Bachelor of Social Work

at University of the Fraser Valley - Abbotsford Campus Canada

A UFV Bachelor of Arts provides you with an opportunity to discover your passion and gain valuable skills in writing, communications, critical thinking, research, problem solving, and more. With 29 disciplines ready for you to explore, you get to build a breadth of knowledge that prepares you to succeed in a wide range of careers.

In your first and second year, you explore your interest through a range of elective credits  You also create the initial entries of a comprehensive ePortfolio that enables you to document the skills and knowledge you’ve acquired for your résumé or graduate application. After you complete 30 credits, you chart the course for the rest of your degree by selecting from a combination of major(s), extended minors, and minors in the following disciplines:

• Anthropology (extended minor, minor)
• Applied Ethical and Political Philosophy (minor)
• Applied Statistics (minor)
• Art History (extended minor, minor)
• Biology (extended minor)           
• Business (minor)
• Communications (minor)
• Computer Information Systems (extended minor, minor)
• Criminal Justice (extended minor, minor)
• Economics (major, minor)
• English (honours, major, extended minor, minor)
• English — Creative Writing (honours)
• French (major, extended minor, minor)
• Geography (honours, major, extended minor, minor)
• Global development studies (minor and extended minor)
• Graphic + Digital Design (minor and extended minor)
• History (honours, major, extended minor, minor)
• Indigenous Studies (major, minor)
• Kinesiology (minor)
• Latin American Studies (extended minor, minor)
• Mathematics (major, extended minor, minor)
• Mathematics (Statistics option) (minor)
• Media and Communication Studies (extended minor, minor)
• Peace and Conflict Studies (major, minor)
• Philosophy (major, extended minor, minor)
• Political Science (major, extended minor, minor)
• Psychology (honours, major, extended minor)
• Sociology (major, extended minor, minor)
• Sociology/Anthropology (major)
• Theatre (major, extended minor, minor)
• Visual Arts (extended minor, minor)

No matter your choice of major, extended minor, or minor, a Bachelor of Arts prepares you to remain competitive and adaptable in an ever-changing job market.

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.

The Bachelor of Science in Chemistry is intended to equip you with principles of the study of matter and the physical world, and to enable you to apply that knowledge to real-world situations.

As part of the program, you explore organic and inorganic chemistry, as well as physical and analytical chemistry, and how they are used to solve problems and create new opportunities. You also gain valuable laboratory and research skills, including spectrometry and chromatography. As you ask questions and seek solutions, you sharpen your critical-thinking skills, and learn to communicate your findings with others.

The Bachelor of Science in Chemistry gives you the opportunity to:

• Conduct original research as early as your first year.
• Get plenty of hands-on practice in well-equipped laboratories.
• Engage in problem-solving for real-world scenarios, such as reversing climate change, combatting diseases, or designing new consumer products.
• Prepare for post-graduate studies in areas such as chemistry, biochemistry, medicine, pharmacy, veterinary science, or engineering.

UFV's Administration certificate is a part-time program that gives you a solid understanding of the fundamentals of business administration. 

The UFV Administration certificate provides essential grounding in business law, accounting, microeconomics, and industry-leading productivity software. A selection of electives allows you the freedom to explore your own areas of interest or specialize in one key field. You may also complete courses in public or municipal administration at other institutions or by correspondence, and transfer your credits to UFV. 

A Liberal Arts diploma is an excellent choice if you want to explore broadly before you choose a discipline in the arts.

The Liberal Arts diploma program requires a minimum of 60 university-level credits. It is designed to provide you with a breadth of intellectual and academic experience while recognizing the importance of concentrated study in a specific field or discipline.

The diploma may serve as a stepping stone if you plan to transfer or eventually want to continue your studies to earn a Bachelor of Arts at UFV. If you’re planning to pursue the BA at UFV, you can simultaneously complete the Liberal Arts diploma and satisfy the general requirements for the bachelor’s degree as well as the lower-level requirements for a major, extended minor(s), or minor. This could save you time and money while earning your degree.

In addition to foundational courses in writing, communication, critical thinking, quantitative literacy, and scientific literacy, you can take classes from any of the following disciplines with the goal of finding a focus for your studies:

• Anthropology
• Applied Ethical and Political Philosophy
• Applied Statistics
• Art History
• Biology         
• Business
• Communications
• Computer Information Systems
• Criminal Justice
• Economics 
• English 
• English — Creative Writing 
• French 
• Geography 
• History 
• Indigenous Studies 
• Kinesiology
• Latin American Studies 
• Mathematics 
• Mathematics (Statistics option) 
• Media and Communication Studies 
• Peace and Conflict Studies 
• Philosophy 
• Political Science
• Psychology 
• Sociology 
• Sociology/Anthropology 
• Theatre 
• Visual Arts 

In virtually every sector of the economy, businesses of all sizes rely on information technology (IT) professionals to remain competitive. In fact, according to a recent BC Stats Report, average weekly earnings for technology employees are 85% higher than for non-tech workers in British Columbia and the unemployment rate has reached an all-time low.

UFV's intensive, two-year Computer Information Systems (CIS) diploma provides you with the knowledge and experience you need to find employment in the IT sector and prepares you to support single and networked systems to meet the requirements placed by ongoing business demands.

Throughout your studies, you explore key topics such as network and database administration, web design, network security, information systems management, and programming, which allows you to take your career in a number of different directions.

The Computer Information Systems diploma program combines courses from the computing, business, and communications fields to ensure you have the practical skills needed to obtain a first job, as well as a broad base from which to expand your training.

The four-semester program provides theoretical groundwork and specific skill development courses, with major emphasis on practical, hands-on work in UFV's modern well-equipped computer labs.

FEATURES:

• Co-op semester(s) provide paid work experience in your field of study Program eligible for financial aid

Develop your thinking, reading, and writing skills — skills that are highly sought after by employers and applicable in a wide range of fields from marketing and business administration to education, journalism, and research with UFV's Bachelor of Arts in English.

UFV’s English program provides you with the ability to articulate complex ideas and research findings and the skills to analyze various texts and interpret iconic written works throughout history.

English major
There are four concentrations on which to focus your English major: Literature, Creative Writing, Drama, and Writing and Rhetoric.

• Literature courses provide grounding in major authors, genres, and periods as well as a broad understanding of socio-cultural processes that shape Indigenous, national, and transnational literatures.
• Creative writing courses integrate literary study with writing workshops in which you discuss your work with your peers and instructors. Learn various creative processes and techniques for poetry, playwriting, and fiction.
• Drama courses enhance your understanding of how language functions in theatre. You explore a range of dramatic genres, consider how dramatic texts document and archive past performance practices, and contextualize the significance of theatre in historical and social movements.
• Writing and rhetoric courses teach you how writing and language are used as tools by examining issues of meaning and usage of the English language. Learn how language serves as a call to action and how language acts — in itself, on the user, and on the community.

In your first and second year, you study and critique a variety of literature from the cultures and time periods that interest you. You can choose to delve into the challenging craft of creative writing, explore the evolution of theatre and drama throughout history, or analyze the structure and usage of the English language.

In your third and fourth year, you sharpen your critical analysis, writing, and research skills. You are able to establish richer relationships with your professors and peers as you participate in classroom discussions and analyze each other's writing.

By the end of the program, you have developed an appreciation and in-depth understanding of the major genres, periods, movements, and authors throughout literary history. You have gained the transferrable skills — such as critical inquiry, evidence evaluation, and the ability to explore different perspectives and develop arguments — that make you qualified and confident to establish yourself in a variety of fields.

View course requirements in the Academic Calendar:

• Literature concentration
• Creative Writing concentration
• Drama concentration
• Writing and Rhetoric concentration

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.

Careers in the trades often lead to managerial and/or ownership positions, yet few trades people have the opportunity to academically prepare themselves with the skills required to own and operate their own business. This program provides individuals with the ability to leverage their prior learning (Trade certificate) and to augment prior learning with the fundamentals of business management theories and practices. The objective is to produce graduate students who are equipped to successfully function as managers and owners of a trade-related business in today's rapidly changing global environment.

A career in the criminal justice field is a dynamic and challenging one; UFV's 61-credit Criminal Justice diploma program prepares you for front-line/entry-level jobs in the field.
Gain a broad perspective on issues of law, justice, crime, and criminal behaviour with a well-rounded curriculum that includes subject matter from various disciplines, including criminology, psychology, sociology, communications, and political science.

Learn valuable skills in mediation, crisis management, and conflict de-escalation, and participate in a field work practicum that is designed to meet your career interests.
After you graduate, you may go directly into the third year of the Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice program. The diploma program also offers a transfer option to BCIT Bachelor of Technology in Forensic Investigation.