Degree and program requirements
Undergraduate students in the Faculty of Arts and Science have the opportunity to complete one of three degrees (BA, BSc, and BEd) and several Certificates. Degree lengths will vary depending on the basis of admission (High School, CEGEP, university transfer, etc) and can be either 90, 108 (MEP), or 120 (ECP) credits in length.
Degree Requirements
All degrees must include at least a Major program. In the Faculty of Arts and Science, our Major programs are between 36-45 credits.
Students may opt to do a double Major, add a Minor to their Major, or increase their concentration to a Specialization. Students with strong grades, or for those who wish to pursue graduate studies, may choose to complete the Honours concentration in their program. Honours regulations differ from regular entry requirements.
All degrees must meet the following requirements:
- Academic standing (GPA)
- General Education (6 credits)
- 24-credit rule
- Program requirements (Major, Specialization, Honours, and Minor)
- Deficiencies
- Minimum number of credits (90, 108, or 120)
Degree requirements are given in the Undergraduate Calendar.
Program Requirements
Program requirements are met by completing appropriate courses. Please see the Undergraduate Calendar or your department for program information.
The Faculty of Arts and Science offers its students the opportunity to study programs of interest, with varying degrees of concentrations. In order for the Faculty to meet its objective of offering degrees that encourage "all students to explore beyond the boundaries of their programs and concentration" (Undergraduate Calendar), the Faculty has included the 24-credit and General Education rules as a part of its degrees.
General Education
In conjunction with the 24-credit rule, the General Education rule requires students to take at least six (6) credits, of the 24 credits, outside of their program and sector, from either one or two sectors (Humanities, Social Science, or Sciences). For more information on the sectors of the Faculty, and the General Education rule, please visit the Undergraduate Calendar.
24-Credit Rule
This rule requires students to take at least 24 elective credits outside of their program and department. In programs leading to professional accreditation or in programs that include at least 12 credits from another discipline, the 24-credit requirement can be reduced to 18 credits. For more information, please refer to the Section 31.001 Faculty of Arts and Science page.
Deficiencies are courses that a student did not complete in their prior studies but are necessary to meet the degree requirements at the university. Students may wish to consult the admission requirements for degrees or programs that require profile or entry level courses. Please refer to your offer of admission for any listed deficiencies.
Deficiencies can include, but are not limited to:
Science profile courses (BIOL 201, CHEM 205, CHEM 206, MATH 203, MATH 204, MATH 205, PHYS 204, PHYS 205, PHYS 206, PHYS 224, PHYS 225, and PHYS 226)
Language courses (ESL 202 and ESL 204)
Language deficiencies must be completed within the first year of study. Science profile courses should be completed early in the student's program of study.
The minimum number of credits required to complete a degree varies depending on the basis of admission. Students are required to complete 90, 108, or 120 accumulated credits based on program (Major, Specialization, Honours) requirements and electives. Please see the Undergraduate Calendar for the minimum number of credits required for your specific program.
Students have the option to complete two Majors, or choose to do a Major/ Minor or Specialization/Minor combination, while meeting some of their degree requirements. Students can also meet their degree requirements by completing electives.
Electives can be completed by selectively choosing courses of interest or by completing elective groups. An elective group is an interdisciplinary cluster of courses based on a particular theme (business, culture, law, etc).
