Associate of Arts in Media and Communication Studies

at University of the Fraser Valley - Abbotsford Campus Canada

UFV's two-year Social Services diploma prepares you to work at the para-professional level in the human services field.

You establish a strong foundation of professional practice in areas of addiction, child welfare, community services, corrections, family and home support services, immigration and refugee services, Indigenous services, mental health, residential care, schools, and social assistance.  Two 13- to 15-week practica allow you to develop job-ready skills and connect to social service agencies and community groups in your local area. 

You may pursue the Social Services diploma full- or part-time. After you graduate, you are ready to enter the workforce. You can also continue your studies and ladder into the UFV Bachelor of Social Work degree program after you have taken the required pre-requisites.

Personalize your studies by choosing studio courses from six disciplines: introductory studio, new media, painting and drawing, photography, print media, and sculpture and extended media.

The hands-on curriculum and ample studio time helps you build up your core artistic skills. The Visual Arts diploma also integrates art history and critical theory to inform your studio practice and put your art in perspective within contemporary culture.

UFV’s small class sizes and well-designed studios enhance your learning experience, providing regular engagement with supportive faculty and fellow students. Gallery and studio tours, exhibition and performance opportunities, and lectures from visiting artists further enhance your education.

When you graduate, you have the industry-related knowledge necessary to succeed in a variety of sectors including art and culture, business, entertainment, and tourism. You may also choose to continue your studies to earn a UFV’s Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.

Learn about the criminal justice system and delve into the complex issues surrounding it such as the causes, prevention, and law enforcement responses to criminal behaviour.

In your first and second year, you examine the historical evolution of criminological thought and learn to view criminology as both a science and profession. You learn to identify the psychological and sociological factors that drives an individual to crime and how the criminal justice system is applied.

In your third and fourth year, you develop your analytical and critical thinking skills by designing your own research project. This is an opportunity to use various qualitative and quantitative research methods to prepare for graduate studies and advanced career opportunities within the criminal justice field.

After you graduate from UFV’s Criminal Justice Bachelor program, you have gained the vocabulary and critical discernment to apply criminological and criminal justice principles to effect individual, community, and organizational challenges.

UFV’s four-year Bachelor of Environmental Studies (BES) is a full-time program that provides you with the skills to shape business, industry, and government practices using economically and environmentally-sound principles. Developed as an integrated and interdisciplinary program, the BES builds connections between fields such as environmental studies, art, natural sciences, and communications. The program also incorporates a regional focus by addressing the environmental needs of the Fraser Valley, including agriculture and food security, climate change, land use planning/GIS, and environmental communications.

The Bachelor of Environmental Studies is structured around a primary core of courses that engage you on questions related to human-environment relationships, resource scarcity and allocation, innovation and problem solving, environmental research, and communication of ideas and results. Courses are delivered in a face-to-face format using lecture, seminar, field-based, and technology-supported classroom experiences. In addition, you may choose from a practicum or cooperative work placement to satisfy one of the work requirements. If you decide to combine the four-year BES with the Cooperative Education option, you need to allow for three additional semesters for degree completion.

Upon graduation, you are prepared to work as an environmental professional in Canada or abroad. Alternatively, you may also choose to pursue graduate studies or another professional designation.If you plan on working in the environmental science field and seek additional professional accreditation after graduation, you may consider the Bachelor of Environmental Studies (Natural Sciences) — planned for Winter 2020.

UFV ten- to eighteen-month* Data Analysis post-baccalaureate program equips you with the practical skills needed to extract reliable information from large data sets.

By taking carefully designed courses with the right mix of computing and statistics, you gain the database skills you need to house, extract, manipulate and maintain data.

More importantly, you also learn the statistical techniques needed to collect data correctly, assess its quality, analyze it, and turn it into the business intelligence that companies and institutions highly value in the marketplace.  Beyond knowing how to use specific programming languages and tools, employers need you to identify meaningful patterns, so that you can draw actionable conclusions to guide decision-making.

Gain the analytical, problem-solving, and technical skills required to become a manager in the information technolgoy industry with a  Bachelor in Computer Information Systems from UFV. According to a recent BC Stats Report, average weekly earnings for technology employees are 85% higher than for non-tech workers in British Columbia, making a career in IT and attractive career choice.To prepare you for job opportunities in the IT sector, he Bachelor of Computer Information systems includes a mixture of theory and hands-on applied knowledge in UFV's well-equipped labs. In your first and second year, you complete foundational courses to provide you with a broad base of knowledge and experience supporting and maintaining single and networked systems.

In third and fourth year, you gain additional technical knowledge and skills as well as more educational breadth and a better business background, preparing you to move into managerial positions in information technology. You also have the option to specialize in one of three concentrations to refine your skill set:

• Software Development
• Systems and Networking
• Security

FEATURES:

• Co-op semester(s) provide paid work experience in your field of study
• Study abroad to gain a global education
• Program eligible for financial aid

Get a broad, high-quality foundation in the Arts and add a valuable credential to your résumé by earning an Associate of Arts degree at UFV.

Within the degree, you can choose from the following options:

• General option
• International and Development Studies option
• Media and Communication Studies option
• Theatre option

This program includes a breadth of intellectual and academic experience worthwhile if your educational or career goals lie in the humanities, the creative and performing arts, or the social sciences.

In addition, practicum opportunities and optional paid co-op work placements throughout your studies allow you to gain valuable work experience.

The Associate of Arts degree may serve as a stepping stone if you plan to continue your studies to earn a Bachelor of Arts at UFV or elsewhere.

A Bachelor of Arts with a Political Science major, minor or extended minor offers a range of lower and upper-level courses focusing on the fields of Canadian politics, comparative politics, international relations, and political theory.

Political Science major
UFV's Political Science major is designed to provide you with valuable skills in writing, communications, critical thinking, research, problem solving, and more.

In year one and two, you learn foundational skills in political science history and theory, statistical analysis, and research methodology. In year three and four, you round out your knowkedge by investigating relevant special topics and issues such as international relations, human rights, and public policy.

The Political Science major requires the completion of 18-19 lower-level credits and 30 upper-level credits. If you have research interests you can apply one Political Science Directed Independent Studies course towards your degree.

Gain a deeper understanding of yourself and other people by earning a Bachelor of Arts with a major, minor, or honours in Psychology.

As the scientific study of the mind, behaviours, and motivations of people, psychology is concerned with almost every aspect of our lives. In fact, this field of study has assumed an increasingly important role in understanding and addressing social and individual problems.

Psychology has developed as both a profession and a science. Its findings have applications not only in the field of clinical psychology and counselling, but also in related fields such as human resources, marketing, management, social services, and more.

Psychology major
In your first and second year, you are introduced to some of the major research areas within the field of psychology including: motivation, psychological disorders, neuropsychology, etc. You learn about research methods used in psychology and apply them yourself when you conduct your own psychological research study.

In your third and fourth year, you begin to specialize by selecting courses that inspire you such as:

• Perception
• Learning
• Music
• Memory
• Consciousness
• Health
• Child and adolescent psychology
• Language
• Neuropsychology
• Drugs and Behaviour
• and more

Study Economics to gain the problem-solving, reasoning, and computer skills that employers value in government, business, or finance. Economics is the only discipline in the broad areas of Social Sciences and Business that is awarded the Nobel Prize. Many famous and successful people have an economics degree.

Economics Major
Develop your analytical and creative thinking skills in order to understand and communicate complex economic issues facing all levels of people - from individuals to entire nations.

During your first and second year, you are introduced to the concepts of micro and macroeconomics and learn to strategically evaluate the influences and decisions contributing to the economic issues.

In your third and fourth year, you hone your critical thinking skills and expand your knowledge of international markets, consumer demands, market structure, and more.

As an Economics student, you develop:

• Problem-solving skills
• Quantitative and computer skills
• The capacity for independent thought
• A firm grounding in modern economic theory
• Knowledge of finance and accounting
• Knowledge of the Canadian and world economy

FEATURES:

• Co-op semester(s) provide paid work experience in your field of study
• Emphasis on critical thinking and real-world problem solving to develop job-ready skills
• Program eligible for financial aid