Mar 28, 2024  
University of Alberta Calendar 2022-2023 
    
University of Alberta Calendar 2022-2023 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Bachelor of Arts


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General Information


120 units required

This degree is designed to provide students with a diversified education and specialization in at least one subject (the major). Students must declare one major, and students may declare a second major and/or one or more minors. Also see below for major and minor Requirements. No more than 48 units at the senior level applicable to any one major is permitted, whether or not a major in that discipline has been declared.

Residence Requirement


In the 120 units to complete the degree, the following must be included:

  1. a minimum of 63 units offered by the Faculty of Arts;
  2. 60 units successfully completed at the University of Alberta;
  3. a minimum of 30 units taken while registered in the Faculty of Arts; and
  4. 6 units in non-Arts disciplines offered by Faculties other than Arts
  5. a minimum of 15 units at the senior level applied to the major and a minimum of 6 units at the senior level applied to any minor must be completed with courses offered by the Faculty of Arts at the University of Alberta (except Science minors and the minor in Business, see below).

Course Load Requirements


Students may complete 30 units in each Fall/Winter period and complete the program in four academic calendar years.

Program Requirements


The BA degree requires students to successfully complete 120 units including the following:

  • Common Requirements (15 units) (See BA Common Requirements below)
  • A major subject of concentration. No minor is required, but students may declare a second major and/or one or more minors
  1. First Year: Each year consists of 30 units credited to the program. The Faculty recommends that junior (100-) level courses be taken in the first year; and that the English/Writing requirement be completed within the first 60 units.
    Students should enrol, if possible, in a course in the major subject(s) in first year. Students are also encouraged to obtain required prerequisite courses early in the program. Students in the BA degree should seek advice and program approval from the Advisor in the Department of their major concentration or if appropriate, the Interdisciplinary Program advisor.
  2. Common Requirements: (See BA Common Requirements below)
    The Common Requirements (15 units) are designed to give the foundation for a Bachelor Arts. It is strongly advised that students complete the requirements in the first two years of their programs.
    Note: Senior-level courses in the area of any major or any minor which meet a Common Requirement must also be counted toward the major or minor requirements.
  3. Major: Students must declare one major, and students may declare a second major and/or one or more minors. See BA Major Requirements for a list of subjects which may be declared as majors in the BA.
    Any major must include a minimum of 30 units to a maximum of 48 units at the senior level (i.e., additional courses in the major may not be taken as options). At least 6 units must be at the 400-level; some departments may require specific courses and/or more than the specified Faculty minimums. Where two majors are declared, the same Faculty minimums and maximums apply in both majors. See below for specific requirements by subject. A minimum of 15 units at the senior level toward the major must be completed with coursework offered by the Faculty of Arts at the University of Alberta.
    Senior-level courses in the major subject(s) taken as part of the Common Requirements must also count toward the major(s).
    Students must declare their major(s) to the Undergraduate Student Services Office following the accumulation of the 60th unit of course weight of their BA program, though it is to a student’s advantage to declare the major(s) as soon as possible. See Declaration or Change of Major/Minor in the Forms for Students cabinet.
  4. Minor: Students may declare one or more minors. See BA Minor Requirements for a list of subjects which may be declared as minors in the BA.
    A minor must include a minimum of 12 units to a maximum of 42 units at the senior level in an approved subject outside any major. Additional courses in a minor may not be taken as options. At least 6 units must be at the 300- or 400-level as specified by the department; some disciplines require specific courses and/or more than the specified Faculty minimums. See below for specific requirements by subject. For Arts minors, a minimum of 6 units at the senior level must be satisfied with coursework offered by the Faculty of Arts at the University of Alberta. For Science minors, a minimum of 9 units at the senior level must be satisfied with course work offered by the Faculty of Science at the University of Alberta. Senior-level courses in the minor taken as part of the Common Requirements must also be counted toward the minor. In addition to the Arts and Science disciplines noted in Programs and Certificates (including MATH, PSYCH and STAT), students may also select the minor in Business or a minor from the Faculty of Science from the list below. Students must meet the minor requirements of the Faculty of Arts as well as those of the Faculty of Science, which include requirements for specific courses [see Minors [Science] ]. The requirements are a minimum of 24 units to a maximum of 36 units in the minor subject(s), including no more than 12 units at the junior level and at least 6 units at the 300-level or higher. Students taking a Science minor are not permitted to complete a minor in the same department as their major.
  5. Course Maximum: No more than 48 units at the senior level applicable to any one major is permitted, whether or not a major in that discipline has been declared.
  6. Cross-Listed Courses: Courses listed in more than one major/minor are known as cross-listed courses.
    Unless otherwise notified by the student, the Undergraduate Student Services Office will apply cross-listed courses to the specific subject discipline. For example, a CLASS course cross-listed with Religious Studies will apply to the Classics major or minor unless the student has advised the Undergraduate Student Services Office in writing that it should apply to the Religious Studies portion of the student’s program. When students ask that a cross-listed course be applied to their other subject of concentration, that course will then be applied to the minimums and maximums for that other subject.
    For further details on cross-listed courses, see the entries for interdisciplinary programs below.
  7. Junior Courses: A maximum of 48 units at the junior level is permitted for credit to the program. Students should complete 30 units at the junior level before registering in senior-level courses.
  8. Non-Arts or Non-Science Options: A maximum of 21 units may be taken outside the Faculties of Arts and Science as long as the courses do not duplicate courses already offered by these two Faculties. Courses offered by the Faculty of Native Studies will be counted as Arts courses [see Options  and Native Studies (Faculty of Native Studies) ]. See also Registration Information .

BA Common Requirements


Junior English (ENGL)/Writing Studies (WRS) (3 units)


  • 3 units in 100-level ENGL (except ENGL 150 )
    OR
  • 3 units in 100-level WRS.

Students who have been granted advanced placement in English may substitute any 3 units at the 200-level or higher in ENGL for the Common Requirement.

One Language Other than English (LOE) (6 units)


The Common Requirement of a Language other than English consists of 6 units at the 100-level or above in one LOE.

Language courses which do not offer as their goal the acquisition of a Language other than English, e.g., those dealing with literature in translation, will not fulfill the LOE requirement. Consult Course Listings , for full course descriptions.

The LOE requirement will be waived for students who have

  1. successfully completed a Language Other than English at the 30-level (or equivalent), or
  2. been required to take an English Language Proficiency test for admission

Students must satisfy departmental placement requirements for any Language Other than English or credit will be withheld.

6 units from Non-Arts Discipline(s)


Students must complete 6 units in courses offered by Faculties other than Arts. The courses can be in different disciplines, and/or from different Faculties. Some courses offered by other Faculties and programs are classified as “Arts” Courses for the purpose of the program and do not meet this requirement:

  • Faculty of Native Studies
  • Arts Disciplines from Augustana Faculty and Faculté Saint-Jean
  • Approved courses offered by the Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences: AREC 473 , AREC 482 , AREC 485 , AREC 487 , R SOC 355 , R SOC 450  

Graduation


  1. Academic Performance for Graduation: In order to be eligible to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree, students must present the following:
    1. 120 units successfully completed, which satisfy the program requirements as indicated above
    2. Graduation GPA of 2.0 on the last 60 units completed at the University of Alberta (2.3 for BA major in Economics), including Spring/Summer
    3. 2.0 on all courses applied to the major completed at the University of Alberta (2.3 for BA major in Economics)
    4. Present Satisfactory Academic Standing

NOTES:

  1. Courses with non-numeric grades (CR/NC) may be included in the credit count(s), but not in the calculation of the average.
  2. Only courses used to meet specific degree requirements will be used in the calculation; failed courses and courses that are considered extra to degree are not included.
  3. If it is necessary to go back further than the last two Fall/Winter terms to reach the minimum 60 units, the full previous term will be included (not breaking up a term) until the minimum 60 units is reached.
  4. Typically only courses that are taken at the University of Alberta are used in the calculation of the Graduation GPA and/or the major course GPA; however, in some circumstances, the Faculty may choose to include courses/grades from outside of the University of Alberta, at its discretion

Also refer to Academic Standing regulations described in Academic Standing and Graduation .

  1. Degrees With Distinction: Degrees With Distinction shall be awarded to students who achieve a Graduation GPA (as calculated above) of 3.5 or higher.  Please contact the Undergraduate Student Services Office for further information (1-17 Humanities, 780-492-4295, arts.undergrad@ualberta.ca)

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