Bachelor of Arts in General Arts

at University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) - Prince George Campus Canada

History
Historians study what people have thought, said, and done in the past. You will learn to think critically about the historical processes that shape the present. As a history major, you will develop the knowledge needed to pursue careers in law, education, journalism, civil service, politics, museum and library archives, or post-secondary professorship.

Women's Studies 
Women's Studies is an interdisciplinary field dedicated to studying the historical, cultural, literary, and societal role of women and gender. UNBC's program has strengths in areas such as women's and gender history; gender, literature, and literary theory; gender, colonialism, and postcolonialism; gender and globalization; feminism, justice, and ethics; gender and health; and gender and international studies.The Women's Studies program offers majors and minors in Women's Studies and, in cooperation with other programs, four joint majors. At the graduate level, the program offers a Master's degree in Gender Studies.

History
Historians study what people have thought, said, and done in the past. You will learn to think critically about the historical processes that shape the present. As a history major, you will develop the knowledge needed to pursue careers in law, education, journalism, civil service, politics, museum and library archives, or post-secondary professorship.

Political Science
Explore citizenship, democracy, justice and law in local, national and international communities. Learn about Canada’s political history and contemporary governance at the municipal, provincial and federal levels.

Examine the theories and practicalities of social and economic policy, Indigenous relations, societal issues and international affairs. Our political science degree prepares students for careers in public service, law, business and media.

The MBA is recognized worldwide as the hallmark of the management professional.  Graduates of the UNBC MBA program develop a well-rounded understanding of the skills needed by leaders of private and public sector organizations, and the challenges facing enterprises in general, and northern ones in particular.

The program is designed to allow professionals to complete their degree within two years while continuing to work full-time.  During the first year of the program, students are introduced to the major disciplinary areas within the field of business, including strategy, economics, accounting, finance, organizational behaviour, marketing, and operations management.  This part of the program builds the broad base of knowledge and skills required by senior management. 

During the second year of the program, students gain a broad understanding of the global, legal and ethical environment in which organizations operate, and of the challenges facing organizations.  In the context of northern British Columbia, there are economic, social, and environmental challenges confronting small and rural communities participating in a resource-based economy.  Through the development of leadership and management capabilities, the MBA Program helps communities and organizations achieve sustainable success and prosperity in a changing and complex world.  

Course participants have the opportunity to focus on individual interests during the MBA Project.  Working under the supervision of a faculty member, students complete a major research project, applying relevant theory to the study of a substantial organizational problem or issue.

The MBA program course work normally includes work assessed on an individual and group basis.  Enterprise problems are seldom completely resolved through individual effort, and group work reinforces and enhances individual ability to work within multi-disciplinary teams.

Students come to the MBA program with diverse backgrounds, a range of social and cultural perspectives, and different industry and business experiences. The MBA program encourages this diversity as it fosters a rich learning environment.

Canada's North is roughly 75% of the country's land mass. Despite the North's geographic significance, UNBC is one of only a few universities in Canada to have a major in Northern Studies. This program is integral to the overall mandate of UNBC and exposes students to myriad issues facing northern BC and northern regions around the world. This program draws upon the northern expertise of faculty from a wide array of programs. Students will gain an understanding of the whole North - its geography, peoples, and issues.Over the past few decades, the north has become an area of growing significance. At the centre of northern issues is non-renewable resource development, including mining, oil and gas and forestry. Related socio-economic and cultural issues, such as competing land use (i.e. recreation, protected areas), First Nations land claims, and rural infrastructure development (i.e. transportation, services), and renewable resource development are also important to developing the north. These issues have in turn led to unique opportunities to discover what the North means to the individual, the nation and world as a whole.

The Bachelor of Health Sciences degree is a four-year program consisting of a range of courses that relate directly to the science of health, in the recognition that health is a complex entity defying a simple explanation or a single disciplinary perspective.  The courses identified within the School of Health Sciences offer learning opportunities from a variety of disciplines, including the life sciences, social sciences, behavioural sciences, and ethics and law, to enable students to develop a body of knowledge and understanding relating to the dimensions of health.  Some of these courses are considered to be ‘core’ and therefore central to the basic understandings of health, while others offer the student opportunities to learn about a specific health perspective that is focused on one of three Majors:

1. Biomedical Studies,
2. Community and Population Health-Environmental Health, or,
3. Community and Population Health-Aboriginal and Rural Health.

Graduation from either of the Community and Population Health Majors enables students to embark on careers or graduate programs related to health care management, administration, information systems or public health.

Students pursuing the Biomedical Studies Major are required to complete a set of courses that enables them to be prepared for application to professional programs such as medicine, nursing, pharmacy, occupational therapy, dentistry, speech pathology or physiotherapy.  This major provides a foundational, multidisciplinary knowledge base that is focused on the natural,  physical, and social sciences, and includes population health and research methodology. Students interested in other fields requiring extensive biomedical laboratory skills may enroll in the degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BCMB).

English
Study for a degree in English and prepare to be an effective communicator, critical thinker, or creative writer. Apply your skills to many rewarding careers including public relations and writing novels, blogs, textbooks and advertising copy.

Environmental and Sustainability Studies
Learn to be an effective agent of environmental, sustainability and social innovation as you promote the mitigation of, and/or adaptation to, environmental and sustainability challenges.

A degree in Environmental and Sustainability Studies leads to a rewarding career in sectors such as government, Indigenous government and agencies, the non-profit sector, law (with additional training), international development, environmental consulting, environmental health and more.

Gain a deeper understanding of why chemical reactions are the basis of all life as everything we are or do depends in one way or another on chemistry. Learn to interpret and predict the behaviour of matter as it relates to the world around us.

Chemistry is a fundamental science dealing with the nature of substances and the changes they undergo. Considered the “central science,” you will take courses in organic, inorganic, physical, and analytical chemistry along with math, physics and biology. 

Economics is concerned with how societies provide for the well-being of their citizens and residents, along with public policies to promote well-being. Faculty members in the Department of Economics are excellent teachers and committed to providing students with an active learning and inclusive environment, and to developing knowledge of contemporary issues and practical thinking skills. Economics courses address a range of current issues, such as: what are the impacts of carbon taxes? How can health care be efficiently and equitably provided? Should water be privatized? What is the best portfolio choice to maximize my investment?

The Forest Ecology and Management degree provides students with a thorough understanding of the science, philosophy, and practice of managing forested ecosystems.  Through study and activeStudents in field learning experiences, students obtain a consistent and broad background in course work that encompasses foundational and integrative topics.  Given the range of knowledge and expertise needed to effectively manage forested ecosystems, students are then provided an opportunity to select a minor and pursue a specialisation consistent with the overall objectives of the degree.  Although the degree is designed to expose students to contemporary knowledge and techniques drawn from a variety of disciplines in the natural and social sciences, students also are encouraged to challenge conventional knowledge paradigms and approaches to forest management.

Study the natural world at its most fundamental level. Learn about physics, the science upon which all other sciences and technologies are based. Our degree opens the door to future study and career opportunities in such fields as education, scientific research, industry, medical technology, and environmental studies.

Program Details
In the first two years, you will take courses in:

• Mechanics, waves, thermal physics, electricity and magnetism
• Modern physics including relativity and quantum theory and their applications
• Mathematics and computer programming

Build on that foundation in your third and fourth years with courses in:

• Quantum mechanics
• Electromagnetic theory and radiation
• Electronics 
• Optics
• Statistical mechanics
• Nuclear and particle physics 
• Condensed matter physics 
• Special-topics courses 
• Research-oriented, project-type courses