X. Degree Programs

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Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

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Program Information

A student's selection of courses must follow the B.A. Program Regulations (including Distribution Requirements), a pattern of study for either the General or Honours degree (below), and the detailed schedule(s) of studies which follow for any special subject(s) studied.

In fulfilling distribution requirements a) and b) students must in semester 1 choose 2 courses from 2 different schools or departments in the College of Arts and 2 courses from 2 of the following departments in the College of Social and Applied Human Sciences and the College of Management and Economics: Economics, Geography, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology and Anthropology.

Students entering the B.A. program with advanced standing must complete the distribution requirements a) and b) as soon as possible after entrance to the program. Requirement c) need not be completed immediately but is a graduation requirement.

Note: Courses taken to satisfy the distribution requirements may also be counted toward a specialization in the general or honours program.

Academic Counselling

Program Counselling

Students are urged to seek the assistance of the counsellors in the B.A. Counselling Office regarding their program and academic regulations, selecting courses, services and resources available on campus, and when they are experiencing difficulties that affect their academic progress.

Departmental Advising

Every academic department has advisors available to assist students in their course selection planning. Students should seek the advice of the faculty advisor when declaring a major, area of concentration, or minor, regarding course scheduling and completing the requirements for the specializations.

Students encountering difficulties within a course should first consult the instructor of the course. Co-operative education students in Computing and Information Science, Economics and Psychology will also have a departmental Co-op Academic Advisor and Co-ordinator, and should consult Co-operative Education Services regarding scheduling work terms and the COOP*1000 course.

Academic Residence Requirements

  1. At least 5.00 of the credits required for graduation by the student's program must be taken at the University of Guelph.

  2. At least 60% of the 3000 and 4000 level courses required for graduation must be taken at the University of Guelph.

University of Guelph courses include courses taken on exchange and on study abroad programs. Letter of Permission courses are not included.

Continuation of Study

Students are advised to consult the regulations for continuation of study within the program which are outlined in detail in Section VIII--Undergraduate Degree Regulations and Procedures of this calendar.

Conditions for Graduation

In addition to meeting the general and honours degree requirements listed below under Program Regulations, students will not normally be eligible to graduate while on probationary or required-to-withdraw status.

Distribution Requirements

The distribution requirements are designed to provide the student with exposure to and some understanding of a range of disciplines in the Arts, Social Sciences and Mathematical and Natural Sciences.

The distribution requirement of 8 courses (minimum 4.00 credits) is as follows:

  1. A minimum of 1.50 credits over at least 2 different subject areas in the humanities:

    • ARTH Art History

      CHIN Mandarin

    • CLAS Classical Studies

    • ENGL English

    • EURO European Studies

    • FREN French Studies

    • GERM German Studies

    • GREK Greek

    • HISP Hispanic Studies

    • HIST History

    • HUMN Humanities

    • ITAL Italian Studies

    • LAT Latin

    • LING Linguistics

    • MUSC Music

    • PHIL Philosophy

      PORT Portuguese

    • SART Studio Art

    • THST Theatre Studies

      WMST Women’s Studies

  2. A minimum of 1.50 credits over at least two of the following subject areas in the social sciences:

    • ANTH Anthropology

    • ECON Economics

    • GEOG Geography

    • IDEV International Development

    • ISS Interdisciplinary Social Science

    • POLS Political Science

    • PSYC Psychology

    • SOAN Sociology and Anthropology

    • SOC Sociology

      WMST Women’s Studies

  3. 1.00 credits in natural and/or mathematical sciences from the list below.

Natural and Mathematical Science Courses Acceptable for B.A. Distribution Requirements

Students must take 1.00 credits in natural and/or mathematical science courses to fulfill the B.A. science requirements. Students should choose their courses from the list below or any course for which those listed serve as prerequisites. Students are advised to fulfill this requirement before their final semester. Any problems related to this requirement should be discussed with a B.A. Program Counsellor.

Courses recommended for students with limited preparation (e.g.. lacking 4U credit in a specific area):

AGR*2150 [0.50] Plant Agriculture for International Development
BIOL*1020 [0.50] Introduction to Biology
BIOL*1500 [0.50] Humans in the Natural World
BIOM*2000 [0.50] Concepts in Human Physiology
BOT*1200 [0.50] Plants and Human Use
CHEM*1060 [0.50] Introductory Chemistry
CHEM*1100 [0.50] Chemistry Today
CIS*1000 [0.50] Introduction to Computer Applications
CROP*1050 [0.50] Green Energy - Fuel from Plants
ENVS*1050 [0.50] Geology and the Environment
ENVS*1060 [0.50] Principles of Geology
ENVS*2060 [0.50] Soil Science
ENVS*2130 [0.50] Eating Sustainably in Ontario
ENVS*2210 [0.50] Apiculture and Honey Bee Biology
ENVS*2270 [0.50] Impacts of Climate Change
FOOD*2010 [0.50] Principles of Food Science
GEOG*1300 [0.50] Introduction to the Biophysical Environment
GEOG*1350 [0.50] Earth: Hazards and Global Change
HORT*1120 [0.50] Grape and Wine Science
HORT*1130 [0.50] Science of Gardening
MBG*1000 [0.50] Genetics and Society
MET*1000 [0.50] The Atmospheric Environment
MUSC*1090 [0.50] Physics of Music
NUTR*1010 [0.50] Nutrition and Society
PHYS*1600 [0.50] Contemporary Astronomy
PHYS*1810 [0.50] Physics of Music
Other acceptable courses which require 4U or university preparation:
BIOL*1XXX [0.00] Any BIOL course at the 1000 level
CHEM*1XXX [0.00] Any CHEM course at the 1000 level
CIS*1XXX [0.00] Any CIS course at the 1000 level
CIS*2100 [0.50] Scientific Computing and Applications Development
ENVS*2030 [0.50] Meteorology and Climatology
ENVS*2250 [0.50] Geology of Natural Disasters
HK*2100*(Only available to SART majors) [0.50] Anatomy for Artists
MATH*1XXX [0.00] Any MATH course at the 1000 level
PHYS*1XXX [0.00] Any PHYS course at the 1000 level
STAT*2XXX [0.00] Any STAT course at the 2000 level
Double Counting of Courses

A maximum of 50 percent of the courses in a second major or minor may be courses taken in fulfillment of the first major where required courses are the same. Double counting is not allowed in the General Program.

Program Regulations

The General Degree Program provides the opportunity for a sound general education in the arts and social sciences, mathematics and sciences, while allowing for concentration of studies in one or more subjects.

The Honours Degree Program provides depth of study in one specialization, strengthening written and oral communication skills, research and analytical abilities, as well as ensuring a breadth of study in the arts, social sciences, mathematics and sciences.

General Degree Requirements (BAG)

To graduate from a general program a student must:

  1. earn 15.00 credits. These must include courses that fulfill the distribution requirements (see below). At least 4.00 credits must be at the 3000 level or above. Not more than 6.00 credits at the introductory (1000) level may be counted towards the 15.00 credits requirement.

  2. 9.00 of the required 15.00 credits must be in courses offered by the College of Arts, the departments of Economics, Geography, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology and Anthropology (in the College of Social and Applied Human Sciences and the College of Management and Economics), School of Computer Science, or the Department of Mathematics and Statistics.

  3. no more than 11.00 credits in any one subject or discipline, as indicated by the course prefix code, can be counted towards a general degree.

While students are encouraged to complete the requirements of one or more areas of concentration, this is not a graduation requirement.

The requirements for each area of concentration are set out separately in the pages following the list of Honours and General Specializations Available in the B.A. Degree.

Honours Degree Requirements (BAH)

To graduate from an honours program a student must:

  1. earn 20.00 credits. These must include courses that fulfill the distribution requirements (see below), and courses that fulfill the requirements of at least 1 major. At least 7.00 credits must be at the 3000 level or above. Not more than 6.00 credits from courses at the introductory (1000) level may be counted towards the 20.00 credits requirement.

  2. fulfill the course and credit requirements of at least one major with a cumulative average of at least 70% in all course attempts at the University of Guelph in that major. Grades in all courses in the discipline area of the major are included in the cumulative average. Grades from those courses in other disciplines listed as options toward the major are also included in the average. (This condition does not apply to majors in the interdisciplinary programs of International Development and European Studies, where only courses in the core and chosen area of emphasis will be counted toward the specialization average.) Students may take more than one major. They may also take one or more minors. The 70% requirement applies to each major and minor.

  3. no more than 14.00 credits in any one subject or discipline, as indicated by the course prefix code, can be counted towards an Honours Degree.

The requirements for each major and minor are set out separately in the pages following the list of Honours and General Specializations Available in the B.A. Degree.

University recognition that a student has graduated with a particular major or minor requires a cumulative average of 70% for all course attempts at this University in that major or minor.

Students failing to meet the graduation requirements of the Honours Program may apply to graduate with a General Degree if the requirements for the General Degree are met. Students should note that a specialization is not required to graduate with a General Degree.

Honours B.A. students, except those doing a major in Food, Agricultural, and Resource Economics, must take a minimum of 12.00 credits in courses offered by the College of Arts or the departments of Economics, Geography, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology and Anthropology (in the College of Social and Applied Human Sciences and the College of Management and Economics), the School of Computer Science or the Department of Mathematics and Statistics.

Semester One Requirements

Students in the General and Honours Programs must take:

Semester 1

1.00 credits from the following:

Art History - ARTH*1220, ARTH*1510

Chinese - CHIN*1200

Classical Studies - CLAS*1000

English - ENGL*1080, ENGL*1200

European Studies - EURO*1050, EURO*1200

French Studies - FREN*1000, FREN*1200

German Studies - GERM*1100, GERM*1110, GERM*2490 (4U Required)

Greek - GREK*1100

Hispanic Studies - HISP*1100, HISP*1110

History - HIST*1010, HIST*1150, HIST*1250

Italian Studies - ITAL*1060

Latin - LAT*1100

Music - MUSC*1060, MUSC*1180, MUSC*1500

Philosophy - PHIL*1000, PHIL*1010, PHIL*1050

Portuguese - PORT*1100

Studio Art - SART*1050, SART*1060

Theatre Studies - THST*1040, THST*1200

Women's Studies - WMST*1000

PLUS

1.00 credits from the following:

Anthropology - ANTH*1120, ANTH*1150

Economics - ECON*1050

Geography - GEOG*1200, GEOG*1220, GEOG*1300

Political Science - POLS*1150, POLS*1400, POLS*1500

Psychology - PSYC*1000

Sociology - SOC*1100, SOC*1500

Study at Other Universities

Students contemplating study at another university for credit towards a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Guelph should refer to the general regulations governing Letters of Permission in Section VIII--Degree Regulations & Procedures in this calendar.

Students must obtain approval for the Letter of Permission prior to undertaking studies at another institution. Approval of the request depends on good standing in the program with a minimum average of 60%.

The normal limit of credits taken on a Letter of Permission is 2.50 based on Guelph credits.

Students with a specialization in languages who want to undertake a program of study in Quebec or abroad should consult the appropriate departmental advisor or the Director of the School of Languages and Literatures.

Special Study Options

London Study Semester

A special program of studies designed to make use of the uniquely rich resources of London, England, is offered as a regular part of the B.A. program every Fall semester. The program is supervised by a faculty member from Guelph who directs the studies in London and supervises correspondence with faculty in Guelph. Courses in London are of 2 kinds: London based courses and correspondence courses. London based courses in music, theatre and fine art are given by British tutors, and the coordinator offers courses in his/her area of interest. Students are also permitted to arrange correspondence courses to meet their particular needs. Students wishing to apply for the London Semester should have good academic standing and should have completed at least 2 semesters at the University of Guelph at the time of application; although preference will be given to those with a cumulative average of 70% or above, all applications will be given careful consideration. More detailed information about academic requirements, bursaries, courses, etc. can be obtained from the B.A. Program Counselling Office, Room 130 in the MacKinnon Building.

The University of Guelph offers many other Study Abroad and Exchange opportunities for students to enrich their learning experience. Bachelor of Arts students are encouraged to participate in any of the diverse options available. Courses taken while on exchange or study abroad can be used as electives or core requirements. For further information on the programs available, please refer to Section V - International Study. Students are advised to meet with a B.A. Program Counsellor to discuss the feasibility of participating in an exchange or semester abroad.

Honours and General Specializations Available in the B.A. Degree

General Program Areas of Concentration

Anthropology

English

French Studies

Geography

Hispanic Studies

History

International Development

Mathematics

Music

Philosophy

Political Science

Sociology

Statistics

Theatre Studies

The schedule of studies for each area of concentration is given on the following pages under its subject heading.

Honours Program Majors

Anthropology

Applied Mathematics and Statistics

Art History

Classical Studies

Criminal Justice and Public Policy

Economics*

English

Environmental Governance

European Studies

Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics

French Studies

Geography

Hispanic Studies

History

Individual Studies

Information Systems and Human Behaviour

International Development

Mathematical Economics

Mathematics

Music

Philosophy

Political Science

Psychology*

Sociology

Statistics

Studio Art

Theatre Studies

Subjects marked with an asterisk (*) may be available as Co-operative Education programs. The schedule of studies for each major is given on the following pages under its subject heading.

Honours Program Minors

Anthropology

Art History

Business Administration

Classical Studies

Computing and Information Science

Criminal Justice and Public Policy

Economics

English

Ethics in the Life Sciences

European Culture and Civilization

Family and Child Studies

French Studies

Geography

German

Hispanic Studies

History

International Development

Italian

Marketing Management

Mathematics

Museum Studies

Music

Philosophy

Political Science

Psychology

Sociology

Statistics

Theatre Studies

The schedule of studies for each minor is given on the following pages under its subject heading.

University of Guelph
50 Stone Road East
Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1
Canada
519-824-4120