Associate of Arts in Creative Writing

at Kwantlen Polytechnic University - Richmond 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 Bachelor of Arts, Major in Applied Geography is a unique, four-year Human Geography degree with an emphasis on the urban setting of human activity. The program is distinguished by the scope and sequencing of its skills development coursework. Required skills courses include those in qualitative methods, quantitative methods, geographic thought, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and research design.

These skills-development courses are woven into a lively and relevant topical curriculum featuring introductory lab-science courses in: physical geography; introductory and advanced human geography; economic, social, political, and urban geography; options for focused study of a variety of regions; and courses in natural hazards and environmental geography. Having established a foundation of information-handling skills early in the program, students are equipped to apply their knowledge to service and research projects incorporated into their third and fourth year courses.

Graduates who complete the Bachelor of Arts, Major in Applied Geography program are able to comprehensively understand a range of contemporary urban issues and problems, and possess the practical skills to address them. They are engaged citizens, well-positioned for employment in occupations requiring knowledgeable people capable of working with diverse types of information, or for further, graduate study in Geography and related fields.

The Accounting Diploma program prepares graduates for entry-level accounting positions in the work force or to continue their studies at KPU in the Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Accounting.

The Diploma program includes courses in financial accounting, management accounting, finance, taxation and auditing. Graduates will also take courses in economics, business math, business statistics, Simply Accounting, information management, English and communications. The Accounting Diploma is carefully aligned with the requirements of the CPA accounting designation.

The study of criminology focuses on the problem of crime and on understanding the social, cultural, political, and economic forces that interact with the law. Concerns about public safety, crime, and social justice contribute to a strong demand for people knowledgeable in these areas. The fundamental courses present overviews of legal systems with particular emphasis on criminal and juvenile justice, forms of criminal behaviour, the role of law in understanding social and psychological phenomena, and the applications of sociological theory in understanding law and legal systems. Additional coursework provides a deeper understanding of the causes and consequences of crime, criminal justice policy, socio-legal theory, critical criminology, and restorative justice.

Criminology is an exciting and expanding area of study. By studying criminology and justice, students will learn about the causes and prevention of crime and other social harms as well as explore possible solutions to these problems. Our criminology BA degree programs provide excellent preparation for law school and for graduate study in sociology, criminology, criminal justice, and other disciplinary and interdisciplinary programs.

The Associate Degree is designed to provide an education 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 Political Science:-

Political Science studies power in all its forms. Since power is in a sense everywhere – from the workplace to the family, from communications media to the classroom, and beyond – practically everything can be grist for political analysis. Most often, however, political scientists focus upon power as exercised by governments and states, and in the international arena, between governments and states - as well as non-governmental organizations, businesses, social movements, and armed groups - that seek to influence all of these. Thus, Political Science explores the forces that shape our lives through public rule.
Political Science instils a range of highly transferable skills that are marketable in many fields and several career paths which place a premium upon training in Political Science.

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 Mathematics.

The Bachelor of Arts, Major in Criminology program provides students with a broad, liberal education in social science, criminal justice, and law. Students learn scientific research methods, legal, philosophical and theoretical approaches to aid in understanding crime and related social problems, and social responses to crime. The BA degree program builds on the central core of method and theory and affords students opportunities to hone abstract, logical thinking, and critical understanding of the issues, arguments, and debates that shape the discipline's character and aims.

Contemporary criminology courses developed especially for this degree expose students to cutting-edge theory and research. This program integrates opportunities to engage in undergraduate research, service learning, and practicum placements that provide students with highly transferable and marketable knowledge and skills. For more information, see the Criminology Department webpage: kpu.ca/arts/criminology

Students who graduate with a BA degree may apply to law school or pursue a graduate degree in criminology or other disciplines. Those who are interested in applying to graduate school, or who prefer a more extensive research experience, are encouraged to undertake a structured program leading to a Bachelor of Arts (Honours), Major in Criminology.

Co-operative Education:-
The Bachelor of Arts, Major in Criminology is offered with a Co-operative Education option. Co-operative Education gives a student the opportunity to apply the skills gained during academic study in paid, practical work experience semesters. Degree students in the Co-op option are expected to complete a minimum of three work terms while completing their degree. Work terms generally occur full-time in separate 4 month work semesters but may also be available part-time over an 8 month continuous (parallel) placement. Work semesters alternate with academic study.
Students wishing to enter and participate in the Co-op Option must meet the following requirements:

The Associate of Arts Degree is an exit credential designed to provide a more rigorous and broad educational experience than the Diploma with much of the same flexibility. The credential prepares students for employment, global citizenship and critical thinking, and can be used as a solid foundation for future studies. The Associate of Arts in General Studies option is for students who have not selected a major area of study.

The Accounting Certificate program prepares graduates for entry-level bookkeeping and accounting positions in the work force, or to pursue an Accounting Diploma.

The Certificate program includes an intense concentration of introductory and intermediate courses in financial and management accounting, one course in math, one course in finance, and two courses in tax. The Accounting Certificate is carefully aligned with the requirements of the Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting (BBA), Accounting Diploma and the CPA accounting designations.

Introductory financial accounting is a prerequisite for other required accounting courses making it necessary to study for at least three semesters to earn all required credits for an Accounting Certificate.

The Bachelor of Arts, Major in History, will provide you with the opportunity to study the many peoples and cultures whose contributions have created the world in which we live today.
Our BA degree allows you to develop the knowledge and core competencies characteristic of a traditional BA program, while preparing you to respond creatively and innovatively to a range of challenges in our community and our world. You will gain the literacy and analytical competencies demanded by twenty-first century employers. Equally importantly, you will become a better-informed citizen of our increasingly interconnected world.

As a History student you will benefit from our faculty's commitment to teaching excellence and from the small class sizes at KPU.
In our lower-level courses, you will begin to build the critical thinking, intercultural, and analytical competencies necessary to succeed in upper level history courses. At the upper-level, you will undertake in-depth studies of particular areas or important themes in global development. Please see the History website at www.kpu.ca/arts/history for more information on our thematic streams.