Changing or adding specializations (Areas of Concentration, Majors, and Minors)

Specializations in the BA degree program
Students in the BA degree program can elect to complete the General or Honours program. Within both of these programs, there are a variety of specializations to choose from.

Specializations in the BA General degree program
In the BA General degree program student can declare an “Area of Concentration” or multiple Areas of Concentration. Alternatively, students may graduate with an “Unspecialized” degree.  

You must be in the general version of the BA degree to declare an Area of Concentration.

There is not a specific average requirement for your Area of Concentration, however, students in the BA general degree program must earn a cumulative average of 60% across all course attempts at the University of Guelph to be eligible to graduate.

Areas of Concentration options for the BA General degree are:

  • Anthropology
  • English
  • French Studies
  • Geography
  • History
  • International Development Studies
  • Mathematics
  • Music
  • Philosophy
  • Political Science
  • Psychology
  • Sociology
  • Spanish and Hispanic Studies
  • Statistics
  • Theatre Studies

Specific course requirements for each Area of Concentration can be found in the academic calendar.

Specializations in the BA Honours degree program
In the BA Honours degree program, students must declare a Major and may also earn a Minor. Adding a second Major and/or Minor(s) is optional.

To graduate from an Honours BA Program, a student must fulfill the course and credit requirements with a cumulative average of at least 70% in at least one Major. Grades in all courses within the discipline area of the Major are included in this average. 

All Major options for the BA degree can be found here.

Adding a Minor

You must be in the Honours version of the BA degree to declare a Minor.

BA degree students are permitted to declare a Minor from any degree program. Please be aware that some Minors may require a high school math or science background.

All Minor options can be found here.

Further Considerations

You can add a specialization at any time during your degree. However, the earlier you declare your specialization the better. This is because the courses in each specialization follow a specific sequence. Many courses have prerequisites and may be offered in specific semesters only.

Some specialization combinations may require you to complete more than 20 credits to graduate, given the number of required courses. Depending on the timing of course offerings, you may also need to complete additional semester(s) to satisfy the requirements.

When you declare a specialization, WebAdvisor may grant you priority access to required courses during the course selection period.

Considering more than one specialization? 
If you are interested in declaring more than one specialization, please note the rules for double-counting.