Bachelor of Arts (Joint Major) in English and History

at University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) - Prince George Campus Canada

First Nations Studies takes the points of view of First Nations people and communities as the starting point for description and analysis, and contextualizes issues from this perspective. Courses in First Nations Studies will re-orient students to question the underlying assumptions of everyday understanding and will develop clarity in thought and presentation critical to advanced study.

First Nations Studies is a valuable part of any good undergraduate education in the contemporary world; it is an appropriate undergraduate major for students aspiring to careers in education, business, public administration, law, communications, cultural property management, social services, health care delivery and administration, and many other fields. With an undergraduate major in First Nations Studies students may apply for admission to graduate programs in several academic disciplines, and to many professional programs. Students intending to apply for graduate or professional programs should ensure that their programs include all required prerequisites.

The Bachelor of Health Sciences degree is a four-year program consisting of a range of courses that relate directly to the science of health, in the recognition that health is a complex entity defying a simple explanation or a single disciplinary perspective.  The courses identified within the School of Health Sciences offer learning opportunities from a variety of disciplines, including the life sciences, social sciences, behavioural sciences, and ethics and law, to enable students to develop a body of knowledge and understanding relating to the dimensions of health.  Some of these courses are considered to be ‘core’ and therefore central to the basic understandings of health, while others offer the student opportunities to learn about a specific health perspective that is focused on one of three Majors:

1. Biomedical Studies,
2. Community and Population Health-Environmental Health, or,
3. Community and Population Health-Aboriginal and Rural Health.

Graduation from either of the Community and Population Health Majors enables students to embark on careers or graduate programs related to health care management, administration, information systems or public health.

Students pursuing the Biomedical Studies Major are required to complete a set of courses that enables them to be prepared for application to professional programs such as medicine, nursing, pharmacy, occupational therapy, dentistry, speech pathology or physiotherapy.  This major provides a foundational, multidisciplinary knowledge base that is focused on the natural,  physical, and social sciences, and includes population health and research methodology. Students interested in other fields requiring extensive biomedical laboratory skills may enroll in the degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BCMB).

Students pursuing a BSc in Conservation Science and Practice focus on understanding and addressing the contemporary challenges facing the sustainable use and conservation of our environment. Navigating these challenges requires a strong scientific foundation, including the necessary appreciation for both the natural and human dimensions of conservation and management. This degree equips students with the knowledge to enter a solutions-based career that actively contributes to solving today’s conservation and management problems. Our goal is to provide students with the philosophical foundation, scientific theory, and technical skills to address the challenge of maintaining the functioning of ecosystems across developed, developing, and still-wild landscapes.

The BSc in Conservation Science and Practice allows students to pursue one of two majors:

•  Wildland Conservation and Recreation
• Landscape Conservation and Management

The major in Wildland Conservation and Recreation focuses on portions of the landscape where conservation values, including recreation and aesthetic values, are the priority land-use activities, and where these activities intersect with other values, priorities, and uses. Topics of study include: the promotion of and advocacy for conservation; integrated management of legally designated parks and protected areas; conservation area design; and human activities across these areas, including recreation, ecotourism and the associated positive and negative impacts on ecological integrity. Students develop the skills necessary to identify, plan, monitor, and manage conservation values within the parks, recreation and tourism sectors.

The General Business major allows students to obtain a reasonable depth of knowledge in all the functional areas of business while maintaining a broad-based education in business management. This combination provides the integrative management skills to operate both within and across functional responsibility areas, an ability valued highly by employers. Therefore, General Business majors are in demand by many firms and government organizations. Students intending to start their own business endeavours would also be well-served by the General Business major.
 

Global and International Studies examines the drivers and impacts of our planet’s inter-connectedness in technology, culture, sustainability, governance and economics. You will be prepared for a rewarding career in global and international organizations including governments, inter-governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations and international businesses.

Program Details
This program is ideal for those whose eyes are on the future of our planet. You will study critical concepts that promote healthy, just, peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable societies for all. 

Our program includes four core themes:

• Global environment and sustainability
• Global cultures and diversity
• Global governance and social justice
• Global political economy and development

Environmental and Sustainability Studies
Learn to be an effective agent of environmental, sustainability and social innovation as you promote the mitigation of, and/or adaptation to, environmental and sustainability challenges.

A degree in Environmental and Sustainability Studies leads to a rewarding career in sectors such as government, Indigenous government and agencies, the non-profit sector, law (with additional training), international development, environmental consulting, environmental health and more.

Political Science
Explore citizenship, democracy, justice and law in local, national and international communities. Learn about Canada’s political history and contemporary governance at the municipal, provincial and federal levels.

Examine the theories and practicalities of social and economic policy, Indigenous relations, societal issues and international affairs. Our political science degree prepares students for careers in public service, law, business and media.

History
Historians study what people have thought, said, and done in the past. You will learn to think critically about the historical processes that shape the present. As a history major, you will develop the knowledge needed to pursue careers in law, education, journalism, civil service, politics, museum and library archives, or post-secondary professorship.

Political Science
Explore citizenship, democracy, justice and law in local, national and international communities. Learn about Canada’s political history and contemporary governance at the municipal, provincial and federal levels.

Examine the theories and practicalities of social and economic policy, Indigenous relations, societal issues and international affairs. Our political science degree prepares students for careers in public service, law, business and media.

Gain a deeper understanding of why chemical reactions are the basis of all life as everything we are or do depends in one way or another on chemistry. Learn to interpret and predict the behaviour of matter as it relates to the world around us.

Chemistry is a fundamental science dealing with the nature of substances and the changes they undergo. Considered the “central science,” you will take courses in organic, inorganic, physical, and analytical chemistry along with math, physics and biology. 

Study the natural world at its most fundamental level. Learn about physics, the science upon which all other sciences and technologies are based. Our degree opens the door to future study and career opportunities in such fields as education, scientific research, industry, medical technology, and environmental studies.

Program Details
In the first two years, you will take courses in:

• Mechanics, waves, thermal physics, electricity and magnetism
• Modern physics including relativity and quantum theory and their applications
• Mathematics and computer programming

Build on that foundation in your third and fourth years with courses in:

• Quantum mechanics
• Electromagnetic theory and radiation
• Electronics 
• Optics
• Statistical mechanics
• Nuclear and particle physics 
• Condensed matter physics 
• Special-topics courses 
• Research-oriented, project-type courses

Canada's North is roughly 75% of the country's land mass. Despite the North's geographic significance, UNBC is one of only a few universities in Canada to have a major in Northern Studies. This program is integral to the overall mandate of UNBC and exposes students to myriad issues facing northern BC and northern regions around the world. This program draws upon the northern expertise of faculty from a wide array of programs. Students will gain an understanding of the whole North - its geography, peoples, and issues.Over the past few decades, the north has become an area of growing significance. At the centre of northern issues is non-renewable resource development, including mining, oil and gas and forestry. Related socio-economic and cultural issues, such as competing land use (i.e. recreation, protected areas), First Nations land claims, and rural infrastructure development (i.e. transportation, services), and renewable resource development are also important to developing the north. These issues have in turn led to unique opportunities to discover what the North means to the individual, the nation and world as a whole.