Bachelor of Environmental Studies

at University of the Fraser Valley - Abbotsford Campus Canada

UFV's Horticulture Crop Production and Protection certificate provides you with a solid foundation to prepare you to enter the horticulture industry. The program emphasizes principles and practices of horticultural crop production, protection, and maintenance that are in line with sustainability, food security, and environmentally responsible agricultural production techniques.

Topics include:

• Introduction to agribusiness principles
• Horticulture skills and techniques
• Plant identification
• Greenhouse production
• Nursery production and propagation
• Integrated pest diagnosis and treatment
• Fruit and vegetable crop production
• Soil analysis and fertility
• Farm and safety equipment

As a student, you are actively involved in practical, hands-on activities in the Agriculture Technology department greenhouses and on the UFV campus.

The one-year Horticulture Crop Production and Protection certificate transfers completely to the two-year Agriculture Technology diploma, Horticulture Crop Production and Protection option. Some credits may also transfer to other two-year programs in horticulture. Qualifying students may also be eligible to receive the equivalent of Year I apprenticeship in production horticulture.

A Liberal Arts diploma is an excellent choice if you want to explore broadly before you choose a discipline in the arts.

The Liberal Arts diploma program requires a minimum of 60 university-level credits. It is designed to provide you with a breadth of intellectual and academic experience while recognizing the importance of concentrated study in a specific field or discipline.

The diploma may serve as a stepping stone if you plan to transfer or eventually want to continue your studies to earn a Bachelor of Arts at UFV. If you’re planning to pursue the BA at UFV, you can simultaneously complete the Liberal Arts diploma and satisfy the general requirements for the bachelor’s degree as well as the lower-level requirements for a major, extended minor(s), or minor. This could save you time and money while earning your degree.

In addition to foundational courses in writing, communication, critical thinking, quantitative literacy, and scientific literacy, you can take classes from any of the following disciplines with the goal of finding a focus for your studies:

• Anthropology
• Applied Ethical and Political Philosophy
• Applied Statistics
• Art History
• Biology         
• Business
• Communications
• Computer Information Systems
• Criminal Justice
• Economics 
• English 
• English — Creative Writing 
• French 
• Geography 
• History 
• Indigenous Studies 
• Kinesiology
• Latin American Studies 
• Mathematics 
• Mathematics (Statistics option) 
• Media and Communication Studies 
• Peace and Conflict Studies 
• Philosophy 
• Political Science
• Psychology 
• Sociology 
• Sociology/Anthropology 
• Theatre 
• Visual Arts 

UFV's Bachelor of Media Arts prepares you for creative production in digital and interactive media, one of the fastest growing industries in B.C. today.

The program is designed to equip you with computing and digital design skills, as well as the skills to work in creative teams. In addition to learning the traditional techniques and strategies of the creative disciplines, you also develop the ability to master new software and technologies independently. The ability to learn on your own is key in a fast-paced industry where emerging jobs may not yet have occupational titles.

The program emphasizes the need for practical experience. As part of your degree, you get to complete a professional practices course to know how to identify and market your skills in an industry where teamwork and creativity are at a premium. In your last year, your studies culminate in two large project courses where you put your skills to work for a community organization, under the supervision of a faculty member.

Within the degree, you have the flexibility to focus on your personal interests and career goals by selecting from one of five Media Arts Concentrations:

1. Applied Interactive Media
2. Digital Art
3. Interactive Media Leadership
4. Media and Performance
5. Screen Studies

This program is designed to provide a sound background for students who intend to pursue careers in businesses with interests overseas, church work in the third world, teaching, journalism, community relations, translation, international development work, the travel industry, diplomacy, government, international trade and commerce, as well as for those wishing to prepare for advanced scholarly work and research. Currently the International and Development Studies option focuses on Latin America.

International and Development Studies field school
Optional field schools and study tours of three to six weeks duration are organized on a regular basis. A typical field school in Latin America of a three-week duration would cost approximately $2,000 plus meals. A field school certificate will be awarded to those students successfully completing this aspect of the program.

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.

A Geographic Information System (GIS) is a computerized data management system that allows us to visualize, investigate, and interpret information related to our world. GIS has become increasingly prevalent in industry, research and academia within a wide variety of fields. Applications of GIS range from creating maps displaying information of interest to using spatial analyses to detect relationships, patterns, and trends in location-based data. As such, GIS can be an essential tool for mapping, research, and decision making.

The GIS certificate program is designed to provide students with the core concepts underlying the use of location-based GIS data as well as the essential software skills necessary for work in both public and private sectors.

This program combines courses in the Geography, Computer Information Systems and Mathematics departments into a certificate. The program consists of a minimum of 31 credits.

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.

The UFV Marketing and Sales certificate is a part-time program suitable for people who wish to launch a career in the field or for those already employed who want to move their career forward.
The UFV Marketing and Sales certificate provides essential grounding in math, business, marketing, professional selling, advertising, retail management, and public speaking to prepare you to make your mark in the workplace or ladder into a Bachelor of Business Administration with a solid foundation of applied knowledge and skills.

In as little as three semesters, you could complete your certificate and be on your way to a rewarding career with excellent potential for growth. Or if you already work full-time, you may take up to seven years to complete your requirements.

Get a broad, high-quality foundation in the Arts and add a valuable credential to your résumé by earning an Associate of Arts degree at UFV.

Within the degree, you can choose from the following options:

• General option
• International and Development Studies option
• Media and Communication Studies option
• Theatre option

This program includes a breadth of intellectual and academic experience worthwhile if your educational or career goals lie in the humanities, the creative and performing arts, or the social sciences.

In addition, practicum opportunities and optional paid co-op work placements throughout your studies allow you to gain valuable work experience.

The Associate of Arts degree may serve as a stepping stone if you plan to continue your studies to earn a Bachelor of Arts at UFV or elsewhere.

A career in the criminal justice field is a dynamic and challenging one; UFV's 61-credit Criminal Justice diploma program prepares you for front-line/entry-level jobs in the field.
Gain a broad perspective on issues of law, justice, crime, and criminal behaviour with a well-rounded curriculum that includes subject matter from various disciplines, including criminology, psychology, sociology, communications, and political science.

Learn valuable skills in mediation, crisis management, and conflict de-escalation, and participate in a field work practicum that is designed to meet your career interests.
After you graduate, you may go directly into the third year of the Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice program. The diploma program also offers a transfer option to BCIT Bachelor of Technology in Forensic Investigation.