Bachelor of Computing in Computer Science (Co-op)

at University of Guelph Canada

Computers play many roles in our lives. At the School of Computer Science, we recognize that relationship and its variable nature. If you enjoy solving problems, nothing is more exciting than working and studying at the leading edge of computer science.  You will develop skills throughout your degree as you explore different course materials within the field of computer science and across other disciplines. The program provides you with a strong foundation in hardware and theory with a particular focus on applied software development. By the time you graduate you will be a sought-after expert with interdisciplinary knowledge and skills that will make you indispensable.

Software Engineering
Contribute to innovative and cutting-edge software design. Providing a foundation in computer science concepts, this program focuses on team-based software development and professional standards. This major provides an excellent background in design and development, as well as the implementation and the evolution of software. Students’ soft skills such as communication and teamwork will be enhanced and strengthened. You will have a unique opportunity to take courses on different aspects of software engineering, including design methods, team interactions, communications and managing real-world software engineering projects.

Co-op Option
The Co-op program in Software Engineering is a five year program, including five work terms. Students must complete a Fall, Winter and Summer work term and must follow the academic work schedule as outlined below.

To be eligible to continue in the Co-op program, students must meet a minimum 70% cumulative average requirement after second semester, as well as meet all work term requirements. Please refer to the Co-operative Education program policy with respect to work term performance grading, work term report grading and program completion requirements. 

The Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) of the University of Guelph is internationally renowned for its research, teaching and knowledge extension. Our community has a strong sense of shared purpose: To Improve Life by inspiring leaders, generating knowledge and creating innovative solutions for food, agriculture, communities and the environment.

Improve agriculture and how we feed the world.
By 2050 there will be nine billion people in the world to feed. Agriculture is about food, science, business and responsibly using land and resources to bring healthy and sustainable food to the world. Agriculture and food industries have more job openings than qualified people to fill them. 

Sample First Year Courses

• Introduction to Agri-Food Systems
• Biology of Plants and Animals in Managed Ecosystems
• Elements of Calculus I
• Economics of the Agri-Food System
• Agroecology
• Introduction to Molecular and Cellular Biology

The common first-year in Agriculture gives you the flexibility to select one of three majors.

• Honours Agriculture
• Animal Science
• Crop, Horticulture and Turfgrass Sciences

Students interested in problems requiring the application of knowledge from both the biological sciences and engineering will find a challenge as a Biological Engineer. This field of engineering is the application of principles, methods and concepts of biology to systems and tools, ranging in scale from molecular to ecosystem level. This field combines engineering principles with life sciences to design creative solutions for biological systems, with applications ranging from pharmaceutical and food manufacturing, bioconversions to reduce waste, and production of sustainable, bio-based materials. For example, a Biological Engineer concentrating on biotechnology might design and manage bioreactors to improve their productivity. A Biological Engineering graduate can pursue a career in a number of exciting fields, including food safety, bio-instrumentation, diagnostics and sensorics in bio-systems, biomechanics and ergonomics.

Co-op
The Co-op program in Biological Engineering is a five year program, including five work terms. Students must complete a Fall, Winter and Summer work term and must follow the academic work schedule as outlined below (also found on the Co-operative Education website: https://www.recruitguelph.ca/cecs/). Please refer to the Co-operative Education program policy with respect to adjusting this schedule.

To be eligible to continue in the Co-op program, students must meet a minimum 70% cumulative average requirement after second semester, as well as meet all work term requirements. Please refer to the Co-operative Education program policy with respect to work term performance grading, work term report grading and program completion requirements. 

College of Biological Science, Department of Integrative Biology, College of Social and Applied Human Sciences Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Ontario Veterinary College and Ontario Agricultural College, School of Environmental Sciences

The One Health degree offers student the opportunity to explore animal, environmental and human health from both the scientific and socio-cultural perspective. One Health is an approach to research and problem-solving that brings together different knowledge systems and perspectives in order to find solutions that ensure people, animals and our environment stay healthy.

Students in the One Health degree are required to complete a One Health core, comprising required courses and restricted electives. Students will also be required to declare one of four areas of emphasis by the end of the first year of their program. As part of the OH core, students will complete a set of preparation courses, in year 1 and 2, for their preferred Area of Emphasis (hereafter referred to as sub-core).

The Co-op program in One Health is a five-year program, including three work terms. Students must complete a Fall, Winter and Summer work term, and must follow the academic work schedule as outlined below:

Computers play many roles in our lives. At the School of Computer Science, we recognize that relationship and its variable nature. If you enjoy solving problems, nothing is more exciting than working and studying at the leading edge of computer science.  You will develop skills throughout your degree as you explore different course materials within the field of computer science and across other disciplines. The program provides you with a strong foundation in hardware and theory with a particular focus on applied software development. By the time you graduate you will be a sought-after expert with interdisciplinary knowledge and skills that will make you indispensable.

Within the School of Computer Science, there are two majors available to you: Computer Science and Software Engineering. Unique to the Bachelor of Computing Degree is the Area of Application. This allows you to study a secondary subject. Computing is often done in conjunction with something else and the Area of Application allows you to choose what you wish to study along with Computer Science or Software Engineering. Your area of application could be in biology, psychology, business, or any other field you are interested in.

Understanding how we conserve organisms within an ecosystem by understanding the role they play in the ecosystem. 

Wildlife Biology and Conservation focuses on both the ecological and evolutionary factors that influence the sustainability of species and communities and an understanding of how these factors can be used to manage natural systems or species that are at risk or invasive.

The objective of the Wildlife Biology and Conservation major is to provide students with an integrated foundation in three disciplines necessary to understand the origins, interactions, and protection of plant and animal diversity: evolution, ecology, and conservation biology. The Wildlife Biology and Conservation curriculum reflects the current interdisciplinary nature of the study of plant and animal diversity that builds on the depth and breadth of expertise in the Department of Integrative Biology.

This major will provide students with a unique interdisciplinary opportunity to study the causes, consequences, and conservation of plant and animal diversity. There is currently no other major in Canada that explicitly integrates ecology, evolution, and conservation into a 4-year major. This major also builds on the University of Guelph’s long-standing reputation in the areas of biology and natural resources management. Although there are a series of required courses associated with each of the ecology, evolution, and conservation core themes, the major offers a significant amount of flexibility from years 2-4 that allows students to focus on 1 or 2 streams. In their 4th year, students will take a 1.0 credit capstone course (BIOL*4110 Ecological Methods) that focuses on the development and execution of a research problem by building of the different skills students have acquired in each of these streams.

Learning Outcomes
You can expect to learn how to:

• Recognize the origins and current methods of protection of plant and animal diversity.
• Develop detailed knowledge of ecological and evolutionary factors that influence the persistence of species and communities.
• Understand how to manage natural and impacted systems (e.g., invasive species, species at risk) and apply scientific approaches to adaptive management strategies in wildlife conservation.
• Assess the complex interplay between science, socioeconomic factors and public opinion in the forging of public policy decisions and the value of interdisciplinary approaches to understanding complex problems in wildlife biology.
• Gain “hands on” experience in the field working with plants and animals in a variety of ecosystems.

Explore the powerful inner workings of the human mind, how it works and how it affects behaviour. Analyze the emotions and motivations of individuals and groups. You'll gain a broad understanding of psychological theory and methodology including courses in research methodology, social psychology, cognitive psychology and behavioural neuroscience. Learn what makes us human and how the principles of psychology can be used to improve life.

The Bachelor of Indigenous Environmental Science and Practice (BIESP) is an interdisciplinary science degree that focuses on the development of leaders in areas of environmental science, land-use and policy development who are grounded in Indigenous ways of knowing and being. This science degree emphasizes the respectful and consensual braiding of Indigenous and Western knowledge systems to address complex environmental issues and challenges. It focuses on the responsible use and protection of the natural environment through practices based on Indigenous ways of knowing and doing and the practice of Indigenous land ethics grounded in Indigenous epistemologies, ontologies, traditions and aspirations. By explicitly recognizing the inherent validity and value of Indigenous ways of knowing and doing, this interdisciplinary program offers a critical, yet constructive, view of environmental science, grounded in Indigenous knowledge systems, methodologies, priorities and values and oriented towards concrete action. In addition to their studies of natural and applied science, students will examine the historical and contemporary relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada and the legal, political and economic context of environmental science and practice.  

Experiential learning is incorporated into each year of study through opportunities to interact and work directly with Indigenous communities and organizations supporting cross-cultural learning and practice. In the final year, students will conduct a group project that focuses on a current environmental issue and provides the opportunity to obtain realistic experiences within the interdisciplinary context of practicing environmental science with Indigenous communities. The BIESP is also offered as a co-op option. 

Learning Outcomes
Graduates of the BIESP degree will have demonstrated they can:

• Build awareness of Indigenous cultural frameworks of environmental science including the role of traditional knowledge keepers, right relations, multi-generational environmental stewardship, and inclusion of non-human beings. 
• Consider the implications of historical and contemporary relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities in influencing governance, practices, policies, interactions and decision making in environmental science and practice. 
• Apply a critical and decolonial lens to the existing approach to environmental science and practice in Canada through the exploration of Indigenous principles, aspirations and practices while cognizant of the historical and ongoing legacy of colonization, land dispossession, and intergenerational trauma. 
• Apply the evolving legal frameworks of Indigenous and non-Indigenous environmental science, which include Indigenous People’s inherent, treaty and constitutionally-protected rights, historic and contemporary lands, the minimal standard of free, prior, and informed consent, duty to consult and Indigenous-led practices of protection and restoration of special places and community well-being, to environmental stewardship.  
• Bridge and braid Indigenous and Western knowledge systems to propose and evaluate answers and solutions to environmental questions.  
• Formulate relevant and testable research questions, develop and implement an effective method of inquiry and perform appropriate quantitative and qualitative analyses for use in evidence-based environmental planning, policy development and implementation across different knowledge systems from Indigenous and Western research paradigms and methodologies.  
• Utilize techniques and skills including mapping and GIS, data classification, spatial analysis, map design, Indigenous research methodologies and environmental risk assessment practices to analyze environmental management issues across different knowledge systems. 
• Demonstrate project management skills (leadership, negotiation, communication, problem-solving, decision-making, time and task management, and budgeting) to effectively work within a team to complete multifaceted projects related to environmental management, research, and community engagement. 
• Communicate ideas, arguments and analyses to Indigenous and non-Indigenous audiences accurately and effectively, recognizing the role of language, personal values, strengths and limitations, and respecting diverse perspectives.  
• Demonstrate moral maturity and intercultural competency by considering diverse perspectives on environmental issues and Indigenous world views when acting as a professional and community member in decision making processes related to topics of land use, conservation, sustainability and environmental remediation and restoration. 
• Critically reflect on their personal values, academic and professional goals and determine how they can continue to respectfully engage and sustain relationships with Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities to address environmental challenges utilizing both Indigenous and Western scientific knowledge systems and ethical protocols. 
• Appreciate and support the needs and priorities of Indigenous communities to promote respect, protect and sustain Indigenous knowledge and practice in Indigenous communities.

Co-op
The Co-op program in Indigenous Environmental Science and Practice is a five-year program including four work terms. Students must follow the academic work schedule as outlined below (also found on the Co-operative Education website: https://www.recruitguelph.ca/cecs/). 
Indigenous Environmental Science and Practice Academic and Co-op Work Term Schedule

For the benefit of hybrid learning, physics and chemistry are combined in this major, which includes classes in such areas as materials science and the quantum mechanical basis of molecular structure. Working in the laboratory with state-of the- art equipment, you will acquire the skills and knowledge of a variety of techniques, including x-ray diffraction and nuclear magnetic resonance.

Co-op Option
The Co-op program in Chemical Physics is a five-year program, including five work terms. Students must complete a Fall, Winter and Summer work term and must follow the academic work schedule as outlined below.

To be eligible to continue in the Co-op program, students must meet a minimum 70% cumulative average requirement after second semester, as well as meet all work term requirements. Please refer to the Co-operative Education program policy with respect to work term performance grading, work term report grading and program completion requirements.

Biological Science focuses on the study of living organisms, their evolution, interactions with other organisms and the ecosystems that they live and rely on. The many areas of study under the umbrella of biological science allows for flexibility within the major and allows you to tailor the major to your interest.   

The B.Sc. major in Biological Science (BIOS) will provide you with opportunities to acquire the skills you need to be successful in a variety of careers. This major allows you to choose courses that fit your interests and career goals. Foundation courses cover molecular biology and genetics, biochemistry, evolution, physiology, ecology and statistics which will allow you to explore multiple areas of biology or focus in on one more specifically. The breadth of science that we offer at the University of Guelph provides students a unique opportunity to discover what fields of biology truly connects with their interests and professional goals.