Certificate in Early Childhood Education

at University of the Fraser Valley - Abbotsford Campus Canada

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.

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 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

Gain the essential skills required to enter the field of information technology with a UFV Computer Information Systems (CIS) certificate. The two-semester program provides you with the knowledge and experience to work with single-user systems and meet the needs of small companies who require employees with computer experience. As part of the program's strong emphasis on practical work, you get to apply what you learn in the classroom on hands-on projects in UFV's well-equipped labs. Flexible course options allow you to graduate with a certificate focused on specific skills or a general knowledge base. Depending on your course selection, you may find yourself working in areas such as web support, user technical support, or computer support.

The Accounting certificate program is a comprehensive accounting program designed for mature students who wish to pursue a career as an accounting technician or in financial management.

The program provides a thorough grounding in management accounting, business law, income tax, auditing, financial management, statistics, and microeconomics. You may also select an elective, based on the professional program you intend to pursue.

View program outline in the UFV Academic Calendar

The program may be taken on a part-time basis over several years or on a full-time basis over three semesters. The course load of the full-time program is rigorous and requires above-normal effort and time to succeed.

The Administration certificate can also open the door to further studies to complete a Bachelor of Business Administration at UFV or earn a designation from a professional society. Check with their website for transfer information, as well as work experience and grade requirements.

Gain an excellent grounding in modern biology and obtain the working skills of a professional biologist with a UFV Bachelor of Science in Biology.

In your first and second year, you gain a foundational understanding of cell biology, biochemistry, and ecology/organism interactions. In your third and fourth year, you expand your knowledge through a wide range of upper-level courses. 

You may also choose to take advantage of extra-curricular learning opportunities through field trips, study tours, and directed studies. The UFV Biology faculty will support you every step of your academic journey — even in your own research undertakings.  

Customize your degree to your interests by choosing one of the following concentrations:

• Pre-medicine/Pre-veterinary
• Cellular, Molecular, and Genetics
• Ecology and Biology of Organisms

The program:

• offers you a rich lab-intensive experience for interactive, hands-on practice in laboratory and research skills.
• encourages you to develop your own biology research, either with individual faculty guidance or as part of regular course material.
• facilitates co-op placements and summer work experience with local companies and organizations.
• prepares you for graduate or professional schools with concentrations in varied fields such as genetics, ecology, or pre-medicine.

The University Foundation certificate program is an intensive, full-time academic preparation program specifically designed for students who do not meet the English language requirements for full-time academic study at UFV.

The University Foundation certificate program (UFP) is an intensive program designed to help students make the transition from English Language Studies (ELS) to full-time university-level programs. Students take core ELS courses and university-level academic courses at the same time. When you successfully complete the University Foundation certificate, you meet the English requirement for full-time academic study at UFV. The University Foundation certificate program has two levels. Students are expected to maintain a 2.33 grade point average and complete the required ELS core courses at each level with a C+ or higher in ELS EAP084.

The number of university-level courses you can choose is based on your UFP level and grade point average (GPA).

UFV's Horticulture Crop Production and Protection certificate provides you with a solid foundation to prepare you to enter the horticulture industry. The program emphasizes principles and practices of horticultural crop production, protection, and maintenance that are in line with sustainability, food security, and environmentally responsible agricultural production techniques.

Topics include:

• Introduction to agribusiness principles
• Horticulture skills and techniques
• Plant identification
• Greenhouse production
• Nursery production and propagation
• Integrated pest diagnosis and treatment
• Fruit and vegetable crop production
• Soil analysis and fertility
• Farm and safety equipment

As a student, you are actively involved in practical, hands-on activities in the Agriculture Technology department greenhouses and on the UFV campus.

The one-year Horticulture Crop Production and Protection certificate transfers completely to the two-year Agriculture Technology diploma, Horticulture Crop Production and Protection option. Some credits may also transfer to other two-year programs in horticulture. Qualifying students may also be eligible to receive the equivalent of Year I apprenticeship in production horticulture.

To prepare you for today's multi-disciplinary creative industry, UFV's Graphic and Digital Design diploma program (GDD) provides you with a solid foundation in four fields of professional practice:  brand identity, graphic/communication design, dynamic media, and interactive design.

As a student, you are immersed in design practice through project-based learning in collaborative Mac studio spaces. You’ll build a strong foundation in design process, resourcefulness, and conceptual development, as well as skills in critical thinking, typography, image making, content creation, and industry standard Adobe software.

The Graphic and Digital Design diploma (GDD) is a full-time 60-credit cohort program offered on the Mission campus (fall intake), and the Abbotsford campus (winter intake).

As a GDD diploma student, you’ll be part of a cohort that moves together through the entire two-year program. You must register for five courses in each semester and each individual graphic design course is only offered once per academic year on each campus. Courses in the GDD diploma are raught by dynamic faculty engaged in design practice, professional communities, and academic research.

Expect at least four hours of homework each week for each course. GDD is both demanding and rewarding, requiring that you put in the time and commitment to build a strong professional practice portfolio.

FEATURES:

• Field trips enhance classroom learning
• Engage with the design industry through special events, guest lectures, study tours, design conferences, workshops, practicums, and mentorship opportunities.
• Coursework emphasizes professional standards of practice through real-world projects, special events, and workshops.
• Program eligible for financial aid