Bachelor of Education (Third Year Entry)

at Vancouver Island University - Nanaimo Campus Canada

Are you ready to explore and develop solutions that ensure travelers and residents alike are able to enjoy recreational and leisure pursuits with sustainability as a focus?

The Masters of Arts in Sustainable Leisure Management program is offered at VIU’s Nanaimo campus on beautiful Vancouver Island – in a region of Canada that is noted for leisure and tourism opportunities. This two-year program delivers a non-traditional approach to studies in ecotourism and innovative leisure practices, with courses that combine field experience and classroom instruction, all within a global context. Leisure studies and sustainability studies engage students with experiential learning opportunities, delivered by expert faculty who are leaders in their field.

Graduates of the Sustainable Tourism Master's degree program find employment opportunities as sustainability officers, analysts and directors, working in government, private sectors, and consultant firms.

The Master of Arts in Sustainable Leisure Management Program
This program places graduates at the intersection of two growing, exciting, and globally significant areas of theory and practice: leisure and sustainability. The program prepares emerging leaders to examine and create solutions which ensure that residents and travelers alike can enjoy recreational experiences, natural and cultural amenities, heritage resources, and adventure as part of their life experiences on a sustainable basis. Students will engage in coursework delivered in a non–traditional, international educational setting where the instructional approach draws upon field experience, classroom instruction, and experiential styles of learning. Two integrated instructional streams are central to the program focus: 1) a set of principles and practices underlying leisure and sustainability; and, 2) an integrated set of research capabilities, innovation, and knowledge mobilization skills necessary to ensure that new knowledge can be effectively transformed into impact. There is also a required thesis component wherein students will demonstrate a mastery of knowledge mobilization approaches (including, but not limited to, research skills).

During completion of the program, students will:

• acquire a broad interdisciplinary knowledge of concepts, models and issues relating to the field of leisure services;
• analyze sustainability issues by integrating social, environmental and economic perspectives;
• develop and critique policies and practices that advance sustainability goals;
• apply strategies to influence change and innovation at the community, regional, national and international levels;
• conduct applied research on specific leisure, innovation, and sustainability topics;
• develop the capacity to actively engage in a variety of knowledge creation and mobilization approaches and strategies;
• engage with diverse stakeholders on complex leisure and sustainability issues; and,
• formulate a personal and professional commitment to strategic and innovative leadership practices in sustainable leisure services.

Hone your critical thinking, legal analysis, project management, communication, conflict mediation, research and analysis skills with VIU’s Criminology program.

Criminology is an exciting, dynamic field of study that looks at the social and psychological factors that contribute to criminally deviant behaviour and its consequences. Students interested in current events, psychology and social justice will find their stride with our degree in Criminology.

Criminology studies grads are attracted to a range of careers in the criminal justice system, with Crown corporations and in the private sector, such as bailiff, correctional officer, court reporter, criminal investigator, legal assistant, parole officer, police officer, research, victim services specialist, and many more. Check out the careers page on the Criminology program website for more options.

In fourth year, Criminology Majors have the option of either conducting an applied research project or participating in a field placement.

The Criminology (BA) Program
Criminology is an interdisciplinary science that focuses on law and its interpretation by the courts, patterns in crime, the explanation of deviant and criminal behaviour, and society’s reaction to law-breaking. The program introduces students to criminal law, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and case-law decisions made by the courts. Students will examine in separate courses the three main components of the criminal justice system—police, courts, and corrections—that form an organized response to crime. The program addresses the trends and correlates of crime, including the influences of age, ethnicity, gender, and social class. The major explanations for crime try to account for these patterns by looking at historical, individual, and social causes. The criminological focus is broadened with courses from other disciplines in the Social Sciences and Humanities. 

The program aims to provide students with conceptual, critical, and applied skills to work in fields where a legal/justice focus is beneficial. The curriculum emphasizes the development of professional and applied skills through training in professional ethics, conflict mediation, use of information technology for researching relevant topics, writing, presenting data, and working in small groups on specific tasks. In the fourth year, Criminology Majors have the option of either conducting an applied research project or participating in a field placement.

Although the core of the curriculum is centred on justice-related issues, students will find the degree program applies equally to areas in the private sector where research competence, project management, legal analysis, and communication skills are essential.

Are you interested in a career where you can make a difference in the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in society? With a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree, you can devote your career to helping solve social justice issues and helping people overcome some of life’s most difficult challenges such as addiction, mental health and domestic violence.

A degree in social work gives you the professional skills to develop interventions to solve social and personal problems. Social workers create social change by working with people as the individual, family, group, community, organization and societal levels to enhance health and overall well-being. 

Social workers can find fulfilling careers in child welfare agencies, departments of health and human services, hospitals, community mental health agencies, substance abuse and medical clinics and elder care facilities.

The Bachelor of Social Work Program:-
The purpose of the Bachelor of Social Work degree program at Vancouver Island University is to provide education in generalist anti-oppressive social work practice. 

The learning outcomes of the program include the capacity to do the following: 

demonstrate effective social work communication skills within an empowerment approach at the individual, group, and community level.
demonstrate professional ethical standards and values at the individual, team, and organizational level.
critically reflect on own ideas, behaviours, and practices. 
identify and address mechanisms of oppression, privilege, resistance, and social change. 
In addition to a generalist social work practice degree, the Bachelor of Social Work program at Vancouver Island University offers a specialization in child welfare. 

Program Delivery

The Bachelor of Social Work program at Vancouver Island University will accept students into Year 3 of the program and will be delivered through distance education. Students admitted to the program will be expected to:

Participate in an online orientation(s) prior to program commencement in September.
Have access to high speed internet and audio-video capabilities. 
Participate in courses that have both asynchronous (online access to course materials) and synchronous (online access to course materials, audio and visual discussion, e.g. Zoom) course delivery methods.

The Visual Arts Diploma Program:-
Students may apply for VIU’s Visual Art Diploma upon successful completion of 60 credits and a minimum Grade Point Average of 1.84. Of the 60 credits, 45 must be within the Art Department and include 6 credits of Art History with a minimum grade of “C”. Advanced students may apply for transfer credits from other institutions.

Note: All students enrolled in art or design studio courses offered within VIU’s Art and Design department must complete mandatory safety training session(s) before they will be allowed to use the department’s facilities. Each student must purchase and use equipment as specified by the department and sold through the VIU Campus Store.

Make a positive difference in the life of a child or youth who needs support. Prepare for a rewarding career working with children and families facing a variety of challenges, including abuse, neglect, addiction, or family breakdown. The Child and Youth Care (CYC) diploma is a hands-on full-time or part-time program that includes 350 hours of practicum experience.

After two years, students leave the program skilled in the dynamics of neglect and abuse, social service law, child development theory, and group practice. The option of completing the Bachelor of Arts in Child and Youth Care is also available.

The Child and Youth Care Diploma Program:-
Students interested in the diploma must apply to the Bachelor of Arts in Child and Youth Care. Prior to completion of their first year students must indicate their interest in exiting with their Child and Youth Care Diploma. Upon successful completion of the first two years (60 credits including practicum), students will be eligible to receive the Child and Youth Care Diploma.

The two-year Child and Youth Care diploma program prepares students to be skilled in working with individuals, their families and small groups across a variety of practice settings. General practice in these settings calls for individuals who are willing and able to work cooperatively with other community professionals, and in a variety of multi-disciplinary settings (schools, community, corrections facilities, residential settings). Aboriginal ways of knowing and cultural competency skills are highlighted throughout the curriculum.

The program is offered on a full-time as well as a part-time basis to accommodate practitioners working in the child and youth care field. Students who successfully complete the two-year program, including a practicum, will be eligible for VIU’s Diploma in Child and Youth Care. Admitted students have five years to complete the Diploma.

About your practicum experience in Child and Youth Care at Vancouver Island University:-
Field experience is an integral part of the CYC educational experience. Diploma students will complete a 350-hour practicum while in the program. There are a variety of unique practicum experiences available to our students. The VIU Child and Youth Care program has relationships with many agencies and organizations in the field of child and youth care. Different sites will have different requirements regarding schedules and the amount of time students will need to spend during practicum. If a student is currently employed, they should be prepared to adjust their schedule to meet the demands of practicum. Practicum is usually approximately 10-15 hours (or approximately two days per week) over a two-semester period. Given the importance of practicum to the educational experience in Child and Youth Care at Vancouver Island University, students who are working often save up vacation time; others have taken a leave to complete the required practicum hours.

Do you want to design and shape the world around you? Consider the Master of Community Planning degree at Vancouver Island University. Community planners play a huge role in the development of neighbourhoods, towns, cities and regions. An urban planner can also help shape a community’s response to a range of emerging issues such as climate change; and economic issues such as tourism by creating a sustainable city also known as ecocity.

The MCP program at VIU combines research, applied learning through a variety of in-community, real-world projects, and interactions with the professional planning community to give you a wide range of skills and knowledge. This community planning program is fully accredited through the Canadian Institute of Planners, alongside Canada’s historic planning schools.

The Master of Community Planning (MCP) Program:-
The Master of Community Planning (MCP) is an applied program that is fully accredited by the Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP). Graduates are eligible to apply for student membership with CIP while at VIU and can apply for full membership post-graduation.

The program focuses on:-

• Small city and town planning;
• Community and urban design, including a strong GIS component;
• Rural/urban interface planning;
• First Nations planning (with attention to the issues relevant to the First Nations of Vancouver Island and coastal British Columbia);
• Sustainable economic issues, including tourism; and
• Emerging issues such as climate change and planning for post-fossil fuel communities.

This is an intensive program with many opportunities to apply the skills and techniques learned in the program to "real life" planning questions and problems. Students will be engaged in self-directed learning and group studies, seminars and discussions, and will have many opportunities to meet and learn from professional planners. There is also a strong focus on urban design and visual representations of community planning, including GIS.
By program completion, our graduates will have a broad interdisciplinary knowledge of how planners can influence the futures of neighbourhoods, small communities, and rural areas both locally and world-wide. Our graduates will have new skills that will enable them to serve citizens and communities as they respond the social, economic, environmental, and sustainability issues that shape our world.]

The Engineering Foundations certificate acts as a bridge for students to obtain their degree at UBC, SFU, and UVIC Engineering programs. Graduates of VIU’s engineering transfer program gain guaranteed acceptance into second year at UBC, SFU, and UVIC Engineering programs if they meet the required GPA.

The Certificate in Engineering Program
The Engineering Certificate program prepares students to transfer into the University of British Columbia - Vancouver Campus (UBC-V), the University of Victoria (UVic), or Simon Fraser University - Burnaby Campus (SFU-B) engineering in their second year. This program contains the first-year core courses required from each of these institutions including physics, chemistry, engineering design, computer programming, mathematics, and communication skills. Upon successful completion, graduates who complete the entire Fundamentals of Engineering Certificate program curriculum are:

• Guaranteed admittance into 2nd year Engineering at UBC-V if program completed within 8-months and with a minimum required GPA.
• Guaranteed admittance into 2nd year Engineering at UVic with a minimum required GPA and grade in each curriculum course.
• Guaranteed admittance into 2nd year Engineering at SFU-B if program completed within 16-months and with a minimum required GPA.
• Placed in a common pool with all students (regardless of first-year institution), for competitive entry into their 2nd year engineering program choice at UBC-V, UVic, or SFU-B. Average GPA for entry into a specific engineering program at UBC-V, UVic, or SFU-B changes each year depending on the number of students applying and the number of seats available.

Help brighten people’s smiles every day with a career as a dental assistant. Vancouver Island University’s Dental Assistant Certificate program offers students hands-on training with knowledgeable instruction to prepare them for this fast-paced, growing industry.

After completion of the nine-month Dental Assistant program, students must write a national board exam to be eligible to become a Certified Dental Assistant.

The Dental Assistant Certificate Program
This program, recognized by the College of Dental Surgeons of British Columbia (CDSBC), and accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada (CDAC), is designed to provide students with opportunities to develop the knowledge, skills and values necessary to be a member of the dental team; providing care, support and services for individuals of all ages.

Upon successful completion of the Dental Assistant program, students will be granted a certificate. Students must then write a National Board exam which, upon successful completion and combined with the certificate, makes them eligible to apply for registration and licensure with the College of Dental Surgeons of B.C. as a Certified Dental Assistant (CDA – Level II).

The Bachelor of Tourism Management program is a continuation of the knowledge developed through the hospitality, tourism, and outdoor recreation diploma programs. With community-based projects and two paid co-op semesters, students gain opportunities to forge valuable industry connections and experience.

Upon graduation students find exciting career opportunities in commercial recreation and tourism, adventure tourism, tour operations, not-for-profit agencies, and inclusive leisure. VIU’s Tourism degree gives students the leading edge in this high-demand and growing industry.

The Bachelor of Tourism Management Program
The Bachelor of Tourism Management (BTM) program builds on existing diploma programs in Recreation and Sport Management, Tourism Studies and Hospitality Management that stress career-entry skills. Students may apply to the third year of the degree program after completing a diploma in various fields including Recreation, Travel and Tourism, or Hospitality, Physical Education, and Outdoor Recreation.

The degree program will provide applied skills and concepts related to the design of tourism products and management of tourism services. The degree will focus on the development of management and entrepreneurial skills needed for people wishing to assume greater responsibilities within an organization, or for those wishing to start new enterprises.

Major in Recreation Management
The BTM Major in Recreation Management is a well-rounded program that provides students with a solid grounding in recreation governance, leisure behaviour, leisure education, and leisure service management. Students wishing to pursue a career in recreation service delivery with public and non-profit organizations are encouraged to complete the Major in Recreation Management as part of their BTM.

Co-operative Education

• Co-op Fees for co-operative education and internships are due during the second month of each work term.

Are you ready for a great career as a professional dental hygienist? Get ready to help your patients maintain great smiles with excellent care and expert advice.
Exploring dental hygiene schools in BC? Study on beautiful Vancouver Island with VIU’s Dental Hygiene Diploma program. With a rewarding career in dental hygiene, you can help people live healthier lives while working in a people-oriented atmosphere. VIU’s two-year, full-time diploma program includes both academic study and clinical practice, and prepares you to work in dental clinics.
Change the world, one smile at a time. For a stable, well-paying dental hygiene job, apply at Vancouver Island University.

The Dental Hygiene Program:-
The Dental Hygiene Diploma program at Vancouver Island University is a Commission on Dental Accreditation Canada (CDAC) accredited program. The program provides education in the application of preventative and therapeutic methods of oral disease control and oral health promotion.

The concepts of health education, professionalism, critical thinking, life-long learning, and community service are strongly encouraged in the program curriculum. Students have the opportunity to apply knowledge and gain practical experience in public dental clinics and dental health activities in the community. Strong computer literacy is highly recommended prior to admission to the program.
Upon successful completion of the program, students will be granted a diploma which makes them eligible to apply for registration and licensure with the College of Dental Hygienists of BC (as per their criteria) as a Registered Dental Hygienist (RDH).