instruction in the management of the process, theatre history and the research skills required for critical thinking.

In the third and fourth years, through a large menu of lecture and lab electives, students concentrate on those areas where their interests are greatest. They take the gained knowledge with the skills learned in their first two years and apply both to their duties in more senior positions on the School’s various dance and theatre productions. Academic courses broaden the understanding of the holistic process required for producing. Students also take business and management electives to broaden their understanding of those issues.

The graphic communications industry is one of the most important and the largest employers in Canada, producing visual communications in the form packaging, marketing materials, eBooks, online graphics, direct mail, point of purchase displays, books and magazines. This program prepares students for a dynamic and exciting career in graphic communications through three main pillars: Creativity and design, technology and innovation, and business and entrepreneurship. Between third and fourth year, students gain real-world experience through paid internship.

The Bachelor of Commerce in Retail Management prepares the next generation of leaders for professional careers in a dynamic and evolving sector of the global economy. A B.Comm in Retail provides a solid foundation in buying, merchandising, strategic planning, retail technologies, operations management, customer experience design through in-store, online, and mobile channels, global issues, brand or category management, and much more. As well, the program will prepare those students interested in postgraduate studies in this, or related areas.

The Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science (FEAS) through the Department of Electrical, Computer, and Biomedical Engineering offers the BEng in Biomedical Engineering four-year degree program. The Bachelor of Engineering, Biomedical Engineering program is accredited by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB). Our Biomedical Engineering program aims to take advantage of the strategic location of Ryerson University in proximity to Toronto's Discovery District and seven world-class hospitals.

The Department of Electrical, Computer, and Biomedical Engineering in collaboration with the Departments of Aerospace Engineering, Biology, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Physics, Computer Science, Industrial and Mechanical Engineering, and Mathematics at Ryerson University will deliver the curriculum.

According to the working definition of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), biomedical engineering integrates physical, chemical, mathematical and computational sciences and engineering principles to study biology, medicine, behaviour, and health. It advances fundamental concepts, creates knowledge from the molecular to the organ system levels, and develops innovative biologics, materials, processes, implants, devices and informatics approaches for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disease; for patient rehabilitation; and for improving health.

The Biomedical Engineering program has been developed to benefit from, enhance and expand the multidisciplinary collaboration among the various engineering and science programs at Ryerson; to attract more students of higher quality to the university and retain them, as well as enhance the reputation of engineering education at Ryerson. It will offer students excellent opportunities to build strong backgrounds in biomedical engineering and benefit from the collaborative interdisciplinary relationships between engineering and life sciences, being key strategic areas of strength at FEAS, Ryerson. The Faculty has expertise in almost all of the areas of biomedical engineering. At this point the expertise is primarily devoted to the research activities of the faculty members.

This program is run within the framework of engineering programs at Ryerson. In the first year, all engineering students are enrolled in common courses, followed by a more program-specific second term. During the second year, Biomedical Engineering students will study fundamental courses in electronic circuits, biomaterials, cell biology, physiology, engineering algorithms, digital systems, statics and mechanics of materials. In third year the students will focus in microprocessor systems, fluid mechanics, biomedical transducers, bioinformatics, biomechanics, biostatistics, signals and systems, control systems, and biomedical instrumentation. In the fourth year, the students will study a range of state-of-the-art topics in biomedical engineering, and will also be involved in a capstone design project.

Optional Co-operative Internship
Third-year full-time students may be eligible to enroll in the optional Co-operative Internship Program. Upon successful enrolment in the program and securing an approved co-op job, students are required to spend a period of 8-16 consecutive months in a work placement. After completing the requirements of the co-operative internship work placement, students return to the academic program to complete their final year of studies. Enrolment in the Co-operative Internship extends the program length to five years.

Workplaces in Canada are safer than ever before, thanks in large part to occupational health and safety professionals. Ryerson graduates working in this progressive field help prevent injury and illness by anticipating, evaluating and controlling physical, biological, chemical and other hazards in workplaces. Drawing on their specialized knowledge, these professionals help develop and implement initiatives that improve health, safety and well-being in work environments across every sector.    

Why Occupational Health and Safety at Ryerson?

• Occupational Health and Safety at Ryerson is the only degree-level program of its kind in Canada.
• Our curriculum integrates a strong foundation in occupational health and safety with relevant courses in the sciences, law, epidemiology, and a range of specialist areas (e.g. occupational hygiene, ergonomics, physical agents, control measures, safety management systems, toxicology and risk assessment). A balanced education prepares you to become the well-rounded and highly skilled professional that industry demands.
• You’ll have access to outstanding learning opportunities in the classroom and in the workplace. Qualified students can apply to gain important real-world experience through paid co-operative education opportunities.
• Plus, we support your success with:
  • Workplace visits
  • Opportunities for laboratory testing and analysis
  • Presentations and seminars
  • Independent research project

Students will learn to evaluate and analyze political decisions, administrative practice, and policies that emerge from a variety of sources, and to evaluate them on a range of criteria, including empirical, theoretical and ethical bases. The program offers a number of professional electives drawn from five traditional sub fields of Political Science: Canadian, Comparative, Global, Policy, and Theory. Students may choose depth in a small number of thematic categories, or choose breadth by sampling in several such categories.

Curriculum Information
Politics and Governance draws on the theories, methods and practices of a broad range of Social Sciences and Humanities disciplines. The Politics and Governance program thus builds on a first year that is common to eight other programs in the Faculty of Arts (i.e., Criminology, English, Environment and Urban Sustainability, Geographic Analysis, History, Language and Intercultural Relations, Philosophy, Psychology and Sociology), with specialized study in Politics and Governance in the following years.

Semesters One and Two: Students are introduced to Politics and Governance through a 'survey course' which provides a broad overview of what might be expected in the subject area. Students also take one additional core course that explores Canada's political landscape through the lens of political culture and citizen participation. In addition to these two Politics and Governance courses, students must complete two courses teaching key skills in Critical Thinking and Academic Writing and Research. Finally, students select two or three courses from other social science disciplines (course prefixes CRM, ECN, EUS, GEO, PSY, SOC, SSH); two or three courses from humanities disciplines (course prefixes ACS, ENG, FRE, PHL, SPN); and one course from outside the Faculty of Arts.

Semesters Three and Four: In second year, students are required to complete the introductory course in each of five sub-fields, exploring the actors and institutions of Canadian government, the emerging institutions and practices of global governance, controversial policy topics, western political thought, and comparative politics. In addition, students will delve into the qualitative and quantitative research methods necessary to study politics and governance effectively.

Semesters Five through Eight: In the upper years, students complete the remaining two introductory courses (Nonprofit/Voluntary Sector, Social Identity and Citizenship), and then pursue the study of political and governance issues in greater depth. Students may choose to focus upon courses within one or two of the thematic categories subfields or to sample broadly from several such categories. Either way, it will be possible to explore such topics as provincial politics; race and ethnicity; human rights (both within Canada and in a Global context); economic, education, environmental, foreign, and social policy; the governance of urban areas (both in Canada and elsewhere); political thought; voters, elections, and parties; and Indigenous Governance and Justice. In addition to program courses, students choose courses from a broad range of disciplines that complement their professional studies and broaden their career preparation. These include courses in Accounting, Child and Youth Care, Communication, Criminology, Disability Studies, Economics, English, Entrepreneurship and Strategy, Finance, Food Security, French, Geography, Human Resource Management, Business Technology Management, Law, nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Management, Organizational Leadership, Sociology, Spanish, Psychology, Urban Planning, and sciences such as Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics.