Nov 24, 2024  
University of Alberta Calendar 2017-2018 
    
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University of Alberta Calendar 2017-2018 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Regulations for Students

Return to: Faculty of Arts  

Students should review the regulations of the Faculty of Arts in conjunction with the University Regulations and Information for Students Academic Schedule  to Code of Applicant Behaviour , inclusive.

Important Dates

  1. Admission to the Faculty of Arts
    Refer to Admission and Readmission Deadlines .
  2. Transfer to the Faculty of Arts from Another Faculty in the University
    Refer to Admission and Readmission Deadlines .
    Students registered in Fall Term in another Faculty may not officially transfer to the Faculty of Arts for Winter Term but may complete an Application for Readmission or Internal Transfer form to transfer to the Faculty of Arts for a subsequent Fall/Winter.
    Even though formal transfer for Winter Term cannot be approved, changes in program can sometimes be arranged to maximize transferable credits for later use. Students should contact the Undergraduate Student Services Office for advice [1-17 Humanities, (780) 492-4295, e-mail: arts.undergrad@ualberta.ca].
  3. Course Add, Drop, Withdrawal Deadlines
    Refer to Academic Schedule .
  4. Application to Receive a Degree
    Fall Convocation: September 1
    Spring Convocation: February 1
    Early application is encouraged (October 15 for Spring Convocation, April 15 for Fall Convocation and August 15 for those completing programs in Fall Term) so students can be assured in advance of their final terms that their course selections will make them eligible for convocation.
  5. Other Important Deadlines
    Refer to Major Deadlines from the 2017-2018 Academic Schedule .

Admission and Transfer

See here for admission and transfer requirements for the Faculty of Arts  with additional general admission information in Admission to Undergraduate Programs  to General Admission Requirements .

  1. Preprofessional Programs: There are no preprofessional programs, as such, in the Faculty of Arts. Students admitted to a Faculty of Arts program who plan to transfer later to a professional program in another Faculty must satisfy Faculty requirements while they are registered in this Faculty. Students planning to transfer should consult the Calendar or Counsellors of the relevant Faculty for advice concerning courses which satisfy the requirements of both programs.
  2. Residence Requirement: Students taking a ★120 program in the Faculty of Arts must have credit in at least ★60 offered by the University of Alberta. Students in a ★123 or ★126 program must have credit in at least ★63 offered by the University. Those in a ★129 or ★132 program must have credit in at least ★66 offered by the University of Alberta. Also refer to Residence Requirements , and the specific program requirements in Programs of Study .
  3. Letter of Permission: Following initial admission, students are expected to complete all remaining program requirements at the University of Alberta. For academically justifiable reasons such as planned participation in an Education Abroad or language bursary program, it is possible to receive a Letter of Permission to take courses at another institution. To apply for a Letter of Permission students must:
    1. be eligible to register in a degree program in the Faculty of Arts; and
    2. have successfully completed a minimum of ★24 at the University of Alberta; and
    3. present “Satisfactory” academic standing.

Approval will not be granted for requests where the student has already received the maximum allowable transfer courses (★60).
Approval will not be granted for a student to take a course at another institution if the equivalent course is offered on a University of Alberta campus in Edmonton in the same term, except in the case of  

Education Abroad programs
The Faculty is not obligated to grant transfer credit unless a Letter of Permission was obtained in advance of studying elsewhere. Qualified students should contact the Undergraduate Student Services Office, 1-17 Humanities Centre, to apply for a Letter of Permission. Students who wish to apply for off-campus programs must obtain the appropriate forms from the appropriate office (usually University of Alberta International).

  1. Education Abroad: The Faculty of Arts encourages all students who have:
    1. completed at least ★15 credits at the University ofAlberta,
    2. who are in satisfactory standing in their programs,and
    3. present a CGPA of at least 2.3, and
    4. have a GPA of at least 2.3 in their most recently completed terms, to consider a period of education abroad. See Faculty of Arts website for Education Abroad opportunities and details. 

There are extensive Education Abroad program offerings. Letters of Permission will be considered for students participating on University of Alberta-managed programs exclusively. Students wishing to participate on  a study abroad or exchange program must ensure that it is listed on our website to obtain credit toward their academic program. Credit will not be granted where prior permission has not been obtained.
Approval will not be granted for requests where the student has already received the maximum allowable transfer courses (★60). 

Where possible, credit for courses successfully completed in Education Abroad programs will be granted; however, there may be courses required in a program for which there is no substitute available elsewhere. Thus a period of study abroad may extend the time required to complete a degree. 

Credit will be considered on a credit-fail (CR-F) basis only. Grades achieved in such courses will not be included in promotion or graduation average calculations, but are included when assessing admission and transfer to other programs.

Registration Information

Students register in all programs in the Faculty of Arts using Bear Tracks. Please note the following:

  1. Check deadlines carefully as they are strictly enforced. See Academic Schedule  and Registration .
  2. Student Responsibility: Students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with program requirements and limitations as specified in the Calendar and for ensuring their programs are properly planned in accordance with degree specifications. Please read the Calendar carefully before registering in courses, and if you are in doubt about any regulations pertaining to your program, consult the Undergraduate Student Services Office (1-17 Humanities, 780-492-4295, e-mail: arts.undergrad@ualberta.ca) for clarification.
  3. Course Load Requirement: Normally, students in the Faculty of Arts take a full course load of ★15 per term during Fall/Winter and may take up to ★6 per term in Spring/Summer. However, it should be noted that in the BA program, there is no requirement that a full course load must be taken; students in that program may elect to carry a reduced course load without Faculty approval. Students in other Arts programs should consult the relevant department entry in BA (Criminology)  through After Degree Programs  as well as their Department Advisor for advice on minimum course load requirements for those programs. A student is considered to be a full-time student when carrying a course load of ★9 per term. Students are expected to select an appropriate course load taking into consideration work, family responsibilities, or other outside commitments, as well as regulations pertaining to eligibility for University and Faculty Awards.
    In exceptional circumstances, and following completion of the first ★30, acceleration to the maximum of ★18 per term during Fall/Winter and ★9 per term during Spring/Summer may be permitted by the Faculty; however, requests to accelerate are not granted to students who are not in Satisfactory Academic Standing (see Academic Standing and Graduation).
    As well, students who are not in Satisfactory Academic Standing are normally required by the Faculty to carry a reduced course load (i.e., less than ★15 per term) during the Fall/Winter and may be prohibited from taking Spring/Summer courses until their academic performance improves and satisfactory standing is attained.
    Students who have outstanding Fall/Winter deferred examinations to be written during the July deferred examination period (see Deferred Final Exams ) are also normally not permitted to register in any Summer Term courses. The successful completion of the outstanding deferred examination(s) must be the priority.
  4. Failure to “drop” a course: Students who do not formally withdraw from a course but who are absent from the final examination without excuse [see Absence from Final Exams ] will be given a mark of zero (0) on the final examination. The final grade in the course will then be determined by combining the appropriately weighted term grade and the assigned zero in the final examination, the mathematical result rounded to the lowest whole number. Students who register in a course but do not attend, do not submit term work or write term exams, and do not formally withdraw will receive a grade of F1.
  5. Courses: Faculty of Arts courses are listed in Course Listings , under the following subject headings:

Anthropology (ANTHR)
American Sign Language (ASL)
Arabic (ARAB)
Art (ART)
Art History (ART H)
Chinese (CHINA)
Classics (CLASS)
Community Service-Learning (CSL)
Comparative Literature (C LIT)
Danish (DANSK)
Design (DES)
Drama (DRAMA)
East Asian Studies (EASIA)
East European and Soviet Studies (INT D)
Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (EAS)
Economics (ECON)
English (ENGL)
Film Studies (FS)
French Language and Literature (FREN)
German (GERM)
Greek (GREEK)
Hebrew (HEBR)
Hindi (HINDI)
History (HIST)
Human Geography Planning (HGP)
Hungarian (HUNG)
Interdisciplinary Studies (INT D)
Italian (ITAL)
Japanese (JAPAN)
Korean (KOREA)
Latin (LATIN)
Latin American Studies (LA ST)
Linguistics (LING)
Middle Eastern and African Studies (MEAS)
Modern Languages and Cultural Studies (MLCS)
Music (MUSIC)
Norwegian (NORW)
Persian (PERS)
Philosophy (PHIL)
Polish (POLSH)
Political Science (POL S)
Portuguese (PORT)
Psychology (PSYCO)
Religious Studies (RELIG)
Russian (RUSS)
Scandinavian (SCAND)
Science, Technology and Society (STS)
Slavic and East European Studies (SLAV)
Sociology (SOC)
Spanish (SPAN)
Swahili (SWAH)
Swedish (SWED)
Tibetan (TIBET)
Ukrainian (UKR)
Women’s and Gender Studies (WGS)
Writing (WRITE)
Writing Studies (WRS)

  1. The following courses offered by the Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences will be applied by students in the Faculty of Arts as arts courses rather than non-arts or science options:

AREC 473  
AREC 482 
AREC 485  
AREC 487 
R SOC 355  
R SOC 450  

Faculté Saint-Jean

Many Arts courses are also offered in French at Faculté Saint-Jean. Faculté Saint-Jean allows students to pursue university studies in a French environment. The University thus hopes to foster French culture in Alberta and to allow more students to master the two official languages of Canada. For further information, consult the Faculté Saint-Jean (En Français) , Faculté Saint-Jean (English)  section of the Calendar and Course Listings .

Advanced Placement

Students who do not hold credit in prerequisite courses, but who feel they have sufficient knowledge, may be permitted registration in a senior-level course on successful completion of a placement test. For further particulars, contact the department offering the senior-level course. These tests are normally conducted for language courses. Also refer to Advanced Placement , Prerequisite Course Requirements  and Limits.

Credit by Special Assessment

Note: See also Credit by Special Assessment .

Credit by Special Assessment permits students to receive degree credit in specified courses without actually registering in and taking courses if the student can demonstrate an acceptable level of mastery of the course content.

Students admitted to a degree program in the Faculty of Arts may receive degree credit in a limited number of courses for knowledge or skill obtained in a non-university context or by private study. “Non-university context” may include work completed at institutions not accredited for degree purposes or may refer to periods of work experience that bear relationship to university courses. The following conditions apply:

  1. Basis of Application
    1. Students may apply for Credit by Special Assessment on the basis of knowledge gained in a “non-university context” following admission to a degree program.
    2. Students may apply for Credit by Special Assessment on the basis of knowledge gained in “private study” following the successful completion of a minimum of ★24 in their degree program.
  2. Limits
    1. Departments are not required to offer Credit by Special Assessment in all courses. Courses which have a significant practical component, such as laboratory or studio work, or courses requiring substantial writing may not be eligible for Credit by Special Assessment. The course level, and in some cases the specific course, to be challenged will be determined by the Department.
    2. A maximum of ★12 may be obtained through Credit by Special Assessment, of which no more than ★6 may be in Language-other-than-English courses. In the case of Language-other-than-English courses, only those numbered 150 or higher are open to Credit by Special Assessment. Where Language-other-than-English courses at the 300- or 400-level (or higher) have already been completed, a student may not subsequently attempt by Special Assessment any courses at a lower (e.g., 200- or 300-) level.
    3. Students may attempt Credit by Special Assessment only once in each course.
    4. The number of attempts to obtain Credit by Special Assessment is restricted to a maximum of ★12. Note: This limits the number of courses that may be challenged, regardless of results. Cancelled applications are considered an attempt to obtain credit and will be included in this maximum.
    5. Students seeking credit in a prerequisite to a course in which they intend to register must complete the Credit by Special Assessment examination before the start of classes in the advanced course. Similarly, in cases where “advance placement” in a prerequisite course has been given, students may also seek Credit by Special Assessment in the prerequisite course, but must also complete the special assessment examination before the start of classes in the advanced course.
    6. Graduate courses and Honors courses (i.e., those open only to Honors students and specified as such in the Calendar) cannot be attempted by Special Assessment.
    7. Courses which have previously been audited, or in which the student has withdrawn, may not subsequently be attempted by Special Assessment.
  3. Deadline for Completion: The deadline for completion of the examination and assessment is one month from the date of approval of the application for Credit by Special Assessment. Students who fail to complete assessment requirements by the specified deadline will be considered to have cancelled their application.
  4. Grading
    1. In a course attempted by special assessment, the results will be recorded, either as a letter grade or pass/fail according to the practice in the regular course.
    2. All grades obtained in attempts by special assessment, including failures, will be recorded on the transcript of the students concerned and will be computed into the student academic record (i.e., academic standing, promotion, and graduation requirements).
    3. Students may not appeal the results in a course attempted by special assessment.
  5. Transfer of Credit by Special Assessment: Students who have obtained credits by special assessment (or similar means) while enrolled in another accredited university, college, Faculty, or school, will be given advance credit in such courses if the course is applicable within the requirements and limitations of the Arts program specified above.
  6. Fee: A fee is required for each course in which credit by special assessment is sought, and must be paid before the department concerned undertakes the special assessment. Refer to Fees Payment Guide  for fee information. Note: Amount of this fee is subject to change.

Academic Standing and Graduation

  1. Academic Standing for all students registered in the Faculty of Arts is assessed on the basis of a Grade Point Average (GPA) calculated on courses taken in Fall/Winter terms. See Grade Point Average (GPA)  and Academic History (Transcript) Records  for information on calculation of GPAs and the academic record. See  BA (Criminology)  to After Degree Programs  for detailed academic standing, promotion and graduation regulations for the following programs: BA (Criminology), BDesign, BFA, BMusic, BMusic/BEd, BA(Drama)/BEd Combined program, and BA Honors programs.
    Initial assessment and subsequent reassessment of academic standing is based on students’ performance in a minimum of ★9 in Fall/Winter Terms. Students who take courses only in Fall or only in Winter Terms are subject to assessment. Courses taken in Spring/Summer Terms are excluded from the assessment. If a student attempts fewer than ★9 the review is deferred and the academic standing assigned at the last review remains in effect until the next Fall/Winter review.
    Academic standing is assessed at the end of each student’s program even if less than ★9 have been taken since the last review. The GPA is printed on the University of Alberta transcript and final grades are available on the Bear Tracks record that students are responsible to review at the end of each term.
  2. Assessment of Academic standing
    1. Satisfactory Standing (GPA 2.0 and above): Students who maintain a satisfactory standing are permitted to continue their studies in the Faculty of Arts.
      Note: Students in the BA Program with a major in Economics are required to maintain a 2.3 GPA each Fall/Winter. Students with an Economics major who earn a GPA in the satisfactory range but less than 2.3 are permitted to continue in the BA program, but are required to select a different major.
      Students who wish to return to the Economics Major must present a GPA of 2.3 on a minimum of ★9 in a subsequent Fall/Winter.
    2. Marginal Standing (GPA 1.7 to 1.9 inclusive): Students receiving the first assessment of marginal standing are permitted to continue, under academic warning. Only one period of attendance on Academic Warning will be permitted while registered in the Faculty of Arts. Any subsequent assessment of Marginal Standing will result in a requirement to withdraw.
      Note: Students under academic warning are only permitted to interrupt their programs with the prior, written permission from the Associate Dean (Student Programs). If students on academic warning interrupt their programs for more than 12 months without prior approval, readmission will normally not be granted unless the student meets the current readmission criteria.
    3. Unsatisfactory Standing (GPA 1.6 and below): Students receiving an unsatisfactory standing are required to withdraw from the Faculty of Arts. See Appeals and Assistance for information on academic appeal regulations.
      Students who are required to withdraw from the Faculty at the end of Fall/Winter cannot register for subsequent terms. Registrations for students who register for Summer Term prior to the requirement to withdraw will be cancelled without penalty. Students who have already registered in Spring Term prior to receiving notification of the requirement to withdraw will be permitted to continue until the end of Spring Term, or may choose to withdraw from Spring courses.
  3. Fresh Start Program: Students who have attempted fewer than ★60 and who have earned a GPA between 1.3 and 1.6 may be eligible for admission to the Fresh Start program. Students must be recommended by the Faculty for participation in the Fresh Start program. Further information can be found in First- and Second-Year Students with GPAs of 1.3 to 1.6-Admission to Fresh Start Program , Academic Warning, Academic Probation, Required to Withdraw  and Fresh Start Program .
  4. Readmission after a Requirement to Withdraw: Refer to Postsecondary Applicants  for information on the regulations pertaining to readmission to the Faculty of Arts after a requirement to withdraw.
  5. Probation: Students who have been required to withdraw and who have successfully appealed that decision will be placed on Probation (See also Academic Warning, Academic Probation, Required to Withdraw ).
    1. Probationary students complete a minimum of ★24 with a GPA of 2.0 or higher.
    2. Probationary students may not take any more than ★12 in each of Fall and Winter Terms.
    3. Probationary students may take more than one set of Fall/Winter Terms to complete probation, but courses taken in Spring and Summer are excluded from the assessment.
    4. Probationary students may also be subject to other requirements as specified by the Associate Dean (Student Programs)
      Note: The probationary GPA for students who take longer than one Fall/Winter to complete probationary requirements and who take more than ★24 during the period of probation may be based on more than ★24. Grades for all courses completed in Fall/Winter Terms during the probationary period are used.

Probationary students who fail to attain the GPA and other requirements for probation as specified by the Associate Dean will fail Probation and will be required to withdraw from the Faculty of Arts without appeal. Only one period of Probation is allowed while registered in the Faculty of Arts. Students who have cleared Probation and whose GPA at the end of a subsequent Fall/Winter falls below 2.0 will not be permitted to continue on Academic Warning, nor will they be allowed a second period of Probation. Such students are required to withdraw from the Faculty of Arts.

  1. Extension to the Graduating Year: Students who have successfully completed at least ★120 but who do not meet program requirements for graduation, and who are otherwise eligible to continue in their program of study, may continue to register until graduation requirements are met. Students who have successfully completed at least ★120 but who have Unsatisfactory standing (i.e., Required to Withdraw) for the first time, may appeal to be allowed to complete additional classes in order to meet graduation requirements. Probationary requirements will be set by the Associate Dean.
  2. First-Class Standing: First-class standing is awarded to any student, regardless of program, who earns a GPA of at least 3.5 either while enrolled in a full, normal academic load (minimum ★30) during the Fall/Winter Terms or on a minimum of ★15 in Fall Term (if not enrolled in Winter Term) or in Winter Term (if not enrolled in Fall). This is also referred to as the Dean’s Honors List.

Graduation Requirements

Application to Convocate: Students wishing to receive a Faculty of Arts degree at an upcoming convocation must apply for graduation on Bear Tracks (https://www.beartracks.ualberta.ca) in accordance with the deadlines specified in Academic Schedule . Also see Graduation .

Degree Requirements: These requirements vary from program to program within the Faculty of Arts and are presented with the details of the relevant program in Programs of Study  and BA Honors and BA Major/Minor Requirements .

Degrees with Distinction and First-Class Honors: For regulations concerning the awarding of Degrees With Distinction, see the requirements for specific programs in Programs of Study . For regulations concerning the awarding of First-Class Honors to students graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree with Honors, see BA (Honors) .

Reexamination

Students registered in the Faculty of Arts who apply for a reexamination must, in addition to meeting the requirements set out in Reexaminations , also meet the following conditions:

  1. Excluding the final exam, have completed at least two-thirds of the required term work; and,
  2. Have earned a grade of C (2.0) or higher for the term work, excluding the final exam, and including raw scores of zero for any term assignments or exams not completed using the instructor’s original grading scheme.
  3. According to Reexaminations , a GPA of 2.0 is required

Note: A Faculty of Arts student who does not meet graduation requirements because of a failed course in the final term of study may be granted a reexamination in that course provided the maximum number of reexaminations (★12) has not been previously taken. Such courses must qualify for reexamination, according to the criteria listed above, and in Reexaminations , except that the student may be considered if the GPA is below 2.0. Students who meet the criteria for a reexamination apply to the teaching department.

The Department will advise the Faculty whether or not the criteria outlined above have been met. The Undergraduate Student Services Office will consider the student’s record as a whole and determine whether or not the application will be approved.

Appeals and Assistance

For students who experience difficulties, the Faculty and the University have a number of policies to identify and resolve the issues. Copies of grade appeal and academic appeal procedures and regulations are available from the Undergraduate Student Services Office, Faculty of Arts (1-17 Humanities), or on the Faculty of Arts website (www.foa.ualberta.ca). The following advice is provided for students who have difficulties in the following areas:

  1. Academic skills development: Tutoring assistance in study skills, writing skills or mathematics proficiency is available. Contact the Academic Support Centre regarding Learning Resources, Effective Writing and Computer Resources Programs, see University Student Services . The Centre for Writers also offers writing support to all students (www.c4w.arts.ualberta.ca)
  2. Grade Evaluation in a particular course-appeals process: Appeals regarding students’ standing in a particular course must first be directed to the instructor concerned. Frequently, the issue can be resolved at this level. If not, the appeal must then be directed to the Chair of the Department offering the course. Final recourse is available to the Faculty of Arts Academic and Grade Appeals Committee. If a final grade is in dispute, in whole or in part because of the grade for the final examination, the student must apply for a formal reappraisal of the exam. The deadlines to initiate a grade appeal with the instructor are February 1 for Fall courses, June 25 for Winter or two-term Fall/Winter courses, and within 30 calendar days after the publication (i.e., posting) of results in the Department for Spring/Summer courses. Note: that these same deadlines apply for initiating a reappraisal of a final exam. In the event the issue is not resolved with the instructor or Chair, a formal Grade Appeal may be initiated with the Faculty provided the written appeal is received by the Associate Dean (Student Programs) no later than March 1 for a Fall course, July 25 for Winter or two-term Fall/Winter courses, and within 60 calendar days after the publication (i.e., posting) of results in the Department for Spring/Summer courses.
    If the above deadlines are not observed, no further recourse is available.
    Copies of the complete grade appeal and academic appeal procedures and regulations are available from the Undergraduate Student Services Office, Faculty of Arts (1-17 Humanities), or on the Faculty of Arts website (www.foa.ualberta.ca).
  3. Reexamination: See Reexaminations .
  4. Missed examinations: See Absence from Term Work   and Absence from Final Exams .
  5. Academic Standing or graduation eligibility-appeal process: Students who wish to appeal a ruling affecting their academic standing or graduation eligibility should direct their appeal in the first instance to the Associate Dean (Student Programs). Recourse is then available to the Faculty of Arts Academic and Grade Appeals Committee and the General Faculties Council Academic Appeals Committee, in that order. Further information on such appeals is available in Appeals and Grievances . Also see Academic Standing and Graduation.
  6. Academic offences: A breach of the Code of Student Behavior (for example, plagiarism or cheating) may result in serious penalties. For further information, see Code of Student Behaviour .