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Academic Calendars

General Degree Requirements

Following is a list of the faculty requirements needed to satisfy degree programs in the College of Arts and Science. Details of these requirements can be found on the pages following these lists. Departmental requirements can be found in the appropriate department/faculty listing in this calendar. Please note that students must satisfy both department and faculty requirements. Before registering for the second year, each student in the College of Arts and Science should declare a subject of concentration and obtain program advice from a faculty advisor in the appropriate department.

Requirements for degree programs other than College of Arts and Science can be found in the appropriate department/school/college/faculty listing.

Subject Groupings

Course offerings within the College of Arts and Science are placed into three subject groupings: (1) Languages and Humanities, (2) Social Sciences and (3) Life and Physical Sciences. All BA and BSc programs must include a minimum of six credit hours from each of the three subject groupings.

1. Languages and Humanities

Arabic, Canadian studies, Chinese (Mandarin), cinema and media studies, classics, comparative religion, contemporary studies, creative writing, early modern studies, English, European studies, French, gender and women’s studies, German, Greek, history, history of science and technology, Italian studies, King’s Foundation Year, Latin, music, Performance Studies, philosophy, religious studies, Russian, Spanish, and theatre.

2. Social Sciences

Canadian studies, contemporary studies, early modern studies, European studies, economics, gender and women’s studies, history, history of science and technology, international development studies, King’s Foundation Year, law, justice and society, political science, psychology, sociology and social anthropology, and sustainability (for BSc only).

3. Life Sciences and Physical Sciences

Biochemistry and molecular biology, biology, chemistry, computer science, earth sciences, economics, engineering, environmental science, human physiology* (for BA only), informatics, marine biology, mathematics, microbiology and immunology, neuroscience, oceanography, physics, psychology, science, statistics, and sustainability (for BA only).
* Offered by the Faculty of Medicine. See Electives section below, for limit on courses from other Faculties.

PLEASE NOTE:

1. In cases where a subject is listed in more than one of the groupings, any credit taken in that subject may be used to satisfy only one of the grouping requirements. A second credit in the same subject cannot be used to satisfy another subject grouping requirement. The exceptions are the Dalhousie Integrated Science Program and King’s Foundation Year Program. King’s Foundation Year Program (KING 1000.24, KING 1100.18) satisfies the humanities-language and social science groupings and students must take six credit hours in a single life/physical sciences subject to complete the subject grouping requirements. The Integrated Science Program satisfies the life sciences and physical sciences and social sciences subject groupings. Integrated Science students are required to take another three credit hours of Languages and Humanities in addition to PHIL 1050.03 to satisfy the Languages and Humanities requirement.

2. The subject groupings requirement should normally be completed in the first 60 credit hours.

Writing Course Requirements

An approved writing course or set of courses is required for all BA and BSc degrees. Courses and course combinations that can be used to fulfill the writing requirement are listed below. It is recommended that students complete the writing requirement early in their programs, preferably in their first year of studies.

  • CLAS 1010X/Y.06: Ancient History: God-Kings, Spartans and Caesars
  • CLAS 1103.03: Gods, Heroes, and Monsters: Ancient Mythology I and CLAS 1104.03: Gods, Heroes, and Monsters: Ancient Mythology II (both must be completed)
  • ENGL/CRWR 1030.06: Reading and Writing Stories
  • Any two of ENGL 1005.03: Literature: Global Perspective, ENGL 1015.03: Literature: How it Works, ENGL 1025.03: Literature: Why it Matters, ENGL 1040.03: Reading Popular Culture: Writing Requirement, ENGL 1050.03: Pulp Fiction: Writing Requirement, ENGL 1100.03: Writing for University
  • GERM 1026.03: German Fiction in Novel and Film I and GERM 1027.03: German Fiction in Novel and Film II (both must be completed)
  • GERM 1080X/Y.06: German Folk and Fairy Tales
  • HIST 1022.03: Introduction to European History Part I (Writing Requirement) and HIST 1023.03: Introduction to European History Part II (Writing Requirement) (both must be completed)
  • HIST 1510.06: The History of the Future: How Visions of the Future Have Shaped History Around the World
  • Any two of HIST 1503.03: The Black Death, Silk, and the Mongols - Shock, Culture, and Awe in Medieval Eurasia (12-15th Centuries): Comparative Global History, HIST 1504.03: Origins of Modern Global Society, HIST 1006.03: The Idea of the Past and the Making of the Present
  • HSTC 1800.03: Technology and Engineering: From the Stone Age to the Industrial Age and HSTC 1801.03: Technology and Engineering: From the Industrial Age to the Cybernetic Age (both must be completed)
  • JOUR 1001X/Y.06: Foundations of Journalism *
  • Integrated Science Program (SCIE 15XX)
  • King’s Foundation Year
  • OCEA 1001.03: Conversations with Ocean Scientists I and OCEA 1002.03: Conversations with Ocean Scientists II (both must be completed)
  • PERF 1000.03: Writing About Performance and one of PERF 1001.03: Writing About Music OR PERF 1002.03: Writing About Stage and Screen
  • PHIL 1010X/Y.06: Introduction to Philosophy
  • POLI 1103X/Y.06: Introduction to Government and Politics
  • RELS 1201.03 : Gods, Heroes, and Monsters: Ancient Mythology I and RELS 1202.03: Gods, Heroes, and Monsters: Ancient Mythology II (both must be completed)
  • RUSN 1020.03: Russian Culture and Civilization under the Tsars and RUSN 1070.03: Modern Russian Culture and Civilization (both must be completed)
  • SCIE 1111.03: Writing for the Sciences (satisfies writing requirement for BSc students only)
  • SUST 1000.06: Introduction to Environment, Sustainability and Society I

* Offered by the School of Journalism.  See Electives section below, for limit on courses from other Faculties.

The Writing Course may also be used to satisfy one of the subject groupings.

Mathematics Requirement (Bachelor of Science)

A minimum of six credit hours in mathematics or statistics other than MATH 1001.03, MATH 1002.03, MATH 1003.03, MATH 1110.03, MATH 1120.03 or MATH 1115.03, are required for all BSc programs. A course taken to satisfy the mathematics requirement may not be used to also satisfy the subject groupings requirement.

Students may also satisfy this requirement by passing the test which is administered by the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. Such students must nevertheless complete 90 or 120 credit hours in order to graduate.

Language Course (Bachelor of Arts)

Students should consider becoming fluent in French. BA students are required to obtain six credit hours from the following language courses:

  • ARBC 1021.03: Introduction to Arabic I and ARBC 1022.03: Introduction to Arabic II (both must be completed)
  • CHIN 1030X/Y.06: Introduction to Chinese (Mandarin)
  • CHIN 1031.03: Introduction to Chinese (Mandarin) Pt 1 and CHIN 1032.03: Introduction to Chinese (Mandarin) Pt 2 (both must be completed)
  • CLAS 1801.03: Introduction to Latin I and CLAS 1802:  Introduction to Latin II; CLAS 1900X/Y.06: Introductory Classical Hebrew; CLAS 2505.03: Introductory Ancient Greek I and CLAS 2506.03: Introductory Ancient Greek II
  • FREN (any course taught in French)
  • GERM 1003.03 and GERM 1004.03: German for Beginners, GERM 2046.03 and GERM 2047.03: German for Reading
  • ITAL 1010X/Y.06: Italian for Beginners
  • RELS 1600.03/CLAS 1600.03: Introductory Sanskrit I and RELS 2600.03/CLAS 2600.03: Introductory Sanskrit II (both must be completed)
  • RUSN 1000X/Y.06: Elementary Russian
  • RUSN 1002.03: Elementary Russian I and RUSN 1003.03: Elementary Russian II (both must be completed)
  • SPAN 1021.03: Beginning Spanish and SPAN 1022.03: Advanced Beginning Spanish (both must be completed)
  • SPAN 1035X/Y.06: Intensive Beginning Spanish

For students with advanced language skills, upper-level language courses may be substituted. Consult the Registrar’s Office if you require further information. A course taken to satisfy this requirement cannot also satisfy the requirement of a course from section 1.

Students may satisfy this requirement by passing one of the tests administered by the language departments. Such students must nevertheless complete 90 or 120 credit hours in order to graduate.

BA students who choose to major in economics, philosophy, law, justice and society, political science, psychology or sociology and social anthropology may substitute for a language course at least six credit hours in mathematics or statistics taught by the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, other than MATH 1001.03, MATH 1002.03, MATH 1003.03, MATH 1110.03, MATH 1120.03, or MATH 1115.03, to meet this requirement; or they may meet it by passing the test administered by the Department of Mathematics and Statistics.

A course taken to satisfy this requirement cannot also satisfy the requirement of a course from Life Sciences and Physical Sciences.

Electives

Students may choose electives from any of the courses offered by teaching units within the College of Arts and Science, College of Sustainability, Faculty of Agriculture and the Faculty of Computer Science. In addition, without prior permission, electives are permitted as follows provided prerequisites are met and the consent of the instructor(s) is obtained when necessary:

Bachelor of Arts

  • 18 credit hours from courses offered outside the Faculty of Arts & Social Science, Faculty of Science, College of Sustainability, Faculty of Computer Science or Faculty of Agriculture, plus up to 12 credit hours in Commerce

Please note that BA students registered for minors in Business, Law and Society, Health Studies, Community Design, Journalism or other minors approved for students within the College of Arts and Science are permitted to take the courses necessary to satisfy the requirements for the minor. In addition, 12 credit hours from courses offered in other faculties are permitted.

BA/BEng

Students may count as electives a total of 36 engineering credit hours. In addition 12 credit hours from courses offered in other faculties are permitted.

Bachelor of Science

  • 18 credit hours from courses offered outside the Faculty of Arts & Social Science, Faculty of Science, College of Sustainability, Faculty of Computer Science or Faculty of Agriculture, plus up to 12 credit hours in Commerce OR
  • 30 credit hours in Engineering or Food Science courses and 18 credit hours from courses offered in other faculties

Please note that BSc students registered for any approved minor are permitted to take the courses necessary to satisfy the requirements for the minor. In addition, 12 credit hours from courses offered in other faculties are permitted.

BSc/BEng

Students may count as electives a total of 36 engineering credit hours and in addition 12 credit hours from courses offered in other faculties.

Any additional elective credit hours outside the College of Arts and Science will require explicit permission, to be obtained by application to the appropriate Dean’s Office. Permission to count a requested course for degree credit will only be granted to students who demonstrate clearly, in a written submission, how a desired course will enhance the objectives of the BA or BSc program in progress. In this regard, a written statement of support from an academic advisor in the department of concentration is desirable.

Students seeking to enrol in courses beyond the above provisions as a means of preparing to transfer to a program of study outside the College of Arts and Science will be given approval to do so by the appropriate dean’s office if admission to the course(s) has been granted by the instructor(s) concerned. In such cases, however, it will be explicitly stated that the courses will not count for credit towards a BA or BSc degree.

Cross-listed Courses

Please note that cross-listed courses will count as one subject only for the purpose of satisfying degree requirements, e.g. ECON 2260.03 cross-listed with MATH 2060.03 may count either as a mathematics course or economics course but not both.