Bachelor of Arts (BA), Honours, Majors, and Minors

Degree Planning

By the end of their first year, students should consult with one of the B.A. Degree Advisors to discuss their plan to satisfy the degree requirements, including the options (Honours/Majors/Minors) they intend to pursue.

Institutional B.A. Degree Requirements

To be granted a VIU B.A. degree, students must meet the following requirements.

Total Requirements

Students must complete a minimum of 120 credits chosen from courses that (a) are numbered 100 or higher; and (b) do not have a “T” or a “G” after the course number.

Note 1: Courses consisting primarily of field work, co-op placement, or preceptorship/internship are not normally eligible for selection within this category.

Note 2: As a complement to all institutional B.A. Degree Requirements, students are encouraged to take six credits or more of Mathematics/Science courses.

Note 3: Students who completed “T” courses should consult with the B.A. Degree Advisor regarding applicability of these courses.

Undergraduate Degree English Requirements

All students in undergraduate degree programs at VIU are required to complete 6 credits of first-year English composition and literature courses.

* In the following Bachelor of Arts, Majors and Minors, students with a minimum "B+" in ENGL 115 are granted an exemption and are not required to complete any further credit towards the English requirement.

• Anthropology Major & Minor
• Biology Minor
• Criminology Major
• Economics Minor
• Geography Major & Minor
• Global Studies Major & Minor
• History Major & Minor
• Liberal Studies Major & Minor
• Media Studies Minor
• Philosophy Major & Minor
• Physical Education Minor
• Political Studies Minor
• Psychology Minor only
• Sociology Major & Minor

Upper-level Requirement

A minimum of 42 VIU credits in courses numbered 300 or higher, with a minimum 2.0 (“C”) Grade Point Average calculated on all upper-level courses attempted or completed. If such a course has been repeated, the highest grade obtained will be included in the calculation.

Residency Requirement

A minimum of 60 credits must be taken at VIU and, of these, 21 credits must be at the upper-level. With the approval of the relevant Dean and under exceptional circumstances (e.g., for partnership programs), the minimum of 60 credits may be reduced by up to 18 credits. With the approval of the relevant Dean, courses taken as part of an official VIU exchange program may be considered “resident.”

Requirements for Honours, Majors and Minors

In addition to general degree requirements described above, students complete at least one Honours with a minimum of 42 upper-level VIU credits or one Major with a minimum of 30 upper-level VIU credits specifically aligned to the area of academic inquiry, or two Minors with a minimum of 18 upper-level VIU credits from each area of academic inquiry. Departments may require additional upper-level credits for some Honours or Majors. Students must satisfy all of the requirements for their Honours, Major or Minors as listed in the description for each discipline.

Note: When selecting electives to meet departmental requirements for Honours, Majors and Minors, please see descriptions for each department.

Honours programs

Honours programs have all the requirements for a Major, plus an additional 12 credits (minimum) in the discipline which are normally taken in lieu of electives.  These additional credits are typically made up of a methods/theory course at the upper-level, and include a graduating essay or major project (where such courses and projects are not already required for the Major). Individual departments shall specify the courses that meet this additional requirement for students within their Honours program.

Senior Project

A senior project is “optional” for certain Majors; students are encouraged to plan their senior project during third year and to schedule its completion during fourth year. Each senior project will have a designated project supervisor, who will assist the student to identify the resources required to complete the project successfully.