Bachelor of Arts in General Arts

at Lakehead University - Thunder Bay Campus Canada

Our Department of Biology offers a graduate program in the biological sciences, under the Faculty of Science and Environmental Studies. Students who successfully complete the program will achieve a Master of Science (M.Sc.) degree.

The Department's faculty and adjuncts offer exciting graduate research opportunities in all areas of Biology including studies in association with the following:

• Department of Anthropology,
• Lakehead's Biorefining Research Institute,
• The Northern Ontario School of Medicine,
• The Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre,
• The Thunder Bay Regional Research Institute,
• And the Centre for Northern Forest Ecosystem Research. 

The Department maintains modern laboratories and animal care facilities, unique field sites, and access to a wide spectrum of analytical services. Research themes include testing theories of global significance to applications in environmental biology, wildlife management, and human health.

The Department of Health Sciences offers an on-campus, thesis-based, Master of Health Sciences (MHSc) program that is designed to provide students with the knowledge and skill to undertake a supervised research study in a relevant area of concern, within the broad definition of health.

Completion of specific required courses, followed by selection of relevant elective courses, allows you to develop both breadth and depth in an area of research interest. Although you may choose to complete research studies using quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-method approaches, your are required to demonstrate beginning competence in both quantitative and qualitative methods. The structure of the program allows you to complete elective courses in research methods and/or in a discipline-based area of interest.

Are you interested in a Bachelor of Science, but feeling uncertain as to which program is right for you? Lakehead Science One allows you to explore a range of disciplines from the Faculty of Science and Environmental Studies without having to select a particular major until the end of your first year.
University is a time for exploration – Lakehead Science One allows you to take a mix of different courses throughout your first year to uncover your true passion.

You will have the opportunity to choose courses from a variety of science-based disciplines including:

• Anthropology
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Computer Science
• Economics
• Environmental Studies
• Geoarchaeology
• Geology
• Mathematics
• Physics
• Water Resource Science 

To compliment this flexibility, you will also meet with a dedicated advisor who will help you discover your interests and career goals, and majors that suit your aspirations. Additionally, our Department holds workshops on exploring program options, and monthly coffee talks with faculty members to learn more about your options.
As you near the end of your first year at Lakehead University, you will be ready to confidently select the program and major that is best suited to you

The Faculty of Education at Lakehead University offers a Master of Education program designed to meet your professional and academic goals and interests. Our Master of Education (MEd) program provides you with a unique learning opportunity, which addresses the current landscape of both education and research.

MEd: Gerontology Specialization
The Gerontology Program actively collaborates with the Faculty of Education to provide you with an innovative, interdisciplinary learning perspective. You have the opportunity to access multifaceted resources and work together with complementary disciplines.

The MSc in Mechanical Engineering satisfies the demand in academia and industry for highly-qualified personnel in the field of Mechanical Engineering.
Lakehead University’s Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering (MSc-ME) program aims to foster students’ independent research abilities through a combination of course work and systematic research. This MSc-ME program provides a dynamic and unique curriculum to train graduates to tackle mechanical engineering challenges faced by industries and communities effectively and efficiently. Graduate students in the MSc-ME program will benefit from small class sizes, friendly work environment, and close supervisor-student interactions.

Current research areas include the following:

• Mechatronics: Smart systems and structures, modeling and control of electro-mechanical systems.
• Vibration & Control: System identification, chaotic vibration, random vibration, active vibration control of flexible structures, linear and nonlinear control, robust control, intelligent control.
• Machinery Health Condition Monitoring: Signal processing, pattern classification, fault detection in mechanical and electrical systems.
• System State Prognostics: System state forecasting, remaining useful life prediction, artificial intelligence, machine learning.
• Design & Manufacturing: Solid mechanics, FEM, composite materials, ultrasonic waves in QNDE, design theories, system optimization, advanced manufacturing.
• Fluid & Thermal Dynamics: Heat transfer, thermal systems design and optimization, thermoelectric technology, advanced thermal systems.
• Alternative Energy & Powertrain: Renewable and clean energy systems, biofuel, IC engines, emission control.

Economics is a social science dedicated to the study of decision-making under scarcity, and the factors that influence wealth. Economics involves financial topics and broader historical, sociological and cultural topics ranging from the individual (microeconomics) to governments, industries and central banking (macroeconomics). This extensive and multidisciplinary study of the economy is what sets it apart from other seemingly similar topics such as Business or Finance.

As an economics student you will gain insight into the long-term effects of policy on communities by studying:

• Resource Allocation
• Current Policy Debates
• Statistics
• Economic Theory
• Incentives
• Econometrics
• Decision-Making 

You will also gain a marketable edge through field and speciality courses focused on labour, natural resources and industrial organisation. The natural ebb and flow of the economy means that economics is a changing and dynamic field. Our continually updated course content reflects new theories, information and current events impacting the Economics field. Mathematics is a large component of many of our Economics courses; therefore, our recommendation is that you have some knowledge and skill in the area.

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

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.

In the Master of Public Health with Specialization in Nursing degree, students will focus on current issues in the science and/or service of public health, so that they may gain experience through opportunities in any of the fundamental disciplines that underlie public health. The program is primarily intended to prepare graduates for a career in public health practice.The program's objectives are to prepare a graduate who:

• Possesses advanced health-related education
• Is capable of critical analysis
• Understands health-related decision-making at the level of the individual, population, and government
• Understands research
• Possesses knowledge exchange and dissemination strategies for individuals, populations, and government

The degree is designed to take into consideration the learner's needs including the unique opportunity to individualize his/her clinical courses to a variety of foci: clinical practice, administration, education, and community health.

The program is delivered using a unique blend of on-campus and distance technology: content is delivered using the University's online distance education course management system (Desire2Learn/D2L), and web conferencing. Students attend lectures via web conferencing; lectures are recorded and archived to accommodate time zones and working schedules. There is no requirement to attend on campus. Web conferencing helps to build relationships with faculty and foster a sense of belonging to an active and engaged graduate student community.

Computer science combines the intellectual challenge of a young discipline with the excitement of an innovative and rapidly expanding technology. Computer science has been an active area at Lakehead University for over 25 years. The department resides in the University's Advanced Technology and Academic Centre (ATAC), a striking building that houses many of the University’s computing activities. Faculty, staff, and students are equipped with state-of-the-art computing facilities including smart lecture rooms, labs, and a variety of computing technologies (e.g. Virtual Reality, Parallel Computing).

The Master's program in computer science provides an opportunity to explore the breadth and depth of advanced knowledge in the discipline. Students benefit from a selection of advanced courses and a chance to pursue research that aligns with their interests and aspirations.

Two program options are available to students; each option maintains a balance between coursework and research:

• Master's by Thesis, which requires fewer courses and involves a more substantial research project
• Master's by Project (2 years), which involves courses aligned with the IT industry needs and also includes a limited research project
• Master's by Course, which involves more courses and includes a limited research component

Co-op Information

• A graduate student will normally be admitted to the co-operative program option after completion of two terms, for a starting date in May. Students are expected to obtain an aggregate of 80% or more and must have taken at least 4 half credit courses (excluding non-credit courses, project and thesis).
• Co-op employment for 8 months (two terms) must be successfully completed to satisfy the co-op requirement for the degree. 
• Students interested in a co-op placement should inform the Department's Co-op Advisor at least four months in advance of the proposed date of the placement (e.g., by late December for placements beginning in May). The Department's decision as to the suitability of each candidate will be based primarily on academic performance. 

Political Science
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

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: