First-Year Program Requirements: Faculty of Arts
The following information is part of Step 1: Program Requirements of the Course Registration Guide for first-year Faculty of Arts students. To view the remaining steps, consult the Course Registration Guide.
On this page:
First-Year Recommendations
In your first year as a Faculty of Arts student:
- We encourage you to first select a major and register for the mandatory courses that correspond with that major.
- With only a few mandatory courses in each program, you will need to select electives to surround your mandatory courses. We recommend that students take at least four electives from programs within the Faculty of Arts.
- We recommend taking either AF105S: Skills for Academic Success and/or AF105W: Writing for University. These courses were designed to support a successful transition to post-secondary studies.
- Note that BA + MA and BA + MBA students should refer to the program requirements for their major listed below. There are no additional requirements for these programs in year 1.
Course Load
To earn an Honours Degree, you will need to complete 20.0 credits:
- 0.5 credit: Normally conducted over one term
- 1.0 credit: Normally conducted over two terms
If you are studying part-time, you can take up to 1.5 credits per term. Full-time status is given to students who take 2.0 or 2.5 credits per term.
If you select 2.5 credits in the fall term and 2.5 credits in the winter term, you can complete an Honours Degree in four years.
Full-time students should consider easing the transition into post-secondary studies by taking four courses (2.0 credits) in the fall term, and five courses (2.5 credits) in the winter term. In doing so, students will move into a Year 2 registration standing following successful completion of the fall and winter terms with a minimum of 4.50 credits.
Program Requirements by Major
The 100-level courses for each program, both required and elective, are listed below. Some things to note:
- Though easing into a fall term is the recommendation, you can complete a maximum of five courses in each term, should you choose.
- The elective recommendations below are based on taking five courses per term.
Definitions
- BA: Bachelor of Arts (honours)BSc: Bachelor of Science (honours)
- Combination-Only BA: A program that must be taken in combination with another BA program
- MBA: Master’s of Business Administration
- MA: Master’s of Arts
An asterisk (*) denotes a course worth 1.0 credits (typically full)
Programs Available
- BA
- Combination BA
- BA + MBA (direct entry only)
- Minor
Required First-Year Courses
- Two of: AR104, AR105, HI121
- 4.0 elective credits
Notes
Archaeology (AR), History (HI)
Programs Available
- Combination-only BA
- Minor
Required First-Year Courses
- One of: AN100, AN120
- One of: AN100, AN120, AR101, CS100, GS101, KS100, RE100, SY101, WS100
Notes
Students may choose to take two first-year Anthropology (AN) courses, or one AN course and one outside of AN from the provided list.
Programs Available
- BA
- Combination BA
- BA + MBA (direct entry only)
- Minor
Required First-Year Courses
- AR101 and AR102
- 4.0 elective credits
Notes
AR101 is a pre-requisite for AR102 - so students cannot take AR101 and AR102 simultaneously in Winter 2025.
AR104 and AR105 may also be of interest to students in the Archaeology and Heritage Studies program, but are not required.
Programs Available
- BA
- Combination BA
- BA + MBA (direct entry only)
- Minor
Required First-Year Courses
- CS100 and CS101
- 4.0 elective credits
Notes
A minimum grade of 5.00 (C) in CS100 and a minimum grade of 5.00 (C) in CS101 are required for progression into Year 2.
Communication Studies (BA) with Management Option students should also refer to the Management Option tab below for additional course requirements.
Programs Available
- Combination-only BA
- Minor
Required First-Year Courses
- KS100 and KS101
Notes
Cultural Studies is an interdisciplinary program requiring many non-Cultural Studies courses Review the Academic Calendar to appropriately select your first-year electives to meet prerequisites for those senior level courses.
Programs Available
- BA
- Combination BA
- BA + MBA (direct entry only)
- BA + MA (direct entry only)
- Minor
Required First-Year Courses
- Two of: EN107, EN111, EN112, EN165
- 4.0 elective credits
Required First-Year Courses
- 1.0 credits of 100-level English: EN111, EN112 or EN107
- 1.0 credits of 200-level English or 300-level English (Winter)
- 3.0 elective credits
Notes
For assistance registering in your 200-level courses please contact sussex@wlu.ca.
Although it is noted that you can take 1.0 credits of 200 or 300 level EN in the winter term, it is encouraged that you consider taking 200 level courses as there will be opportunities to take 300 level courses in Year 2.
Students are encouraged to complete a 0.5 ‘theory’ credit (one of EN240 or EN301) in the Winter term.
Please connect with sussex@wlu.ca if you have any questions.
Programs Available
- BA
- Combination BA
- BA + MBA (direct entry only)
- Minor
Required First-Year Courses
- Two of: FS101, FS102, FS103
- 4.0 elective credits
Programs Available
- BA
- Combination BA
- BA + MBA (direct entry only)
- Minor
Required First-Year Courses
- FR101 and FR102; or
- FR150 and FR151; or
- FR250 and FR251; or
- FR360
- 4.0 or 4.5 elective credits, depending on the number of courses selected above.
Notes
Refer to the French Course Registration guide for appropriate courses based on your French background. You will need to use the Languages and Literature Override Form to register.
French (BA) with Teaching Option students should also refer to Teaching Option tab below for additional course requirements.
Programs Available
- BA
- Combination BA
- BA + MBA (direct entry only)
- BA + MA (direct entry only)
- BA + MA (Sussex) (direct entry only)
- Minor
Required First-Year Courses
- GS101 and GS102
- 4.0 elective credits
Notes
Global Studies students in first year are encouraged to take a language other than English.
All "BA +" programs follow the same program requirements as outlined above.
Programs Available
- BA
- Combination BA
- BA + MBA (direct entry only)
- BA + MA (direct entry only)
- Minor
Required First-Year Courses
- Two of: HI109, HI110, HI112, HI114, HI121, HI125, HI127, HI128, HI132, HI130
- 4.0 elective credits
Required First-Year Courses
- 1.0 credit of 100-level History: HI109, HI110, HI112, HI114, HI121, HI125, HI127, HI128, or HI132
- 0.5 credit of 200-level History
- 3.5 elective credits
Note: For assistance registering in your 200-level courses please contact sussex@wlu.ca.
Progression to Year 2 requires completion of 5.0 credits during Year 1 with a minimum cumulative GPA of 7.00 (B-) in all History courses and a minimum cumulative GPA of 8.00 (B) in all 5.0 credits. All credits taken during Year 1 will be included in the GPA requirements for progression into Year 2.
Programs Available
- BA
Required First-Year Courses
- GS101, GS102, WS100, INED103, INED104
- 1.0 non-English Language Credit
- 1.5 credits of electives
You will need to use the Languages and Literature Override Form to register in the non-English Language courses.
Programs Available
- BA
- BA + MBA (direct entry only)
- BA + MA (direct entry only)
- Minors available in Arabic (AB), French (FR), German (GM), Italian (IT), Spanish (SP)
Required First-Year Courses
- Any of LL201 and LL223
- SP101 and SP102; or SP201 or SP250
- FR101 and FR102; or FR150 and FR151; or FR250 and FR251
Notes
Contact the Languages and Literatures department at langandlitadvising@wlu.ca before registering.
Programs Available
- Combination BA
- Minor
Required First-Year Courses
- ML100 and ML104
Programs Available
- Combination BA
- Minor
Required First-Year Courses
- NO105
Programs Available
- BA
- Combination BA
- BA + MBA (direct entry only)
- Minor
Required First-Year Courses
- PP110 and PP111
- 4.0 credits of electives
Required First-Year Courses
- PP110 (F) and PP111 (F)
- One of: PP201 or PP204;
- One of: PP203, PP207, PP213, PP217, PP218, PP219, PP224, PP230, PP233, PP247
- One of: PP259, PP263, PP264
- One of: PP209, PP214, PP225, PP229, PP270
- 2.0 elective credits
Notes
You will be pre-registered in PP110 and PP111 (with tutorial 1) in fall term. If these courses are not in your schedule email sussex@wlu.ca. To register in your 200-level PP courses please fill out the following form.
Programs Available
- BA
- BA + MBA (direct entry only)
- BA + MA (direct entry only)
- Combination BA
- Minor
Required First-Year Courses
- PO101 and PO102
- 4.0 elective credits
Political Science
- PO101 (Fall)
- PO102 (Winter)
- PO210 (Winter)
- PO263 (Fall)
- 3.0 elective credits
Notes
Students will be pre-registered in PO263 A (and tutorial A1) in the Fall term and PO210 B in the Winter term. If these courses are not in your schedule, please email sussex@wlu.ca.
Please note: PO-Sussex students can register in PO101 A or PO101 B in the Fall term. If you choose PO101 A, please register for tutorial A9 or A10. If you choose PO101 B, please enrol in either tutorial B8 or B9.
In the Winter term, PO-Sussex students must register for PO102 A and select a Sussex tutorial from: A5-A8.
Programs Available
- BA
- BA + MBA (direct entry only)
- BA + MA (direct entry only)
- Combination BA
- Minor
Required First-Year Courses
- Two of: RE100, RE101, RE103, RE104
- 4.0 elective credits
Programs Available
- BA
- BA + MBA (direct entry only)
- Combination BA
- Minor
Required First-Year Courses
- SY101 and SY103
- 4.0 elective credits
Programs Available
- Combination BA
- Minor
Required First-Year Courses
- SP101 and SP102; or
- SP201 and SP250
- 4.0 elective credits
Notes
See the academic calendar for courses based on your Spanish background.
If you have prior knowledge of Spanish, you will need to use the Languages and Literatures Override Form to register.
Programs Available
- BA
- Combination BA
- Minor
Required First-Year Courses
- WS100
- 4.5 elective credits
Notes
Women and Gender Studies is an interdisciplinary program requiring many non-WS courses. Review the Academic Calendar to appropriately select your first-year electives to meet prerequisites for those senior level courses.
This temporary designation allows you to explore disciplines in the Faculty of Arts before declaring a major at the end of your first year:
- Select one to two majors of interest and take the first year required courses of those programs.
- In addition to these courses, we recommend that you take electives from two to three other Faculty of Arts programs, allowing you to easily transition into a major starting in year two.
We highly encourage Honours Arts students to prioritize Faculty of Arts courses from a major program over courses related to an option or minor – those courses cannot lead to a major.
*If you are interested in any of the following programs, review their respective requirements as these programs are not housed within the Faculty of Arts:
- BA Psychology, review the Faculty of Science program requirements.
- BA Economics, review the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics program requirements.
- BA Policing, review the Online Campus, Faculty of Human and Social Sciences program requirements.
Required First-Year Courses
- EM110
Note: Students in pursuit of the Teaching Option (TO) can also consider registration in EM101 to satisfy TO elective requirements.
Required First-Year Courses
- BU111 (Fall: sections P1 or P2; labs 50-69) (Winter: sections S1; labs 1-10),
- BU127 (Fall OC1, P1, P2) (Winter OC2, S1, S2),
- One of: EC120 or EC140
Notes
Encouraged to take a maximum of one BU/EC course per term.
In order to progress in the Management Option, non-business students enrolled in this program must complete the required business courses and maintain a combined BU GPA of 6.00 (C+) across BU111 and BU127, and a minimum 5.00 (C) GPA in one of EC120 or EC140. (Students not enrolled in the Management Option through admissions may apply for the Option in their second year).
Next Step: Choose Your Electives
Now that you've determined your program requirements, it's time to move to Step 2: Choose Your Electives to plan and select your electives.
One of the best ways to choose elective courses is to explore different themed topics that interest you.
Below we have listed several themes you may choose to explore, and the programs from which you should select elective courses to focus on these areas:
- Exploring global issues: Anthropology, Archaeology and Heritage Studies, History, Global Studies, North American Studies, Political Science
- Studying society: Anthropology, Archaeology and Heritage Studies, North American Studies, Philosophy, Political Science, Religion and Culture, Sociology, Women and Gender Studies
- Analyzing language and media: Communication Studies, English and Film Studies, Languages and Literatures, Sociology
- Engaging with law and society: Philosophy, Political Science, Religion and Culture, Sociology, Women and Gender Studies
- Interpreting the past: Archaeology and Heritage Studies, Ancient Studies, History, Medieval and Medievalism Studies
- Expressing arts and culture: Anthropology, Communication Studies, Cultural Studies, English and Film Studies, Cultural Studies, History, Languages and Literatures, North American Studies