Bachelor of Science in Biology

at Cape Breton University Canada

When it comes to global innovation and change, petroleum has been at the heart of some of the most important scientific advances in human history. That’s because hydrocarbons are at the foundation of our modern, energy intensive societies.

At CBU, we help you capitalize on this career opportunity by giving you the skills you need to build a solid foundation in this field. As a small island with an incredible way of life that is delicately balanced, we know how petroleum and its by-products affect nearly every aspect of human life and occupation.

After graduating from CBU with a BET Petroleum, students will have the skills and knowledge regarding the extraction, processing and refinement of petroleum resources. You’ll also focus heavily on protecting the environment, a challenge that is necessary to tackle in today’s oil and gas industry.

What skills will I gain from this program?

• Knowledge of drilling and exploration
• Reservoir analysis skills
• Completions planning skills
• Oil and gas equipment knowledge
• Awareness of petroleum processing

There’s something special about learning French in Cape Breton. From the impact on local business, to the influence on Canadian culture, one of the two official languages of Canada is taught by dedicated professors, and opens doors to a variety of career choices in education, foreign services, community services and translation, as well as in provincial and federal positions of responsibility.

French is spoken on every continent by millions of people, and is a major asset in business, institutional, professional and day-to-day communications. That’s why our French minor or concentration offers language courses from basic to advanced levels, as well as courses in French literature, culture and linguistics.

Why study at CBU?
At CBU, French courses are designed to help you develop the critical skills needed to understand the language at its core. The goal is to enable students to become familiar with the cultural and linguistic diversity within and beyond the Francophone world.

With students from more than 40 countries at CBU, our dynamic learning environment introduces students to an innovative curriculum that blends teaching and research in language, literature and culture.

Here, we know the study of French language comes in stages. That’s why French courses at CBU compensate for different levels among students, with steps taken to implement individualized instruction. Our dedicated and active faculty is made up of professors whose active research programs keep the French courses competitive and up-to-date, so you’re prepared to apply your skills wherever they are needed after graduation.

• All new students are evaluated to assist them in selecting the appropriate course.
• In the first two years, courses are designed to improve listening, speaking, reading and writing skills.
• In the third year, advanced students enroll in courses that deepen their mastery of the French language and further develop their knowledge of French and Francophone literatures and cultures in Canada and around the world.
• Third-year students also have the unique opportunity to take a wide range of courses in French linguistics that enhance their knowledge of the French language structure and usages, as well as aspects such as language contact, language variation, language pedagogy, language policies, etc., in Canada and other French-speaking countries.

What skills will I gain from this program?

• Mastery of spoken and written French for a wide range of purposes.
• Development of critical, creative and communicative skills, enabling students to better understand and interact with the world around them.
• Knowledge of French-Canadian literatures and cultures.
• Exploration of France and the Francophone world (i.e. Francophone Africa, Francophone Europe, the Caribbean, etc.) through literature, linguistics and cinema.

Communication helps the world work together. It helps people see the world more clearly, and helps to create mutual understanding. This is especially true when your world is an island wonderland filled with unlimited opportunity and intellectual resources. That’s Cape Breton and this is CBU – a place where you can learn to communicate with efficiency, respect and effectiveness. Here, you leverage your naturally existing communication skills to amplify and expand your other communication-based talents.

Clear and creative communication is critically important for safe, stable communities and workplaces. That’s why we’re proud to say Cape Breton University offers the only communication major in the Maritimes.

The theories and skills learned in our program are essential for successful careers, healthy relationships and the development of a deep understanding of communication and its functions in society. Through our on-campus and distance courses, communication students explore various areas of interpersonal and public communication, media studies and cultural studies. These dynamic and energetic environments allow students to develop the skills and knowledge base needed to critically examine and understand communication in all aspects of society.

What skills will I gain from this program?

• Critical thinking and reflection skills
• Conflict management / resolution
• Effective public speaking skills
• Effective interpersonal communication skills
• Media literacy and analytic approaches to media messages
• Leadership, team building and collaborative working skills
• Ability to apply communication theory in wide-ranging contexts

Why study at CBU?

• At CBU, our modern facilities and experienced faculty guide you through the intricacies of communication. This includes areas that touch on relationships, communities, culture, history and technology. We believe communication is ever-changing and evolving, so our faculty continue to stay up-to-date by exploring the impact that new technologies, practices and forms have on our daily lives.
• With the guidance of a communication lab peer facilitator, students work in small groups and participate in dynamic, hands-on activities and discussions. These discussions help them put into practice the communication theories and skills they study in the classroom. Peer facilitators are upper-level students who have excelled in their studies and have a passion for helping other students develop as communicators. Peer facilitators take our communication facilitation courses and receive training to gain personal and professional experience in this unique leadership role.

Today’s world is in constant flux, and not only are gender studies no different, they can often be at the centre of our major cultural issues. Every day, unique stories emerge in our lives, from gender politics to gender and economics, that can impact the way we work and live.

Our minor in Gender and Women’s Studies gives students the opportunity to study a full range of human experiences and arrangements of social organization. We offer a comprehensive curriculum to help process the issues we face as a society, which can provide lessons needed for life in a modern, multicultural and diversified culture.

This program prepares students with the skills to manage, nurture and shape society through a critical understanding of leadership and responsible action. We examine alternative institutional arrangements that will help students cope with an increasingly diverse workplace, as well as with the combination of work and family responsibilities.

What skills will I gain from this program?

• Knowledge of complex social problems
• Understanding of gender differences
• Critical comprehension of key texts
• Ability to analyze gender issues

Why study at CBU?

• Picture a place where a completely unique collective of people with a passion for learning all come together to make their world a better place.
• That place is Cape Breton University.
• Here, you can study multiple disciplines within the Gender and Women’s Studies program and develop a solid foundation with skills for the real world. Through a continual sharpening of widely useful analytical skills, our accessible faculty teach you to think critically about the production of knowledge. We also emphasize undergraduate student research to help you get the best start possible when you begin your career.

CBU offers a four-year Bachelor of Arts Community Studies degree in the field of Mathematics. For years, CBU has been providing impeccable services to its students to prepare them to be successful citizens of the world. Math is a subject that keeps evolving and there are new developments in the subject happening now and then. Along with mathematics, this degree also deals with community studies and how we can positively influence our communities.

CBU has a great faculty of expert mathematicians, state-of-the-art services, and excellent placement records which make this a very desirable course. Students have a number of career options after completing a degree in mathematics namely accountancy & finance, banking, actuarial career, statistician, careers in academia & research, engineering, and many more. 

Over the years a number of students have graduated in the field of mathematics from CBU who have made great careers. The four-year program helps students deal with the basic fundamentals of mathematics and gradually delves into the deeper aspects of the subject.

What skills will I gain from this program?

• Argument and logic skills
• Computer math skills
• Problem-solving & analytical skills
• Risk assessment skills

Now, more than ever, Canada’s health care system needs strong, compassionate and capable leaders. By studying CBU’s Post-Baccalaureate Diploma in Health Care Management, the only of its kind in the Maritimes, you’ll learn the essential skills and aspects of managing and leading a health care unit successfully and efficiently.

In a climate of rising costs and tighter budgets, health care units are in the continual process of adapting, innovating and reinventing themselves. Health care organizations are looking for employees who are knowledgeable of policy and quality of service directives and, at the same time, have the skills to manage people, resources, innovation and costs. The comprehensive curriculum of this program allows students to learn essential aspects of managing a health care unit, including accounting, statistics, analytics, organizational behavior and more, all within a culturally respectful environment.

This program is for domestic or international students who have an undergraduate degree, and wish to pursue supervisory careers in the field of health care. Or, for those students wishing to gain a foundational knowledge of management prior to pursuing a Master’s degree.

What skills will I gain from this program?

• Understand the effect of external environments (political, legal, market, sector) on the management of health care organizations
• Use data analytics tools and techniques to make strategic decisions, support operational goals and maximize resources
• Understand and respect the diverse beliefs, values and health care needs of the community, including Indigenous health care priorities, barriers and needs
• Ability to integrate technical knowledge of management, incorporating theoretical and ethical concepts in managing people, operations and finances

Experiential Learning Opportunities
Choice of completing a 12-week internship placement within an organization Or, completing a capstone project where students are supervised and closely mentored by their professors, having the opportunity to apply skills to a business project.

One look at island life and it becomes clear: CBU is a special place that is focused and determined to make the world a better place. The passion for innovation and collaboration runs deep in our history and fuels our future.

The engineering transfer program is offered at CBU on an associate basis with Dalhousie University. CBU is one of the few Associated Universities to offer the first two years of all seven engineering disciplines. These include civil, environmental, mineral resource, electrical, industrial, mechanical and chemical engineering. We deliver the first two years of the four-year Bachelor of Engineering program.

The first year of the program is common for all seven discipline options. At the end of the first year, you must make a decision on a specialty. Application is made at this time to both CBU and Dalhousie for a seat in the particular discipline of choice.

During year two, you will be registered at both CBU and Dalhousie University.

Students can also combine a BSc in either chemistry or mathematics with the Engineering Diploma. This program requires a third year of study at CBU to complete the BSc, followed by two years at Dalhousie University to complete the BEng.

What skills will I gain from this program?

• Reduce complex problems using appropriate assumptions.
• Identify appropriate engineering tools for real-world problems.
• Learn to plan for safety and sustainability issues.
• Explain interactions between technical systems in various contexts.
• Become an effective leader and team member.

Why study at CBU?

• Our friendly, welcoming, respectful community helps engineering students connect solutions with real-world problems.
• By starting the BEng Transfer Program at a smaller institution, students get individualized attention and support from experienced faculty, which is critical for success.
• CBU is home to the newest Engineering Department in Nova Scotia, and second in size only to Dalhousie University. CBU is also one of the few Associated Universities to offer the first two years of all eight engineering disciplines.

There’s an instant connection that’s made between the study of biology and living on Cape Breton Island. In this incredibly bio-diverse region on the coast of Atlantic Canada, we’re constantly reminded that we’re all part of nature.

Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of all living organisms. Although living organisms share some unifying themes, such as their origin from the same basic cellular structure, and their molecular basis of inheritance, they are extremely diverse. This diversity of life leads to many divisions in biological science. That’s why, at CBU, collaboration and collective learning environments are so important.

As a biology student, you will look at such topics as origins, structure, function, reproduction, growth and development, and behaviour and evolution of different organisms. In addition, you will consider how living organisms interact with each other and the environment on an individual and group basis.

What skills will I gain from this program?

• Solid grounding in key biology concepts and essential skills.
• Ability to specialize in multiple areas of
• Exposure to scientific research and educational experience.
• Skills required for any future career in biology.

The Post Baccalaureate Diploma in Business Management is a 24 months post graduate diploma which does not only interest students with a background in business administration and management but also includes a wide variety of students from the fields of arts, science, medicine and engineering as well. The diploma deals with a number of subjects such as marketing, finance, accounting, economics as well as statistics. The course at CBU has a great faculty and well trained staff that guide students at every way.

During the first year of the program, students are introduced to the foundation subjects of business management such as management, accounting, economics, and public communications. The second year of the diploma includes more practical aspects of the diploma where students learn marketing, business finance as well as strategy. Students in the last year also have an opportunity to go for internships for 12 weeks and are required to complete a project with an organization. After graduating from the BDM course students can enter public sector, social sector as well as government services. The various areas of study include organizational behaviors as well as business decisions.

What skills will I gain from this program?

• Understand the effect of external environments (political, legal, market, sector) on business
• Use managerial accounting to make resource management decisions that maximize value
• Conduct industry analysis, identify opportunities and propose product/services offerings
• Integrate technical knowledge of management, incorporating theoretical concepts in managing people, operations and finances
• Address management issues in workplace contexts, showing initiative and applying judgement

If you’re looking for a place to study the most interesting aspects of life, you have certainly found it. Cape Breton is teeming with as much opportunity to learn about how humans live as anywhere in the world. At CBU, the study of anthropology is a natural fit in a natural wonderland.

Anthropology is said to be the most scientific of the humanities, and the most humanistic of the sciences. Divided into the sub-disciplines of socio-cultural, linguistic, physical and archaeology, anthropology is the discipline that explores the human journey. It is a holistic discipline, meaning that it considers this diverse range of topics necessary to understanding what it means to be human.

This program at CBU aims to challenge our preconceived ideas about our own traditions and ways of life. We examine other, often opposite, notions and ways of living to help determine solutions for living the best life humanly possible. CBU also encourages a reflective approach so that students learn to place their own experiences under the lens of examination. This teaches social sensitivity and a sense of place in the larger context of global human experiences. Anthropology is considered a teachable subject by the Nova Scotia Department of Education.

What skills will I gain from this program?

• Ability to design and conduct thorough, independent research.
• Broad understanding of the similarities and differences of human cultural systems.
• Clear understanding of the human species in the context of the evolutionary story.
• Ability to apply an awareness of global human diversity to any future career choice.
• Learn to gather, analyze, and use qualitative and quantitative data sets.

Why study at CBU?

• With students from more than 40 countries, a natural coastline, stunning scenery drawing visitors from around the world, and a distinctive island culture, studying Anthropology at CBU is a truly unique experience.
• We provide students with a four-field approach to anthropology. Faculty who teach anthropology courses have research interests in areas such as medical anthropology, historical archaeology, evolutionary anthropology, anthropology of tourism, Mi’kmaw semantics and typology, language revitalization, Mi’kmaw language pedagogy and much more.
• This diverse range of topics and research areas provides students with a broad base of instruction that reveals the numerous types of topics that anthropological work is actively engaged in.