The MSc in User Experience Design is a 16- to 20-month degree program that will be targeted to students who have recently completed an undergraduate degree. The proposed program will be distinguished by offering students an enriched experiential learning experience, providing them with the chance to engage directly with clients. Students in the program will choose between a 16-month (four terms) project stream or a 20-month (five terms) co-operative education stream. It is anticipated that graduates will be ready to enter the workforce and immediately apply their expertise to organizations in need of the knowledge, skills, and attitudes developed through the program. In addition to being a unique program offering in the province, the MSc-UX program will also bolster the graduate offerings at the Brantford campus and contribute to the growing number of wider employment-based programs being offered at the university.

The Master of Music degree in Collaboration, Curation and Creative Performance (hereafter MMus C3) is unique in Canada and builds on proven strengths in Laurier’s Faculty of Music undergraduate programs in Performance, Composition, and Integrated Musical Arts. This four-term full-time master’s program includes coursework, an experiential placement, and a Major Artistic project.

This degree will provide performers and creators of music with the education and skills for a lifelong career in music and the performing arts. By focusing equally on collaboration, creation, and curation, students will learn to be sector-leading musicians and presenters, able to predict and respond to the needs, shifts, and complexities of a multi-cultural, multi- and interdisciplinary Canada. A key question students will answer is “who (or why) are you as an artist?”

The program recognizes the limitations of the typical language used to describe these musical sub-disciplines, which is often narrow. We intend this program to be inclusive of diverse musical cultures, instruments, traditions and genres. The collaborative nature of the program and its objectives include considering Indigenous ways of knowing as well as cultural understandings of music’s place in society and the arts community.

The MSc in Health Sciences will be a new thesis-based master’s program situated within the Department of Health Sciences (HE), in the Faculty of Science. The program will have two fields of study: (1) Molecular and Medical Sciences (MMS) and (2) Community, Public and Population Health (CPPH).  Each field of study will have similar, yet unique program requirements; students in the Molecular and Medical Science field of study will be required to take 1.0 credits of required courses, and to complete a master’s thesis (1.0 credits). For students in the Community, Public and Population Health field, program requirements will include 1.5 credits of required courses, and a master’s thesis (1.0 credits). Given the course-light nature of the degree, students in both fields are expected to have opportunity for significant laboratory/research group experiences, and intensive mentoring by a direct supervisor.

Our interdisciplinary faculty bring the most up-to-date knowledge, methods and theoretical approaches in health sciences including health equity issues, the social determinants of health, illness pathways, epigenetics, advances in immunology, cancer biology, virology, stem cell research, neuroscience, nutritional sciences, Indigenous People’s health, workplace occupational stress, neighbourhood stress, social marginalization, and population health. Our faculty are also experts in knowledge translation, contributing innovative solutions to complex health problems. They are research-intensive and have highly active and impressive research groups/laboratories. The interdisciplinary MSc in Health Sciences will attract high-achieving students, preparing them for research, policy, and direct service careers in the broader health sector, or opportunities for further graduate or professional education.

The PhD in Music, with fields in Music Therapy and Community Music, can be completed either through full or part-time study. Its interdisciplinary approach based on music, health, community, and culture, with a focus on critical applications and interventions, make the program unique, not only in Canada, but internationally. The program will help to serve the growing demand for advanced research skills in community music, music education, and music therapy fields. The curriculum is based on a Doctoral Action Plan, Problem-Based Learning, Peer Learning, and various Doctoral Special Seminar Topics (DSST). The goal of the PhD in Music is to develop researchers and practitioners with sufficient theoretical, technical, methodological, professional, and applied clinical research knowledge to assure scientific rigour and grounded practice in one of the two fields.

The Type 3 Graduate Diploma in Accounting Analytics is a two-term, part-time program delivered by the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics designed for professional accountants who would like to upgrade their skill set in order to advance their careers. The program consists of four required graduate level courses that focus on how to use various data analytics tools to address accounting problems. The Graduate Diploma in Accounting Analytics is structured around two pillars: i) business analytics fundamentals and ii) applications in accounting. In the fall term, students will take two business analytics fundamentals courses. In the winter term, students will take two applied analytics in accounting courses. At the end of the program, students will have mastered the technical skills required to transform data analysis into business insights and communicate these results to colleagues and clients.

The Master of Supply Chain Management (MSCM) program is a 1-year, weekend format master’s degree program aimed at junior and mid-level managers working in retail, manufacturing, transportation and logistics firms. The intended student has the ability and drive to understand and participate in the ongoing transformation of SCM through analytics supported by technology. This program is designed to provide students with a clear understanding of the core ideas, and the ability to apply the new tools, to a variety of decisions in supply chains. These include designing the supply network, locating and laying out distribution facilities, scheduling transportation, planning sales and operations, controlling inventory, developing supplier relationships and contracts, and pricing products and services in limited supply – and making these choices in line with competitive priorities and financial objectives.

The Master of Science in Management Analytics (MMA) program is a three-term, full-time masters degree program targeted to students who have recently completed a STEM or Business undergraduate degree. The program will focus on training managers to design, lead and execute data driven projects across industries. The program is designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills to apply state- of-the-art analytics tools, gain business insights and improve operational and strategic decision-making. At the end of this program, students will have demonstrated ability designing and moving data analytics projects from conception to application. Students will be able to identify and evaluate opportunities and risks associated with data analytics projects.

The MSc in Management of Innovation and Technology is an intensive 11-month program for current or aspiring executive leaders. The program combines state-of-the-art management practices, as well as insights on emerging technologies that are driving global innovation and change. Its objective is to prepare leaders to manage both technology and the process of innovation in a high-speed, high-cost, high-risk global environment. This objective is achieved through a combination of formal course work, seminars, and independent research.

The Faculty of Social Work’s International Social Work Program (ISWP) is a Type 2 graduate diploma which consists of six graduate level courses (3.0 credits) focused on international perspectives. The diploma will provide existing MSW students with an opportunity to advance knowledge and theory of social work practice in countries with social, economic and political contexts that are significantly different from those in Canada, while encouraging the sharing of ideas among social work students, schools and practitioners around the world. The program fosters understanding of global interdependence, the universality of social problems, and the need to develop responses grounded in the local community. The diploma can be completed in the Two-Year full-time Master of Social Work (MSW) program, the Three-Year part-time MSW program, or the advanced standing (Two-Year) part-time MSW program. Students complete the diploma concurrently with the MSW program.

Mathematical and statistical modelling approaches are essential in dealing with complex systems whose components interact in a remarkably dynamic manner in a competitive, and uncertain, environment. These systems are ubiquitous in nature, technology, and society. Mathematical and statistical modeling approaches are crucial in traditional disciplines like physical and computer sciences, engineering and technology. Increasingly, they are being applied to a diverse set of emerging applications in health and life sciences, environment and ecology, finance, business and economics, as well as in governance and social systems. Applied modelling enables further progress in critical areas of human endeavour, fundamentally enhancing our well-being.

The interdisciplinary PhD program in Mathematical and Statistical Modelling will serve the growing demand for advanced quantitative skills in Ontario’s knowledge-based economy. Our success in this process lies with a holistic, interdisciplinary approach to problem-solving. Students in this program will develop expertise using the tools of mathematical and statistical modelling. They will carry out independent research while developing additional expertise in one of three domains (1) Health, Environment and Ecology; (2) Finance, Business and Economics; and (3) Complex Systems, Information and Big Data. Graduates of this program will contribute in creative and innovative ways to solving Ontario’s complex interdisciplinary problems.