Dual Degree - Bachelor of Arts - Social Welfare and Social Development & Bachelor of Education - Primary/Junior (PE)

Students will first complete their Bachelor of Arts in Social Welfare and Social Development. Once complete they will move into the two years of their Bachelor of Education.

The Social Welfare and Social Development program is unique in Canada in both name and content. It focuses on social inequality and the groups that have been underrepresented in the distribution of resources, opportunities, and power. Students graduate with a thorough understanding of the causes and consequences of inequality in global, national, and local contexts, and an ability to formulate options for addressing these disparities.

Required courses examine the social, political, and historical contexts of poverty and the forms of oppression that give rise to social marginalization. Students also become familiar with the numerous struggles to make societies more equitable, while achieving social justice. In SWLF 2995, a full-year seminar, they will volunteer at an agency that provides social and/or health services in the North Bay community. This is a great opportunity for them to obtain meaningful, real-world experience.

After completing their Bachelor of Arts, students will begin Nipissing University's Bachelor of Education (BEd) program, which was one of the first pre-service teacher education programs to be fully accredited by the Ontario College of Teachers.

The Bachelor of Education (BEd) program is part of the university's Schulich School of Education and meets the requirements of the Ontario College of Teachers for teacher certification (Certificate of Qualification). The program provided by the Schulich School of Education is rigorous and demands a high degree of commitment. To be successful, a student must display sensitivity to pupils, a sense of responsibility to the teaching profession, and a respect for knowledge.

Candidates may apply to enroll in one of three divisions in the program: • P/J -- Primary/Junior (Junior Kindergarten to Grade 6) • J/I -- Junior/Intermediate (Grades 4 to 10) • I/S -- Intermediate/Senior (Grades 7 to 12)

Upon successful completion of the two-year professional program, students will receive a Bachelor of Education (BEd) degree.