Liberal Arts diploma

Students will no longer be admitted directly to the Liberal Arts diploma. They can, however, graduate from the Liberal Arts diploma while in another program, as long as all program requirements have been met. Students not currently in a UCFV program might consider applying to the Bachelor of Arts or Associate of Arts degree programs, or the Arts Studies program path.

The Liberal Arts diploma program requires a minimum of 60 university-level credits. It is designed to provide students with a breadth of intellectual and academic experience while recognizing the importance of concentrated study in a specific field or discipline.

The diploma addresses the needs of students pursuing educational or career goals in the humanities or social sciences. The Liberal Arts diploma may serve as an educational goal or as an intermediate qualification for those who transfer to other educational institutions. Students planning to obtain the Bachelor of Arts offered by the Arts division can complete the diploma and satisfy the general program requirements for the degree and the lower-level requirements for their majors/extended minors. Students who pursue the Liberal Arts diploma will be subject to the policies on academic standing, continuance in program, and academic warning that apply to the program they have been admitted to.

Graduation

It is the student’s responsibility to ensure all program requirements are met. This should be done by regular consultation with an Arts advisor.

Candidates who qualify to receive a UCFV Liberal Arts diploma must be approved by the UCFV Arts division and the University College Board. Students must apply for graduation by completing a request to graduate form available at the Admissions and Records office. We recommend this be done in the first month of the final semester. The final deadline for students who wish to attend the graduation ceremony is April 1, with all program requirements completed by April 30.

Program requirements

A total of 60 university-level credits with an overall cumulative grade point average of 2.0 is required to complete this program. Of those 60 credits, 30 must be completed at UCFV. Thirty-three credits must be in Arts chosen from the following list of subjects:

• Anthropology, art history, communications (CMNS 155 and above) criminology/criminal justice (excluding CRIM 201, 202, and 203), economics, English, film, geography, history, international studies, Latin American studies, mathematics/statistics, media and communication studies, modern languages, philosophy, political science, psychology, religious studies, sociology, SCMS, theatre, and visual arts.

Of the remaining 27 credits, up to 12 credits (at the 100-level or higher) may be from outside the Arts and Sciences. A Science course, as defined by the British Columbia Council on Admissions and Transfer, will include biology, chemistry, computing science, kinesiology, mathematics/statistics, and physics.

Liberal Arts diploma students must consider the following in making their course selection:

• Access to seats in some courses may be limited due to course prerequisites and/or seats reserved for students in specific programs or majors.

• Students considering a teaching career should be aware that not all disciplines or programs are recognized for professional certification. As teacher education programs are professional programs, students should seek advice regarding course selection from the educational advisors in Students Services or from the institution which they plan to attend.

Students planning to continue on to complete the Bachelor of Arts degree offered by the Arts division at UCFV are advised to take courses to satisfy their choices within requirements numbered 1 to 7, and to follow the discipline requirements of their chosen major, extended minor/minor options.

1. Breadth requirement

30 university-level credits from at least five subject areas. No more than 12 credits from any one subject area can be used to satisfy this requirement.

2. Writing requirement

Three credits from:

• ENGL 105
• ENGL 210 or CMNS 155

3. Reasoning requirement

• PHIL 100 or at least three credits from each list:

* This requirement may be met by PSYC 210 if previously completed.

4. Laboratory Science requirement:

Four credits from:

• BIO 100-level or higher
• CHEM 100-level or higher
• GEOG 101 or 102
• KPE 163 or 170
• PHYS 100-level or higher
• PSYC 202*

* This requirement may be met by PSYC 210 or PSYC 220 if previously completed.

5. Humanities requirement:

Six credits from:

• Art History
• English 120 or higher
• Film
• French
• History
• Halq’eméylem
• Interdisciplinary courses*
• Japanese
• Linguistics
• Mandarin
• Mathematics
• Music
• Philosophy 100 or higher
• Punjabi
• Religious Studies
• Russian
• Spanish
• Theatre
• Visual Arts

6. Social Science requirement:

Six credits from:

• Anthropology
• Criminal Justice**
• Economics
• Geography 111 or higher
• Interdisciplinary courses*
• Latin American Studies
• Media and Communication Studies
• Political Science
• Psychology
• Sociology
• Social, Cultural, and Media Studies

7. University-level elective credit(s), to bring total credits to 60.

* Interdisciplinary courses are determined by an Arts advisor.
** Please contact an Arts advisor for details regarding acceptable criminal justice courses.

Note: Students should choose their electives according to the degree they may be pursuing. Please refer to the appropriate section of the calendar for details.

Other Arts diplomas

The following diplomas are also available at UCFV:

• Fashion Design diploma

• Graphic Design diploma

• Theatre Arts diploma

• Visual Arts diploma

Course listings

For complete details on courses, please consult the appropriate category in the course descriptions section.