Associate of Arts in Philosophy

at Kwantlen Polytechnic University - Langley Campus Canada

The Bachelor of Arts Major in Sociology provides students with critical, practical and transformative studies that aim to prepare them for life and work in a diverse and globalized world. It is a flexible and well-rounded program, offering academic rigor and a solid grounding in sociology theory and research methods, and the study of societies in local and global contexts. Opportunities for engaging in applied, experiential and community-based learning are provided throughout the program.

Students may choose to gain a broad understanding of the discipline by taking courses in a wide range of sub-fields in sociology or streamline their programs by concentrating on particular subjects of interest to them such as gender and sexuality, racialized and ethnic minority groups, Indigenous studies, media and cultural studies, education, global social problems and social justice. In their final year, students may opt to hone their research skills by taking courses in Canadian and global studies with a primary research component. Or they may choose to take one of the community services courses to gain practical work experience by volunteering in an organization within the local community or participating in a field-school overseas in a developing nation. 

The Associate Degree is designed to provide an educational experience that prepares students for work, citizenship, and an enriched life as an educated person, and to lay a solid foundation for further study in the field of Anthropology

Anthropology is a broad discipline because its subject matter is the entirety of human diversity. Anthropologists contribute to an understanding of the human condition through interpretations of human biological and cultural variation. Anthropology is often divided into four sub-fields. Archaeology examines the past using material remains, including artifacts, skeletal material, and architecture. Social and cultural anthropology is concerned with contemporary human societies throughout the world, and their complex inter-and intra-relationships. Linguistic anthropology* examines diversity in language, including historical migrations and relationships between languages. Biological anthropology concerns human biological evolution and biological variation, including skeletal and genetic, and the interaction between human biology and our environments.

KPU Anthropology students work toward leadership-based careers integrated with local and global communities. Students will cultivate and demonstrate skills in inter- and intra-cultural communication, analysis, and both scientific and humanistic methodology.

KPU is a participant of the BCCAT Flexible Pre-major transfer agreement for Anthropology. For detailed information pertaining to the Flexible Pre-Major in Anthropology, please visit the Anthropology Department's website kpu.ca/arts/anthropology

Note: The Anthropology Department at KPU does not currently offer courses in Linguistic Anthropology. Students are encouraged to take Linguistics courses through the Department of Language and Cultures at KPU.

The two-year diploma in Business Administration will provide graduates with foundational business and professional skills, a solid grounding in economics, and a foundation in calculus appropriate for advanced studies and/or research in economics, finance and operations. The program is designed to give graduates a developed portfolio of job-ready skills and a wide range of business principles and concepts to expand the graduate's career options.

Advanced Game Development is a full-time, two-year, cohort program comprised of industry-level courses covering game development’s core disciplines: art, design, programming and production. Students will create various assignments, projects and games that will be assembled into a portfolio that is fit for working in the games industry.

In the design courses, students will learn crucial skills for designers, such as critical analysis, creative problem solving, communication and collaboration. While covering in-depth design theory, students also get hands on practical software skills with various industry standard engines and design tools, such as Unreal, Unity and the Adobe Creative Suite.

The art courses focus on environment and character modelling, texturing, animation, technical art and procedural art, while also teaching foundational artistic theory that can be applied to any creative medium. Students will be able to produce their own art assets for their games.

In the programming courses, students will learn the latest industry techniques in the fields of game programing, networking, AI, rendering and more. Students will learn to work with Visual Scripting, but also dive into programming languages such s C# and Python. Students will learn how to build full games from the ground up, to make their creative visions a reality and have the practical production skills necessary for their career in game development.

Once sufficient foundational knowledge has been gained, students will work together in teams under tight time and creative constraints to create games and prototypes. This will teach students the importance of production and project management in an agile framework.

The Bachelor of Arts, Major in Asian Studies degree will allow you to develop the competencies characteristic of a traditional BA program while preparing you to respond creatively to the challenges you will encounter in an increasingly interconnected world. In this four-year interdisciplinary program, you will not only acquire practical skills that you can employ in your multicultural communities locally, you will also develop the intellectual and cultural competencies required to operate successfully in a world where the nations of East and South Asia are increasingly influential.

As an Asian Studies student you will begin your first year of studies with courses that introduce you to Asian Studies as a discipline and to the countries and cultures of East and South Asia. These courses will begin to build the critical thinking, communication, and intercultural competencies that will allow you to succeed in more advanced courses. As you progress to more narrowly defined regional and thematic courses, you will examine in greater depth the societies, cultures, political systems, economies, and histories of the peoples and nations of South and East Asia, as well as their interactions with Canada and the rest of the world.

The Bachelor of Arts, Major in Policy Studies (“POST”) is an interdisciplinary applied degree that integrates concepts from economics, environmental protection, philosophy, political science and psychology. You will learn how policy can be used to achieve sustainability goals and apply your skills to community projects with partners such as the City of Surrey.

Students are encouraged to complete a complementary minor such as economics, geography or political science in addition to the major in Policy Studies. Please meet with an Arts Degree Advisor to talk about what courses fit your interests to complete your Bachelor’s degree.

The Associate of Arts in Geography is a two-year Human Geography program. It establishes a solid base of conceptual knowledge and applied skills supporting further study in Geography, engaged citizenship, and introductory employment in the public and private sectors. The curriculum combines topical coursework in introductory human geography and urban geography, and lab-science courses in earth science and atmospheric science. The curriculum also provides students with options for focused study of a variety of regions, and develops foundational skills in using computerized Geographic Information Systems (GIS) hardware and software to analyze and present spatial data.

While obtaining the benefits of study across several disciplines, students in this program concentrate on theories of crime, law, and the administration of justice in Canada. Students are immersed in a multidisciplinary approach to understanding crime in context, how different communities respond to crime in Canada, crime statistics, and different methods that can be used in researching crime and social control.

The Bachelor of Science in Applied Psychology is ideal for students interested in pursuing a health sciences career. This is also the Psychology degree program most suited for students who have an interest in neuroscience, particularly at the graduate level. The BSc is the most interdisciplinary of our psychology degrees, exposing students to biology, chemistry, math, and physics in addition to a broad array of psychology courses. This degree is also very “hands-on” with students being exposed to lab and research experiences as well as developing technical writing skills and workplace expertise.

The degree was developed in close connection with employers in the field and community partners, and has an applied focus that prepares students for employment upon graduation, for research-focused graduate studies, or for entry into professional programs of study. Many courses within this program have a lab component. The program takes a systems/ecological approach, recognizing the interrelationships between humans and their environments.

As part of their upper-level coursework, students will take courses across three main topical areas within Psychology:

• Research skills;
• Biological psychology; and
• Health psychology.

The degree will be embedded throughout with psychological application, including hands-on lab experience and courses focusing on human interaction with and use of modern technology, professional business practices, and technical writing. Students also participate in a workplace practicum coordinated by KPU and co-supervised by faculty and employers in relevant fields of employment. This practicum placement will assist students in gaining workplace experience and in meeting potential future employers.

Students interested in applying to graduate school or who prefer a more extensive research experience are encouraged to apply to the Honours program. The Honours program affords students an opportunity to develop and report on a research project under the direct supervision of a faculty member within the Psychology Department. B.Sc. in Applied Psychology students can complete the Honours program within the 40 courses required for the degree.

The Bachelor of Arts, Major in English program focuses on the diverse literatures of the English-speaking world, including the full range of British, Canadian, and American literary traditions, diasporic literature and literature in translation, oral and written Indigenous narratives, and classic and contemporary film. This degree will allow students to develop the knowledge, core competencies, and skills characteristic of a traditional Bachelor of Arts program, while preparing them to respond critically and creatively to a wide range of issues and challenges in our community and in society in general. In addition to critical reading, writing and thinking skills, students who complete a Bachelor of Arts in English will be prepared for entry into the labour market through the incorporation of essential employability skills into all of our courses. They will also benefit from the expertise and the commitment to teaching excellence of our faculty, as well as from the small class sizes that characterize undergraduate study at KPU. Arts degrees have high levels of student satisfaction, and the literacy and analytical skills developed in such programs will prepare students to become constructive members of society and to fit well into the workplace.