Bachelor of Arts (Joint Honours) in Communication and Political Science (Co-op Optional)

at University of Ottawa Canada

Welcome to centre stage! From practice to theory, from performance to reception, the Department of Theatre explores all aspects of theatrical events and prepares you for a life of creative expression and intellectual stimulation. We teach acting, directing, playwriting, arts administration, dramaturgy, theatre history, production, technical theatre and design as well as theory and aesthetics. When it comes to practice, opportunities abound: the Department boasts two major theatre companies and three student companies producing up to thirty original productions a season.

Building on a solid foundation of traditional engineering skills, this program covers many different aspects of computer software and hardware design, and allows for more specialized studies in microprocessor-based systems, computer architecture, programming concepts, real-time operating systems, software engineering and robotics. This program provides multiple paths to a variety of careers.

The University of Ottawa offers a rich academic environment to study mathematics and statistics under the supervision of professors who have gained an international reputation for their research. Most major fields of research in mathematics and statistics are represented within the Department of mathematics and Statistics. Moreover, the Department is a participating unit in the master's level collaborative programs in bioinformatics and in biostatistics.

Communication
Ours is the communication and information age. Analyzing how information is gathered, produced and distributed today helps us understand the communication processes that drive a variety of settings: social, cultural, political, organizational, economic and legal. In this program, you will develop critical and analytical skills in order to evaluate the nature and impact of technology and media on society, organizations and interpersonal relations. You will have the opportunity to be exposed to the latest developments in the field of communication (communication strategies, digital media, evolution of the media industry, advertising, crisis communications, negotiations, etc.). The Department of Communication offers courses in two main areas: media studies and organizational communication (internal and external communication in public and private organizations, health communication, organizational change, etc.). Combining theory and practice, our programs develop your critical and analytical skills and prepare you either for a professional career or for advanced studies.

Political Science
Politics is omnipresent in our lives. Political science seeks to describe, analyze, understand and assess the principles and power relations that govern social life. It revolves as much around the structures and institutions that define these relations and principles as around the ideas and practices that drive them. It studies everything that influences political life and institutions (ideologies, groups, social movements, etc.) on a local, regional, national and international scale. 

Our programs offer in-depth training in political science and encourage critical reflection on pivotal issues like citizenship, identity, political participation, globalization and development, governance and the state, and ethics and democracy. A discipline open to many theoretical and methodological approaches, political science constantly exchanges and shares with other fields. At the University of Ottawa's School of Political Studies, you build your knowledge in four subfields of political science: political thought, Canadian and Quebec politics, comparative politics, and international relations and global politics.

Healthcare systems are undergoing unprecedented transformation fuelled by the digitization of services and investments in health information technologies. Our option in Healthcare Analytics is a field built on the crucial role that data, systems engineering, management, and organizational innovation play in improving the quality and timeliness of service delivery in a high performing healthcare system. This field answers a need to develop expertise to create the research and training capabilities required for transforming healthcare into a system that adheres to the principles of patient-centered care and participatory medicine.

The MA in sociology is offered as a full-time and a part-time program, in French and in English. In English, the maximum number of annual admissions is fixed according to the procedure explained in the "Admission Requirements" section. In accordance with the University of Ottawa regulation, students may write their assignments, research papers, theses and examinations in either English or French.

The BA in Interdisciplinary Studies program is meant for you. It is flexible and provide you not only with a solid general education in a setting known for its vibrancy, but also with the opportunity to take a range of courses in Arts-specific fields (fine arts, humanities, languages and literatures) or even in other faculties. You can also do a minor – but it is not compulsory – in a specific subject, like foreign languages, art history, music, theatre, communication, history, geography, religious studies, linguistics, etc.

Mathematics
Mathematics and statistics are not only powerful problem-solving tools, but also highly creative fields of studies that combine imagination with logic, and precision with intuition. 

Mathematics is much more than numbers! Its basic goal is to reveal and model general patterns to help explain our world, whether they be found in electrical impulses in the human nervous system, the evolution of animal populations in their habitats, fluctuations in stock-market prices, or electronic communications. Mathematics reaches far beyond science and engineering into medicine, business and the social sciences. 

Advances in mathematics and statistics lie behind many discoveries that are now part of our daily lives, such as MRI scanners, digital compression of music and video, secure electronic communications, data mining, genomic algorithms, futures pricing, and many other innovations. 

The Department of Mathematics and Statistics offers Honours, majors and minors both in mathematics and in statistics. Our Honours program in statistics is accredited by the Statistical Society of Canada, allowing graduates to earn the A.Stat. professional designation. Moreover, the Department offers a joint honours program in mathematics and economics, a joint honours program in mathematics and computer science, as well as a multidisciplinary program in financial mathematics and economics. All our honours programs also include the co-operative education option.

Economics
Ever wonder why some countries are richer than others? Ever question why income inequality has been growing? Ever wonder why Canadian politicians worry when other countries may be going bankrupt? Economics can answer all these questions. 

Economics examines how individuals and society make choices in a world where resources are limited. It focuses on the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services. Two important themes are efficiency (the absence of waste in the use of resources) and fairness. Since making choices is central to all human activities, studying economics often helps explain why people and governments behave in certain ways.

Journalism is currently undergoing a digital shift (Internet, mobile and tablet technology, data journalism), driving change in journalistic practice and forcing practitioners to develop new skills techniques and approaches. Today's journalists need to fill a diversity of roles, requiring not only a good understanding of emerging social trends, but also specialized expertise and knowledge. 

With this program, students (future digital journalists) will better understand the challenges related to journalism in the Digital Age, in order to help them enter the fast-changing media industry. Upon graduation, you will be qualified for an exciting career as a journalist, researcher, presenter, media analyst, producer, etc. 

The Department of Communication offers the Honours Bachelor in Digital Journalism jointly with Algonquin College (in English) and with La Cité (in French). Courses at the Department of Communication will provide theoretical, analytical and critical foundations, while courses at the College will focus on practical training. Combining both theory and practice, this training is bound to give you a head start.

The School of Information Studies, located in the Faculty of Arts, offers a graduate diploma in Information Management and a Master of Information Studies (MIS).

The master's program offers three options to complete the units required for the MIS degree. The three options include a course-based option, a thesis option, and a co-op option. Please note that the co-op option is available to full time students only, and that there are a limited number of work placement spots available to SIS students each year. In all cases, a minimum of 25% of the courses must be completed in the second language.

Graduates of the MIS program are prepared to take on many exciting career opportunities as controlled vocabulary specialists, digital curators, information architects, knowledge management analysts, library directors, metadata managers, privacy analysts, records managers and web content managers, to name just a few.