Degree Requirements
Bachelors of: Arts, Fine Arts, International Economics, Music
All programs leading to the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.), Bachelor of International Economics (B.I.E.) and Bachelor of Music (B.Mus.) require a minimum of 120 credits.
No more than 60 credits completed at other post-secondary institutions can be counted toward the Bachelor of Arts at UBC.
As of August 31, 2011, UBC's study abroad program to Herstmonceux Castle has been discontinued. For information on UBC's many other international learning opportunities, please contact Go Global.
No more than 60 credits of Office of Learning Technology courses can be counted toward the Bachelor of Arts; no more than 42 such credits may be taken in the final 60 credits toward the degree program.
Students who want to complete the final 30 credits of their degree elsewhere must meet with and obtain permission from an Academic Advisor at Arts Academic Advising. At least 30 of the final 60 credits toward the degree must be completed at UBC.
All students in the B.A., B.I.E., and B.F.A. programs must complete the following Faculty of Arts requirements:
Breadth Requirement
- Writing and Research Requirement,
- Language Requirement,
- Science Requirement, and
- Literature Requirement.
Credit Requirement
- Upper-level Requirement, and
- Outside Requirement.
Each requirement is specified in more detail below. Students are encouraged to complete requirements 2, 3, and 4 - and must complete the Writing component of requirement 1 - in their first 60 credits. Students who fail to meet the first-year Writing component of the Writing and Research requirement before completing 60 credits in their degree will not be permitted to register in courses other than those which satisfy the Writing component of the Writing and Research requirement until this component of the requirement is satisfied.
All students in the Bachelor of Music program must complete the Faculty of Arts Writing and Research requirement, as well as the Literature requirement.
Writing and Research Requirement
The Writing and Research requirement has two components:
- In their first 60 credits students must successfully complete 3 credits of instruction on writing in the disciplines from the following: ASTU 150 (Arts Studies in Writing), CAP (Coordinated Arts Program), Arts One, English 100, or an approved equivalent.
- Between 30 credits and graduation students must successfully complete a research-intensive experience. The following courses fulfill this requirement. Typically, students will register in a research-intensive course specified for their major. Students are advised that research-intensive courses, normally offered at the 400-level, often will have prerequisites and some will be restricted to majors in the discipline. Students should consult the department in question in planning their program of studies.
| Degree | Department/Major | Research-Intensive Approved Course(s) |
|---|---|---|
| B.A. | Anthropology | ANTH 306, 317, 405, 406, 407, 408, 417, 418, 431, 478 |
| Archaeology and History of Greece, Rome and the Near East | CLST 401, 402, 403, 404, 449, NEST 402 | |
| Art History | ARTH 432, 436, 439, 440, 442, 443, 448, 455, 458, 459, 464, 476 | |
| Asian Area Studies | ASIA 408, 451, 453, 468, 476, 477, 478, 498, 499, JAPN 408, 452, KORN 410 | |
| Asian Language and Culture | ASIA 408, 451, 453, 468, 476, 477, 478, 498, JAPN 408, 452, KORN 410 | |
| Canadian Studies | CDST 450 | |
| Classical Studies | CLST 401, 402, 403, 404, 449 | |
| Classics | CLST 401, 402, 403, 404, 449 | |
| Cognitive Systems, Cognition and the Brain | COGS 402 | |
| Cognitive Systems, Language | COGS 402 | |
| Cognitive Systems, Mind, Language, and Computation | COGS 402 | |
| Computer Science | CPSC 319, 444; also CPSC 448, 449 (with the approval of the Department of Computer Science) | |
| Critical Studies in Sexuality | CSIS 450B, GRSJ 422, 480 | |
| Drama | THTR 445 | |
| Economics | ECON 390, 490, 495, 499 | |
| English, Emphasis Literature | ENGL 490, 491, 492, 496, 499 | |
| English, Emphasis Language | ENGL 489 | |
| Film Studies | FIST 445, 449 | |
| First Nations Languages and Linguistics | LING 431, 432, 447 | |
| First Nations Studies | FNSP 400 | |
| French | FREN 495 | |
| Geography, Environment and Sustainability | GEOG 371, 395, 400, 412, 419, 424, 429, 439, 446, 450, 453, 459, 469, 489, 495, 499, GEOB 472, 479, URST 400 | |
| Gender, Race, Sexuality & Social Justice Studies | GRSJ 422, 480 | |
| Geography, Human | GEOG 371, 395, 400, 412, 419, 424, 429, 439, 446, 450, 453, 459, 469, 489, 495, 499, GEOB 472, 479, URST 400 | |
| German | GERM 403, 406, 408, 420, 439, 449 | |
| History | HIST 403, 449, 466, 467, 468, 479, 490 | |
| History and Philosophy of Science | PHIL 491, HIST 490 | |
| History with International Relations | HIST 403, 449, 466, 467, 468 | |
| Interdisciplinary Studies | A research-intensive course in the student’s primary-category discipline with the approval of the IDST Chair | |
| International Relations | HIST 403, ECON 457, all POLI courses at the 400-level | |
| Italian/Italian Studies | ITAL 495, ITST 495 | |
| Latin American Studies | LAST 303 | |
| Linguistics | LING 431, 432, 447, 449 | |
| Mathematics | MATH 441, 444, 445, 448, 462 | |
| Medieval Studies | MDVL 440, 449 | |
| Modern European Studies | CENS 404, GERM 403, RUSS 410 | |
| Music | MUSC 207, 320, 402, 403, 409, 412, 413, 449, 469 | |
| Myth and Literature in Greece, Rome and the Near East | CLST 401, 402, 403, 404, 449 | |
| Near Eastern Studies | CLST 449, NEST 402, RELG 403, 414, 448, 475, 485 | |
| Philosophy | PHIL 490, 491 | |
| Political Science | All POLI courses at the 400-level | |
| Psychology | PSYC 217 | |
| Religion, Literature and the Arts | RGLA 471 | |
| Religious Studies | RELG 403, 414, 415, 448, 475, 485, 499 | |
| Romance Studies | RMST 495 | |
| Russian | RUSS 410 | |
| Sociology | SOCI 380, 381, 382, 383, 449 | |
| Spanish | SPAN 495 | |
| Speech Sciences | LING 431, 432, 447, 449 | |
| Theatre | THTR 417, 439, 445, 449 | |
| United States Studies | HIST 467 or other Research-Intensive courses, including POLI courses at the 400-level, with the approval of the USST Chair | |
| Visual Arts | VISA 401, 410, 411, 430, 431, 440, 441, 450, 451, 470, 471, 480, 481 | |
| B.F.A. | Creative Writing | all CRWR courses at the 400-level |
| Film Production | FIPR 333, 335, 337, 338, 339, 399, 433, 434, 435, 436, 437, 469 | |
| Visual Arts | VISA 401, 410, 411, 430, 431, 440, 441, 450, 451, 470, 471, 480, 481 | |
| Theatre Acting | THTR 391, 417, 439, 491 | |
| Theatre Design and Production | THTR 399, 405, 406, 407, 408, 417, 439, 448, 454, 456, 499 | |
| B.I.E. | International Economics | ECON 494 |
The following notes apply:
- B.A., B.F.A., and B.Mus. students admitted to their programs prior to the 2009 Winter Session may complete the Faculty of Arts English requirement in lieu of the Writing and Research requirement. Please see the archived 2008/09 Degree Requirements.
- Students admitted to the Faculty of Arts directly from secondary school must attempt the Writing component of the Writing and Research requirement in their first 30 credits. Students admitted as transfer students to the Faculty of Arts who have not already completed the Writing Component of the Writing and Research requirement must attempt it during their first Winter Session at UBC or in their first 30 total credits.
- The Writing component of the Writing and Research requirement may be attempted twice. Students who fail this component will be required to withdraw from the Faculty.
- For transfer students entering the Faculty of Arts in the 2011 Winter Session, English 112 and its articulated equivalents shall be deemed as meeting the Writing component of the Writing and Research requirement if the course was taken prior to entering the Faculty of Arts. Beginning in the 2012 Winter Session, and for all sessions thereafter, English 112 and its articulated equivalents shall not be deemed to meet the Writing Component for any student, regardless of when the course was taken.
- Transfer students admitted into third year in the 2011 Winter Session must complete the Faculty of Arts Writing and Research requirement.
Language Requirement
In order to fulfil the language requirement, students must:
- have successfully completed a Grade 12 course in an approved language other than English while in secondary school, or
- write an examination, if they have knowledge of an approved language, but no secondary school or university transcript to prove it, or
- reach the language level taught in any of the following courses:1,2
| Subject | Course |
|---|---|
| Arabic (ARBC) | 400 |
| Asian Languages (ASLA) | 400 |
| Chinese (CHIN) | 117 or 118 (heritage students); 107 or 108 (non-heritage students) |
| First Nations Languages (FNLG) | 202 Salish |
| First Nations Languages (FNLG) | 212 Algonquian |
| First Nations Languages (FNLG) | 222 Dene (Athabaskan) |
| First Nations Languages (FNLG) | 232 Tsimshanic |
| First Nations Languages (FNLG) | 242 Wakashan |
| First Nations Languages (FNLG) | 252 Haida |
| First Nations Languages (FNLG) | 262 Ktunaxa (Kootenay) |
| First Nations Languages (FNLG) | 292 Other indigenous languages |
| French (FREN) | 112 |
| German (GERM) | 210 |
| Greek (GREK) | 200 |
| Hebrew (HEBR) | 405 |
| Hindi-Urdu (HINU) | 200 or 202 |
| Indonesian (INDO) | 200 or 202 |
| Italian (ITAL) | 200 or 202 |
| Japanese (JAPN) | 103 or 151 |
| Korean (KORN) | 200 or 202 |
| Latin (LATN) | 200 |
| Polish (POLS) | 300 |
| Portuguese (PORT) | 202 |
| Punjabi (PUNJ) | 101 or 102 |
| Russian (RUSS) | 200 |
| Sanskrit (SANS) | 200 or 202 |
| Scandinavian (SCAN) | 210 (Swedish) or 260 (Danish) |
| Spanish (SPAN) | 112 or 202 (previously 105 and 110) |
| Ukrainian (UKRN) | 225 |
1 Important note: Most of these courses have prerequisites. See Course Schedule.
2 There is no credit assignment to the Faculty of Arts Language Requirement. Students must successfully complete the course-level listed in the chart above in order to have satisfied the requirement.
Students with secondary-school or native language background wishing to register in any of the above languages must check with the departments to see whether they are required to write a placement test before the beginning of classes.
Students may satisfy the language requirement in any of the above languages by proving the appropriate competency through examination. Arrangements for such examination must be made through the academic department providing instruction in the language. No course credit will be awarded for satisfaction of the language requirement in this manner.
Students who wish to present a language other than those identified above to satisfy the language requirement may be permitted to do so through a challenge examination, where appropriate expertise to test the student's competency in the language is available. Arrangements for such examination must be made through Arts Academic Advising. No course credit will be awarded for satisfaction of the language requirement in this manner.
Science Requirement
It is important that students understand and appreciate scientific methods, applications and reasoning.
The requirement can be met by successful completion of 6 credits chosen from:
- Courses within the Faculty of Science
- These courses in the Faculty of Arts:
- ASIC 200
- GEOB 102, 103, or any other GEOB courses
- LING 209
- PSYC science courses (263, 348, 360, 361, 363, 364, 365, 366, 367, 368, 448, 460, 461, 462, 463, 465, 466, 467, 469)
- GRSJ 201 (cross-listed with CPSC 101)
- These courses in the Faculty of Forestry: FRST 303, 304
- These courses in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems: APBI 244, 260, 311, 327, 328; FNH 200, 250.
- These courses in the Faculty of Medicine: ANAT 390, 391; CAPS 390, 391.
Students may take any combination of the courses listed above adding up to 6 credits to satisfy the Science Requirement.
Important Note: The Faculty of Science offers several courses with overlapping content. Students may not earn credits for two courses with significant overlap. Students are advised to review the Science Credit Exclusion Lists to avoid registering in overlapping courses.
Literature Requirement
Students must successfully complete 6 credits, in the Faculty of Arts, of work in literature.
Courses in composition and writing such as ASTU 150, ENGL 100, 301, 303, 304 and CRWR 202, 301, as well as courses intended to develop fluency in reading newspapers etc., in languages other than English (e.g., CHIN 401, 402, GERM 430, JAPN 315, 416, 417) do not satisfy this requirement. With these restrictions, eligible courses are:
| Subject | Course |
|---|---|
| African Studies (AFST) | 351 |
| Arabic (ARBC) | 400, 420 |
| ARTS | 0011 |
| Asian Studies (ASIA) | 212, 213, 308, 326, 334, 341, 342, 347-352, 357-360, 361, 363, 364, 368, 398, 441, 444, 447, 452, 451, 453, 454, 455, 457, 460, 464 |
| Arts Studies (ASTU) | 100A1 |
| Central, Eastern, and Northern European Studies (CENS) | 202, 303 |
| Chinese (CHIN) | 411, 413, 431, 433, 471, 473, 481, 483, 484 |
| Classical Studies (CLST) | 310, 313, 314, 315, 317, 318, 402 |
| English (ENGL) |
Only ONE of 1101, 1111, 1201, 1211 can be used toward fulfilling the 6-credit Literature Requirement. All 200-, 300- and 400-level courses, except 229, 301-340, 352, 399, 409, 412 |
| French (FREN) | 220, 221, 280, 320, 321, 328, 329, 330, 348, 349, and all 400-level courses except 427, 457-475, 499 |
| Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Social Justice Studies (GRSJ) | 224 |
| German (GERM) | 301, 302, 303, 304, 360, 370, 380, 390, 401, 402, 405-407 |
| Greek (GREK) | 301, 401, 402 |
| Hindi-Urdu (HINU) | 400 |
| Italian (ITAL) | 303, 304, 404, 403, 405, 407-409, 420 |
| Italian Studies (ITST) | 231, 232, 345, 413-419 |
| Japanese (JAPN) | 311, 312, 342, 401, 402, 406, 408 |
| Korean (KORN) | 410 |
| Latin (LATN) | 301, 305, 401, 402 |
| Medieval Studies (MDVL) | 301, 302 |
| Philosophy (PHIL) | 375 |
| Polish (POLS) | 345, 424 |
| Portuguese (PORT) | 392 |
| Punjabi (PUNJ) | 300, 301, 302, 401, 402 |
| Religion, Literature and the Arts (RGLA) | 371, 372, 471 |
| Religious studies (RELG) | 201, 203, 311, 320 |
| Romance Studies (RMST) | 221, 222, 420 |
| Russian (RUSS) | 206, 207, 305, 306, 407-412 |
| Sanskrit (SANS) | 3002 |
| Scandinavian (SCAN) | 333-335, 411-413 |
| Slavic Studies (SLAV) | 307 |
| South Asian Languages (SOAL) | 4402 |
| Spanish (SPAN) | 221, 222, 312, 357, 358, 364, 365, 406, 410, 420, 430, 470, 490 |
| Theatre (THTR) | 210, 211, 245, 310, 311, 410 |
| 1 Students may count one of ENGL 110, 111, 120 or 121 or 3 credits of ASTU 100A or 3 credits of ARTS 001 toward their fulfillment of the 6-credit Literature Requirement. Credits for ASTU 100A or ARTS 001 may be split between the Writing Component of the Writing and Research Requirement and the Literature Requirement. ENGL credits applied toward the First-Year English Requirement may not also be applied toward the Literature Requirement. | |
| 2 With the permission of the Department of Asian Studies. | |
Upper-Level Requirement
In order to fulfil the upper-level requirement, students must successfully complete a minimum of 481 upper-level credits. Courses coded 300 and above are deemed upper-level credits.
1NOTE: Depending on the student's chosen program, the specific number of upper-level credits will vary. The following table summarizes the minimum number of upper-level credits required for various programs:
| Summary of Upper-level Credits for Program Requirements for the B.A. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Major | Major + Minor | Double Major | Honours | Combined Major | |
| of which courses 300+ | 48 | 48 | 60 | 54 | 48 |
Outside Requirement
Students completing a single major program must successfully complete 60 credits from outside of their major program. Students completing a single honours program must successfully complete 48 credits from outside of their honours program. Students completing a double program, such as a double major or a major/minor, must successfully complete 24 credits from outside of either program. Majors in Cognitive Systems satisfy the outside requirement within the disciplinary breadth of their program and are not required to complete further credits outside their program.
