Bachelor of Science in Geography

at York University - School of Continuing Studies Canada

This program is only open to students entering their first year of university.

If you have previously studied at university or college and are expecting to receive transfer credit, you must declare a major when you apply for admission.

An undecided or undeclared major enables you to begin your first year of studies without having to select a program in which to major. In this way you can discover your interests and strengths by taking courses from a variety of disciplines prior to declaring a specific major.

While exploring different areas, you may be surprised that you have an interest in something you'd never have studied otherwise. You'll have the chance to meet other students with many different ideas and interests to spark your imagination. When you do make the ultimate decision about what to major in, you'll know that the choice is your own.

An actuary is a professional concerned with: the design and administration of insurance policies, pension plans, government welfare plans and similar programs. The main responsibility of actuaries is to ensure that these programs operate on a sound financial basis. To do this, they use many areas of mathematics and statistics, as well as general principles of economics and finance.Actuarial Science is the area of mathematics that applies quantitative methods to assess risks in the insurance and finance industries. It became a formal discipline in the late 17th century, when the increased demand for such long-term insurance coverages as life insurances, annuities, and burials expense coverages emerged. Since then and for a long time, actuaries have been interested in studying the present monetary value of future obligations as well as the variability of these present values in the contexts of life and health insurance, property and casualty insurance, pension funds and social wealth-fare programs. Today actuaries are also being employed in the areas of enterprise risk management, and even in general finance and investment.

Statistics is a field that provides the foundations and techniques to collect, analyze, and present information in an effective and efficient manner. Recent trends involve a resurgence of interest in methods for informal exploratory analysis of data. This relies increasingly on friendly computing environments supported by efficient algorithms. York's Statistics program is an exploration of the nature of measurement, chance variation, probability, uncertainty, inductive logic and inference, and combines naturally with studies in the life and social sciences.

An increasingly important aspect of modern statistics is the design of experiments and surveys — as well as analyzing the resulting data — in areas of application ranging scientific studies to the insurance industry. Statisticians use surveys to predict the patterns of behaviour of large groups based on relatively small samples.

Through its applications in almost every branch of modern professional life and research, statistics is a fast-growing discipline that provides a statistician with a variety of career opportunities. Statistics is offered as both a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science options. Why take one instead of the other? All Mathematics students (Mathematics, Applied Math, Statistics, Math for Commerce) take common first- and second-year courses. It is in the third and fourth years that the programs begin to differentiate.

For a Bachelor of Science (BSc) math degree, you will combine your math courses with other science courses such as physics, earth and atmospheric science, biology or computer science.

York offers one of the largest, most productive and innovative communities of scholars engaged in interdisciplinary research and undergraduate and graduate teaching in sociology.

Sociology looks at social relations, interactions and power dynamics to gain insight into how society works. Sociology is the study of societies and the way that they shape people's behaviour; beliefs, and identity. Probably the most important thing about sociology is that it enables us to make sense of the rapidly changing world that we live in. Perhaps most fundamentally of all, sociology enables us to understand ourselves. The way that we think, behave, and feel, indeed our very sense of identity, is socially produced.

In York's Sociology program, you'll gain a comprehensive understanding of how human action and consciousness both shape and are shaped by surrounding cultural and social structures. Develop excellent reading, writing and key critical and analytical reasoning skills. Learn research techniques that can be applied to virtually any aspect of social life:

• Criminal justice system and social regulation
• Social class and inequality
• Organization, welfare or education reform
• Health care
• Race and racism
• Discrimination and law
• Gender relations
• Migration and how families differ and flourish

At either campus, you will study with great professors such as Stuart Schoenfeld, a specialist in the sociology of the environment; Françoise Boudreau, the recipient of several awards for outstanding teaching; Donald Carveth, a renowned psychoanalyst frequently featured on CBC and other media; and Brian Singer, a specialist in social and political thought.

Why take our Public Relations program?
Managing a brand’s reputation in the public eye is no simple task. Whether you’re responding to a last-minute media inquiry, dealing with negative publicity, or monitoring the web for newsworthy content, the message is clear: to succeed in public relations, you need to be strategic and quick to adapt to new trends and technology. Top public relations executives agree that career success means being an incredible storyteller and trusted strategic business advisor—Someone who can leverage emerging technologies and critical thinking to build lasting relationships with stakeholders. This shift in skill demands is why top companies are struggling to hire and keep the right public relations professionals.

Program Benefits
Created in collaboration with industry leaders, the 8 course full-time Post-Graduate Certificate in Public Relations gives you the expertise to broadcast your brand message to the right audience, at the right time, using both traditional and digital media. Real-world project work will give you the chance to learn and practice effective public relations strategies, business principles and stakeholder relationship management, as well as how to respond to crises and manage brand reputation. All this, while building the core job skills that top employers are looking for when hiring for public relations jobs.

What you will learn
Use the technology you need to get the public opinion you want
Using the right tools at the right time can mean the difference between a media firestorm or the recruitment of countless new brand influencers to support your cause.

You will gain in-depth public relations knowledge, including:

• Public relations fundamentals & strategy
• Digital storytelling
• Marketing principles
• Internal communications
• Data analytics
• Effective writing
• Presentation skills
• Reputation & crisis management
• Media relations
• Stakeholder engagement

In public relations, it’s all about the story. Make sure the story of your career is a success.

York's School of Kinesiology & Health Science has been consistently ranked among the top three programs in Ontario and among the top 25 in the world according to the ShanghaiRanking's Global Ranking of Sport Science Schools and Departments.

Kinesiology & Health Science is the study of human movement and the relationship between physical activity and health. Most students enter the Kinesiology and Health Science Program because they have a keen interest in physical activity and health and plan to work in an applied health or education field.
York has one of the largest course offerings in Kinesiology in Canada, including more than 50 professionally focused practicum courses that let you apply your studies to everything from game strategy and injury assessment to event management.

The program provides both an arts and a science perspective to the study of human movement and students can apply to either the Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (BSc) program.
York's Kinesiology & Health Science program includes:

• Academic theory
• Laboratory
• Tutorial
• Physical activity practica experiences

The program is constantly evolving in response to societal changes and shifts in faculty and student interests. You will take a common core of required academic courses which encompass the major areas of emphasis in the discipline:

• Ergonomics
• Anatomy
• Physiology
• Teaching and coaching
• Sport administration
• Athletic therapy
• Aging
• Epidemiology
• Health promotion
• Gender and sport

The first degree of its kind in Canada! This is a full-time program with courses offered during the day.

Responding to a growing demand for qualified human resources (HR) professionals, the Bachelor of Human Resources Management (BHRM) degree will provide you with specialized training in all aspects of HR management. The BHRM is offered through the School of HRM at York, which is the largest university unit in the field in North America, housing the country's largest and top specialized faculty. SHRM is Canada's leader in HRM education.

You will benefit from a curriculum that draws on a range of disciplines including business, economics, sociology, history, social science, psychology, philosophy, political science, Industrial relations and law. This integrated approach will enable you to develop the research, analytical and management skills required by the profession.

The program builds on the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies' existing strength in the field including the largest core of HR management professors in Canada and outstanding HR research.

The BHRM degree is fully accredited with the Human Resources Professionals Association of Ontario (HRPAO) and students graduate having completed all of the mandatory courses to receive the HRPAO's professional designation.

4 years honours option also avilable for this program. For more information please visit program page.

The Sexuality Studies program is an undergraduate program affiliated with York’s world renowned School of Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies.

Sexuality Studies is an interdisciplinary field that explores artistic, cultural, economic, geographic, historical, literary, political, psychological and social aspects of sexuality. Our program examines sexuality in transnational contexts and investigates intersections of sexuality with ability, age, class, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, health, nationality, race and religion.

You will learn alternative ways of organizing sexualities and alternatives to sexuality, in the past, present and future, as well as explore and gain a comprehensive understanding of sexual:

• Desires
• Acts
• Identities
• Communities
• Movements

Students in Sexuality Studies can choose from more than 50 courses from various academic areas and take discipline-based courses in fields such as anthropology, geography, history, literature, philosophy, political science, and sociology. Explore further with interdisciplinary courses that use diverse theories and methods derived from the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, fine arts and professional studies. Courses, seminars, lectures and special events address lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, intersexual, cissexual, heterosexual and heteronormative topics.

• You will have the opportunity to learn from more than 20 affiliated professors with international reputations for outstanding work in the field of sexuality studies.
• Sexuality Studies at York is unlike other programs because it is interdisciplinary and transnational. You can combine a sexuality studies degree (major or minor) with another more traditional degree (like psychology), or complete a Sexuality Studies certificate (open to all, regardless of educational background).
• Outside the classroom, you can participate in the activities of the Centre for Women and Trans People at York which offers resources, seminars, and activities. At the Keele Campus students are welcome to join SexGen, a program responsible for addressing issues and concerns of sexual and gender diversity, whether in terms of university policy areas, academic climate or the general university environment.

Develop awareness and a sense of social responsibility relating to Indigenous issues. Your access to traditional Elders and ceremonies, and your placements with Indigenous or supporting organizations will provide you with cultural and experiential knowledge about Indigenous lands, languages and cultures.

Indigenous Studies at York is a unique program that combines an experiential emphasis on local Indigenous traditions, treaties and languages with the theoretical insights of Indigenous scholars. We also feature courses that enable students to explore Indigenous literatures, cinema and music, or to develop an awareness of interconnections with Indigenous peoples internationally as well as with the racialized communities situated on Indigenous lands across the Americas due to histories of slavery and indentureship.

What are the roots of international terrorism? How is world trade affecting the balance of rich and poor nations? What is the effect of the Internet on diplomacy and social movements? This program, offered by our renowned Political Science Department, helps you answers questions such as these.

Global Political Studies encompass international relations, foreign politics and domestic government policy. Topics include:

• Foreign and security policy
• Political economy
• Democratic reform
• War and conflict (including internal strife)
• New social movements
• An examination of the changing "world order" in its economic and political forms

The Global Political Studies program allows students to specialize in international or global politics by combining courses in two of the Department's fields:

• International Relations
• Comparative World Politics

Through this program, you will gain the skills required to analyze global political forces, as well as a broad education. This program provides an excellent background for future public service work abroad, for private sector employment in areas dealing with international issues or for graduate studies in international relations or comparative world politics.

• You'll learn to conceptualize and think critically about global politics and issues such as the uses and abuses of power; rights and responsibilities; and the intersections of community and nation-state with globally defined realities.
• Engage in open discussions with your peers on some of the most contentious political issues and learn to identify the possibilities of acting politically to bring about change.