Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Philosophy and Political Science

at Lakehead University - Thunder Bay Campus Canada

Government policies influence virtually every aspect of our lives, from housing to education to crime. Our Political Science program studies the institutions, ideas, practices, and power that shape government and policy at all levels. Students will gain a thorough understanding of political systems - with a particular focus on Canadian politics - and overarching notions of freedom, equality, and justice.

Our goal is to provide a well-rounded Political Science education by applying both theoretical and practical modes of analysis to examine sociological, economic, and historical contexts. If you have an interest in political systems abroad, you will also have the opportunity to explore the politics of America, Africa, Europe, and Asia.

Additionally, you will study:

• International Relations
• Political Theory
• Law and Politics
• Public Administration and Policy
• Indigenous Governance
• Comparative Politics

Mathematics seeks hidden patterns that help us to understand life and the complex problems that surround us. This discipline of numbers, quantity, and space can be applied to many fields and industries, from Life Science to Finance. As a student in our Department of Mathematics, you will develop advanced analytical and critical thinking skills in addition to: 

• Research techniques 
• Scholarly writing proficiency 
• Comprehensive understanding of mathematical structures 
• Mathematical proof formulation and solution skills 

Mathematics is a very diverse and intellectually stimulating field of study. In addition to our traditional Mathematics programs, we offer Mathematical Physics and the flexibility to combine your Mathematics degree with a degree in Education, Economics, or Physics. You will benefit from our small class sizes, world-class faculty, unique research opportunities, and the ability to pursue mathematical topics you find most appealing.

The study of Sociology emphasizes the social relationships between people, communities and cultures. By exploring fundamental sociological theories, contemporary thinkers, and a variety of research methods, you will have the opportunity to examine topics including:

• Health and Aging
• Marriage and the Family
• Crime and Deviance
• Media and Popular Culture
• Science and Technology
• Gender and Sexuality
• Education
• Northern Communities
• Discrimination
• Social Change 

Women's Studies
The field of Women’s Studies has transformed dramatically since its introduction to Lakehead University in 1990. Alongside women’s experiences and gendered systems, you will examine elements of:

• Sexuality
• Queer Theory
• Law
• Masculinity
• Transnational Activism
• Ecofeminism
• Social Justice
• Pop Culture
• Embodiment

Through these topics and more, it is our goal to demonstrate how people are constrained by various ideological notions and how these notions can be challenged to facilitate equality.

The field of Gender and Women's Studies has transformed dramatically since its introduction to Lakehead University in 1990. Alongside women’s experiences and gendered systems, you will examine elements of:

• Sexuality
• Queer Theory
• Law
• Masculinity
• Transnational Activism
• Ecofeminism
• Social Justice
• Pop Culture
• Embodiment

Through these topics and more, it is our goal to demonstrate how people are constrained by various ideological notions and how these notions can be challenged to facilitate equality.

Our Department of Women’s Studies takes an interdisciplinary approach to feminism. Our faculty members are prominent in the fields of feminist legal studies, women’s health, queer studies, cultural and new media studies and teach related courses that easily springboard our students into the Masters of Social Justice and related postgraduate programs, law schools across Canada, midwifery, policing, and many others.

As a Women’s Studies Honours student you are free to combine your studies with a joint major in Gerontology, Psychology, History, English, Indigenous Learning, Sociology, Outdoor Recreation, or Concurrent Education, as well as Concentration or Specialization options with Social Work.

Biology is the study of plants, animals and the diversity of life in an evolutionary context. As a Biology student you will gain insight into how organisms interact, how genes are inherited, how creatures evolve and much more. Our programs are practical and hands-on with research and fieldwork opportunities in almost every course to enhance in-class learning.

You will be exposed to the central aspects of Biology including:

• Form and Function
• Cell and Molecular Biology
• Genetics
• Evolution
• Biodiversity
• Systematics
• Ecology and Environmental Biology

You have the freedom to study Biology in a way that suits your career aspirations. You may choose courses that will prepare you to become a professional biologist, or you can combine your biological studies with a major in Chemistry, Geography, Environmental Studies or Outdoor Recreation, Parks & Tourism.

The MScF Thesis-Based program is a research-oriented degree designed to give graduates a firm foundation in the process of scientific inquiry. Most research projects and internships are undertaken in one or more of the biophysical forest sciences, but social science research may also be undertaken. Research projects and internships are designed jointly by the student, a Research Supervisor at the location of the internship and the faculty member who serves as the student's Faculty Supervisor.

 Students normally complete all requirements within six terms (2 years) of continuous registration.

The MScF Course-Based (non-thesis) option requirements are 2.5 FCE required courses (including domestic or international field school), 1.5 FCE  elective courses, and an internship that is equivalent to 1.0 FCE for a total of 5 FCEs over three semesters (12-months).

Students will also participate in Field School, joining the existing initiatives offered to HBEM and HBScF students – either in a Canadian setting or International, and take a capstone course (0.5 FCE) in Professional Communication in the second semester.

The emphasis of the Course-Based offering of the MScF will be professionalism, communication and planning at a strategic level beyond basic natural resources management.  

Students in the course-based option complete a research internship designed jointly by the student, a Research Supervisor at the location of the internship and the faculty member who serves as the student's Faculty Supervisor.  The research internship will be closely coordinated by the Faculty and may involve local, regional, national as well as international collaborators. Students normally must complete all requirements within three terms (1 year) of continuous registration.

Modern Natural Resources Management is about people, science and technology. It manages the natural environment for the benefit of society, through the application of both natural and social science. As a student, you will acquire a complement of business skills, scientific expertise, along with practical experience; in fact, everything necessary to create meaningful and lasting solutions environmental challenges of today. You have the opportunity to discover methods that will sustain our forests and ecosystems for generations to come. Should you decide to enrol in Environmental Management, you may choose between three options after your second year of study: Wildlife Conservation and Management, Sustainable Land Use, or Conservation Management and Planning.

As your understanding of the natural environment grows, you will obtain the tools to tackle the current issues that natural resource managers face. You can also engage in the high-tech world of modern management through the use of GPS/GIS technologies, 3-D visualization satellite imagery, genetic research and much more. It's up to you!

Whether you decide to take either the forestry or environmental management degree, the curriculum is common to both programs, for the first two years. By gaining a broad introduction to the topics and issues surrounding the natural world, you will develop a better appreciation of your own role and potential contributions, both personally and professionally.

Each year, employers visit the Thunder Bay campus to recruit, because we have a reputation for providing valuable, hands-on experience to students, making them assets in the work force from the very beginning. Graduates no longer limit themselves solely to "typical" careers in big industry or government; instead, they become planners and facilitators, one who keep in touch with the nature throughout their careers. Our graduates work all over Canada and beyond, with large and small organizations, as entrepreneurs or consultants.

The MSc in Civil Engineering satisfies the demand in academia and industry for highly-qualified personnel in the field of Civil Engineering.

The MSc in Civil Engineering satisfies the demand for highly-qualified personnel in the field of Civil Engineering. This demand is fueled by the requirements to maintain an aging infrastructure and to maintain and develop natural resources with minimal environmental impact to natural systems.  Sustainability and structural durability and the impact of climate change on civil engineering works have become increasingly important challenges in the field of civil engineering.

This program offers students the opportunity for advanced study and the development of independent research abilities in the discipline areas of construction, environmental, geotechnical and geoenvironmental, rock, structural, transportation and water resources engineering.  Students will have the opportunity to conduct advanced study in emerging areas such as:  intelligent construction equipment management and computer-integrated construction engineering; electrokinetic ground improvement and remediation;  rockburst dynamics and dynamic stability of structures;   structural fire engineering;  structural health monitoring and structural dynamics;  and studies on multiphase jets and plumes and dynamics of complex fluids.  The program requirements are achieved through a combination of course work and research towards the completion of a thesis.

Several laboratories are equipped to support the broad range of advanced experimental research, including a new state-of-the-art Structural Fire Testing and Research Laboratory. This world-class facility has a large fire testing furnace that allows study of the fire resistance of various large-scale building components, such as beams, columns and floor assemblies.

Research areas include the following:

• Construction Engineering: Automated construction performance monitoring; Intelligent data collection systems; Greenhouse gas emission reduction in construction; Innovative methods for construction in cold regions.
• Environmental Engineering: Water and wastewater treatment; Cold regions environmental engineering.
• Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering: Electrokinetic ground improvement; Durability of cement-based concrete; Electrokinetic remediation; Hydrogeological and contaminant transport monitoring and analysis; Waste containment barriers; Hazardous waste site characterization.
• Rock Engineering:  Rock mechanics and mining engineering; Tunnelling and underground excavations; Landslides and open pit slopes; Rockburst dynamics; Structural reliability; Dynamic stability of structures.
• Structural Engineering: Fire resistance testing of steel, concrete and heavy timber structures; Finite element modelling of structural components subjected to fire; Performance-based design of structures; Building fire and smoke computer modelling; Health monitoring and rehabilitation of civil engineering structures under natural or man-made excitations; Structural dynamics; Vibration and control; Sensors and sensing technology; Earthquake engineering; Experimental studies of steel connections.
• Transportation Engineering: Design, operational and safety performance evaluation of transportation systems including intersection analysis, capacity analysis, transportation safety studies, transportation software applications and pavement performance.
• Water Resources Engineering: Experimental and numerical investigations on hydraulic structures; Experimental and numerical studies on multiphase flows; Investigations on non-Newtonian and complex fluids; River modelling; Hydrologic systems analysis and investigations; Drought analysis; Drainage and irrigation systems analysis; Flow through porous media analysis.

The Faculty of Engineering at Lakehead University - Thunder Bay offers a uniquely designed four-year Bachelor of Engineering Degree program in Chemical Engineering, with a Co-op/Internship option available. The BEng (Chemical) degree at Lakehead University is accredited through the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB).

Lakehead University - Thunder Bay has the only Faculty of Engineering in Canada where, after completing high school, you can earn a Bachelor of Engineering Degree and an Engineering Technology Diploma in four years.

The English Department offers MA students a program that best suits their interests and goals. We provide a valuable learning experience to those students interested in the MA as a terminal degree, while also providing those students interested in further study with the skills and knowledge they need to pursue doctoral studies. 

Our MA program offers students the opportunity to pursue their scholarly interests in the way that best suits them, as we offer a number of different program options: the traditional thesis option for those students who want the experience of writing an in-depth study on their topic of choice; a coursework option that provides students with coverage of many fields and the experience of working with a larger number of professors; and a research-project option that combines the two.

We also offer two innovative programs that are unique to Lakehead. The creative-project option allows students to write a creative work, while still engaging in critical analysis of the genre and form in which they are writing. Past creative-projects have included works in fantasy, children’s literature, poetry, and creative non-fiction. Our program also offers a collaborative graduate program with a specialization in Women’s Studies, giving students the opportunity to benefit from the expertise of both departments, to focus more closely on issues of gender, and to graduate with a combined degree, qualifying them for further education in both fields.

As a relatively small department, we are able to offer our graduate students personal attention that larger departments may not be able to provide. At the same time, our faculty members cover the range of periods, national literatures, and theoretical approaches in the field of English literature, and also have expertise in film studies, cultural studies, and new media. Many of our graduate faculty members have won teaching awards and grants, and all are active researchers. They welcome the opportunity to work closely with students in graduate seminars, and in supervisory roles for projects.

Work Experience

We also offer our incoming Canadian students the opportunity to work as a Graduate Assistant (for up to two years). In addition to providing some funding, being a GA provides valuable experience, including the opportunity to teach classes and work one-on-one with undergraduate students.