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Employer Demand for Excellent Communicators Sparks New Communications and Critical Thinking Program

Degree exclusive to Trent University Durham receives official Ministry approval

Dr. Joel Baetz, assistant professor of English at Trent University Durham
Dr. Joel Baetz, assistant professor of English at Trent University Durham

In response to increasing employer demand for excellent communicators, problem solvers and lifelong learners, Trent University Durham has launched a new Bachelor of Arts degree program in Communications and Critical Thinking, a three-year degree that offers students an interdisciplinary learning opportunity in a dynamic academic setting, as well as practical, hands-on experience.

According to numerous recent surveys, including one by Workopolis, communication and writing skills are a few of the top skills employers are looking for. The new Communications & Critical Thinking degree program, which recently received official approval from the Ministry of Training Colleges and Universities, is one of many examples of how Trent University Durham is taking a leading-edge approach to developing new academic programs that meet both student and employer demands.

“The Communications and Critical Thinking degree is an excellent addition to Trent University Durham’s wide-ranging program offerings and comes in response to an understanding of the highly competitive job market students are facing,” said Joe Muldoon, head of Trent University Durham. “The program is part of our efforts to grow unique programs that lend themselves well to the intimate environment and smaller class sizes that the Trent Durham campus offers."

"Communications and Critical Thinking makes visible something that all university programs aim to do: help students become logical and creative thinkers and clear communicators,” added Dr. Joel Baetz, assistant professor of English at Trent University Durham and one of the members of the committee that helped develop the new program. “The difference is that the program will introduce students to the practical benefits of interdisciplinary thinking, so that they can see that their learning is academically rigorous and relevant."  

In addition to new courses in critical thinking, writing and theories of practical communication, students in the program will also be able to explore a variety of humanities and social sciences courses offered at Trent University Durham. In their third and final year, students in the Communications and Critical Thinking degree program will be required to take a project-based course, where they will have the opportunity to conduct research on a specific issue or question related to the program in coordination with a community organization.

The program will be accepting students for the fall 2015 timeframe and will also have a winter and summer intake in 2016.

For more information about the new dynamic and multi-disciplinary program visit the Communications and Critical Thinking program page. 

Posted on Wednesday, September 2, 2015.

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