Bachelor of Commerce in Food and Agricultural Business

at University of Guelph Canada

We share planet Earth with 30 million other animal species, and virtually nothing is known about most. Zoology is the study of the structure, function and ecology of vertebrates and invertebrates.

This major provides you with a broad grounding in animal biology, with courses in physiology, ecology, evolution, and structure and function of invertebrates and vertebrates. In your third and fourth years, there are opportunities to choose elective courses that suit your areas of interest including mammalogy, ornithology and herpetology. You will also have the opportunity to complete a research or field course. Students have participated in field courses on both coasts of Canada, in Algonquin Park or the Churchill area, as well as Australia, Argentina, Iceland and Costa Rica.

Learning Outcomes
You can expect to learn how to:

• Recognize the relationships between structure and function at different levels of biological organization (e.g., molecules, cells, organs, organisms, populations, species) for the major groups of animals.
• Characterize the biological, chemical, and physical features of environments (e.g., terrestrial, freshwater, marine, host) that animals inhabit.
• Explain how animals function and interact with respect to biological, chemical, and physical processes in natural and impacted environments. Collect and assemble biological data and apply mathematical and statistical methods to the interpretation of data to address questions in zoology.
• Demonstrate an advanced understanding and appreciation of living animals and specimens in field and/or laboratory settings through “hands on” experience

The Department of Political Science is a dynamic, research-intensive and teaching-oriented department, offering students an effective and engaging learning environment. Faculty are leading experts who engage with students to develop their ability to understand and analyze the complex relationships between power, authority and governance, and how these shape the lives of individuals and groups around the world.

As a Political Science student, you’ll explore the forces of power, authority and governance that shape the world. Analyze governmental actions and their effect on a local and global scale. Understand the power of politics and its ability to influence the lives of individuals, families and communities.

Food has a powerful influence on the lives of individuals and populations. The Applied Human Nutrition program provides a thorough understanding of all aspects of human nutrition. Lectures provide core learnings that are grounded in the biological and social sciences. Labs allow for the application of classroom instruction. New topics and emerging research are explored in small group seminars. Students may enrol in an area of emphasis in dietetics. This dietetic education program is accredited under the Partnership for Dietetic Education and Practice (PDEP) and prepares students for eligibility for registration with a provincial dietetics regulatory body.

By combining the conceptual and quantitative elements of accounting while promoting the integration of theory and practice, the accounting major provides graduates with the academic requirements for the postgraduate pursuit of a Professional Accounting designation. Students will develop the technical, analytical, evaluative and communication skills needed for a successful career in accounting and related management areas.

The program provides a strong foundation of accounting and general business knowledge while allowing significant opportunity to develop breadth and depth of knowledge in related areas of study.

Co-op
The Co-op program in Accounting is designed to facilitate the transition of students from academic studies to a professional career by enhancing the integration of theory and practice. The Co-op program in Accounting is a five year program including four work terms. Students must complete a Fall and Winter work term, and must follow the academic work schedule (also found on the Co-operative Education website: https://www.recruitguelph.ca/cecs/). Please refer to the Co-operative Education program policy with respect to adjusting this schedule.

To be eligible to continue in the Co-op program, students must meet a minimum 70% cumulative average requirement after second semester, as well as meet all work term requirements. Please refer to the Co-operative Education program policy with respect to work term performance grading, work term report grading and program completion requirements. 

The Honours B.Sc. major in Nutritional and Nutraceutical Sciences is an exciting and unique major in Canada. Offered within the Department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences, this major will provide you with a broad and basic grounding in the biology of nutrition, physiology, pathology, pharmacology and nutraceuticals.

The study of Nutritional and Nutraceutical Sciences is concerned with understanding the contribution of food, beverage and nutritional supplement consumption to growth, development of optimal biological function, maintenance of health, and treatment of disease. This major will also explore how we can use nutrients, minerals and food’s chemical properties to develop innovative products that will benefit humans, animals and the environment.

Beginning in your first year with a course entitled “Biological Concepts of Health” and followed in second year by “Fundamentals of Nutrition” you will examine the biology of nutrition from a whole organism level to the molecular and cellular aspects of metabolism and a functioning systems. In your third or fourth years, you will complete courses examining the efficacy, regulatory policies and relationships of functional foods and nutraceuticals to food and drugs and the roles nutrients and phytochemicals play in maintaining health and preventing/treating disease. You may also have an opportunity to complete a research course with a faculty member in a discipline related to nutrition, food, nutraceuticals, health and disease. The program is supported by a number of facilities on campus that you can be involved with during your undergraduate degree including the Human Nutraceutical Research Unit, Health and Performance Centre and the Food Technology Centre.

Learning Outcomes
You can expect to learn how to:

• Apply an integrated and broad foundation in life sciences to problems in human nutrition, nutri-pharmacology, nutri-toxicology and health.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the impact of human nutrition, nutri-pharmacology and nutri-toxicology on health and performance and provide mechanistic explanations for associated biological events at the molecular, cellular and whole organism levels of organization.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the science of prospective health; the pivotal role of individual nutrigenomic and nutri-epigenetic analyses and the critical role of evidence-based, lifestyle medicine in the effective application of this prospective health approach to healthcare.
• Define and analyze the interactions of nutrition and exercise on the metabolic control of health and disease.
• Critically analyze experimental design, data analysis and interpretation in human nutrition, nutri-pharmacology and nutri-toxicology research.

Anthropology explores human societies and cultures within contemporary global structures. Students complete courses such as Kinship, Family, and Power; Culture, Rights and Development; and the Anthropology of Health, and gain a critical understanding of multiculturalism and the globalization of our daily experience and explore diverse contemporary questions and debates within Canadian and international contexts, including environment and resource use, food, agriculture, and agribusiness, indigenous issues, labour and work, youth and homelessness, indigenous issues, police and society, and social movements in developing countries. The program offers a solid foundation for a wide variety of careers in policy, development, government, and community sectors.

WHY CO-OP?
As a co-op student, you will be able to gain relevant work experience, build professional networks, and develop essential transferable skills needed to succeed in the workplace, all while getting paid and earning your university degree. Guelph’s co-op program is unique due to the exceptional level of support provided to students, including a job search preparatory course, a personal connection with a Co-op Coordinator to assist you during the employment process, and targeted work term reports to help you develop relevant skills.

Study in both the arts and the sciences - at the same time! In BAS, you don't have to choose! You will pick one minor in the arts and one in the sciences, and study courses that consider current and historical issues, integrating the two discplines.  Then you can go on to make a real difference as a veterinarian, archaeologist, doctor, communication and PR professional, lawyer or teacher! You choose your career path.

Sample Minor Combinations and Future Career Choices:

• Chemistry + Art history   
• Computing + Psychology
• Ecology + International Development Studies
• Biochemistry + Criminal Justice and Public Policy
• Physics + Theatre Studies

Participate in unique courses that investigate how cultural, social and scientific endeavours confront world issues. Critically analyze historical and current case studies to complete volunteer placements at local agencies.

The Bachelor of Indigenous Environmental Science and Practice (BIESP) is an interdisciplinary science degree that focuses on the development of leaders in areas of environmental science, land-use and policy development who are grounded in Indigenous ways of knowing and being. This science degree emphasizes the respectful and consensual braiding of Indigenous and Western knowledge systems to address complex environmental issues and challenges. It focuses on the responsible use and protection of the natural environment through practices based on Indigenous ways of knowing and doing and the practice of Indigenous land ethics grounded in Indigenous epistemologies, ontologies, traditions and aspirations. By explicitly recognizing the inherent validity and value of Indigenous ways of knowing and doing, this interdisciplinary program offers a critical, yet constructive, view of environmental science, grounded in Indigenous knowledge systems, methodologies, priorities and values and oriented towards concrete action. In addition to their studies of natural and applied science, students will examine the historical and contemporary relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada and the legal, political and economic context of environmental science and practice.  

Experiential learning is incorporated into each year of study through opportunities to interact and work directly with Indigenous communities and organizations supporting cross-cultural learning and practice. In the final year, students will conduct a group project that focuses on a current environmental issue and provides the opportunity to obtain realistic experiences within the interdisciplinary context of practicing environmental science with Indigenous communities. The BIESP is also offered as a co-op option. 

Learning Outcomes
Graduates of the BIESP degree will have demonstrated they can:

• Build awareness of Indigenous cultural frameworks of environmental science including the role of traditional knowledge keepers, right relations, multi-generational environmental stewardship, and inclusion of non-human beings. 
• Consider the implications of historical and contemporary relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities in influencing governance, practices, policies, interactions and decision making in environmental science and practice. 
• Apply a critical and decolonial lens to the existing approach to environmental science and practice in Canada through the exploration of Indigenous principles, aspirations and practices while cognizant of the historical and ongoing legacy of colonization, land dispossession, and intergenerational trauma. 
• Apply the evolving legal frameworks of Indigenous and non-Indigenous environmental science, which include Indigenous People’s inherent, treaty and constitutionally-protected rights, historic and contemporary lands, the minimal standard of free, prior, and informed consent, duty to consult and Indigenous-led practices of protection and restoration of special places and community well-being, to environmental stewardship.  
• Bridge and braid Indigenous and Western knowledge systems to propose and evaluate answers and solutions to environmental questions.  
• Formulate relevant and testable research questions, develop and implement an effective method of inquiry and perform appropriate quantitative and qualitative analyses for use in evidence-based environmental planning, policy development and implementation across different knowledge systems from Indigenous and Western research paradigms and methodologies.  
• Utilize techniques and skills including mapping and GIS, data classification, spatial analysis, map design, Indigenous research methodologies and environmental risk assessment practices to analyze environmental management issues across different knowledge systems. 
• Demonstrate project management skills (leadership, negotiation, communication, problem-solving, decision-making, time and task management, and budgeting) to effectively work within a team to complete multifaceted projects related to environmental management, research, and community engagement. 
• Communicate ideas, arguments and analyses to Indigenous and non-Indigenous audiences accurately and effectively, recognizing the role of language, personal values, strengths and limitations, and respecting diverse perspectives.  
• Demonstrate moral maturity and intercultural competency by considering diverse perspectives on environmental issues and Indigenous world views when acting as a professional and community member in decision making processes related to topics of land use, conservation, sustainability and environmental remediation and restoration. 
• Critically reflect on their personal values, academic and professional goals and determine how they can continue to respectfully engage and sustain relationships with Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities to address environmental challenges utilizing both Indigenous and Western scientific knowledge systems and ethical protocols. 
• Appreciate and support the needs and priorities of Indigenous communities to promote respect, protect and sustain Indigenous knowledge and practice in Indigenous communities.

Co-op
The Co-op program in Indigenous Environmental Science and Practice is a five-year program including four work terms. Students must follow the academic work schedule as outlined below (also found on the Co-operative Education website: https://www.recruitguelph.ca/cecs/). 
Indigenous Environmental Science and Practice Academic and Co-op Work Term Schedule

Environmental Engineering is the application of scientific theories and principles to minimize the impact of human activities on the environment.

The Environmental Engineering program at Guelph was designed from the ground up as a complete, comprehensive environmental program.  It provides in-depth knowledge of relevant physical, chemical and biological systems with a strong emphasis on engineering design.  Our students experience the important role Environmental Engineering plays in serving the current and future needs of all humanity.

Landscape Architecture is a profession committed to the creation of meaningful and vital outdoor places and to the sustainable management of our environment.  Landscape Architects strive to establish a balance between our use and enjoyment of the land with the conservation and health of the environment.  The Profession is committed to improving our quality of life by applying creative, technical and scientific skills to manage and create environments that are attractive, functional, innovative and appropriate.  The full accredited BLA program at Guelph leads to a professional degree that meets the educational requirements for entry into professional associations across Canada, North America and abroad.

In our four year professional program you will take lecture, seminar, field trip and studio courses. The intensive studio courses, taken every term, allow you to practice and master what you have learned. You will work on design solutions alone or in teams, with input and critique from faculty. Through frequent presentations you will develop abilities in verbal and graphic communication of your design ideas. Students find our BLA program to be an intense and enjoyable way to learn.

The BLA program of studies addresses both the learning objectives of the University and the needs of the profession of landscape architecture. Half of the required credits are through courses given in the Landscape Architecture program; other required courses are taken from departments throughout the University. You are also able to choose nine electives from other departments on campus. This allows you to take courses in a number of disciplines or concentrate on one or two areas of interest.

There are a number of unique learning opportunities provided through the BLA program. You may earn academic credit for work in professional offices, take advantage of our international exchange program that allows students to study in many foreign countries, assist community groups by participating through the Community Outreach Centre, or become involved in social and professional life through annual conferences, field trips and events. Our program is well equipped with computer and video facilities, and all students are assigned their own studio workspace with 24/7 access.