Section 81.20 Degree Requirements
Section 81.20.1 BFA Degree Requirements
BFA
1. A candidate for the BFA degree must have qualified for admission to, and successfully completed a program of concentration in the form of a specialization (see Section 16.2.4 Concentration Requirements under Section 16.2 Curriculum Regulations) or major (see Section 16.2.4) program in the Faculty of Fine Arts. A selection is made upon entry, prior to registration. The requirement of selecting a program upon entry should not be thought of as being necessarily a final commitment. Students wishing to transfer out of one degree program must satisfy the admission requirements of the program they seek to enter. Program changes are, however, subject to limitations where certain programs are in great demand. Students should be aware that to effect certain transfers they may be required to complete more than the 90 credits normally required for the degree.
2. A candidate for graduation must satisfy the Fine Arts General Education requirement by successfully completing a minimum of six credits from course offerings outside the Fine Arts academic sectors (Visual Arts and Performing Arts). The non‑Fine Arts academic sectors are defined as: Humanities, Social Sciences, Sciences, Business, Engineering and Computer Science. BFA students graduating with the Joint Major in Computation Arts and Computer Science program or the Specialization in Art Education – Visual Arts will be considered as having satisfied the General Education requirement. The courses FLIT 382; COMS 301, COMS 304, COMS 416, COMS 434 can only be applied within a student’s degree as electives from the Visual Arts sector and therefore do not fulfill the General Education requirement. This list is subject to modification.
3. A candidate for graduation must have successfully completed the courses FFAR 248 and FFAR 249.
4. A candidate for graduation normally may apply no more than 54 credits in studio work towards the 90 credits required for the BFA degree.
5. The credits obtained for any course may not be used to satisfy the requirements of more than one program.
6. Students may take a maximum of six ESL credits towards a 90‑ or 108‑credit degree, and a maximum of 12 credits towards the 120‑credit degree.
Section 81.20.2 Residence Requirements
Residence Requirements
Students are subject to the university residence requirement (see Section 16.2.2 Residence Requirements which states that of the 90 credits required for the BFA degree, a minimum of 45 credits must be taken at Concordia University. Combining both residence requirements implies that the full‑time student must enrol for a minimum of two years of study at Concordia University.
To fulfill the residence requirements for a BFA degree with a concentration in:
- Ceramics, Fibres and Material Practices, Painting and Drawing, Print Media, Sculpture, or Studio Art: a minimum of 30 credits in Studio Art and six credits in Art History must be completed at Concordia.
- Art Education – Visual Arts, Art History, Art History and Film Studies, Computation Arts, Design, Film Animation, Film Production, Film Studies, Photography, Contemporary Dance, or Intermedia (Video, Performance and Electronic Arts): at least half of the concentration requirements must be completed at Concordia.
- Art History and Studio Art: at least half of the concentration requirements must be completed at Concordia, including a minimum of 15 credits in Art History and 15 credits in Studio Arts.
- Performance Creation, Acting for the Theatre, or Scenography: a minimum of 30 credits from the Section 81.120 Department of Theatre must be completed at Concordia.
- Music, Electroacoustic Studies, Jazz Studies, Music Performance, or Music Composition: a minimum of 30 credits required from the Section 81.100 Department of Music must be completed at Concordia.
- Minor programs: at least half of the required credits must be completed at Concordia.
Section 81.20.3 Course Load
The normal course load for students enrolled in the Faculty of Fine Arts is 30 credits per year for all full‑time students, and a maximum of 18 credits per year for part‑time students.
i) Full‑time students may not register for more than 18 credits of their maximum 30 credits in any studio area in any given academic year. Part‑time students may not register for more than 12 credits.
ii) Students may register for a maximum of six credits in which films are produced as a course requirement during any given academic year. See Filmmaking Courses under Section 81.60 Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema for list of courses. Also, students are limited, during their degree program, to 18 credits in Film Production or 24 credits in Film Animation courses in which films are produced as a course requirement (see Filmmaking Courses).
iii) Students may register for a maximum of six credits in Theatre Production in any given academic year, up to a maximum of 18 credits in all.
iv) Students may register for a maximum of six credits in Music Private Study in any given academic year, up to a maximum of 12 credits in the Major in Music degree program, and 18 credits in a specialization in music degree program.
v) Students may register for a maximum of nine credits in Independent Study courses in their degree program. In the case of disciplines not offering three‑credit Independent Study courses, students may register for a maximum of two six‑credit Independent Study courses in their degree program.
Section 81.20.4 Academic Performance Requirements
Academic Performance Requirements
The system used by the Faculty of Fine Arts to assess academic performance at the undergraduate level is based on the assessment grade point average (AGPA). See Section 16.3.10 Academic Performance for definition of AGPA.
Acceptable standing requires that a student obtain an AGPA of at least 2.00.
Note: Although a “C‑” grade (1.70 grade points) is designated as satisfactory for an individual course in Section 16.1.11 Grading System, an AGPA of 2.00 is required to remain in acceptable standing.
Conditional standing results when a student obtains an AGPA of less than 2.00, but at least 1.50. A student is not permitted to obtain two consecutive conditional standing assessments.
Students in conditional standing may not write supplemental examinations and will not be permitted to register for further study until their program has been approved by the appropriate advisor in their Faculty or department. They must obtain acceptable standing at the time of their next assessment.
Failed standing results when a student obtains an AGPA of less than 1.50, or conditional standing in two consecutive periods of assessment. Failed students may not write supplemental examinations. In order to continue in their program, failed students must apply for readmission through Student Academic Services. If readmitted, failed students will be placed on academic probation. In addition, there may be other conditions determined by the Faculty at the time of readmission. Decisions of the relevant authority in the Faculty are final. Failed students wishing to be admitted to another Faculty must apply through the Dean’s Office of the Faculty to which they wish to be admitted. Credits achieved at another institution while on failed standing may not be transferred to a program at Concordia University. These credits, however, may be used to determine a student’s potential for readmission. If 24 or more credits are successfully completed at another institution while on failed standing at Concordia, students will be required to submit a new application for program admission and not an application for readmission.
The Academic Performance Requirements for acceptable standing, conditional standing and failed standing do not apply to students enrolled in microprograms.Graduation Requirements
Students must satisfy all course requirements, be in acceptable standing, and have a minimum final graduation GPA of 2.00. Potential graduates who fail to meet the requirements of acceptable standing, but meet the requirements of conditional standing, will have the following options:
a) register for an additional 12 credits and, at the next assessment, meet the requirements for acceptable standing;
or
b) register for fewer than 12 additional credits. In this case, standing will be determined on the basis that these extra credits constitute an extension of the last assessment period.
For both option a) and option b), the additional courses taken must be selected in consultation with the student’s department.
Graduation Requirements for Microprograms
Students will be considered eligible to graduate from a microprogram if they have passed all of the required courses.
Section 81.20.5 Lapsed Program
Lapsed Program
Students enrolled in a specialization or major program in the Faculty of Fine Arts who have been absent from their program for six consecutive terms or more will be withdrawn from their program and have a lapsed notation entered on their student record. Students enrolled in a microprogram who have been absent for four consecutive terms or more will be withdrawn from their program and have a lapsed notation entered on their student record.
Lapsed students must meet with the appropriate advisor in order to resume their program and be made aware of possible program modifications. In some cases, students might be required to submit a new application.