Associate of Arts in International and Development Studies Option

at University of the Fraser Valley - Abbotsford Campus Canada

Gain a framework to understand societal structures and evaluate global social challenges including inequality, poverty, sexism, racism, violence, and climate change.

Sociology major
Study of the development, structure, and functioning of human societies.

Start your studies by delving into sociology's key ideas and concepts, while building an understanding of culture, social change, socialization, stratification, social structure, institutions, race and ethnicity, gender, and age and class. In your third and fourth year, study advanced sociological topics, while gaining practical skills in qualitative and quantitative research.

When you graduate, you have developed the rational thinking, presentation, and  writing skills that are key for academic and professional success.

Gain an excellent grounding in modern biology and obtain the working skills of a professional biologist with a UFV Bachelor of Science in Biology.

In your first and second year, you gain a foundational understanding of cell biology, biochemistry, and ecology/organism interactions. In your third and fourth year, you expand your knowledge through a wide range of upper-level courses. 

You may also choose to take advantage of extra-curricular learning opportunities through field trips, study tours, and directed studies. The UFV Biology faculty will support you every step of your academic journey — even in your own research undertakings.  

Customize your degree to your interests by choosing one of the following concentrations:

• Pre-medicine/Pre-veterinary
• Cellular, Molecular, and Genetics
• Ecology and Biology of Organisms

The program:

• offers you a rich lab-intensive experience for interactive, hands-on practice in laboratory and research skills.
• encourages you to develop your own biology research, either with individual faculty guidance or as part of regular course material.
• facilitates co-op placements and summer work experience with local companies and organizations.
• prepares you for graduate or professional schools with concentrations in varied fields such as genetics, ecology, or pre-medicine.

The Bachelor of Science in Physics allows you to explore the nature of matter, energy, and their interactions, both theoretically and experimentally. 

In this program, you learn early on about fundamental topics like electromagnetism, wave physics, thermodynamics, and relativity. Upper level courses then give you the opportunity to discuss advanced topics like quantum theory and fluid mechanics, applying principles of mathematics to the material world around you.

The Physics program also includes options for Engineering and Mechatronics, if applied sciences piques your interest.

The program:

• integrates classroom theory with a variety of potential lab experiments and hands-on projects.
• encourages exploration of new and current ideas, and challenges you to learn and enquire about the universe in new and complex ways.

Build a foundation to further your theatre education. Completing a two-year associate degree will provide you with the knowledge and skills to continue in the UFV Bachelor of Arts program, to transfer to other institutions, or to seek employment. Bring stories to life and gain hands on experience through a practicum in a professional UFV theatre production.

The Theatre diploma is a 60-credit program that introduces students to all areas of theatre, including acting, stagecraft, and performance studies. All students enrolled in the diploma gain applied, practical experience by working on UFV Theatre productions.

The Theatre diploma is for anyone interested in learning more about theatre, the performing arts, or performance studies. It is suitable for people from a wide range of backgrounds, including direct-entry from high school, international students, mature students, adults who wish to access life-long learning opportunities, and Indigenous students. Applicants do not need to have theatre experience.

Students graduate from the Theatre diploma with enhanced performance and stagecraft skills, a deep appreciation of theatre and performance, and the ability to collaborate and communicate effectively. Students can ladder into the BA Theatre Major, extended minor, or minor.

FEATURES:

• Practicum provides work experience and industry contacts
• Participate in professional UFV theatre productions and gain hands on experience
• Program eligible for financial aid

Study Economics to gain the problem-solving, reasoning, and computer skills that employers value in government, business, or finance. Economics is the only discipline in the broad areas of Social Sciences and Business that is awarded the Nobel Prize. Many famous and successful people have an economics degree.

Economics Major
Develop your analytical and creative thinking skills in order to understand and communicate complex economic issues facing all levels of people - from individuals to entire nations.

During your first and second year, you are introduced to the concepts of micro and macroeconomics and learn to strategically evaluate the influences and decisions contributing to the economic issues.

In your third and fourth year, you hone your critical thinking skills and expand your knowledge of international markets, consumer demands, market structure, and more.

As an Economics student, you develop:

• Problem-solving skills
• Quantitative and computer skills
• The capacity for independent thought
• A firm grounding in modern economic theory
• Knowledge of finance and accounting
• Knowledge of the Canadian and world economy

FEATURES:

• Co-op semester(s) provide paid work experience in your field of study
• Emphasis on critical thinking and real-world problem solving to develop job-ready skills
• Program eligible for financial aid

UFV's multi-disciplinary Migration and Citizenship graduate certificate program uses real case studies to investigate human movement, resettlement, and belonging, both globally and with a particular focus on the Canadian experience.

1. As a Migration and Citizenship student, you will:
   • Examine human migration, whether voluntary, forced, permanent, or temporary, in transnational and intrastate contexts;
   • Investigate how this mobility is shaped by different governments and state institutions;
   • Learn about the experiences and identities of the migrants and the diverse forms of communities that they create.
2. You will also:
   • Explore the various meanings of citizenship in contexts of migration;
   • Analyze how they are shaped by legal, political, institutional, economic, social, and cultural dynamics of inclusion and exclusion and how they are created by migrant experiences, identities, and communities, and through policies, practices, and discourses.

The Migration and Citizenship graduate certificate is designed for employed professionals wanting to grow their skills or recent graduates wishing to enter the field of immigration and resettlement.

The program is scheduled to accommodate both working and full-time students, with classes offered in evening and weekend time slots. If you choose to study full time, you can complete this graduate certificate in eight months. But you can also opt to study part-time and take up to three years to earn your credential.

The University Foundation certificate program is an intensive, full-time academic preparation program specifically designed for students who do not meet the English language requirements for full-time academic study at UFV.

The University Foundation certificate program (UFP) is an intensive program designed to help students make the transition from English Language Studies (ELS) to full-time university-level programs. Students take core ELS courses and university-level academic courses at the same time. When you successfully complete the University Foundation certificate, you meet the English requirement for full-time academic study at UFV. The University Foundation certificate program has two levels. Students are expected to maintain a 2.33 grade point average and complete the required ELS core courses at each level with a C+ or higher in ELS EAP084.

The number of university-level courses you can choose is based on your UFP level and grade point average (GPA).

The Associate of Arts, Media and Communication Studies option, focuses on the study of information - how it is created, packaged, distributed, and used.

You will learn about different media industries, including social networks, and how they are changing. You will learn how advertising and other commercial images affect you, how Canadians fit into the global village and what it means to be literate in the new media; in short, you will learn how your life and society are changing in response to innovations in communication.

Students seeking careers in the technical areas of media production will find these courses very valuable, but will need courses from elsewhere to provide instruction in the mechanics of production. For example, while the music industry is studied, sound recording is not.

Graduates of the Associate of Arts, Media and Communication Studies option are prepared to seek employment, to transfer to one of the many degree programs in Canada, or to ladder into the Bachelor of Arts (MACS minor or extended minor) at UFV. Graduates are also eligible to apply to enter into the third year of the Bachelor of Arts in Professional Communication at Royal Roads University.

Gain a deeper understanding of our earth by earning a Bachelor of Arts with a major, minor, extended minor, or honours in Geography.

Geography is the study of the earth’s physical features, climate, and various phenomena. As a Bachelor of Arts student in Geography, you get to explore the links between the natural environment and various other disciplines such as politics, history, culture, economics, and science.

Geography major
In your first and second year, you are introduced to various aspects of the earth such as its: climate, evolution, landscapes, or rock formation. You also learn how people interact with their environment and what impact humans are having on the planet.

In your third and fourth year, you choose from a variety of upper-level electives from the geography of food, climate change, soil, and swamps to religion, tourism, and urban planning.

When taking a Geography major in the Bachelor of Arts, you can also choose to specialize in one or more of the following areas: Environmental Science, Global Studies, and Urban Studies and Planning.