Bachelor of Arts in Political Science (Co-op Optional)

at University of the Fraser Valley - Abbotsford Campus Canada

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. 

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.

Develop your artistic skill, become a creative problem solver, and learn how to flourish in the creative arts industry by earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA). In your first year, you can explore a range of Fine Arts discipline while you complete the BFA general requirements in writing, logical reasoning, and science.

Before the end of your second year, you focus your degree, based on your career goals and personal interests, by choosing a major or two extended minors from the list below:

• Majors
  • Visual Arts
  • Graphic and Digital Design
• Extended Minors
  • Art History and Visual Studies
  • Creative Writing
  • Graphic and Digital Design
  • Media and Communication Studies
  • Theatre
  • Visual Arts
• Minors
  • Art History
  • Business
  • Creative Writing
  • Graphic and Digital Design
  • Media and Communication Studies
  • Theatre
  • Visual Arts

In your third and fourth years of study you deepen your knowledge by completing the requirements for your major, minor, or extended minors, and by selecting your choice of electives to meet the credential requirements of your degree.

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.

The Bachelor of Agricultural Science (BAS), Horticulture major emphasizes the academic study of the natural sciences in combination with an applied agriculture curriculum. The program will provide students with an understanding of science and the practical nature of large scale horticulture production. Breadth of knowledge will be enhanced by communication, business, and general elective courses related to agriculture in society, in addition to science and agriculture courses.

The BAS requires 125 credits. To receive a Bachelor of Agricultural Science degree, students must complete an industry-based practicum (AGRI 192) and an applied research project (via a Capstone course) which provides graduates with practical experience with which to enter the workforce and face the challenges associated with the horticulture industry.

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 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.

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.

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. 

A Bachelor of Arts with a Political Science major, minor or extended minor offers a range of lower and upper-level courses focusing on the fields of Canadian politics, comparative politics, international relations, and political theory.

Political Science major
UFV's Political Science major is designed to provide you with valuable skills in writing, communications, critical thinking, research, problem solving, and more.

In year one and two, you learn foundational skills in political science history and theory, statistical analysis, and research methodology. In year three and four, you round out your knowkedge by investigating relevant special topics and issues such as international relations, human rights, and public policy.

The Political Science major requires the completion of 18-19 lower-level credits and 30 upper-level credits. If you have research interests you can apply one Political Science Directed Independent Studies course towards your degree.