Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Psychology and Forensics (Joint Majors)

at Trent University Peterborough Canada

The natural world is intrinsic to human life, but people’s experience with the environment varies widely and this impacts their values and how they learn to interact with the natural world. IESS at Trent brings together the principles of both Indigenous Knowledge and Western science to explore complex topics such as climate change, community sustainability, and Indigenous health and environment through a cross-cultural, transdisciplinary approach. This degree also offers an additional layer of exploration: co-op work terms. In the Indigenous Environmental Studies/Science Co-op stream, you will participate in three paid placements that will have you engaging in real-world leading environmental workplaces to help you chart the course of your career and consciousness of the natural world. You’ll learn to generate solutions to complex local, regional, national, and international issues facing Indigenous and all peoples and communities around the world.

There has never been a more exciting time to study Computer Science. Society is in the midst of a technology revolution, which is fueled by the advancement of knowledge in computing. The ability to create, manipulate, and speak the language of technology has become some of the most valued skills applicable to almost every industry. When you study Computer Science at Trent, you’ll get a chance to develop your skills in designing, implementing, and integrating software applications – everything from supercomputers to game boards. This degree will equip you with the skills required for a successful career in the ever- changing tech sector.

Specialization Computer Science:-
This specialization in Computer Science is your all-access pass to understanding technology and the science behind it. Work one-on-one with your professors to explore and develop applications that manipulate the speed and power of digital computation, design new models of computation, and uncover new methods of problem-solving.

Resume Boosters:-

• Pursue the competitive co-op stream: graduate with 12 months of relevant experience through three paid work terms in the information technology industry
• Work with real-world clients from industry, government, and education through third year internship course and fourth year project course
• Undertake an undergraduate research thesis and investigate a specific field of interest with the expert guidance of your prof

Advantages of Co-op Option
Co-operative education is an opportunity to get a head start on a career. It permits students to develop key skills, explore career options, and graduate with 12 months of relevant experience. The Co-op option assists graduating students in achieving a competitive edge while generating experience within the industry. 

Students who successfully complete the specified number of Co-op work terms receive a Cooperative Education Designation on their degree. This special designation signals to future employers that such students are not only well educated but experienced in the workplace. 

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.

Health Studies Specializations
What are our commonly-held beliefs about health and wellness, and how have mainstream society’s views impacted our behaviour and attitudes towards illness? The Health Studies specialization is perfect for Sociology majors interested in exploring issues related to medical sociology, healthcare systems, or critical research in health and illness.

Resume Boosters:

• Conduct research with one of our award winning faculty members in the areas of LGBTQ+ issues, the pharmaceutical industry, or human rights in prisons as part of our research practica opportunities
• Differentiate your degree with a specialized focus on the role of health and wellness in how society operates
• Meet and learn from leading thinkers in the field through guest lectures and speaker series held throughout the year

Working in state-of-the-art facilities, you will gain a solid grounding in chemistry, biochemistry, genetics and cell biology, preparing you for advanced studies in this dynamic and ever-changing discipline

How does chemistry influence health and disease? How are all living creatures alike – and how do we differ? And can we meet human needs by manipulating the DNA of bacteria, plants and animals?  The study of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology investigates these fundamental questions and more, exploring how molecules work in living systems and combining a wide range of chemical and biological disciplines. In this program, you’ll achieve a detailed understanding of the processes that control and mediate health, illness, reproduction, growth, and ultimately life itself.

Resume Boosters:-

• Pursue the Medical Professional Stream to access to a variety of supports and unique extracurricular opportunities and gain the competitive edge in your med or vet school applications
• Gain advanced access to top-of-the-line lab facilities, including genetic technology, in Trent’s exclusive DNA, Life & Health Sciences Building
• Study side-by-side with expert scholars and explore unique undergraduate hands-on research opportunities

Media shape our view of the world and orient us in it. You can best navigate this environment by marrying theory and practice. In Media Studies, you’ll examine the influence of advertising and ideology, the political economy of media corporations, and the principles of multimedia design. You’ll also benefit from our interdisciplinary curriculum, learning across subjects from the humanities to the sciences.

Accelerated Master's Degree
Earn your Master's degree in Theory, Culture & Politics within one year of graduation from your B.A.

Resume Boosters:-

• Chart your own path taking courses from a dozen contributing departments including Anthropology, Cultural Studies, Computing Systems, and Political Studies
• Take workshop, internship, and community-based research courses with professors and media professionals
• Create a portfolio of your work with media new and old: write zines, compose music, code videogames, report the news, program radio shows, and more

Psychology is defined as the scientific study of behaviour and the mind. You will study the principles of behaviour through lectures, labs, seminars and research. Explore topics from sleep and dreams to health, sexuality, and perception. You will acquire both research skills and a broadly-based background in the basic content of the discipline, combined with the opportunity at upper levels to focus on more specialized topics.

Resume Boosters:-

• Undertake an undergraduate independent research thesis or research practicum and work one-on-one with award-winning faculty
• Apply the skills you learn in the classroom to a real-world healthcare setting through unique new research placement on aging
• Get excellent reference letters from your profs for grad school or your first job thanks to our highly-personalized learning environment

Are you a “people watcher,” curious about human societies and how they’ve evolved over time? This is the program for you. Anthropology is the study of the human experience, from our earliest ancestors to our contemporary digital society. Drawing on insights from archaeology, and cultural, linguistic, and biological anthropology, you’ll explore the extraordinary variability in human adaptation, organization and belief, discovering how the common circumstances we face unite us.

Resume Boosters:-

• Get your hands dirty on a global scale through our archaeological field schools in Greece or Belize
• Dig up the past right here on campus through the Ontario Archaeology Field School, a full-credit Anthro course that runs each summer
• Study different cultures first-hand through a year abroad program in virtually any country worldwide - Ghana, Ecuador, Thailand, France? The choice is yours

The study of Philosophy can shed light on some of the most fundamental and important questions we ask as human beings. At Trent, you’ll explore your place in the world, the nature of reality, the meaning of human existence, and the limits of knowledge. You will be encouraged to develop your own philosophical positions as you cultivate your ability to reason logically, question commonly held assumptions, and develop a worldview that does justice to the complexity of life.

Resume Boosters:-

• Put your work on display at the Trent Philosophy Society’s annual student symposium
• Enjoy generous awards and scholarships available exclusively to Philosophy majors
• 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

Schools all over Canada are in need of Indigenous educators, and an educational environment that honours the culture, language, and knowledges of Indigenous students is critical. Trent’s highly unique Indigenous B.Ed. program puts Indigenous knowledge and perspectives at the forefront of teacher preparation, providing self-identified First Nations, Me?tis, Inuit and Indigenous students with the opportunity to become exceptional educators.

Resume Boosters:-

• Enjoy education placement opportunities in every year of your degree
• Attend traditional gatherings and connect with elders, traditional knowledge holders and surrounding Indigenous communities
• Benefit from Mohawk or Ojibwe language instruction in first year and learning opportunities on the land and water
• Ontario College of Teachers Certification