Newly Approved Undergraduate Academic Programs

2016 - Integrated Science, BSc (Honours)

Decision Date: April 22, 2016

The four-year honors program in Integrated Science will combine the focused coursework of a traditional science honors degree with a unique set of courses in Integrated Science. Through novel classroom and laboratory experiences, students in the Integrated Science program will refine their critical thinking and problem-solving skills while at the same time strengthening teamwork, leadership abilities and community engagement.

Besides courses in Integrated Science, students in the program will specialize in a defined discipline (e.g. Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Earth Sciences, Mathematics, Physics). This will provide graduates with the necessary focused education to further develop the expertise valued by both industry and academia. Since many of today’s most pressing scientific problems are interdisciplinary (e.g. climate change), graduates of Western’s Integrated Science program will have a unique skill set allowing them to work more effectively on problems that span a number of science disciplines.

2016 - Major in Disability Studies, BA

Decision Date: March 24, 2016

The interdisciplinary Major in Disability Studies creates spaces for rethinking the dominance of traditional, individualized and medicalized models of disability by identifying the systemic barriers to full participation in society experienced by disabled people. It examines the historical and cultural roots of today’s categories of thought, and offers innovative theories, cases and best practices for moving towards a more inclusive society. The program combines rigorous academic foundations with an inquiry-based learning approach that values the contributions of people with disabilities themselves, and acknowledges the breadth and complexity of the large and diverse field being studied (over 15% of the population has some form of disability, including intellectual, developmental, learning, physical, sensory, and mental health).

The curriculum aims to: (1) foster strong analytical, research, writing and verbal expression skills grounded in social science and humanities approaches; (2) provide students with a thorough grounding in specific DS topics and issues; and (3) enhance students’ ability to be effective, ethical, and creative actors in educational, civic and private organizations, who can change the structural conditions that disable people. The degree meets a growing local, national and international need for professionals capable of addressing disability-related social challenges, such as aging population, war- and sports-related physical impairment, and increasing rates of diagnosis for learning disability and mental health.

2018 - Biomedical Engineering, BME

Decision Date: April 20, 2018

The program in Biomedical Engineering will be offered by Western’s new School of Biomedical Engineering in partnership with Western’s Faculties of Health Sciences and Science and Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry.  The objective of the program is to educate students in design and analysis of medical devices and in the application of principles of engineering science to solve problems in medicine and the biomedical sciences.

The program will provide students with a strong foundation of engineering and biomedical science fundamentals by combining biomedical engineering with the student’s choice of chemical, electrical, mechanical, or mechatronic systems engineering.  The biomedical engineering courses at the core of the program will bridge fundamental engineering subjects to upper-year electives and research opportunities by providing additional breadth and depth in applications of engineering science to medicine.  These courses will be suitable for students with backgrounds in a variety of engineering disciplines and will emphasize the interdisciplinary nature of biomedical engineering.  The program will culminate with an intensive research experience during the final year that will provide students with practical experience in biomaterials, biomechanics, biomedical imaging, or medical mechatronics.

2019 - Honours Specialization in Synthetic Biology, BSc

Decision Date: August 23, 2019

The undergraduate program in Synthetic Biology will be jointly offered by Western University’s Faculty of Science and Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry.  The objective of the program is to provide students with a strong foundation in the discipline of synthetic biology and prepare them to enter either academia or industry. Synthetic biology is ultimately concerned with the creation of novel biological systems for use in medical, industrial and environmental applications.  Courses in both theoretical and practical application of synthetic biology principles provide graduates with the tools to solve problems in the biological sciences, and beyond, using synthetic biology approaches.

The program builds upon the same comprehensive biology core program as other BSc and BMSc modules offered through the Faculty of Science and Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, and contains two required third-year lab courses to give students basic training in Genetic, Biochemical and Bioinformatics techniques. As specific preparation for entering industry, the program requires an introduction to business and project management.  In addition, the new Synthetic Biology specific courses, Biochemistry 3392F/G and Biology 4998E, provide skills for developing proposals for innovative synthetic biology solutions to current biological problems, including pitching ideas to a variety of audiences, and executing them in a team-based laboratory environment.

2020- Major in Human Rights Studies, BA

Decision Date: February 21, 2020

The Major in Human Rights Studies at King’s University College is dedicated to the interrogation of intersections between culture, conflict, citizenship and rights within a global framework. This program is designed to place the study of culture, conflict and the history of human rights within the broader, co-disciplinary context of an evolving global citizenship. Through a collaborative disciplinary approach, the program challenges students to explore the myriad nature of human rights and citizenship through various disciplinary and theoretical perspectives which are grounded in the Liberal Arts and King’s tradition of Catholic Higher Education. These are: historical-political, philosophical-ethical and literary-cultural.

The critical study of Human Rights offers students the opportunity to investigate the functioning of relevant institutions so as to participate in, or challenge this order. The module facilitates their exploration of Human Rights, and the violations of those rights, through various Social Science and Humanities lenses. They will be better informed and better able to make connections between the historical development of Human Rights, their political and legal frameworks, their dissemination and critique through cultural production and gendered contexts, their philosophical and ethical groundings, their religious manifestations and their practical applications. The curriculum requires students to engage in the debates that currently occupy Human Rights scholars and practitioners: on the origins of Human Rights, the extent to which these rights are universal or culturally relative, the efficacy of the global Human Rights framework, and the fragility of Human Rights as an ideal. These students will apply their skills and knowledge as they enter careers in the Law, in Policing, in Education and Health Care, and Governance and Policy Development. Their heightened consciousness of the fragility of Human Rights-of their importance as well as their limitations-especially in reference to vulnerable populations, will be applicable to a wide spectrum of possible career choices.

2020 - Major in Global Great Books, BA

Decision Date: January 24, 2020

The Global Great Books program is a four-year interdisciplinary program in which students read significant and influential texts from around the world seeking to understand the questions that animate human life. Students take an introductory course in the first year, and enter the program in their second year taking two Global Great Books courses in each of years two, three and four alongside a variety of electives. The module is designed to introduce students to the world’s cultures, investigate questions and ideas both old and new, and gain the skills to effectively analyze on-going problems and contemporary crises from a variety of perspectives. Students learn to read critically, write both logically and persuasively, synthesize diverse materials, and become globally aware.

2020 - Major in Japanese Studies, BA

Decision Date: January 24, 2020

Japanese Studies offers a four-year Major focusing on developing both linguistic and cultural competencies: students complete their degree with a well-rounded understanding of Japanese society as well as strong Japanese language skills.  Successful students will have taken four years of Japanese language instruction, reaching the Advanced level of the Oral Proficiency Guidelines provided by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign languages and the B2 level of competence in Japanese as per the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Graduates will, in other words, be able to interact in Japanese in both everyday situations and professional contexts.  Successful students, moreover, will have acquired in depth knowledge of Japanese customs, history, religions and contemporary society, as well as the analytical, critical-thinking, and English-writing skills required in senior seminars.

2022 - Major in Creative Arts and Production, BA

Decision Date: January 28, 2022

The Creative Arts and Production program (CAP) is a four-year Major BA in which students explore the diverse meanings and significance of the creative arts and creativity through doing work that is interdisciplinary and engages with history and theory as well as through practice and production. Critical thinking and making are central to the program. In the CAP module, students take both core and elective courses alongside another Major, Specialization or Honours Specialization in a Bachelor of Arts degree in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, the Faculty of Information and Media Studies, or the Don Wright Faculty of Music. Through collaborative projects and experiential learning opportunities, students examine the arts industry, discover and harness many forms of creativity by working independently and collaboratively, and consider the relationship between practical creative processes and interdisciplinary ideas and issues, including intersectional identity and community. Students will be able to bring practical skills and critical knowledge of creative theory to their future careers across a wide spectrum of the arts. Their experience in the program will facilitate both their awareness of the role of creativity in the world and their growth as global citizens.

2022 - Artificial Intelligence Systems Engineering, BESc

Decision Date: March 25, 2022

The Artificial Intelligence Systems Engineering (AISE) program is a five-year double degree program offered by the Faculty of Engineering at Western University. The objective of the program is to educate students in the fundamentals of Artificial Intelligence, deep learning, online learning, algorithms and data structure to solve engineering problems. The focus of the AISE program is on (1) interdisciplinary study, explicitly linking each of chemical, civil, mechatronic, electrical, and mechanical engineering to the artificial intelligence and software engineering disciplines, and (2) multiple engineering case studies project-based courses.

Western engineering AISE graduates equipped with Artificial Intelligence skills in addition to depth of understanding of the engineering disciplines will be very attractive to potential employers. Engineering domain knowledge enables Western Engineering AISE graduates to build precise, accurate, and explainable predictive engineering AI models as well as building models that generalize better into real-world situations.

2023 - Major in China Studies, BA

Decision Date: November 24, 2023

The major module in China Studies is built from courses within the larger program that are currently taught across three minor modules: China Studies, Chinese Studies, and Chinese Business Communications. The structured combination of different disciplines in this major module will provide students with a more comprehensive curriculum of China Studies consisting of Chinese literature, culture, and language as well as Chinese history and geography.

2024 - Major and Minor in Animal Ethics and Sustainability Leadership, BA

Decision Date: January 26, 2024

The Major and Minor in Animal Ethics and Sustainability Leadership are interdisciplinary arts and social sciences learning pathways that will build the capacities of students to thoughtfully understand and respond to contemporary socioeconomic challenges for the benefit of diverse people, animals, and our shared environment. The modules integrate courses from the social sciences, arts, and management and organizational studies so students will gain depth and breadth of understanding of pressing multispecies issues and debates, salient theories, and analytical frameworks, while also building their leadership skills to be career ready.

Newly Approved Graduate Programs

2016 - Global Health Systems in Africa (Collaborative Program)

Decision Date: April 11, 2016

The objective of the Collaborative Graduate Program in Global Health Systems in Africa is to provide students with a transdisciplinary, knowledge-to-action, systems approach to training graduate students (in both research-based and professional programs) to become global leaders with experience in one of the most challenging, complex areas of the world. Students will explore thematic areas inspired by the 2015-2030 United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals where Western University has established strengths such as in poverty reduction; maternal and newborn child health; HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases; environment and sustainability; and food and nutrition. The Collaborative Graduate Program will augment the training received in the student’s home department by providing specialized training in scholarship related to Global Health Systems in Africa. The Program is currently open to Master’s students and Doctoral students from Statistics, Microbiology and Immunology, Earth Sciences, Applied Mathematics, Biology, Physics and Astronomy, Pathology, Anatomy & Cell Biology, Geography, Anthropology and the Faculty of Health Sciences.

2017 - Master of Data Analytics, MDA

Decision Date: March 24, 2017

The Master of Data Analytics (MDA) is a one year interdisciplinary, professional science master’s program designed to produce professionals ready to pursue an analytics-focused career. The MDA provides students with the skills they need to be proficient in data analytics and practical experience applying those skills in an organizational setting. Program entry is once a year in September. The fall and winter terms curriculum consists of core and specialty field courses. The core curriculum teaches fundamental, technical data analytic skills in statistics and computer science such as databases; data carpentry, munging and wrangling; visualization and exploratory data analysis; statistical modelling and inference; supervised and unsupervised machine learning; unstructured data; and ethical data analysis. In addition, professional skills are developed through Business Skills and Data Consulting courses along with a Career Development Seminar Series. The specialty field courses develop technical skills in one of the following areas: Artificial Intelligence; Finance, Banking and Insurance; or Generalist.  MDA courses are taught by a cohort of more than twenty outstanding professors, Canada Research Chairs, faculty scholars, current and former department chairs and lecturers from the Departments of Computer Science and Statistical & Actuarial Sciences, including instructors with direct industry experience. The summer term consists of an Experiential Learning Opportunity (ELO), typically a co-op internship in industry or in some cases a major research project, where students will get practical experience using the analytics skills they have developed in a workplace environment. Western’s MDA program provides the technical training, professional development, and the practical experience necessary for graduates of the program to transition into data analytics careers in the public and private sectors.

2017 - Mining Law, Finance, and Sustainability, GDip (Type 3)

Decision Date: March 20, 2017

The Graduate Diploma (GDip) in Mining Law, Finance, and Sustainability is a two-term (eight month) course-based diploma program designed to provide interdisciplinary training to those working in and with the domestic and global mining industries. The program is geared toward those whose educational or professional experience is in a field other than law; it will provide them with a foundational understanding of the legal and regulatory frameworks that govern mining law and finance, as well as a range of social, environmental, and economic issues related to sustainable development.

Students in this program take four compulsory courses that cover essentials of mining law and finance, as well as the theory and practice of sustainability. Students must also take one “core” course in a field related to sustainability, and one elective course. These cover the range from Environmental Law, Aboriginal Law, and Corporate Social Responsibility, to Anti-Corruption Law and Corporate Finance. A Seminar on Interdisciplinary and Indigenous Perspectives provides the capstone to the program.

2018 - Applied Health Sciences, GDip (Type 3)

Decision Date: May 8, 2018

Description to follow

2020 - Master of Management, MM

Decision Date: June 19, 2020

The Master of Management program (MM) is a “while-you-work” graduate degree designed for mid-career professionals seeking to acquire the requisite knowledge and capabilities to take the next step in their career – a pivot to leadership.  The MM program is cohort based and delivered through a combination of live and virtual instruction, as well as asynchronous learning exercises that can be completed by the student on their own schedule.

The first program stream is the analytics specialization, called the Master of Management – Analytics. This program stream is one year in duration and built on three pillars: foundational courses in business (marketing, accounting, finance, operations, strategy and leadership),  courses in business analytics (such as statistics, modeling, visualization, simulation, data management, big data, and other specialized analytics courses), and a real world field project with a corporate partner. The sum total of the program is to ensure graduates have the business acumen and analytics skills to capture more senior positions,  such as leading groups of analysts or more general leadership opportunities. The target students for this program stream will typically have 2 to 10 years of work experience in an analytics-centric role, a four year undergraduate degree with course work in calculus; linear algebra; statistics or probability and demonstrated proficiency in one programming language through university course work or work experience.

2020 - Research for Policy and Evaluation, MA

Decision Date: June 19, 2020

The MA in Research for Policy and Evaluation (MRPE) is a one-year (three term) Professional Master’s program with an emphasis on developing social science research skills that can be applied to policy and program development and evaluation. Graduates are able to apply their knowledge in a variety of settings, including government, not-for-profit, and private sectors.

Through courses and a four-month internship, the program focuses on collecting, analyzing, interpreting, and communicating research for practical applications.  The emphasis is on developing quantitative and qualitative research skills that can be used effectively to inform policies  and programs in a variety of contexts.  We aim to build an inclusive student body in terms of background and perspective, including a blend of recent graduates and those drawn from the workforce.  

2020 - Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, GDip (Type 3)

Decision Date: June 8, 2020

Details to follow

2021 - Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner, GDip (Type 3)

Decision Date: December 6, 2021

The Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner Graduate Diploma program is ideal for Master’s-prepared Registered Nurses with a strong interest in the clinical aspects of primary health care nursing delivery at an advanced level. It provides students with the opportunity to expand their nursing scope of practice through advanced, evidence-based practice and education, and prepares them for certification and practice as a Primary Care Nurse Practitioner in the province of Ontario.

2021 - Engineering Leadership and Innovation, GDip (Type 3)

Decision Date: February 11, 2021

The Graduate Diploma (GDip) in Engineering Leadership and Innovation (ELI) is a two-term (eight month) course-based diploma program designed for graduate engineers to further develop professional skills in leadership in the context of engineering practice, and to enhance their employability. Students will also develop an entrepreneurial mindset along with innovation skills that can be applied within start-ups, established firms, NGOs, or the public sector.  Engineering careers are shifting to require higher education to meet the needs of industry and clients. Competition is increasing as universities continue to grow their undergraduate and graduate Engineering programs. Hence, an enrichment of critical skills beyond the technical engineering degree curriculum is becoming increasingly important for graduates.

Students in this program must take three compulsory “core” courses that cover design-driven innovation, leadership and communication in the engineering workplace. Students must also take three elective courses, related to leadership/management and/or innovation. Options include Business and Management, Risk Assessment and Management, Project Management, Intellectual Property, Commercializing Innovation and New Venture Creation.

2021 - Executive Healthcare Leadership GDip (Type 3)

Decision Date: May 15, 2021

Description to follow.

2022 - Business and Sustainability, GDip (Type 2)

Decision Date: November 14, 2022

 

The Ivey Graduate Diploma in Business and Sustainability is a Type 2 graduate diploma program. Ivey MSc Management students have the option of enrolling into this graduate diploma after acceptance into the MSc Program (MScM), to be completed concurrently with that degree.

The Graduate Diploma focuses on developing an integrative understanding of sustainability, combined with deepening both management and technical skills for improving sustainability in private and public sector organizations.  One aspect is the development of a broad perspective of sustainability as a holistic system that incorporates environmental, social, and economic dimensions.  Considering wider, interdisciplinary perspectives enhances the ability of graduates to deploy new technical skills effectively, and enables them to be responsive and effective in the context of the continually evolving business and sustainability challenges. The MSc Management program offers multiple fields (i.e., Business Analytics, Digital Management, and International Business). As sustainability is a key cross-cutting consideration for the careers of graduates of all these fields, the Graduate Diploma will be offered to all MSc students.

 

2023 - Global Health Systems, MHSc

Decision Date: March 24, 2023

 

The Global Health Systems MHSc program consists of a set of core courses (requisites) that focus on fundamental principals in global health, business, management, and communication. Specialty courses (electives) provide additional competencies in specific areas of interest to global health (e.g., infectious diseases, mental health, oral health, indigenous health, etc.). Course-based learning (Sept – April) is complemented by experiential learning (May – Aug) to generate a comprehensive education, generating well-rounded students who can meet employers’ needs.

2023 - Drug Safety and Pharmacovigilance, MSc

Decision Date: February 24, 2023

 

The Masters Program in Drug Safety is one year program designed to provide health care professionals, investigators and students interested in working in the pharmaceutical industry or in public policy/drug regulation with skills, knowledge and attitudes to empower them for a career in drug and patient safety, drug research or health policy.  Drug safety is an increasingly important topic as new therapies are developed and enter clinical use.  Patients, health care providers, industry and government all share common concerns as to how to ensure that drugs are safe when used as directed.  Most training programs in health care and in pharmacology do not teach approaches to drug safety in detail, leaving a gap that needs to be filled.  This program will fill that gap.  Students will undertake a series of courses in core areas of drug safety and pharmacology, undertake a major research project and have a practicum during which they will work in a drug safety focused environment.  Graduates of this program will be well equipped to face and address the challenges of drug safety in the era of molecular, biologic and precision medicine.

2023 - Climate Risk Assessment and Opportunity, GDip (Type 3)

Decision Date: February 13, 2023

 

Description to follow

2024 - Master of Teaching and Learning, MTL

Decision Date: April 26, 2024

The Master of Teaching and Learning (MTL) is a cohort graduate-level teacher education program that aligns with Western’s status as a research-intensive university, and the profession’s need to prepare teacher candidates for a research-based, research-led practice.

The MTL is a four-term (16 month), blended, graduate-level program. Terms one and two to be completed on-site at Western’s Faculty of Education. Terms three and four will be completed virtually, drawing on the faculty’s decades of expertise in designing and offering high quality full-distance Continuing Education programs and graduate degrees. Upon successful completion of the program, teacher candidates will be recommended to the Ontario College of Teachers for a Certificate of Qualification and Registration, which will certify them to teach in Ontario schools.