Transportation Studies

Program Notes

Director

N.M. Waters

Telephone

(403)220-5367

E-mail

nwaters@ucalgary.ca

BA, BSc in Transportation Studies

Offering of this degree is subject to final government approval.

Introduction

The Faculty of Social Sciences, with the collaboration of the Schulich School of Engineering, the Haskayne School of Business, and the Van Horne Institute offers an interdisciplinary major in Transportation Studies. In addition, in partnership with the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, graduates of the Transportation Logistics and Administration program, who meet the admission requirements for the Transportation Studies program, will qualify for advanced credit toward the BA or BSc in Transportation Studies. The Transportation Studies Major requires careful selection of courses to meet its requirements and to this end students must consult with the Program Director who will approve their program of study.

Admission

This is a quota program - admission will be based on academic merit. New applicants should refer to "Admission Requirements" in the Academic Regulations section of this Calendar for regulations regarding University admission requirements and to "Admissions" in the Faculty of Social Sciences Faculty Regulations section of this Calendar for regulations regarding Faculty of Social Sciences admission requirements.

Applicants, who apply on the basis of a diploma in Transportation Logistics and Administration from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology or an equivalent two-year diploma, must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.00 to be considered for this program. They may apply to have that diploma recognized for up to eight full-course equivalents toward their degree (up to three of these will be at the senior level).

Requirements

1. Ten full-course equivalents in the Major field:

(a) Core courses: Economics 201 and 371; Geography 341 and 401; Transportation Studies 301, 303, 473, and 503, plus two of Transportation Studies 499, 511, 513 or 599.

(b) A concentration in Economics or Geography: Students must formally declare one of the two concentrations, and the concentration of choice will be recorded on their transcripts.

Economics Concentration

Statistics 213

Economics 301, 315, 357, 471, and 477

Geography Concentration

Geography 203, 333, 339, 439, 441, and 547

(c) Transportation electives: Two full-course equivalents to be selected from the following list.

Accounting 317, 323

Business and Environment 291, 395, 401, 599.12

Civil Engineering 573, 575, 577

Economics 305, 307

Finance 341

History 307, 439

Human Resources and Organizational Dynamics 321

Management Information Systems 321

Marketing 341

Mathematics 249, 251

Operations Management 301

Political Science 357, 447, 451

Psychology 425

Sociology 353

Urban Studies 451

2. One full-course equivalent from the Faculty of Humanities.

3. Open Options:

(a) Students admitted with a diploma in Transportation Logistics and Administration: One full-course equivalent.

(b) Non-diploma students: Nine full-course equivalents.

Notes:

1.Successful completion of this program requires careful course selection and timing. Students are advised to consult with the Program Director prior to registration.

2.Normally for the BA degree the total number of courses taken from Areas I and II must exceed the number taken from Area III, and for the BSc degree the number of courses taken from Area III must exceed the total from Areas I and II.

3.Mathematics 249 or 251 is a prerequisite for courses in the Economics concentration.

4.Some courses listed as Transportation options have prerequisites that are not part of the Major Field. Students admitted with the diploma in Transportation Logistics and Administration may not be able to take these prerequisites within the normal 20 full-course equivalents required for a bachelor's degree and therefore will have a more restricted range of option choices.

5.Students with a particular interest in public sector careers with responsibilities for planning, regulating, and assessing various aspects of transportation operations and infrastructure or private sector employment in functions that deal with government policy and oversight agencies are advised to take the following four courses (Policy and Administration Cluster): Political Science 357, and 447 or 451; Psychology 425; Urban Studies 451.

6.Students with a particular interest in private sector careers with transportation carriers, port and terminal operators, logistics firms, and other private consumers and producers of mobility are advised to take the following four courses (Management and Operations Cluster): Economics 305 and 307, Mathematics 249 or 251, Operations Management 301.

7.Non-diploma students are advised to consider a double Major or Minor with Economics, Geography, or Political Science. However, students majoring in Transportation Studies with a concentration in Economics are not eligible for a double Major, a Minor, or a combined degree in Economics or a double Major or combined degree in Economics and Society. Students with a concentration in Geography are not eligible for a double Major, a Minor, or a combined degree in Geography.

Minor in Transportation Studies

Introduction

The minor in Transportation Studies is offered collaboratively by the Schulich School of Engineering, the Faculty of Social Sciences, and the Van Horne Institute. It seeks to prepare students to embark upon or advance in careers in transportation-related fields. The mandatory core courses will provide the student with a mix of theory and practice. The student will learn transportation theory in a formal lecture setting and will then be required to apply this knowledge to practical problems in the transportation industry in conjunction with the support of the Van Horne Institute for International Transportation and Regulatory Affairs.

Admission

Application for admission to the Social Sciences Minor in Transportation Studies can be made to the Faculty of Social Sciences. Prior to applying for admission, students must have completed Geography 251 and obtained a grade point average of at least 2.70 over the most recent course work to a maximum of five full-course equivalents (University of Calgary courses and/or transferable courses taken at other institutions). All grades within a session will be included except where the number of courses taken within a session exceeds that required to fulfill (to a maximum of) five full-course equivalents, in which case the highest grades will be used. Admission to the program may have to be limited. If applications exceed spaces, students will be admitted in order of descending GPA.

Requirements

For the Minor in Transportation Studies within the Faculty of Social Sciences, the Social Sciences student must take 10 half courses composed of:

(i) Transportation Studies 301, 473 (Civil Engineering 473), 499, 599, and

(ii) Six half courses selected from the following:

Economics 201, 203, 305, 307, 311, 365, 371, 377, 395, 475, 477, 495, 575
Geography 251, 321, 339, 341, 351, 357, 421, 439, 441, 451, 457, 529, 599
Political Science 357, 447
Psychology 369, 425
Sociology 345, 353
Urban Studies 253, 451, 591
Operations Management 401, 405
Civil Engineering 575

Other Requirements

Transportation Studies 301 and 473 are to be taken in the second and third years of the program. They are lecture courses providing the unifying structure to the topic and cover a common core of transportation - related subject material. Transportation Studies 499 and 599 are to be taken in the third and fourth years of the program, respectively. They provide the exposure to practical issues and contain topics including: transportation planning, transportation policy and regulation, information technology, geographic information systems and logistics. The other six half courses may be taken at any time during the program, as permitted by the timing of prerequisites. It is strongly recommended to take two foundation courses (Geography 341 and Economics 371) as part of the courses leading to the Minor in Transportation Studies.

Students should consult the Transportation Minor advisor in the Department of Geography regarding selection of courses for the Minor.