SYSTEMS OF STUDY
1. Regular
In the regular system of study the student normally attends school during the Fall and Winter terms.
2. Co-operative
In the co-operative system of study the student in an Honours academic plan is enabled to integrate work with academics. (For a detailed description, see "Co-operative Education and Career Services.") Beginning in the first or second year, the co-op student ordinarily alternates four-month terms on campus for academic studies with four months off campus for practical experience in business, industry, or government.
Students in BA Co-op plans are required to complete a minimum of four work terms beyond the 2A level in order to be eligible to receive a co-op designation at the time of graduation.
Students in BA Co-op plans must also complete a minimum of 2.0 units of online professional development (PD) courses, normally to be taken during the co-op work term. Such PD courses are intended to enhance the professional development of the student and assist in integrating the academic and the work-term experience.
The following BA Co-op plans are offered:
-
Arts and Business Co-op
The Arts and Business Co-operative system of study combines an Honours plan in any Honours discipline in Arts (except Geography and plans offered by the School of Accountancy) with the Arts and Business group of courses. The Arts and Business courses are intended to provide the student with a basic and practical general education and with skills appropriate to a wide range of careers. See the Arts and Business Co-op and Regular section and the appropriate discipline section for details.
-
Departmental Co-op
Co-op Honours Anthropology
Co-op Honours Applied Economics
Co-op Honours English
Co-op Honours Political Science
Co-op Honours Psychology
Co-op Honours Sociology
Note
Co-operative plans are open only to full-time students.
BA ACADEMIC PLANS
All Bachelor of Arts academic plans should be drawn up in consultation with the appropriate academic advisor.
1. General
The University offers a General Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree upon successful completion of either a Three-Year General or Four-Year General academic plan in the following disciplines:
Anthropology
|
Music |
| Classical Studies |
Peace and Conflict Studies |
| Drama |
Philosophy |
| Economics |
Political Science |
| English |
Psychology |
| Fine Arts |
Religious Studies |
| French |
Russian and East European Studies |
| Geography (Three-Year General only) |
Sexuality, Marriage, and Family Studies |
| German |
Social Development Studies |
| History |
Sociology |
| Italian Studies (Three-Year General only) |
Spanish |
| Legal Studies (Four-Year General only) |
Speech Communication |
| Liberal Studies |
Women's Studies |
| Medieval Studies |
|
Note
Liberal Studies is not a Major plan; therefore, students enrolled in Liberal Studies cannot pursue a minor.
2. Honours (including Arts and Business)
An Honours Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree is offered by the University in the following disciplines:
Anthropology
|
Music |
| Classical Studies |
Peace and Conflict Studies |
| Drama |
Philosophy |
| Economics |
Political Science |
| English |
Psychology |
| Fine Arts |
Religious Studies |
| French |
Russian and East European Studies |
| Geography |
Social Development Studies |
| German |
Sociology |
| History |
Spanish |
| Legal Studies |
Speech Communication |
| Medieval Studies |
|
Note
See the Arts and Business Co-op and Regular section and the appropriate Arts discipline sections which follow for details.
3. Joint Honours
In addition to existing explicit Joint Honours plans, many Honours plans may be combined within and between Faculties. However, before embarking on a Joint Honours plan, students are required to consult with the Undergraduate Advisors of both programs. Students must meet the requirements of both plans as stated in the Calendar and should be aware that combining some Honours plans may require more than the normal number of academic terms to complete.
Some Joint Honours plans require the student to complete 21 (rather than 20) academic course units. In cases where a Joint Honours plan requiring 21 units is combined with one requiring 20 units, the student is required to complete 21 units.
-
Joint Honours BA (within the Faculty of Arts)
Joint Honours academic plans are available in most disciplines within the Faculty of Arts which offer an Honours plan. Any two Joint Honours plans may be combined for a Joint Honours degree. The Undergraduate Advisors of both disciplines should be consulted for any Joint Honours plan. Descriptions of the single Honours plans and each discipline's requirements for Joint Honours plans can be found in the sections under the specific plans. Co-op students (either Arts and Business, or Departmental Co-op) who are interested in declaring Joint Honours Major academic plans must understand that the co-operative dimension adds considerably to the complexities of Joint Honours. A Joint Honours plan undertaken in the co-operative mode may require more than the normal number of academic terms to complete.
Notes - Enrolment by a co-op student in a Joint Honours academic plan does not provide grounds for changes to the academic/work term sequence.
- In the case of a Joint Honours academic plan combining a discipline which offers Departmental Co-op with one which does not offer Departmental Co-op, the Departmental Co-op major is always listed first.
-
Joint Honours (Arts discipline with Honours discipline in another Faculty)
- Arts/Applied Health Sciences or Environmental Studies
- Arts students who wish to pursue Joint Honours with a discipline in one of Applied Health Sciences or Environmental Studies should consult the appropriate Faculty's section of the University of Waterloo Calendar. Also refer to the Arts Academic Plans section of the Calendar for the Joint Honours requirements of the particular Arts discipline.
- Students enrolled in the Faculties of Applied Health Sciences or Environmental Studies who are contemplating Joint Honours with a discipline in Arts, should refer to the Arts discipline pages for information on the Joint Honours requirements of the particular discipline and the appropriate Faculty's section of the Undergraduate Calendar.
- Arts/Science
- Arts students who wish to pursue Joint Honours with Science should refer to "Joint Honours Arts Major and Science" in the Faculty of Science section of the Calendar. Also refer to the Arts Academic Plans section of the Calendar for the Joint Honours requirements of the particular Arts discipline.
- Honours Science students may declare Joint Honours with any Honours discipline offered by the Faculty of Arts. Refer to the Arts Academic Plans section for the Joint Honours requirements of the particular Arts discipline and "Joint Honours Science and Arts Major" in the Faculty of Science section of the Calendar.
Note: Enrolment in Joint Honours Science and Arts or Joint Honours Arts and Science initially requires approval by the Associate Dean of Science (Undergraduate Studies), and the Undergraduate Officer of each of the individual Joint Honours disciplines. The overall averages of the Faculties and of the individual disciplines must be met at the time of declaration of Joint Honours and must be maintained. - Arts/Mathematics
- Arts students who wish to pursue a Joint Honours major with Mathematics should refer to "Combination Honours Academic Plans Leading to a Degree in Another Faculty" in the Faculty of Mathematics section of the Calendar. Also refer to the Arts Academic Plans section of the Calendar for the Joint Honours requirements of the particular Arts discipline.
- Honours Mathematics students may declare a Combination Honours with any Honours discipline offered by the Faculty of Arts. Refer to the Arts Academic Plans section for the Joint Honours requirements of the particular Arts discipline and to the "Combination Honours Academic Plans with Other Faculties Leading to the BMATH or BCS Degree" in the Faculty of Mathematics section of the Calendar.
- Arts/Engineering
- Arts students may not pursue a Joint Honours with the Faculty of Engineering.
- Students enrolled in the Faculty of Engineering should refer to the Engineering section of the Calendar for possible Joint Honours combinations with Arts.
Note
It may take more than eight terms to complete a Joint Honours/Combination Honours degree particularly if the student is enrolled in majors from two faculties and/or the co-operative system of study.
4. Minors A minor requires the successful completion of five units in the minor discipline with an overall cumulative average of 65% in those courses. Students should consult with the appropriate undergraduate advisors for details of more specific requirements.
A minor in most Arts disciplines and in many disciplines in other faculties may be pursued by Arts students enrolled in Honours or Four-Year General BA Major plans or the BIS plan.
Note: Arts students enrolled in Three- and Four-Year General Liberal Studies plans or Three-Year General Major plans may not pursue a minor.
Honours students enrolled in other faculties may also pursue minors offered by the Faculty of Arts.
Minors are available in Greek, Italian, Jewish Studies, Latin, Mennonite Studies, and Spirituality and Personal Development, although there are no Majors in those disciplines.
5. Options
An option provides a secondary area of concentration similar to a minor. Options, however, may consist of less than five units worth of courses (though some options do require five units). Options, moreover, are open to all degree students in Arts, including those who cannot pursue a minor (i.e., students in a Three-Year General Major plan or students in Three-Year or Four-Year Liberal Studies). The majority of options are offered in interdisciplinary plans; see the individual plan sections for details.
CONCURRENT BA DEGREE (for students in a faculty other than Arts)
University of Waterloo students pursuing programs in faculties other than Arts may wish to work concurrently toward a Bachelor of Arts. Following consultation with the Arts Academic Counsellor and the academic advisor of the "home" faculty, the student must successfully complete the following to be awarded the BA:
- all Program-level requirements of the Faculty of Arts. See "BA Degree requirements."
- at least 7.5 academic course units (for the Three-Year General degree) or ten academic course units (for the Four-Year General or Honours degree) over and above the minimum number of courses required for the first degree in the "home" faculty.
In some instances, a Joint Honours program or a minor in an Arts discipline, where possible, may be a preferable course to follow, in which case the BA would not be granted. The Proposal for Concurrent Degree in Arts: B.A. as Second Degree form is available in the Arts Undergraduate Office.
ARTS OPPORTUNITIES FOR NON-ARTS STUDENTS Arts offers many opportunities to students enrolled in other faculties of the University for Arts-based plans. Categories are listed below. Their descriptions are found elsewhere in this chapter.
SECOND BA DEGREES Students may pursue a second BA in one of the following ways:
- an upgrade within the same discipline (e.g., from a Three-Year General to an Honours degree),
- an upgrade from a Three-Year General Liberal Studies to a Four-Year General Liberal Studies degree,
Note: In both of these instances, the student would be required to turn in the first BA in order to be granted the second degree. - a second BA in a different discipline.
Students holding Arts post-graduate degrees or major degrees (Honours or General) may not apply for a Liberal Studies degree. Before applying for another BA, both external and UW applicants are urged to determine whether a second degree is actually required for their purposes (in many cases, post-degree studies might be more appropriate). For details, students should consult the Arts Undergraduate Office, the Registrar's Office, or the academic advisor of the discipline.