Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Psychology and Economics (Joint Majors)

at Trent University Peterborough Canada

With so many fascinating science programs offered at Trent, it can be difficult to know which degree to choose. If you’re interested in general sciences but haven’t yet decided on a specific program, this flexible first-year pathway is for you. Honours Science allows you to explore courses across various science programs before declaring a major or joint-major in your second year. You can even choose to combine different disciplines, taking courses from programs across both the sciences and arts.

Program Paths
Start in Honours Science in first year and move into the science program of your choice in second year – Environmental Science, Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics, Psychology… which major will you choose?

This degree provides the perfect path for students who wish to find solutions to large-scale challenges such as pollution, climate change or rising sea levels. The program integrates the disciplines of geology, biology, chemistry and geography, and gives you an opportunity to study at one of the top 100 green campuses in the world.  As an Environmental Geoscience student, you’ll study the interaction between human activities and our planet while discovering environmental solutions alongside some of the world’s leading environmental researchers and scientists.

Philosophy engages with important and enduring questions about the world and our place in it. Studying Philosophy cultivates good reasoning and effective communication. As a Philosophy student at Trent, you will explore the nature of reality, the limits of knowledge, and systems of value. You will be challenged to think critically and creatively as you develop your own ideas in relation to a wide range of philosophical perspectives.

Resume Boosters:

• Explore your strengths and career interests, and graduate with 12 months of work experience (and income) through the new four-year B.A. co-op option, giving you the competitive edge for future job prospects
• Put your work on display at the Trent Philosophy Society’s annual student symposium
• Learn and conduct research alongside leading faculty, including the Kenneth Mark Drain Chair in Ethics
• Enjoy generous awards and scholarships available exclusively to Philosophy majors
• Share your knowledge, papers and research with the world at conferences and symposiums
• Interact with our strong network of Philosophy alumni that stop in from time to time, including Yann Martel, best-selling author of Life of Pi

You want to become an innovative business leader or entrepreneur. No other program will help you get there better than Trent’s exclusive Bachelor of Business Administration. By examining corporate, self-employment, online, small business, and other business models, you’ll learn the fundamentals of leadership and management, gaining a deep understanding of the organization of business and its role in today’s highly-digital world.

Ethics & Sustainability (Specialization):-
Business headlines today often include news of companies compromising ethics in favour of the bottom line. With the private sector having a big influence on people’s livelihoods, the world needs business experts who can guide moral decision making. In this important specialization, B.B.A. students gain a foundational knowledge of social and environmental ethics as they relate to business, equipping them with the tools needed to transform the corporate world for the better.

Resume Boosters:-

• Prepare for your CPA designation or springboard into an M.B.A. benefiting from the knowledge and expertise of Trent’s community of business leaders and mentors
• Complete 100-hours of hands-on professional experience through an internship with business sector companies and organizations
• Leave your mark at Trent through a fourth-year legacy project or undertake a community-based research project with local businesses

Not only will you graduate with two degrees in just six years, but you’ll also have the chance to take your education global while you learn, travel, explore, and live abroad.

If a career in law is what you want, this is the program for you. In this one-of-a-kind program, you will undertake either a Bachelor of Arts Honours or a Bachelor of Business Administration degree at Trent – Ontario’s #1 undergrad university, while also obtaining a law degree from Swansea University’s renowned Hillary Rodham Clinton School of Law in the UK – no need to write the LSATs.

How the Program Works:-
The first two years of your degree take place at Trent, where you’ll pursue your choice of 14 degree options. In third year, you’ll transfer to the coastal city of Swansea in Wales to complete three years of law studies, earning your Bachelor of Laws degree. Once your LL.B. is complete, you’ll return to Trent to complete your Honours degree credentials. By simultaneously taking several Canadian Law courses in your final year at Trent, you’ll be well-prepared for the National Committee on Accreditation (NCA) exams, enabling you to take the required steps to practice law in Canada.

Degree Program Options:-
Business Administration*; Canadian Studies; Cultural Studies; Economics; English Literature*; Environmental & Resource Studies; Gender & Women’s Studies; History*; Indigenous Studies; International Development Studies; Media Studies*; Philosophy*; Political Studies; Sociology*

Resume Boosters:-

• Combining your law degree with your choice of B.A. or B.B.A. degree means that you will graduate with a unique set of skills and perspectives
• Meet and learn from top law professionals through our Visiting Lawyers in Residence program
• Join the Trent Law Society and benefit from field trips, workshops, and events, all with a focus on law and the legal system

Forge your own path to a rewarding career in education through Trent’s distinctive Teacher Education Stream (TES). If your dream is to become a teacher, this one-of-a-kind program is the best pathway. TES will provide you with a strong foundation for application to a consecutive B.Ed. teacher education program, giving you an opportunity to design your B.A. or B.Sc. degree according to your individual interests. Gain relevant practical and theoretical knowledge through coursework and experiential opportunities such as teaching placements and other hands-on experiences. 

Resume Boosters:-

• Pursue education-related placements in EVERY year of the program, starting in year one, in schools, day cares, zoos, senior centres, libraries, and more
• Take specialized courses in teacher education throughout your undergrad degree

International Development Studies at Trent aims to equip students with the tools to understand and analyze societal transformation, and to act in ways that contribute to progressive social and political change. Here, you will learn from a range of experts, including anthropologists, political scientists, and economists, as you take courses that fuse theory and practical learning. You’ll explore wide-ranging themes such as global poverty, food systems, hunger, conflict, ecological degradation, industrialization, and cultural identity, as you better understand the sources and consequences of human development around the world. Your studies will pay particular attention to the world’s most vulnerable populations and their complex relations with states, corporations and international organizations.

African Studies
Gain international experience and deepen your understanding of international development by living, studying, and working abroad in a third-world country through Trent’s respected Trent-in-Ghana program.

Africa is a continent of great historical and contemporary global importance. Gain international experience and deepen your understanding of international development by living, studying, and working abroad in a third-world country through Trent’s respected Trent-in-Ghana program.

Graduating students who have fulfilled the requirements for an Honours degree in International Development Studies may apply for a Specialization in African Studies, if they have successfully completed the following credits from area studies and the Ghana year abroad program:

Resume Boosters:

• Gain an immediate sense of how development theory applies in practice through classes and field trips
• Build your intercultural communication skills and in-depth knowledge of another society through cultural immersion
• Complete a field placement and gain work experience in an area that is directly related to your interests and career objectives.

An important field of study particularly in today’s social media-focused world, Sociology helps us achieve a greater understanding of the complex yet simplistic nature of humankind, and the societies in which we choose to organize ourselves. Rooted in the social sciences and inspired by a passion for social justice, Trent’s Sociology program engages students in understanding and acting on the consequences of social change. Through this degree, you’ll explore and question a diverse range of social topics, completing your studies with a heightened understanding of human relationships and society. A sociology degree is an excellent foundation for law school, teachers college, social work or similar programs.

Criminology and Socio-Legal Studies (Specialization):-

Small classes sizes allow you to make connections with professors and open doors to hands-on, undergraduate research opportunities studying homelessness, the criminalization of women, restorative justice, or the impact on Indigenous peoples.

For students pursuing an Honours Sociology degree, this standout specialization explores the study of crime and punishment, the influence of social inequality as a cause of crime, and how criminals and victims are treated by the criminal justice system. You’ll apply your sociological knowledge and potentially perform independent research on homelessness, the criminalization of women, restorative justice or the impact on Indigenous peoples.

This specialization is available to students pursuing a single or joint-major Honours degree in Sociology.

Resume Boosters:-

• Gain a solid foundation in legal research methodology and theoretical application that will prepare you for success in a variety of workplace settings
• Streamline and personalize your degree with a focus on crime and society
• Familiarize yourself with case law research by learning from and working with practising legal professionals
• Take a prison-based course that explore restorative justice in all contexts

Build your future career by uncovering the ancient past, studying in one of the most robust archaeology programs in Canada. Your studies will focus on the history of human beings, examining artifacts, human and animal bones, architecture, and plants. You’ll learn the field methods and lab techniques used to study these materials, as well as theories archaeologists use to understand the ancient cultures and past civilizations of the Americas, Europe and the pre-Classical and Classical Mediterranean world.

Environmental Archaeology Specialization:-
Become an expert in the intriguing relationships between past civilizations and plants, animals and even climate change in this one-of-a-kind Archaeology specialization. You’ll gain hands-on experience applying geological, biological, and physical sciences concepts to archaeological field studies, expanding the extraordinary complexity of humanity's long-term relationship with our environment.

Resume Boosters:-

• Get your hands dirty studying comparative zoological collections and animal bones from archaeological sites
• Gain professional experience applying Geographical Information Systems (GIS) technologies to archaeological case studies
• Build an understanding of laboratory methods for measuring stable isotopes in archaeological materials
• Build knowledge of core concepts and ideas about ecology and its relationship to human culture

International Development Studies
Be part of an internationally-recognized program that is the first of its kind developed in Canada. Through an interdisciplinary lens, you'll explore wide-ranging themes such as global poverty and hunger, conflict, ecological degradation, and cultural identity. You can also study and work in a developing country through the Trent in Ghana program - includes a 12-week placement with a development organization.

Business
You want to become an innovative business leader or entrepreneur. No other program will help you get there better than Trent's exclusive Bachelor of Business Administration. By examining corporate, self-employment, online, small business, and other business models, you'll learn the fundamentals of leadership and management, gaining a deep understanding of the organization of business and its role in today's highly-digital world. Benefit from 100 hours of hands-on professional experience completing internships with business sector companies and organizations. Prepare for your CPA designation or springboard to an M.B.A., benefiting from the knowledge and expertise of a dedicated community of business leaders and mentors.