Combined Honours

The Combined Honours degree, jointly offered by King’s and Dalhousie, allows students to complete a BA or BSc while exploring two disciplines in depth, fostering strong analytical and research skills. This option is especially valuable for those considering graduate or professional studies, as it provides a solid academic foundation and may be viewed favourably by admissions committees.

Students can choose their second honours subject from the lists provided under the BA and BSc Combined Honours degree requirements section or pair their HOST Honours with the Environment, Sustainability and Society program.

Students are encouraged to apply to the program and seek advice on course selection as early as possible, even before registering for the second year.

The joint Dalhousie/King’s History of Science and Technology Combined Honours Program is based on the general requirement that the full credits needed to graduate include:

1. A minimum of 66 credit hours in the honours subjects beyond the 1000 level.
• BA students must complete no fewer than 30 credit hours in each subject.
• BSc students are encouraged to complete at least 30 credit hours in History of Science and Technology but may elect to complete only 24 credit hours with the program's approval.
2. With the approval of both the Dalhousie department concerned and of the History of Science and Technology program, students may elect to take a maximum of 84 credit hours in the two honours subjects. In this case: 
• BA students cannot take more than 48 credit hours in either subject; 
• BSc students are limited to 54 credit hours in either subject, with the larger number of credits being in their science subject. 
3. The three 3 credit hour "core" courses in History of Science and Technology: 
• HSTC 2001.03 Beginning of Wisdom: Science in the Pre-Modern World
• HSTC 3001.03 The Scientific Revolution
• HSTC 4001.03 Science and Nature in the Modern Period
  Note: With special permission from the Director, HSTC 3031.03 may be substituted for HSTC 2001.03, HSTC 3001.03, or HSTC 4001.03. 
4. An honours qualifying examination. BSc students must acquire this additional grade in their science subject. BA students may choose to acquire this additional grade in either honours subject but History of Science and Technology students usually obtain this grade in their primary subject (the subject in which they have completed the most credit hours) but may complete it in their secondary subejct with permission from both programs. In the History of Science and Technology program the honours thesis (completed over the two courses HSTC 4650.03 and HSTC 4651.03) fulfills the requirement of the honours qualifying examination. 
5. All students must meet the degree requirements for the Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences, or the Faculty of Science as detailed in the Degree Requirements section of this calendar. For each individual student, the entire degree program, including elective courses and honours requirements, is subject to supervision and approval by the two concerned programs. 

History of Science and Technology students are encouraged to acquire (through appropriate courses) competence in languages which are relevant to their degree, interests and future plans.

Students will be eligible to take an "Independent Reading" course when they reach their third or fourth year. The permission of a member of the teaching staff and the Director of the Program is necessary in order to take one of these courses, and their availability is strictly limited.