Bachelor of General Studies
Description
If you want to complete a degree that
specifically meets your academic or career goals, or if you
want to apply credit and/or learning acquired in different
settings toward a degree, then consider the UCFV Bachelor of
General Studies degree.
The Bachelor of General Studies
provides a flexible degree structure for students who wish to
create an individualized, cross-disciplinary program of studies
that best suits their goals. Some students who currently are
enrolled in the program include:
• students who are
diversifying to acquire a broad educational background;
• students who intend to
become elementary school teachers;
• students whose educational
or career interests have changed or who changed institutions
partway through their programs;
• students whose main
interest lies in a subject area in which UCFV does not offer a
major;
• students who want to do a
sizeable portion of their courses online;
• students who have created a
specialized thematic focus to their studies;
• students who are combining
minors in a customized way.
All Bachelor of General Studies
students are expected to gain a broad general educational
background and so are required to complete some course work
selected from a variety of disciplines (i.e. breadth
requirements). In addition to satisfying the breadth
requirements, students also select courses (i.e. electives)
that lead to a General Option or a Thematic Option.
General option
The general option allows students to
earn their degree by including the courses used to satisfy the
breadth requirements plus 45 credits of upper-level courses,
and their appropriate prerequisites. Students may choose to
incorporate one or more minors as part of their degree, but
there is no requirement to do so.
The following list of minors is
available to students in the Bachelor of General Studies degree
program. The minors are listed according to Faculty. Please
refer to the relevant section of the UCFV calendar for the
specific requirements for each minor.
Minors from Faculty of Arts &
Applied Arts
Anthropology, Applied Ethical and Political
Philosophy, Criminal Justice, English, French, Geography,
History, Latin American Studies, Mathematics*, Mathematics and
Statistics*, Media and Communications Studies, Sociology,
Theatre, Visual Arts.
* Subject to approval
Minors from Faculty of Community
Access, Business, and Information Technology
General Business, Accounting,
Financial Management, Marketing, Human Resources/Organization
Studies, Management Science/Information Systems, International
Business.
Minors from Faculty of Science, Health,
& Human Services
Biology, Chemistry, Computing
Science*, Kinesiology (for Arts), Mathematics*, Mathematics and
Statistics*, Physics.
* Subject to approval
Thematic option
The thematic option allows students to
create a program of study from a variety of disciplines but
with a common theme (for example, international studies, gender
studies, social policy, or advertising).
Students selecting this option will
plan and submit a proposed “thematic area” prepared
with the assistance of the program advisor. The plan must
include courses that satisfy the breadth requirements plus 45
credits of upper-level study of which 24 credits are in the
thematic area. This plan must be approved by a committee of
faculty, drawn together because of their expertise in the
student’s proposed thematic area.
Entrance requirements
Students must have 30 post-secondary
credits of which nine must be university-level credits,
including three credits of English composition or other writing
courses (see program requirements, below). Please note a
minimum of 2.0 GPA is required for entry into the degree
program.
For the purposes of this degree,
post-secondary credits will be interpreted as credits that are
transcripted by UCFV as 100-level or higher.
Prior Learning Assessment and
Recognition (PLAR)
Prior Learning Assessment and
Recognition may form an integral part of the BGS degree. It is
assumed that students will apply to the degree with many
diverse types of learning in their background, including both
formal (transcripted) and informal.
For further details about the
recognition of informal learning for credit, please see
Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition.
Students are required to complete a
minimum of 30 credits in UCFV courses, including at least 15
upper-level credits. Provided those requirements are met, up to
50 percent of credits required for the degree may be met
through recognition of non-formal credit through the PLAR
process (including course challenges). Total transfer credit
and prior learning credit must not exceed 90 credits.
How to apply
Submit the application fee along with
your UCFV application for admission form to the Admissions and
Records (A&R) office. Application forms are available from
any A&R or Student Services office.
Additional documents required for a
complete application:
• Official transcripts (or
interim transcripts) from all post-secondary institutions you
have attended showing grade/course achievement as per entrance
requirements.
• A completed “Proposed
Plan of Study” form.
The supplemental form, “Proposed
Plan of Study,” is available from the program advisor.
This form outlines how you plan to meet the graduation
requirements. It can be prepared with the help of the Bachelor
of General studies program advisor.
You will be advised of an admission
decision and, if accepted, will be provided with registration
information. A deposit is required when you register. The
deposit will be applied to the tuition fees. Final payment of
all course fees is due at the end of the second week of class.
Program requirements
The Bachelor of General Studies
requires completion of 120 credits with a minimum grade point
average of 2.0. At least 30 credits must be completed at UCFV,
of which at least 15 must be upper-level credits. The 120
credits must incorporate the breadth requirements as well as
include appropriate electives.
Breadth requirements
Graduates of the Bachelor of General
Studies program are expected to have:
• effective written and oral
communication skills
• effective team and
interpersonal skills
• ability to think
critically, problem solve, and apply mathematical and
scientific reasoning
• an understanding of the
scientific and natural world and the ability to use technology
• a sense of social
responsibility and citizenship and an understanding of the
global context in which we live and work
• an appreciation of the cultural
and aesthetic world.
These breadth requirements can be
satisfied by successfully completing courses from the list
below. For more specific information and possible alternatives
to the list, consult the BGS Advisor.
Any three credits of English
composition or Communications writing courses chosen from:
• ENGL 105
• ENGL 210
• CMNS 125
• CMNS 155
• CMNS 250
Any six credits selected from:
• Health Science
• Child and Youth Care
• Social Services, Human
Services, Social Work
• Business
•
Kinesiology
• Adult Education
• Criminology
Any six credits chosen from:
• Psychology
• Philosophy
• Mathematics and Statistics
Any six credits chosen from:
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Physics
• Geography
• Computer Information
Systems
• Computing
• Library Technology
• Applied Business Technology
• Agriculture
Any six credits chosen from:
•Political Science
•Sociology
•Anthropology
•History
•Media and Communications Studies
•Latin American Studies
•Economics
Any six credits chosen from:
•Visual Arts
•English Literature
•Literature in Translation
•Modern Language
•Theatre
Electives
A student’s choice of electives
will depend on their goals, but must include at least 45
upper-level credits with a minimum GPA of 2.0
Additional requirements for the
Thematic option
In order to qualify for the BGS
thematic option, students must develop and submit a proposed
“thematic area” with the assistance of the program
advisor. The “thematic area” will include 24
upper-level credits in the thematic area and should demonstrate
an integrated, coherent, and in-depth knowledge in the thematic
area.
The plan must be submitted to the
program advisor and approved by a two-person faculty team
selected for their expertise in the focus area. Students
completing their approved thematic plans with a minimum GPA of
2.0 in the thematic courses and satisfying the BGS requirements
will receive a Bachelor of General Studies degree with the
thematic option identified on their transcripts.
Program advisor
Chelene Koenig, BSc (Alberta), Prof.
Teaching Cert.(UBC), MAdEd (St. Francis
Xavier)
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