Get a post-graduate work permit for up to three years if you are a full-time UBC international student graduating from a bachelor’s degree program and meet all eligibility criteria.
Want to learn more?
Visit the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences website to learn more about Secwépemc Language Fluency.
View full program detailsProgram information
Achieve an advanced proficiency in the Secwépemc language. This degree is an innovative collaboration between communities, Nicola Valley Institute of Technology (NVIT), En’owkin Centre, and UBC Okanagan to sustain and revitalize language traditions, restore language competence, and protect the knowledge of Indigenous communities.
Program overview
- Campus
- Okanagan
- Program length
- 2 years
- Honours This option has additional requirements compared to those required in a Major specialization. Students must maintain high academic standing and may have to write a graduating thesis.
- No
- Co-op Co-op is an optional program where students alternate between academic terms and paid work terms. It’s an opportunity to gain relevant job experience while completing your degree.
- No
- Faculty
- Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
- Degree
- Bachelor of Secwépemc Language Fluency
What you'll learn
To apply to the Bachelor of Secwépemc Language Fluency at UBC Okanagan, you must first have completed the Secwépemc Language diploma at NVIT. The diploma will be your first two years of study, with the Bachelor of Secwépemc Language Fluency forming the final two.
The Secwépemc Language Fluency degree is designed so you reach a profound knowledge of the language. Over the course of the program, you’ll achieve an advanced level of written and oral proficiency through classes that tackle language skills, instructional capacity, Indigenous ways of knowing, and more.
As well as becoming a proficient speaker, you’ll learn about multiple ways to contribute to the language’s recovery and revitalization efforts in your communities.
The degree begins with a summer transition course to ensure you successfully settle in to UBC Okanagan and the university environment. During this course, you’ll connect with other Indigenous students, learn about the campus programs and services available to you, and stay on campus in a UBC residence.
Experiential learning and research
The Secwépemc Language Fluency program is fully immersive, with research, internship, and community engagement opportunities embedded in the curriculum.
In the final year of your degree, you’ll undertake an internship with a relevant community partner, and also complete a personal language project. These opportunities will allow you to explore your own interests in your language learning, and practice in a context that is meaningful to you personally.
You’ll also have the chance to pursue innovative and original research as part of the Undergraduate Research Awards.
Program advantages
Enjoy a fully immersive approach to learning, with community language experts in the classrooms. Connect with other Indigenous students, engage with the Indigenous Programs and Services staff, and stay on campus in residence. There are opportunities to take part in an internship with a relevant community partner and to complete a personal language project as a capstone for the degree.
Courses
There are lots of courses you can take within Secwépemc Language Fluency. Here are a few you might like.
Emphasis on the language domains of literature and performative arts, and a diverse range of language learning skills that advance competency in conversational fluency, pronunciation, comprehension, vocabulary, oral traditions, literacy, grammatical understanding, and the cultural contextualization of language use in these domains. The language of instruction is Secwepemctsín.
Numeracy and math frameworks from a Secwépemc perspective towards increased proficiency in functional numeracy. The language of instruction is Secwepemctsín.
Documentation, transcription and analysis of grammatical structures in endangered languages, focusing on the diversity within B.C. Indigenous languages. Applied techniques in documentation, workflow and multi-media digital annotation, guided by community-based ethical protocols and conservation/revitalization goals.
Project designed to provide students an intensive language immersion experience on a specific topic or domain. Restricted to students in the Bachelor of Secwépemc Language Fluency program.
Outcomes
You’ll graduate from the Secwépemc Language Fluency program ready for a career in a number of fields, including:
- Indigenous outreach
- Careers within social services
- College and other vocational instructors
- Indigenous affairs officer, or government policy work
- Research consultant
- Language assessor or literacy coach
- Community interpreter or translator
- Women and family support
- Youth wellness
- Jobs in natural resources using traditional ecological knowledge
- Teacher/educator
Want to get a feel for campus?
If you’re unable to visit UBC in person, or you just want to get a sneak peek at your new home campus before you arrive, take one of our virtual tours. Current UBC students walk you through UBC’s residences, study spots, recreational facilities, lecture halls, academic buildings, and more.
Want to learn more?
Visit the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences website to learn more about Secwépemc Language Fluency.
View full program detailsGet a post-graduate work permit for up to three years if you are a full-time UBC international student graduating from a bachelor’s degree program and meet all eligibility criteria.
Want to learn more?
Visit the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences website to learn more about Secwépemc Language Fluency.
View full program details