Thompson Rivers University

TRU’s Faculty of Adventure, Culinary Arts and Tourism includes three departments, namely Adventure Studies, Culinary Arts and Tourism Management. The faculty offers courses that give insights into powerful and enriching human experiences which are indeed extraordinary but also relevant to humanity.

They have over 25 full-time and more than 100 part-time highly qualified faculties. The career prospects include outdoor adventure guidance and leadership, adventure business management, crafting cuisine for modern bistros and fine dining restaurants, and tourism planning and management.

1. Department of Adventure Studies at TRU trains passionate people as adventure guides which enables them to pursue their passion as well as develop a career in the fast-growing segment of the tourism industry. The graduates are legally qualified and competent. The graduates work in many tourism industries around British Columbia.

Some of the companies include :

Bergmann Mountain Guides

Coastal Spirit Expeditions

Coast Range Heli-skiing

Stellar Descents

Canadian Mountain Holiday

Interior Whitewater Expeditions

Wild Water Adventures.

2. Department of Culinary Arts at TRU trains students in the basics of cooking and other current industry related techniques. The department has connections with food businesses around BC.

3. Department of Tourism Management at TRU offers various certificate and graduate programs that provide students with the skills to develop and manage tourism business, provide quality experiences, and event management. 

The Faculty of Arts at TRU offers courses covering various disciplines along with industry expected hands-on training.

Students also develop basic skills like :

Communication

Critical thinking

Decision-making

Problem-solving

Leadership

Teamwork

Global competency

Ethics.

The Departments Under the Faculty are as below - 

1. Department of English and Modern Languages at TRU focuses on reading, writing, creative thinking, and imagination.

The areas of focus are :

Literature

History

Sociology

Law

Philosophy

Fine arts

Journalism

Psychology

This provides career prospects in ministry, counselling, therapy, social work, education, and management industries.

The other languages in focus are :

Chinese

French

German

Japanese

Spanish.

2. Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at TRU offers various major and minor courses that suit the needs of the students.

The main areas of focus are :

Urban planning

Environmental consulting

Environmental law

Water resources research

Policy development

Mine reclamation

Earth science

Environmental assessment

Meteorology

Hydrology

Geomorphology.

3. Department of Journalism, Communication and New Media at TRU offers an intensive four-year degree program that aims to create a well-qualified journalist and communication professional.

4. Department of Philosophy, History, and Politics at TRU offers courses that focus on the histories and methods of :

Philosophy

Metaphysics

Political sociology

Political anthropology

Political economy

Political geography

Ethics

Epistemology

Philosophy of science

The department offers well-qualified faculties who specialize in :

Continental philosophy

Epistemology

Philosophy of mind

Environmental ethics.

5. Department of Psychology at TRU offers various major, minor and honors degrees in Psychology that deal with skills like:

Understanding human behavior

Conducting and evaluating research

Analyzing data for insights

Insights professional writing

The department provides an exclusive psychology lab and conducts workshops in APA Style and Tips for doing research.

6. Department of Sociology and Anthropology at TRU offers courses that deal with the study of social groups and their activities, prehistoric people, contemporary societies and other linguistics.

7. Department of Visual and Performing Arts at TRU offers undergraduate studies to create theatre specialists and professionals in visual arts.

The areas of focus are :

Acting

Directing

Theatre history and technical theatre fundamentals

Painting

Printmaking

Drawing

Sculpture

Photography.

8. Department of Interdisciplinary Studies at TRU offers courses covering various disciplines and supports students to choose their career path. It offers two-year degree programs in pre-architecture, pre-law, pre-medicine, and pre-urban planning.

TRU’s School of Business and Economics are one of the best business education providers in Canada. Certificates, diplomas, degrees, and MBA are offered by the school in the field of Business. It is very flexible, and the students can pursue the courses online.

The student’s clubs run by the school are :

Accounting Club

Economics Club

Enactus Thompson Rivers

Finance Club

Human Resource Management Club

Marketing Club

MBA Club

The students are provided with opportunities to perform field study at the University of Malaga in Spain and Avans University of Applied Science in the Netherlands.

TRU’s Faculty of Education and Social Work focuses on education and human services.

The graduates can opt for careers in the profiles of :

Teacher

Counselor

Education leader

Social worker

Education assistant

They can also learn English for academic purposes.

The Schools and Departments Under the Faculty are as below : 

1. The School of Education at TRU offers courses in the fields of education, STEM, physical education, early childhood education, language, and culture. The graduates of the Bachelor program are certified by the BC Ministry of Education’s Teacher Regulation Branch (TRB) which makes them eligible to teach in an elementary and secondary school setting.

2. School of Social Work and Human Service at TRU offers courses that train students to provide support to individuals facing economic, mental health, gender and diversity issues in addition to supporting children and adults with exceptional needs.

3. Department of English as a Second Language at TRU offers courses that enable students to teach English as a second language to other people. It provides a language learning centre and media lab for the students to learn the language.  

4. Department of University and Employment Preparation at TRU offers adult education and skills training programs that include kitchen assistants and retail workers.

TRU’s faculty of law offers legal education at the Thompson Valley campus with highly qualified legal academicians in the new law school building. The faculty also provides a separate law library for the students along with state-of-the-art classrooms and infrastructure. It has a student group namely The TRU Society of Law Students (SLS) that conducts events for the students throughout the year.

TRU provides a legal clinic to help the community around the campus and also for the students to get hands-on experience. TRU offers a three-year program in Canadian law to the graduates willing to undertake a career in the legal profession. Students develop skills such as advocacy, negotiation and dispute resolution. It also offers legal research and writing opportunities.

Students have to select a mandatory elective course that involves research writing in advanced legal research and directed research.

The international partners include :

European Business School (EBS)

Masaryk University

University of Wroclaw in Poland.

TRU’s School of Nursing offers courses in nursing and health care assistance that prepares students for careers in profiles like :

Licensed practical nurse (LPN)

Registered nurse (RN)

Assistants in the healthcare industry

Medical laboratory assistants

The courses are licensed and regulated by the College of Licensed Practical Nurses of British Columbia and British Columbia College of Nursing Professionals. The nursing students are offered practicum placements that provide them with the opportunity to gain work experience.

TRU’s School of Open Learning offers various programs and individual courses that can be pursued online from the comfort of the home. The courses are very flexible and can either be taken full-time or part-time. The courses are open for admission throughout the year, and the admissions take place continuously. It offers self-paced courses with flexible scheduling and minimal admission criteria thus making open and distance learning possible.

It offers 550 courses and 60 programs in the fields including :

Adult Basic Education

Business and Management Studies

Arts

General Studies

Education and Social Work

Nursing

Science

Health Sciences

Technology

Tourism.

TRU's Faculty of Science offers courses that prepare a student to pursue career options in :

Medicine

Medical genetics

Veterinary medicine

High-tech industry

Biotechnology

Elementary and high school teaching

Pharmacy

Dentistry

Respiratory therapy

Resource management

Optometry

Wildlife management

The field of study includes:

Animal health technology

Chemistry

Biology

Geology

Horticulture

Respiratory therapy

Physics

Natural resource science

The student clubs associated with this department are :

BUGS (Biology Undergraduate Society)

Chemistry and Biochemistry Club (CBC)

Computer Science Club

Natural Resource Sciences Club

Physics Club

Science and Law Club

TRU undertakes various research activities in the Centre for Respiratory Health and Sleep Science and Centre for Optimization and Decision Science.

TRU’s School of Trades and Technology provides apprenticeship training to students in more than 20 trades including :

Automotive Service Technician

Carpenter

Circular Saw Filer

Diesel Engine Mechanic

Electrician

Heavy Duty Equipment Technician

Instrumentation and Control Technician

Meatcutter

Plumber

Professional Cook

Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Mechanic

Transport Trailer Technician

Truck and Transport Mechanic

Welder

They are supported by the Training Authority of BC. Students will pursue industry-oriented diplomas and degrees and learn as a paid apprentice. The students are trained in well-equipped laboratories.

They are provided with the opportunity to gain work experience in a field school called Trades Field School in Oaxaca, Mexico. The school also offers Red Seal Exam preparation courses.