Bachelor of Commerce - Undeclared Major (First Year Only)

at University of Guelph Canada

Knowledge of statistics is crucial for understanding our world. An understanding of statistics is vital in many disciplines including psychology, sociology, political science, marketing and economics. Students can choose to study statistics as a minor in the B.A. Honours Program or as an area of concentration in the General Program.

International Development Studies (IDS) is an interdisciplinary undergraduate program that explores the nature and impacts of economic and social development in Canada and around the world. The IDS program will equip you with the theoretical understanding and analytical and practical skills needed to bring about positive and inclusive change in the world. As an IDS student, you will gain firsthand knowledge and real world experience for tackling complex development challenges, such as poverty, food insecurity and global climate change and to promote social justice as citizens in careers across the public and private sectors and in civil society organizations.

In the IDS major, you will complete one of four areas of emphasis: Agriculture and Food Security, Environment and Sustainable Development, Development in the Canadian Context, Development in Fragile Contexts. In so doing, you will have the opportunity to specialize in an area of international development that is of particular interest to you.

WHY CO-OP?
As a co-op student, you will gain firsthand work experience, build professional networks, and develop essential interpersonal skills that are absolutely essential for pursuing a career in international development. You will also get paid while earning your university degree. Guelph’s co-op program is unique due to the exceptional level of support provided, including a co-op preparatory course, and a personal connection with Co-op Coordinators to assist you during the employment process, and access to senior student mentors.

Understand the geographical, political and economic factors that shape environmental issues. Learn how to identify and manage these issues across sectors. Address environmental challenges through creative partnerships between governments, communities and businesses. Train to be an environmental professional at the leading edge of sustainability.

Explore the ways writing can drive social justice and environmental awareness. Create meaning through your writing and storytelling. You will take courses in speculative fiction, non-fiction, poetry, screenwriting and writing for the inclusive stage. You will develop a body of creative work that includes writing exercises, short creative pieces and a portfolio. 

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.

Biochemistry is the study of biological processes at the cellular and molecular level. The study of biochemistry showcases the complexity of life.

The Honours B.Sc. major in Biochemistry (BIOC) is offered by the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, home to many distinguished biochemists, microbiologists, geneticists, and molecular & cellular biologists. The variety of courses will cover everything from the atomic structure of proteins to the organization of cells in humans, plants, and animals. Undergraduate laboratories will provide you with many practical skills in manipulating and analyzing biological molecules. In your upper years, you will also have the opportunity to access some of the University of Guelph’s outstanding research labs and facilities. Our biochemistry program provides you with a degree that is truly interdisciplinary, ensuring that upon graduation you have acquired an expertise and proficiency in great demand by employers.  

Combine practical laboratory training in biochemistry, molecular biology and microbiology with courses in areas such as immunology, enzymology or physiology. Students in biochemistry can focus in the areas plants, nutrition, physiology, immunology or toxicology, just to name a few. Gain real-world experience from co-op work terms and complete an undergraduate research project.  

Learning Outcomes
You can expect to learn how to:

• Apply thermodynamic principles to the molecular basis of biological energy generation, storage and usage  
• Conduct research by applying scientific methods and processes and interpreting data to draw appropriate and scientifically based conclusions. 
• Design and implement experimental procedures using relevant techniques to purify, characterize and quantify metabolites and macromolecules. 
• Describe how cells are capable of producing almost all required metabolites and macromolecules from diverse precursors.  
• Understand the relationship between the structure and the functional properties of proteins, nucleic acids, lipids and carbohydrates.  

Computers play many roles in our lives. At the School of Computer Science, we recognize that relationship and its variable nature. If you enjoy solving problems, nothing is more exciting than working and studying at the leading edge of computer science.  You will develop skills throughout your degree as you explore different course materials within the field of computer science and across other disciplines. The program provides you with a strong foundation in hardware and theory with a particular focus on applied software development. By the time you graduate you will be a sought-after expert with interdisciplinary knowledge and skills that will make you indispensable.

Computer Science
Help explore problems, build innovative computing solutions and contribute to the evolution of technology. This major will provide you with a theoretical foundation in computer science, as well as practical experience in software development and an introduction to hardware. You will explore pressing computer science issues, from large system software development to emerging technologies. This major will focus on programming and the theory of computation, with plenty of flexibility in selecting computer science electives to fit your interests, such as Computational Intelligence, Computer Security, Game Programming and Human Computer Interaction.

The Bachelor of Arts - History program discover the past and create the future. Study a range of thematic courses, including Food History, War and Society, Gender and Sexuality and Rural History. Enjoy small seminars in the first year, access to special archives and courses with community partners such as the Guelph Black Heritage Society, and the Guelph Civic Museum. Graduates are flexible, intelligent, polished communicators, researchers and problem solvers who follow their passions in business, law, education, civil service, journalism, and the arts.

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.

Explore the brain, the most poorly understood organ in the human body and the source of many disorders and diseases. Study contemporary problems and research tools in neuroscience and further your knowledge of the nervous system. Structure your program with electives to emphasize aspects of molecular/cellular, behavioural and cognitive, and biomedical neuroscience.