Bachelor of Arts (Honors)

Residence Requirement:

The BA Honors degree is a program which normally requires a minimum of ★120 (some departments may require more) of which

1. a minimum of ★63 must be in courses offered by the Faculty of Arts;
2. a minimum of ★60 must be in courses taken at the University of Alberta;
3. a minimum of ★30 must be completed while registered in the honors degree program;
4. a minimum of half the courses required in the major discipline, including any honors thesis, paper or project, must be completed with courses offered by the Faculty of Arts at the University of Alberta.

Course Load Requirements:

Unless otherwise noted in Anthropology  to Women’s and Gender Studies , there is no minimum course load requirement for the BA Honors program each year; however, all degree requirements must be completed within six academic years of admission to and initial registration in the program.

Note: The course load required for major scholarships and awards is generally ★30 (★24 for selected Faculty of Arts awards) in any given Fall/Winter term. Students who complete less than ★30 in any given Fall/Winter term may disqualify themselves from scholarship/award competition.

Program Requirements

The BA Honors degree requires the successful completion of ★120 (or more if specified by the department). Students are encouraged to discuss their course selections with their Department advisors every year.

1. Common Requirements for all Honors Programs: ★3 Junior ENGL or WRS; ★6 in one Language other than English; and ★6 from Non-Arts Discipline(s). See Arts Chart 1  for details. Courses in the major subject(s) or voluntary minor(s) that meet Common Requirements must also be counted toward the major subject(s) or minor(s).
2. Junior Courses: No more than ★48 at the junior level are permitted for credit in the program.
3. Non-Arts or Non-Science Courses: A maximum of ★18 in non-Arts or non-Science courses may be taken outside the Faculties of Arts or Science, as long as the courses do not duplicate courses already offered by these two Faculties.
4. Requirements in the Major Subject: An Honors program in a single discipline will normally require a minimum of ★48 in the major subject, as defined by the Department. A minimum of ★6 must be at the 400-level; however, some departments may require more. Normally, no more than ★60 may be presented in the major subject unless otherwise specified by the Department. Where a maximum has been specified, it may not be exceeded (i.e., additional courses in the subject of concentration may not be taken as options).
5. Requirements in Combined Honors: For Combined Honors programs, the minimum number of courses in each subject of concentration will be decided through consultation with the Departments concerned in planning the total program; however, a minimum of ★36 at the junior and senior level in each discipline will be required in all Combined Honors programs. At least ★30 in each discipline must be at the senior level. More than this may be required in some disciplines to meet specific program requirements. For further information on the requirements of a particular program, see the appropriate Department Calendar statement in BA Honors and BA Major/Minor Requirements .
   Students should be aware that a Combined Honors program may not qualify them for direct admission to a graduate program in one of the disciplines. Further coursework in one of the disciplines may be required for Graduate Studies.
6. Minor Subject: Most Honors programs do not require a minor subject; however, where a minor or related subjects are required, these will be specified in the individual department requirements in Anthropology  to Women’s and Gender Studies . Students in BA Honors programs that do not require a minor may declare a minor if they wish. Declaration of a minor in these programs is strictly voluntary; however, when a student chooses to declare a minor they must meet the requirements for that minor as specified in Anthropology  to Women’s and Gender Studies . Students should be aware that it may not be practical to declare a minor in all Honors programs, since completion of a voluntary minor will not replace existing requirements for those programs.
7. Honors Essay: Some departments require the completion of an Honors Essay in addition to specific course requirements. In the case of Combined Honors programs, students may be required to complete an Honors Essay in one or both disciplines, depending on specific departmental requirements. Where both departments require an Honors Essay, students will complete one for each department or may, on special request, be permitted to write a Combined Essay INT D 520  (★6) which will meet the requirements of both departments. Students should refer to the specific department entries in BA Honors and BA Major/Minor Requirements  to determine which departments offer combined honors programs and require an Honors Essay. Where a Combined Essay is permitted, this will be noted in the Department Calendar entry, and in such cases the following conditions will apply:
   1. A combined essay is applicable only to students in combined honors programs.
   2. It is applicable only when both departments require an essay and only when both departments agree to a combined essay.
   3. The combined essay INT D 520  (★6) will meet the essay requirements of both departments.
   4. The combined essay will be supervised by, and graded jointly by, the cooperating departments; a single final grade will be submitted.
   5. The essay will address the subject matter in both departments equally and in a way that emphasizes the interaction between the two disciplines.
   6. Since students are required to submit proposals to both Department advisors for review and approval, and registration has to be approved by the Faculty of Arts Undergraduate Student Services Office, students must apply to arts.undergrad@ualberta.ca by August 01 for registration in INT D 520.

Promotion and Graduation

1. Promotion Requirements: Promotion from year to year requires a minimum grade point average of 3.0 on all courses taken during the Fall/Winter.  Promotion requirements for individual programs or departments may exceed the Faculty minimum. Where an individual department’s requirements vary from the Faculty minimum, this will be specified in each individual department entry in BA Honors and BA Major/Minor Requirements . Students must also meet promotion requirements as outlined in individual department entries during their final year.
   Students who have a grade point average between 2.7 and 2.9 inclusive on Fall/Winter before they have been selected into their major(s) are on academic warning. They may transfer to another program in the Faculty if they meet the requirements for that program or they may appeal to the Associate Dean (Student Programs) to continue in BA Honors. Only one period of attendance on academic warning will be permitted.
   Students who fail to attain the standard necessary to continue in Honors will be required to withdraw from Honors but may transfer to another program in the Faculty if they meet the requirements for that program. After such transfer, they must complete all requirements.
2. Graduation Requirements: In most departments, graduation with Honors requires a graduation average of at least 3.0 with an average of at least 3.3 in all courses in the major subject; however, individual Department requirements for graduation with Honors may exceed these minimum Faculty requirements. Where an individual department’s requirements vary from the Faculty minimum, this will be specified in each individual department entry in BA Honors and BA Major/Minor Requirements . To be eligible to graduate, students must also meet promotion requirements as specified in point (1) above. The graduation average is the quotient of a) the total number of grade points earned by students in courses credited to the degree, and b) the total weight of those courses.
3. Graduation with First-Class Honors: Departments shall choose one of the following options as their policy for determining First-Class Honors. (Refer to Departmental entries Anthropology  to Women’s and Gender Studies .)
   1. A minimum average of 3.7 on all senior-level courses in the major, and an average of at least 3.5 on all courses in the final year. The final year shall be defined as the last ★30.
   2. A minimum average of 3.7 on all courses in the two final years in the major and an average of at least 3.5 in all courses in the two final years. The two final years shall be defined as the last ★60.
      If the last ★30 or ★60 (whichever is applicable) does not fall exactly within a given Fall/Winter or Spring/Summer, a weighted average is used. Please contact the Undergraduate Student Services Office for further information (1-17 Humanities, (780) 492-4295, e-mail: arts.undergrad@ualberta.ca).
4. Students who are not recommended for graduation with Honors at the end of their fourth year (i.e., after successfully completing ★120) may be granted the BA degree if they have successfully completed ★120 including the Common Requirements and the major requirements for the BA [see Bachelor of Arts (BA) ]. In no case shall more than ★60 in the major subject be counted as part of the required ★120. Students deficient in any respect may be required to take one or more courses.