Bachelor of Science in Forest Ecology and Management

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

The BSc Wildlife and Fisheries degree at UNBC is administered by the Ecosystem Science and Management Program. It provides students with a solid foundation in wildlife and fisheries biology with considerable indoor and outdoor laboratory experience. It also exposes students to an integrated approach to resource issues that confront today's professionals. As such, the BSc Wildlife and Fisheries encompasses a combination of theoretical and applied ecology that prepares students for different avenues including public- and private-sector employment as well as  graduate studies.

Why Choose the Wildlife & Fisheries at UNBC?
The BSc in Wildlife and Fisheries at UNBC is one of very few degrees of its kind in Canada. It gives students the theoretical background they need to work as a biologist, but it also exposes students to extensive hands-on and practical labs and exercises. Consequently, a student graduating from this degree has a sound biological background for pursuing post-graduate studies as well as a degree that can lead them directly into the wildlife or fisheries professions. The relatively small class sizes in upper-division courses provide an ideal learning environment. Faculty teaching the courses for this degree are of extremely high calibre – many of them have  won UNBC teaching and research awards. As a student in the program, you benefit greatly from taking courses from faculty who are actively engaged in wildlife and fisheries research and who can bring examples and experience from their research to the classroom and lab.

To be able to work for the government (either employed by or as a consultant for) in British Columbia, it is important to be accredited as a Professional Biologist. Currently, a student taking all of the courses needed to complete the BSc Wildlife and Fisheries at UNBC should meet the education requirements for eligibility as a Registered Professional Biologist (RPBio) in BC.

Students pursuing a BSc in Conservation Science and Practice focus on understanding and addressing the contemporary challenges facing the sustainable use and conservation of our environment. Navigating these challenges requires a strong scientific foundation, including the necessary appreciation for both the natural and human dimensions of conservation and management. This degree equips students with the knowledge to enter a solutions-based career that actively contributes to solving today’s conservation and management problems. Our goal is to provide students with the philosophical foundation, scientific theory, and technical skills to address the challenge of maintaining the functioning of ecosystems across developed, developing, and still-wild landscapes.

The BSc in Conservation Science and Practice allows students to pursue one of two majors:

•  Wildland Conservation and Recreation
• Landscape Conservation and Management

The major in Wildland Conservation and Recreation focuses on portions of the landscape where conservation values, including recreation and aesthetic values, are the priority land-use activities, and where these activities intersect with other values, priorities, and uses. Topics of study include: the promotion of and advocacy for conservation; integrated management of legally designated parks and protected areas; conservation area design; and human activities across these areas, including recreation, ecotourism and the associated positive and negative impacts on ecological integrity. Students develop the skills necessary to identify, plan, monitor, and manage conservation values within the parks, recreation and tourism sectors.

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.

Students pursuing a BSc in Conservation Science and Practice focus on understanding and addressing the contemporary challenges facing the sustainable use and conservation of our environment. Navigating these challenges requires a strong scientific foundation, including the necessary appreciation for both the natural and human dimensions of conservation and management. This degree equips students with the knowledge to enter a solutions-based career that actively contributes to solving today’s conservation and management problems. Our goal is to provide students with the philosophical foundation, scientific theory, and technical skills to address the challenge of maintaining the functioning of ecosystems across developed, developing and still-wild landscapes.

The BSc in Conservation Science and Practice allows students to pursue one of two majors:

• Wildland Conservation and Recreation
• Landscape Conservation and Management

The major in Landscape Conservation and Management focuses on natural and human-modified systems across broad spatial scales. The emphasis in this major is on integrated landscapes that support a wide variety of values and activities, including the maintenance of biodiversity, the rights and practices of Indigenous Peoples, ecosystem services, and resource extraction. Courses in this major consider human activities across a range of ecological scales but with an emphasis on landscape and ecosystem-level processes. Graduates from the major develop the skills to work with cutting-edge tools and data that are necessary for the planning and management of multiple values across space and time. 

Anthropology 
This program applies a combination of science and humanities to understand a range of anthropological approaches. Utilize your knowledge at the graduate level or in pursuit of a career in education, law, social work, and more.

Geography
Geography studies the cultural, social, economic, and political connections between people and their environment. Examine the factors that shape the complex relationship between human societies and the built and natural landscape. Prepare for career opportunities in community development, land and resource management, or continue your graduate studies.

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.

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).

Management Information Systems is about using information systems to provide value to organizations. Students in this field have the opportunity to acquire the skills to use, analyse, and manage information systems to succeed in the business world. A major in Management Information Systems provides skills that include: designing information systems for businesses; using data to find lucrative opportunities for firms; and determining users’ computing needs. People with these skills find opportunities in a diverse set of organizations from large government organizations to local companies. Concepts in Management Information Systems are particularly important for those who have a passion for using technology to help organizations reach their goals.

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.

Program Details
Study the natural environment, societal challenges and sustainable solutions to environmental and sustainability challenges, surrounded by the spectacular natural environment of UNBC.

Explore the social science and humanities perspective on environmental and sustainability issues. Study the concepts of environmental citizenship, societal relationships with ecology, sustainability initiatives such as carbon management and energy, global perspectives and more. 

The Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Biology B.Sc. Program combines the rigour of chemistry with the fascination of living systems, and is therefore the traditional major for students with biomedical interests.Majors begin their studies with a broad set of courses in the natural sciences. In the second year, biochemistry is introduced, leading to third year explorations of DNA, the blueprint of life, proteins, the machines that make our bodies work, and a wide range of other molecular topics. Finally, your degree culminates in the fourth year with courses that let you see why BCMB is the largest and most dynamic scientific discipline. Topics include oncology, the evolution of life, advanced genetics, and much more.With its strong emphasis on analytical skills, the BCMB major is an excellent launching point for a variety of science-based careers, as described below. The BCMB major also includes extensive training in practical laboratory skills, such as DNA fingerprinting, which are essential for careers in the natural sciences, criminal forensics, laboratory technician programs, and a variety of industries.