Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) (Co-op)

at Carleton University Canada

Psychologists study the mechanisms that underlie our thoughts, emotions and behaviours. They examine a diverse range of topics, such as how we think and learn, how we interact with others and how we can promote healthy development and wellness. This is accomplished by conducting research so that the knowledge gained can help us to better understand the human mind, enhance well-being and performance, and generate additional research questions.

Professionals working with children and youth face many challenges involving complex relationships with families, communities and governments. Childhood and Youth Studies at Carleton prepares you for careers in this demanding area. The program was originally developed for graduates of Early Childhood Education (ECE) programs, but the broader scope of the new curriculum allows for entry into the program without an ECE diploma. Through core courses in childhood and youth studies, as well as other relevant disciplines, you will learn about a wide range of topics (e.g., children’s rights, policy and practice) pertaining to children and youth in Canada and around the world.

The Canadian Studies program at Carleton tackles problems related to Canada that do not fit easily into disciplinary boundaries, including the relationship between settlers and the land they occupy, the trauma of colonialism and the process of reconciliation, the complexities of understanding and preserving heritage, tensions between urban and rural parts of the country, nation-branding, and the representation and performance of identity. These problems demand creative and innovative research methods and ways of thinking. The goal of our program is to help students develop the skills necessary to meet them.

Cognitive science involves the study of cognition, perception, and emotion from a wide range of perspectives. Despite the many different methodologies they use, cognitive scientists are united in their interest in the mind—and the brain.

Researchers in our program (students and faculty members) study the mind by combining the methods and theories of five disciplines: psychology, philosophy, linguistics, neuroscience and computer science. This interdisciplinary approach allows unique insights into human understanding, thought, perception, language and emotion.

The Bachelor of Cognitive Science is offered as an Honours program with either a thesis or coursework option, and as a three year degree.

Biology in the 21st century is among the most diverse and exciting of the sciences. Many of the challenges we face as a society, from environmental decline to the demand for new health therapies, involve biological solutions. As a Carleton Biology student in the BA program, you will gain broad experience through core science courses and courses in the arts and social sciences that suit your individual interests and needs.

The Bachelor of Architectural Studies (Design) program provides students who are seeking a professional career in architecture with an emphasis on design. The program’s strength lies in its ability to deliver an architectural education through an exploration of diverse disciplines that influence the built environment. This model of architectural education is, by necessity, a comprehensive one. It not only prepares students for a future in the profession of architecture but also provides a broad-based foundation for a multitude of interdisciplinary and related design fields. Students learn to handle the conflicting demands of function, aesthetics, technology and economy, but are trained in a variety of means of expression including writing, model-making, drawing, photography, video, digital media, and verbal presentations.

Students pursue intensive, studio-based studies supported by courses in Architectural History and Technology complemented with Directed Studies Abroad programs (DSA) in the second-term of the third year. Co-Op option is available.

The Bachelor of Architectural Studies (Conservation & Sustainability) program offers a specialization unique among all undergraduate architecture programs in Canada. Since 2009, this stream has focused on the conservation of historic architecture, paired with a study in the principles of sustainable design.

A growing proportion of architectural work – particularly in sustainable design – involves renovations with sustainability upgrades, or the adaptive reuse of existing buildings. Following the Understanding, Planning, and Intervening method set out in the Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places, students in this program learn to study and assess existing architecture so that they can formulate creative and compatible design solutions for historic built fabrics. Conservation studio projects are founded on strong historical and social understanding, along with deep knowledge of conservation theories.

Benefiting from collaborative course delivery between the School of Architecture and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, students in the BAS Conservation and Sustainability program receive in-depth technical education on integrated building systems, architectural materials and assemblies, green building techniques, and hands-on practice with heritage documentation. Through the study of conservation theory, ethics, and best practices, students also learn to research and analyze existing architecture.

The BA Geography program at Carleton focuses on human and environmental geography, exploring and analyzing a wide range of topics such as local food systems, urban poverty, cultural landscapes, adaptation to climate change and natural resource management. Students in the BA Geography (Honours) program may take a concentration in Physical Geography or Urban Geography. Our professors have extensive expertise in social, political and cultural geography; resource management and environmental assessment; and the study of physical processes of the Earth’s vegetation, climate, water and soil systems. Field courses, workplace opportunities (1 day a week practicum; full term co-op), and training in tools like geographic information systems, remote sensing and cartography also provide an opportunity to gain practical experience while you study. A Bachelor of Science in Physical Geography is also available.

Cinema is examined in Carleton’s Film Studies program as an art form, an entertainment, and a documentary record of our time. Through a variety of critical approaches, you will study the history and aesthetics of film and other moving-image media, the main currents and developments in filmmaking, and the works of some of the world’s best filmmakers. Other areas of study include the documentary and the musical; animation; experimental film and digital media; African, Japanese, Indian, European and Canadian cinema; film theory; film technology; and silent cinema.

You will also examine broader questions of culture and hone your critical, research and analytical skills. Students in their fourth year can also take advantage of the practicum program in which they can get real-world experience working in archival research, film preservation, programming, exhibition or production work at institutions such as the Canadian Film Institute, the Ottawa International Animation Festival and the SAW Gallery. Moreover, you will have the opportunity to express your artistic vision and create audiovisual essays through our “Moving Image Practice” courses.

How are new technologies changing the ways we interact with each other and live our lives? Why are many jobs becoming increasingly short term and how is this situation affecting people’s families, communities, and self-identities? Why do social problems like poverty, racism, sexism, homophobia, and ageism persist in the modern world? What can we do to address these problems? What is it like to live with discrimination when many of the doors to social participation are closed to you? How do we define what is ‘normal’ and what happens to those who don’t fit within these definitions?

Sociology asks these and other questions in order to understand the powerful forces that shape the world and societies in which we live today. It is also the study of our personal and lived experiences of those worlds and societies, and how our self-identities, future opportunities and ways of life are shaped accordingly. If you are interested in these kinds of questions, sociology is a good fit for you.

Co-op Opportunities
A co-op option is available to Honours students in Sociology and allows you to combine work terms with academic study. Work terms exist in a variety of public and private sector fields, and give you the opportunity to apply information and skills obtained in class, such as social survey design and both quantitative and qualitative data analyses, to practical social issues and problems. Students in co-op can gain the experience and develop the skills needed to acquire marketable areas of expertise. Work placements also offer a perspective on career preferences and interests, with an opportunity to develop job networks.