Bachelor of Social Work

at University of the Fraser Valley - Abbotsford Campus Canada

Gain a framework to understand societal structures and evaluate global social challenges including inequality, poverty, sexism, racism, violence, and climate change.

Sociology major
Study of the development, structure, and functioning of human societies.

Start your studies by delving into sociology's key ideas and concepts, while building an understanding of culture, social change, socialization, stratification, social structure, institutions, race and ethnicity, gender, and age and class. In your third and fourth year, study advanced sociological topics, while gaining practical skills in qualitative and quantitative research.

When you graduate, you have developed the rational thinking, presentation, and  writing skills that are key for academic and professional success.

UFV’s Bachelor of Arts in Child and Youth Care (BA CYC) is a four-year program that prepares you to become a skilled child and youth care professional, ready to provide guidance, support and help children, youth, and families overcome emotional and physical challenges.

Starting with a focus on development and social competence for therapeutic intervention through relationships, you examine and address the issues that affect children and youth who are facing social and developmental difficulties.

With core courses offered in the afternoon and the evening, the BA CYC can accommodate your work schedule if you are currently employed in the human services field and wish to grow your career and gain skills you can apply in your work setting.

In the third and fourth year, the program culminates in two 300-hour practica that provide you with opportunities to gain direct experience working with one of UFV’s learning partners. Through both practica, you benefit from the structured supervision of experienced professionals, who can provide valuable guidance and feedback.

After you graduate from the Bachelor of Arts in Child and Youth Care, you have acquired the skills to take on consultations, case assessments and interventions, counselling, advocacy, policy development, and to become a well-rounded practitioner in any agency or program. 

You may also pursue further studies in child and youth care, public administration, criminal justice, social work, or any related field.

Develop your skills as an adult educator through UFV’s Bachelor of Arts in Adult Education — a mid-career professional development program.
Tailor your studies to fit your busy schedule. All courses are online with the exception of a few classroom sessions, with video conference access if you are a distance student. The Bachelor of Arts in Adult Education program is completely flexible and allows you to:

• Study part-time or full time
• Choose online courses on a rotating schedule
• Take evening and Saturday classes
• Earn credit for prior learning, including from non-traditional settings

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.

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 Early Childhood Education (ECE) certificate program is an excellent foundation to purse a career working with young children.

Especially designed for students who are coming out of high school, and those already in the workforce the four-semester program takes you through basic courses in communication, interpersonal growth, human development, and the early childhood curriculum.

You explore the theories and current trends in physical, cognitive and psycho-social development, from conception to the age of eighteen. In addition, you are introduced to different recording techniques that have been developed from observing children’s social, play, language, motor, and cognitive development.

In the third and fourth semesters, you also complete a 200-hour introductory and a 200-hour advanced practicum where you put Early Childhood Education theories into practice, document your experience, and apply advanced competencies including parent interaction, self-evaluation, and peer evaluation.

The UFV Bachelor of Science (BSc) is a program of academic study for students pursuing educational or career goals in the natural sciences. The program requirements encourage a breadth of intellectual and academic experience, and at the same time, recognize the importance of concentrated study in a specific field or discipline. The BSc may serve as an educational goal in itself, as qualification for those who wish to pursue advanced degrees at other educational institutions, or as a qualification for employment.

The BSc consists of a minimum of 120 credits. To receive a Bachelor of Science degree, students must, at a minimum, complete the requirements for at least one of a science honours, science major, or double science minor, in addition to the General BSc requirements.

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's multi-disciplinary Migration and Citizenship graduate certificate program uses real case studies to investigate human movement, resettlement, and belonging, both globally and with a particular focus on the Canadian experience.

1. As a Migration and Citizenship student, you will:
   • Examine human migration, whether voluntary, forced, permanent, or temporary, in transnational and intrastate contexts;
   • Investigate how this mobility is shaped by different governments and state institutions;
   • Learn about the experiences and identities of the migrants and the diverse forms of communities that they create.
2. You will also:
   • Explore the various meanings of citizenship in contexts of migration;
   • Analyze how they are shaped by legal, political, institutional, economic, social, and cultural dynamics of inclusion and exclusion and how they are created by migrant experiences, identities, and communities, and through policies, practices, and discourses.

The Migration and Citizenship graduate certificate is designed for employed professionals wanting to grow their skills or recent graduates wishing to enter the field of immigration and resettlement.

The program is scheduled to accommodate both working and full-time students, with classes offered in evening and weekend time slots. If you choose to study full time, you can complete this graduate certificate in eight months. But you can also opt to study part-time and take up to three years to earn your credential.

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.