Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Psychology with Management (Co-op)

at Wilfrid Laurier University - Waterloo Campus Canada

We believe a successful Economics program provides a combination of sound mathematics, strong statistical analysis and the ability to powerfully convey these findings. Our Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Economics provides rigorous training that will give you both theoretical and empirical methods to understand, interpret and communicate the key issues in today’s society.

Laurier’s Economics department is uniquely positioned within our Lazaridis School of Business and Economics to provide you with the option to complete your degree in Economics and Accounting or Economics and Financial Management. The end result is an Economics graduate that has the tools and skills to make a huge impact in the workforce.

LEARN AND EARN:-
As an Economics student, you can take part in our business degree co-op program – the largest in the country – where you can explore different career options and develop skills for your future during three work terms.

The information explosion of the modern age has resulted in extremely large data sets and a need to understand how to analyze and make sense of big data. Advances in hardware, software and statistical techniques are giving rise to automated methods to analyze patterns and models for all kinds of data, with applications ranging from scientific discovery to business intelligence and analytics.

As a result, data-driven decision making is quickly becoming the standard in almost every industry and has created an unprecedented demand for data-oriented professionals across a wide range of industries, organizations and disciplines. Given the volume of the data sets in question, it is nearly impossible to extract patterns, trends and behaviours without some degree of mathematical guidance and programming expertise.

About Data Science at Laurier
Our Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Data Science is the first undergraduate degree of its kind in Canada.

Our Data Science program seeks to address the data-related needs of modern business and industry. As a graduate of this program, you'll be prepared for many and diverse career opportunities through your study of mathematics, statistics, data analytics and computing technologies and methods. You’ll also take courses in computer science, data analysis, business and economics.

WHY PSYCHOLOGY?

By studying psychology, your insights into human behaviour will prepare you for many career options in social service agencies, human services or health.

The Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Psychology program provides you with a liberal arts education that includes broad exposure to the major sub-fields of psychology along with some training in research methodology and statistics. The program is designed to provide you with the analytical skills and information useful for a broad range of career options.

In addition to the BA in Psychology, we offer a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, which focuses more on the structures, functions, and workings of the brain and its interaction with our bodies and environment.

ABOUT THE BACHELOR OF ARTS IN PSYCHOLOGY

The BA in Psychology program at our Waterloo campus is structured to ensure that you are exposed to the breadth of content that exists within the discipline, while still permitting sufficient flexibility for you to pursue your own particular interests.

You'll come away with a solid understanding of the principles of human behaviour and be able to apply these principles in a responsible, engaged way.

We offer two different streams in our BA in Psychology degree and you will apply for these streams at the end of your second year:

Psychology stream: Offers you broad exposure to the major sub-fields of psychology, and prepares you for employment or graduate studies outside of psychology such as social work, teacher’s college, law school or speech language pathology.

Research specialist stream: Offers you training in research skills, along with considerable in-depth exposure to at least two of the sub-fields of psychology. You’ll also have the opportunity to complete an undergraduate thesis in your fourth year.

You can also add a Specialization in Community Psychology.

The Lazaridis School of Business and Economics at Laurier and the Cheriton School of Computer Science at the University of Waterloo (UW) have teamed up to give you 2 highly respected degrees from our two outstanding institutions. In this double-degree program, you’ll earn both a Bachelor of Computer Science (BCS) from UW and a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) from Laurier in only 5 years.

Mathematics is a dynamic, evolving subject with many fascinating applications. Mathematics is often used to solve problems from the sciences, the arts and business – once put within the framework of mathematics, real-world problems can be solved in an efficient and reliable manner.

As a Mathematics student, you’ll study why modern business models heavily depend on probability and statistics, first developed in analyzing astronomical and census data and gambling. This is just one example why mathematics has been, and will continue to be, of vital importance to the world we live in.

Our Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Mathematics focuses on the mathematics and statistics used in the social sciences, the humanities and business. You can combine our Mathematics program with many other disciplines, including Economics. We also offer a program specifically in Financial Mathematics, in addition to a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Mathematics, which emphasizes the role of mathematics and statistics in the natural and computer sciences.

CONCENTRATE YOUR STUDIES:

• You can select elective courses in mathematics and statistics within six optional concentrations:
  • Analysis and Geometry
  • Discrete Mathematics and Algebra
  • Mathematical Modelling
  • Statistics and Data Analytics
  • Financial Risk Management
  • Computational Finance

If you're successful in your application to the BA + Master's program in Political Science, you'll receive two conditional offers of admission:

• One to undergraduate studies (BA) in Political Science
• One to graduate studies (master's) in your undergraduate program.

This means that if you decide to continue your studies at the graduate level, you don’t need to apply to the master's program at Laurier, because you’ve already received a conditional offer of admission. You will begin your master's program after you graduate from your BA degree program.

BENEFITS OF THE BA + MASTER'S
Students accepted into the BA + Master's program receive mentoring and skills development opportunities throughout their undergraduate degree that will help them achieve the admission requirements for the graduate program, and help turn the conditional offer into an acceptance.

BA - Political Science

A Political Science degree at Laurier gives you the training and tools you need in areas such as political communication, policy and legal analysis, public opinion design and implementation, as well as election analysis. In the process, you’ll gain the experience and skills to understand the political events and debates around you, preparing you for a life of engaged citizenship.

Our program allows you to concentrate your studies in topics ranging from international governance and global trade, Canadian politics, comparative politics (e.g., the U.S. and Europe), public policy, area studies (Africa, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East), to refugees and migration and political research methodology.

Geographers examine interactions between humans and their environment. Over the past few hundred years, humans have modified urban and natural systems at a staggering rate. As the human population continues to increase and the demand for space becomes more competitive, graduates of Geography will have a sound basis for understanding these pressing issues.

Our Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Geography offers you the opportunity to focus on the field of physical geography. Physical geography includes the sub-disciplines of geomorphology, climatology, biogeography and hydrology, and focuses on understanding how processes in the natural environment function, such as the changing surface of the earth, weather and climate, or the distribution of water on our planet.

The BSc in Geography program prepares you to seek professional registration as an environmental geoscientist (PGeo). Professional registration allows you to practice geoscience in the province of Ontario. The work involves analysis of different Earth systems and geoscientific situations in natural settings, so geoscientists need to gather on-site data and make direct field observations. Worksite locations can be remote and physically challenging. As a BSc in Geography graduate, you'll be able to confidently apply to seek professional registration.

ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AT LAURIER
In our Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Environmental Science program, you will learn and understand how concepts from biology, chemistry and geography can be integrated to explain the processes that affect the physical environment and how these processes influence the biotic performance, from individual organisms to whole ecosystems.

The Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Environmental Science will give you the skills needed to understand how to use analytical tools, including lab and field methods, to quantify and assess the physical and chemical properties of soil, water and air for assessing and monitoring populations of organisms.

You will develop a broad range of techniques that will allow you to identify and devise solutions to environmental problems caused by human activities. You will be able to communicate these issues to diverse audiences for a number of purposes, such as helping to restore ecosystems or advocating for environmental issues.

Students in Environmental Science take one mandatory field course, and have opportunities to take others through the Ontario Universities’ Program in Field Biology.

Faculty members hire students as research assistants to work help with studies in the lab and field.

HONOURS THESIS OPTION
Students completing an honours thesis will conduct a yearlong research project that includes data collection, analysis and write-up.

Examples of honours thesis topics include:

• "Relating intensity of forest fires to caribou herd depletion in the Northwest Territories"
• "Effects of climate change on frozen landscapes in the north"
• "Effects of atmospheric processes on the movement and fate of pollutants"
• "Identification and conservation of rare and threatened plant species"