Associate of Arts in English

at Kwantlen Polytechnic University - Surrey Campus Canada

The one-year General Business Studies Certificate Program is designed to provide students with a broad range of fundamental business skills and an understanding of the business environment. Many classes are offered in the evening to accommodate part-time students.  The Certificate program requires completion of 10 courses and emphasizes real world business applications in key functional areas.

Students may select their elective courses according to the following guidelines for specialization in Business Management or Marketing and have the specialization documented on their transcript.

Courses in the certificate program may also be applied towards the Business Management Diploma program at KPU.

Concentration in English at the Associate level is an excellent foundation for a variety of careers and further studies. Those who wish to pursue a B.A. Major or Minor in English are encouraged to take a variety of English courses within an Associate of Arts degree:-

Are you interested in language, literature, culture or film? By studying English at Kwantlen, you will deepen your knowledge of great literary works, develop your critical thinking skills, refine your reading and writing abilities, and prepare yourself to respond in complex and creative ways to a wide range of social and cultural issues. A B.A. major or minor degree in English will also provide you with knowledge and skills to pursue a wide range of career opportunities and advanced degrees in areas such as education, journalism, professional writing, public relations, community service, and law.

Kwantlen's English Department provides undergraduate courses in a supportive learning environment. Keeping class sizes to 35 or under ensures that students have the opportunity to work closely with instructors who are knowledgeable and passionate about their subjects and dedicated to helping their students meet the challenges of university. Outside of the classroom, students can gain experience by taking the skills they learn as English majors into the local community through the practicum component of two of our 4th-year courses.
Students interested in pursuing a degree in English have two options: Bachelor of Arts in English Major and the Bachelor of Arts English Minor.

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 Sociology. 

If you have an Associate of Arts Degree in Sociology and you are interested in continuing your degree studies at KPU, you can apply for the Bachelor of Arts, Major in Sociology degree or a Minor in Sociology when combined with another BA program. Admission to this program requires specific courses and GPA. For more information, please see the BA Major or Minor in Sociology program description.

The Associate of Arts Degree in Sociology is a provincially recognized two-year academic credential program. The aims of this program are to provide students with an entry point into a Bachelor of Arts degree program, to create greater ease in transferring credits to other post-secondary institutions, to enrich students’ intellectual lives, and prepare them with academic knowledge and skills applicable to various work contexts. Students are exposed to an overview of central topics in sociology, fundamental sociological theories and concepts, studies in Canadian society and specialized subject areas in sociology.

The KPU Creative Writing Department offers students a community of creativity in which writers discover a purposeful craft and explore the gifts of the imagination. We offer award-winning faculty, small class sizes, and a rigorous approach to the craft of writing.

Teaching in the Creative Writing Department is based on foundational principles of mentorship, humility, discovery, purposefulness, and learner autonomy. Faculty demonstrate an authentic spirit of inquiry intended as a model for learners. In turn, learners engage with a teaching environment that is collaborative, innovative, creative, and respectful. We embrace emerging and experimental teaching methods and research-driven pedagogy in support of a dynamic educational community that is innovative, interdisciplinary, and socially and culturally responsible. In the Creative Writing Department, learner engagement extends beyond the classroom to encompass community and industry partners and peers.

Explore different disciplines of an Arts Degree in one of our Arts Courses. Through courses that explore a different topic each semester from a multidiscipline perspective (ARTS 1100), or an intensive interdisciplinary field school in the Amazon rain forest (ARTS 3000) students gain knowledge that spans multiple areas of study. For more information about how these exciting courses fit within your degree

ARTS 1100: Experiencing the Arts
Students will explore a broad and compelling theme through the lens of different Arts disciplines. The theme will change each semester. The course will be run by an instructor who is passionate about the theme, with class sessions taught by visiting instructors from areas such as History, Psychology, Geography, Fine Arts, Political Science, and other fields. This will help students realize how different fields within Arts are connected, as well as suggest directions for further study. They will learn to view their world through multiple, and sometimes contrasting, perspectives and develop intellectual skills which are essential for learning in various disciplines and for continued learning in life beyond the University.

ARTS 3000: Interdisciplinary Amazon Field School
Learners will engage in an intensive interdisciplinary field school in the Amazon rain forest. They will take part in cultural and creative immersion activities, participate in community engagement projects, and contextualize their field learning by classroom-based analysis and critical reflection before and after their field experiences. They will develop interdisciplinary skills in creativity, academic inquiry, ecology and conservation, cultural awareness, environmental design, design thinking, and community development. Learners will become familiar with various expressive modalities of the Amazon region (e.g. design, writing, music, movement, expressive arts, materiality, storytelling, etc.) and will explore the application of those modalities in an integrative learning environment. Note: Students will spend two weeks at the Field School site in addition to class sessions on campus before and after travel. Students must be nineteen years or older at the start of the course

ARTS 3200: Inside-Out Prison Exchange
The Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program works with equal numbers of learners from KPU and from inside the prison in a transformative, collaborative learning community. Students will address issues of violence, alternatives to violence and transformation through an experiential learning process.

This course takes place within a provincial corrections institution in Surrey, BC (Surrey Pretrial Services Centre located at 14323 57 Ave, Surrey, BC.) There will be an equal number of inside (incarcerated) students and outside (KPU) students enrolled in this course. Classes will be held on Wednesdays from 9:30 - 3:20 pm. The topic for this iteration of Arts 3200 will be Violence, Alternatives to Violence & Transformation. The first half of the course will explore the roots of both interpersonal and structural violence and its impacts on people, relationships and society. The second half of the course will introduce students to alternatives to violence including conflict resolution and peacemaking practices such as restorative justice. We will conclude with reflections on what it will take to transform ourselves and society in order to lower levels of violence.

ARTS 4800: Arts Practicum
The ARTS practicum course introduces students to the workplace and degree-relevant entry-level work through placement in an employment setting. During the term, students complete 48 to 64 workplace hours (approximately 4-6 hours per week). The course is for senior students with a declared Major or Minor in Geography, History, Philosophy, Policy Studies, or Political Science. For more information visit the Arts Practicum website.

The Bachelor of Arts, Major in General Studies degree program provides students with the opportunity to develop a degree program in thematic areas across disciplines. Working with an Arts Degree Advisor, the student creates a personal program of study in concert with specific career and personal goals, or simply develops a broad interdisciplinary liberal arts education. Such a program of study will normally involve a selection of courses from a number of departments that form around a coherent theme.

The program includes:-

• The development of knowledge, core competencies, and skills characteristic of traditional Bachelor of Arts programs
• The preparation of students for entry into the labour market by incorporating essential and employability skills in all courses
• The preparation of students to respond innovatively to emerging trends in society
• Clear benefits to students and to the community by providing an opportunity for them to complete a Bachelor of Arts degree at KPU where there is established emphasis on teaching, emerging emphasis on undergraduate research, long-standing connections to South Fraser communities, and accessibility to students in the expanding South Fraser region.

The Post-Baccalaureate Diploma in Human Resources Management is designed for a student that has completed a recognized bachelor’s degree, with a Canadian equivalent GPA of 2.33, and is looking to build a foundation of formal human resource management knowledge, competence and business acumen.

Co-operative Education

The Post-Baccalaureate Diploma in Human Resources Management is offered with a Co-operative Education option. This option requires an additional 10 credits of Co-operative Education courses. Students wishing to enter and participate in the Co-op option must meet the following requirements:

The goal of the Bachelor of Arts Major in Anthropology Program at KPU is to prepare students for life, work, and research in diverse local and global communities. At KPU we offer two streams of study: Archaeology-Biological and Social-Cultural. The Archaeology-Biological stream has a unique component in that our current anthropology field school involves direct interaction at a high level with indigenous communities and Anthropology professionals, and has been endorsed by the British Columbia Association of Professional Archaeologists, the first such endorsement in Canada. The Social-Cultural stream prepares students for a knowledge- and information-based economy in a world that is increasingly globally interconnected. Learning in this area of our field is conducted through a high degree of community service work involving brokering between divergent stakeholders. The emphasis of Anthropologists at KPU is the applied aspect of our profession. Our teaching is realized through hands-on activities, lab work, and community events whose experience has the ultimate goal of understanding any aspect of humans and their activities.

Advanced 3D Animation and 3D Modelling is a full-time, two-year, cohort program focused on the fundamentals of 3D Animation and 3D Modelling. Students will study various department specializations, such as 3D animation (character and creature), rigging, 3D modelling and sculpting, and texturing and surfacing. The program also touches on the fundamentals of storytelling through acting and visual composition, look development and the basics compositing. The program also teaches students the fundamentals of pre- and postproduction, critical analysis and review, realistic production schedules, team work, soft skills and how to interact with other departments within the postproduction pipeline. A wide range of industry standard software and tools, processes, and workflows are taught to the students. Students will create and compile a portfolio of shots or still life images in the form of a demo reel.

The 3D animation courses focus on animation principles, while integrating rigging, basic scripting, cloth simulation, body mechanics and animation for characters, inanimate objects and creatures.

In the 3D modelling courses students will learn the latest industry techniques in the fields of hard surface modelling, sculpting, texturing and surfacing.

While starting with the observation of traditional drawing and sculpting techniques, students will take these skills into their 3D models, environments and 3D animations. The integration of look development, shading and compositing fundamentals helps bring both 3D models and animations together for polished, final compositions.

The Advanced 3D Animation and 3D Modelling program is best suited for students that display an artistic or creative background. A foundation in technical and/or software skills is also beneficial.

The Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) Program in Human Resources Management provides full-time and part-time intensive study for students wishing to undertake studies in the human resources management field.  The degree is designed to prepare students to achieve the Required Professional Capabilities of the Certified Human Resources Practitioner (CHRP) designation and for a range of human resources professional roles.

Co-operative Education

The BBA in Human Resources Management degree 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 can complete a minimum of three work terms while completing their degree. Work terms generally occur full-time in separate 4 month work semesters. Work semesters alternate with academic study.