Associate of Science

at University of the Fraser Valley - Abbotsford Campus Canada

Gain the essential skills required to enter the field of information technology with a UFV Computer Information Systems (CIS) certificate. The two-semester program provides you with the knowledge and experience to work with single-user systems and meet the needs of small companies who require employees with computer experience. As part of the program's strong emphasis on practical work, you get to apply what you learn in the classroom on hands-on projects in UFV's well-equipped labs. Flexible course options allow you to graduate with a certificate focused on specific skills or a general knowledge base. Depending on your course selection, you may find yourself working in areas such as web support, user technical support, or computer support.

UFV ten- to eighteen-month* Data Analysis post-baccalaureate program equips you with the practical skills needed to extract reliable information from large data sets.

By taking carefully designed courses with the right mix of computing and statistics, you gain the database skills you need to house, extract, manipulate and maintain data.

More importantly, you also learn the statistical techniques needed to collect data correctly, assess its quality, analyze it, and turn it into the business intelligence that companies and institutions highly value in the marketplace.  Beyond knowing how to use specific programming languages and tools, employers need you to identify meaningful patterns, so that you can draw actionable conclusions to guide decision-making.

Take UFV's Community Support Worker Certificate to work in a variety of roles with children and adults with mental and/or physical disabilities. Acquire skills and knowledge needed to work on the front-lines in school and community settings. Learn professional ethics and standards, the history of service delivery, philosophies of helping, adaptive technologies, communications, and how to create inclusive communities. 

Earn your Community Support Worker certifiate from UFV on a full or part-time basis as you complete 31 credits, including a 200-hour supervised field experience in a social service or school setting.

View Community Support Worker's program outline in the UFV Academic Calendar

When you graduate you can apply to earn a Social Services diploma, entering in the second year, The diploma would qualify you for employment in program management and administration. 

Careers in the trades often lead to managerial and/or ownership positions, yet few trades people have the opportunity to academically prepare themselves with the skills required to own and operate their own business. This program provides individuals with the ability to leverage their prior learning (Trade certificate) and to augment prior learning with the fundamentals of business management theories and practices. The objective is to produce graduate students who are equipped to successfully function as managers and owners of a trade-related business in today's rapidly changing global environment.

UFV’s Early Childhood Education (ECE) certificate program is an excellent foundation to purse a career working with young children.

Especially designed for students who are coming out of high school, and those already in the workforce the four-semester program takes you through basic courses in communication, interpersonal growth, human development, and the early childhood curriculum.

You explore the theories and current trends in physical, cognitive and psycho-social development, from conception to the age of eighteen. In addition, you are introduced to different recording techniques that have been developed from observing children’s social, play, language, motor, and cognitive development.

In the third and fourth semesters, you also complete a 200-hour introductory and a 200-hour advanced practicum where you put Early Childhood Education theories into practice, document your experience, and apply advanced competencies including parent interaction, self-evaluation, and peer evaluation.

UFV's Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree prepares you to collaborate with individuals, families, groups and communities in diverse envronments and cultural settings. Upon graduation you can apply to register with the British Columbia College of Social Workers (RSW). Or, opt to pursue further studies and complete a Master of Social Work degree at UFV.

You enter the BSW when you are in third year after you've completed 60 credits. Once admitted to the program, you will complete two field placements with one of UFV's community partners. The program offers flexibility so you can carry on with other commitments in your life while earning your degree. 

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.

Learn about the criminal justice system and delve into the complex issues surrounding it such as the causes, prevention, and law enforcement responses to criminal behaviour.

In your first and second year, you examine the historical evolution of criminological thought and learn to view criminology as both a science and profession. You learn to identify the psychological and sociological factors that drives an individual to crime and how the criminal justice system is applied.

In your third and fourth year, you develop your analytical and critical thinking skills by designing your own research project. This is an opportunity to use various qualitative and quantitative research methods to prepare for graduate studies and advanced career opportunities within the criminal justice field.

After you graduate from UFV’s Criminal Justice Bachelor program, you have gained the vocabulary and critical discernment to apply criminological and criminal justice principles to effect individual, community, and organizational challenges.

UFV’s Bachelor of Arts in Child and Youth Care (BA CYC) is a four-year program that prepares you to become a skilled child and youth care professional, ready to provide guidance, support and help children, youth, and families overcome emotional and physical challenges.

Starting with a focus on development and social competence for therapeutic intervention through relationships, you examine and address the issues that affect children and youth who are facing social and developmental difficulties.

With core courses offered in the afternoon and the evening, the BA CYC can accommodate your work schedule if you are currently employed in the human services field and wish to grow your career and gain skills you can apply in your work setting.

In the third and fourth year, the program culminates in two 300-hour practica that provide you with opportunities to gain direct experience working with one of UFV’s learning partners. Through both practica, you benefit from the structured supervision of experienced professionals, who can provide valuable guidance and feedback.

After you graduate from the Bachelor of Arts in Child and Youth Care, you have acquired the skills to take on consultations, case assessments and interventions, counselling, advocacy, policy development, and to become a well-rounded practitioner in any agency or program. 

You may also pursue further studies in child and youth care, public administration, criminal justice, social work, or any related field.