Bachelor of Fine Arts in Performance - Production

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 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 degree consists of a range of required interdisciplinary courses that allow students to focus on those thinkers whose ideas have most deeply affected our society, the courses in the 'Ideas that Shape the World' series. In these courses, students also develop key skills and competencies: the ability to read precisely and critically, to communicate effectively, to develop strategies for life-long learning, to mediate conflict and work in teams, as well as to do analysis and engage in research design. Students may choose an area of concentration from the professional courses from Professional Table I. Nine options are available; four of these options are subject-based and the other five are interdisciplinary.

Subject-Based Options
The subject-based options allow students to combine their interdisciplinary studies with a focus in one of four humanities disciplines:

• English Option – This option provides students with a course of study that focuses on how to read critically—that is, analyze, historicize, and politicize—a wide range of literary and cultural texts. Students examine how such things as genre, form, method, historical period, geography and nation inform narrative media, including works of literature, film, television, digital culture, and the visual arts. Through an engagement with narratives of the past and the present, students develop a critical understanding of contemporary cultural production.
• French Option – This option provides students with the opportunity to gain a specialization in this important linguistic and cultural field. It allows students to develop a better understanding of the culturally diverse populations of the Francophone world in Africa, Asia, Europe and North America, while acquiring critical insights into the important role that French and Francophone culture play both at a national level in this country and in the broader international context.
• History Option – This option offers not only a study of the past, as a way to understand the present, but also a range of skills applicable to many jobs – those which require an understanding of research techniques, analysis, and logic. Each of these is a requirement of historical studies, as students must understand how to collect data, how to analyze it as to accuracy and sufficiency, and how to construct a logical argument from the evidence, if it is judged that there is sufficient evidence to support an argument.
• Philosophy Option – This option provides students with a broad understanding of the main historical trends and contemporary developments within the discipline of philosophy. With its sustained and systematic plan of study in Philosophy, the option has two general objectives. First, it encourages students to read and think about philosophical issues and problems in an active and critical manner. Second, it provides students with an understanding of, and appreciation for, the contributions made by some of the greatest thinkers of the past and present. 

Interdisciplinary Options
The four interdisciplinary options allow students to focus in on one of four themes:

• Anthropology Studies Option - This option examines the study of anthropology in its attempts to understand the human experience, past and present, using holistic, comparative, and field based evolutionary perspectives and practices. Students will earn a strong base in anthropological history, theory and methods as well as acquire important skills allowing them to conduct research and analysis in the mode of an anthropologist, examining and interpreting the immediate world around them.
• Culture Studies Option – Students examine the forms of cultural expression that have become a measure of who we are and who we dream of becoming. They explore cultural identity through both high culture and popular entertainment.
• Diversity and Equity Studies Option – Our diverse and politically charged social space is the focus of this interdisciplinary option. It explores the encounters of language, perspective and value that shape contemporary politics, culture and society.
• Global Studies Option – This option explores the often volatile mix of global issues and perspectives, environmental concerns and corporate interests that drive contemporary society and culture at a time when global transformations are transcending political boundaries.
• Inquiry and Invention Option – This option explores the institutions and ideas that generate – and depend on – scientific discovery and technological innovation. The focus is on ways in which science and technology influence our lives, individually and as a society, in the 21st century. 

Students will also select courses in professionally-related areas such as Criminology, Curatorial Studies, Economics, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Film Studies, Finance, Human Resources Management, Information Systems and Telecommunications Management, Law, Marketing, Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Management, Politics, Professional Communication, Psychology, Sociology, and Visual Cultures. Students can pursue a Minor in some of these areas if desired.

This unique program combines the intellectual agility and other benefits of a liberal arts education with the hands-on, applied skills and competencies in areas critical to career flexibility in the 21st century. The option of pursuing one or more complementary Minors in professionally-related areas will round out and equip the graduate for success and mobility through a wide range of private and public career choices.

The goals of the program are: to offer a context in which students can explore the nature of change and the theories about change in order to analyze it, understand it, anticipate it, plan it, and precipitate it. The program allows students:

• To examine types of communication, including spoken, cultural, and computer languages, to study the relationship between economic, political and cultural groups, and to explore the great humanist and scientific ideas that have shaped the modern world.
• To develop competencies in basic qualitative and quantitative research skills, cognitive skills such as critical thinking and ethics analysis, and interpersonal skills such as conflict resolution and negotiation.
• To develop the literacy skills of oral and written language, methodologies of textual analysis and contextual knowledge, digital literacy skills that involve understanding of and training in the digital (or computer) world and its impact on our society, and numeracy skills involving an understanding of numbers and statistics and their impact on the way society does things.
• To educate students in the meanings that societies attach to themselves depending on differing cultural points of view.
• To develop a capacity for imaginative, critical, and ethical thinking that provides the foundation for professional and business activity through a study of the humanities and social sciences that focuses on the dynamics of cultural and technological change within diverse, evolving cultural and linguistic parameters.

Graduates of this four-year interdisciplinary program will be prepared for career opportunities in art and cultural advocacy, event planning and organization, equity advising in human resources, career consultancy, mediation, policy development and analysis, marketing, producing and criticism in culture and entertainment.

Ryerson’s BA in Professional Communication (ProCom) provides students with solid grounding in research, analysis and practice so that they can pursue careers as savvy improvisers and reflective communication practitioners. Students in the ProCom BA develop critical and analytical skills for understanding the role of communication on personal, interpersonal and global levels. Through instruction on theory, methods of inquiry and critical thinking, students are exposed to a variety of topics, including communication technologies, social identities, professional practices and intercultural communication. Additionally, to prepare students to communicate creatively and thoughtfully in the digital and global age, experiential learning is a fundamental aspect of the ProCom BA.

The School of Professional Communication has connections to local organizations and industries, and these connections are integrated into classroom learning. Combining those experiences with theories and applications related to language, image, sound and media, students graduate prepared to assume responsibility for communication in areas such as public relations, internal communications and digital media development.

In the first year students receive a foundation in communication theory and practice, which will act as an underpinning for the entire program. The second and third years focus on further integration of theory and practice in oral, written and digital modes. Students also learn how to apply their learning to areas such as governance, health care, new media, and profit and nonprofit organizations. The fourth year provides a capstone experience with students researching and conducting their own projects within organizations.

Courses cover a range of topics, with students having the flexibility to focus their studies in the following streams:

• Organizational/corporate/nonprofit charitable stream
• New media/technical communication stream
• Governance/public policy/international communication stream
• Science/health communication stream

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.

The growth of the sport industry in Canada has been the result of the exponential growth of new sport media outlets. Sport media companies are providing content on multiple traditional and digital platforms. The industry requires motivated and well trained individuals who possess a passion for sport and wish to enter the field in a production, on-air or executive position.

An appropriate academic background for this program would include required skills developed in a traditional secondary/post-secondary curriculum along with media courses of interest and a demonstrated passion for sport, from direct participation or activities related to sport.

The Sport Media program provides an integrated series of courses to equip students with practical skills and a foundation of theoretical knowledge.

The first two years of the program provide foundation in both production and theory, combining hands-on production training with study in sport theory, marketing, business and journalism.

During the latter two years students begin to specialize in areas of interest, taking advanced courses in all areas of the sport industry. Students may concentrate on writing/journalism, video/audio production, business, broadcast or marketing.

The fourth year provides both practical experience while continuing to develop in students a sense of their place in the sport industry, their community and the world-at-large. A variety of sport projects in the practical courses will apply theoretical elements from other courses to allow student to effectively communicate ideas across all media platforms.

The curriculum is designed to foster the development of a high level of competency in a focused specialization while providing every student with a macro understanding of all facets of the sport industry. Student will leave the program equipped with the ability to produce quality sport content on multiple platforms within a group dynamic. Sport Media courses are taught concurrently with Open Elective and Liberal Elective courses which serve to enhance and enrich a student's four years of study.

The International Economics and Finance program combines the theoretical aspects of economics and quantitative methods with the practical skills and social awareness needed to apply this knowledge in an effective manner. It is the only Economics degree of its kind in Canada - combining a mandatory internship/co-op as a degree requirement, helping students build careers in the public sector, financial markets, international organizations, healthcare, big data and much more.

Internship
Integral to the degree is an opportunity for students to apply their knowledge and skills in a practical context. All students in the program are required to participate in a three-month internship between the programs third and fourth years*. The benefits of this work placement are considerable. Students gain a valuable employment record while forging vital professional contacts for their future careers. They also deepen their understanding of real world opportunities and challenges as they refine their career goals. Moreover, the internship’s position between the third and fourth years of the program means it will help enrich each student’s final year of study.

* Students may be offered the opportunity by some employers to extend their internship to 16 months.

Internship courses are graded on a pass/fail basis. Participation and successful completion of an internship course, however, appears on the student’s academic transcript.

First Year: The BSc (Hons) in Chemistry shares a point of entry with the programs in Biology and Medical Physics. This allows students to explore various science-based routes to degree completion before they commit to the Chemistry program. In addition to foundation courses, the first year of studies will include an introduction to the use of computers as scientific tools, and an orientation course that will support students in making a successful transition to university and planning their steps to degree completion. All students in Science programs must enroll in SCI 180 in their first semester of studies.

Upper Years: Because this is a strongly applications-oriented program, a large proportion of student learning will take place in the laboratory. Lab hours account for a significant amount of learning time in every semester, supported by a solid grounding in the theory and principles of chemical science. In the upper years of the curriculum, students will focus on developing their technological expertise and exploring the research and industrial applications of chemical science. Depending on the course sequence selected they may pursue a BSc (Hons) in Chemistry, Chemistry with a Biology Minor, Chemistry with an option in Applied Physics.

Mathematics is a powerful problem-solving tool and a highly creative field of study that explains diverse phenomena such as the human nervous system, the evolution of life forms and the stock market. You’ll learn to identify patterns using logic, exacting principles and imagination, and will complete a thesis project. An optional paid co-op and optional specializations in Computer Science and Economics will further prepare you with the knowledge and problem-solving expertise needed to offer solutions in a variety of fields.

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.