Double Degree - Bachelor of Arts - Urban and Regional Studies & Bachelor of Business Administration - Political Science (Optional Co-op)

With a combined Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Management (B.A./B.Mgt.) degree, the student can explore a multitude of interests and careers. For example, for those who are interested in managing an art gallery, they can major in art and general management. For those sports marketing ignites their passion, they can major in kinesiology and marketing.

The Combined B.A./B.Mgt. degree program takes five years (50 courses) to complete and leads to the conferral of two degrees.

Political science is the systematic study of government, politics and political behavior. It looks at how political conflict is organized and resolved, how rulers are chosen, how governmental decisions are taken and what policies and laws are determined and implemented. This can be done in settings ranging from Canada as a whole, to provincial and local governments, to other countries to the relations among countries. It also considers how political actors understand their obligations towards one another and the degree to which decisions are ethically determined or out of convenience.

Political science students will study the principles, organizations, and administration of government. The major includes both management and political science courses. The political science major offers flexibility to choose courses that fit each student’s personal and career interests. In addition to the required courses, political science majors can choose six political science and three management electives.

Urban & regional studies (URS) delves into the physical, social, economic and political factors that shape cities. It looks at the role of planning to manage dynamic forces of change such as immigration, global warming, aging populations, energy conservation, congestion, urban forests, homelessness and smog, to name just a few.

Students in this program will learn to approach contemporary development challenges from various frames of reference. Issues include the evolving social, ethnic and architectural character of urban neighborhoods, the decline of agricultural service centers in the west or the governance of urban sprawl.

This multidisciplinary major will provide students with a broad range of conceptual and practical tools to understand cities and regions. Urban & regional studies is housed in the Department of Geography & Environment, but as a multidisciplinary major, the program includes courses outside the department’s offerings, such as anthropology, economics, political science, sociology and statistics.

The knowledge and experience students gain in the Urban & regional studies program will provide an exceptional stepping stone, whether students choose to continue their studies to the master’s or doctoral level or to enter the working world. Either way, they will have the educational background to play an important role in providing an understanding of, and solutions for, some of the most pressing urban and regional concerns.