Bachelor of Design

at MacEwan University Canada

Learn how to creatively transform a message, to craft a visual statement that persuades, informs, motivates or entertains. A balance of practice-based, hands-on research and theory-driven coursework prepares you to design effectively and solve communication problems to improve people’s lives.

In our four-year degree, you will be introduced to new ways of seeing and thinking about design. You will learn how to creatively transform a message, to craft a visual statement that persuades, informs, motivates or entertains. Select a focus in visual communication design or user experience design or a combination of courses that suits your interests.

Criminals are getting more sophisticated, the world is changing rapidly and technology is constantly evolving. All of this creates a strong demand for educated professionals in investigations and public/private security.

This two-year diploma program equips you with the knowledge and skills to investigate, analyze and act using a combination of intuition, expertise and communication skills. Field placements provide insight into professional security and investigative environments, and a crime lab allows you to practice the investigative techniques as you learn them.

Since the Library and Information Technology program started more than 40 years ago, the proliferation of information has led to a dramatic increase in the use of technology to organize, control and provide access to information resources.

Information personnel require excellent interpersonal and communication skills coupled with the ability to deal accurately with detail. They are versatile and can quickly adapt to a rapidly changing work environment.

Students in the Library and Information Technology program develop the expertise needed to organize, retrieve and manage information. Graduates are equipped with the skills necessary to work in any setting that handles information management, not just traditional libraries.

This program exposes students to practical aspects of the profession, including cataloguing, reference, circulation, research techniques, information systems design, records management, and services to various types of library patrons. Using a wide array of electronic and print resources, students become familiar with the broad scope of information organization and retrieval. Students will also develop strong professional skills and competencies to work effectively within an organizational structure and in a customer service role. They will examine the central purpose of libraries in society, and consider ways that social responsibility, ethical behaviour, and social justice are important philosophical foundations for the library profession.

In combination with Arts & Science courses taken, students potentially may receive 60 credits towards a Bachelor of Arts degree.

The Bachelor of Commerce focuses on the development of basic business and managerial competencies combined with an understanding of globalization and its implications. The program is structured to provide comprehensive preparation for management positions with both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations as well as the public sector.

The degree provides students with knowledge and critical understanding of commerce and management, and the ability to gather, review, evaluate and interpret information relevant to business and management. Key professional skills are taught: ethical business practices and sustainability, business communication skills, teamwork, business analytics and technology, global and local mindsets, critical thinking and research, including the opportunity to engage in independent research and practice. These skills are integrated across all courses in the program.

The program consists of three types of courses: core, major/minor and elective. Core courses develop fundamental skills and abilities in business and management. Upon completion of core courses, the student will choose one of seven majors: Accounting, Human Resources Management, International Business, Legal Studies in Business, Management, Marketing or Supply Chain Management. The courses in the majors deepen knowledge of business within a focal area and the elective courses broaden education beyond business and tailor the degree to the student’s interests. Cooperative Education streams are also available. Students have the option of completing a second major, or one or two minors. The program will prepare students for graduate studies in related fields.

The Medical major provides you with a solid foundation in office and unit clerk procedures as well as in medical terminology, transcription, medical office procedures and patient chart management. In addition, students use current computer and software skills necessary for today’s health care fields.

One of the benefits of the Office Assistant program is its practicum component, which gives you hands-on experience in a real world setting. The practicum placement often helps you get your foot in the door and may even lead right to full-time work.

Students who have successfully completed their first and second terms and who are registered for Term III courses are eligible for a practicum placement.

To complete the Medical major you are required to take a practicum with a duration of four weeks. Due to hospital and collective agreement regulations, instructors must assist you with your placement in hospital sites. You need to have complete vaccinations and security checks before you begin your practicum.

The Bachelor of Music focuses on the study of jazz and contemporary popular music, responds to the current demands of the industry and combines a high degree of professionalism along with the academic rigour required for further education at the graduate level. The opportunity to study with internationally renowned professionals while following a challenging academic curriculum will give you the skills, insights, competency and credentials to pursue a career as a performer, creator and leader in the evolving music industry.

All Bachelor of Music students share a common curriculum in the first year that focuses on individual study (voice, piano, guitar, bass, drums, winds, brass or violin), performance ensemble, theory (jazz and traditional), aural skills, and musicology. After successful completion of the first year, students pursue a major route (specialized program of study).

The Recording and Production major is unique in Canada because of its focus on jazz and contemporary popular music and its commitment to the tonmeister approach that holds musicianship and musical art central to the development of high-level music recording engineers and producers. Students in the Recording major take courses in recording studio and production techniques, acoustics and psychoacoustics, technical ear training, live sound reinforcement, digital/analog signal flow, applications in music technology, and mastering, and acquire professional-level skills in AVID Pro Tools and other essential industry-standard software. The program of study also includes core Bachelor of Music courses in performance, theory, aural skills, cultural studies of music, and the business of music.

Build on your current education and experience. Open the door to new opportunities. Whether you hold a psychiatric nursing diploma or are a practicing registered psychiatric nurse, this degree enhances your knowledge and skills in clinical practice, leadership, management, education and research.

The Bachelor of Psychiatric Nursing (BPN) is learner-centred, innovative and accessible. If you have a passion for psychiatric/mental health nursing and a commitment to success, this program is for you. We prepare you to become a strong leader, promote excellence in professional nursing practice and contribute to optimal wellness of individuals, families, groups, and communities.

The Bachelor of Social Work program provides 3rd and 4th year undergraduate degree studies and will be of interest to Alberta Social Work diploma graduates and other students who have completed 60 university level Arts and Science credits. The School of Social Work offers transformative, collaborative and supportive education to prepare students for leadership roles in meeting the social justice mandate of the profession of social work. As professionals in a country that upholds respect for diversity, and in keeping with democratic rights and freedoms, social workers respect the distinct systems of beliefs and lifestyles of individuals, families, groups, communities and nations without prejudice (United Nations Centre for Human Rights, 1992). Specifically, social workers do not tolerate discrimination based on age, abilities, ethnic background, gender, language, marital status, national ancestry, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation or socio-economic status (CASW Code of Ethics, 2005).

Unique to this degree is the focus on sustainability — how social, environmental and economic issues interrelate, and how we fit into the larger community. Students have the opportunity to focus their studies around a number of themes, including working with children and families, working with Indigenous people, health and mental health, and community social work practice. Students learn from faculty who are engaged in research, blended learning and all areas of social work practice.

In addition to the common core courses outlined in the Program of Study, the major in Professional Communication offers the opportunity for specialization in strategic communication, editing and publishing, or technical communication.

Bachelor of Communication Studies
In our fast-paced world of evolving and conventional media, communication is key to interpersonal, organizational and career success. The Bachelor of Communication Studies program provides students with a solid foundation in the fundamental skills of critical thinking, writing, editing, and research. Common coursework for professional communication and journalism majors builds a foundation in language, composition, visual communication, communication theory, communication law and research methods, supported by a liberal arts framework. The courses in the majors offer depth, specialization, and choice. The minors provide additional scope and depth to your studies. The program offers many opportunities to integrate what you have learned in the classroom with real-life projects that engage the community and provide students with an enhanced learning experience. The field is forward-looking, and so is this program of studies.

Years 1 and 2 include common coursework for both professional communication and journalism majors that builds a foundation in language, composition, visual communication, communication theory, communication law, and research methods. Years 3 and 4 provide specialization in editing, strategic communication, technical communication or film studies (in the professional communication major), or in news gathering, digital media production, or film studies (in the journalism major).

Theatre Arts is an intense, two-year diploma with an emphasis on musical theatre actor training. The first year is spent in studio, private coaching, and classroom instruction, mastering the basics of all three disciplines while studying music theatre history, textual analysis, music theory and ear training.

The year culminates with workshop productions of a play and musical for invited audiences. In the second year, studio and laboratory courses continue while students apply their training in public productions in our new state of the art performance spaces.

To gain admission to this program, applicants must meet the academic admission requirements and be successful at an audition, demonstrating an aptitude in all three disciplines of acting, singing and dancing. A diagnostic will assess applicants’ basic skills in music theory and ear training.