Plan Your Program

To concentrate in a program area, students may complete a major consisting of at least 30 upper division units in that program area. The major program is the most common option chosen by students pursuing a BA degree.

For all Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree options at least 120 units are required, which include:

• at least 60 units that must be completed at SFU
• at least 45 upper division units, of which at least 30 upper division units must be completed at SFU
• at least 60 units (including 21 upper division units) in Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences courses
• satisfaction of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences writing, quantitative, and breadth requirements
• an overall CGPA and upper division CGPA of at least 2.0
• a program (major, joint major, extended minor, minor) CGPA and upper division CGPA of at least 2.0

Requirements in addition to those listed above:

• lower division requirements for at least one Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences major
• at least 30 upper division units in a Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences major
• no more than 15 upper division units transferred from another institution may be used toward a major

A joint major is a combination of two program areas. Students complete at least 20 upper division units in each of the two joint major program areas. Students are advised to check individual department listings for possible additional requirements.

For all Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree options at least 120 units are required, which include:

• at least 60 units that must be completed at SFU
• at least 45 upper division units, of which at least 30 upper division units must be completed at SFU
• at least 60 units (including 21 upper division units) in Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences courses
• satisfaction of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences writing, quantitative, and breadth requirements
• an overall CGPA and upper division CGPA of at least 2.0
• a program (major, joint major, extended minor, minor) CGPA and upper division CGPA of at least 2.0

Requirements in addition to those listed above:

• lower division requirements for both joint major programs
• at least 20 upper division units in each of the two joint major programs, of which at least 10 upper division units must be completed at SFU in each program area
• no more than 15 upper division units transferred from another institution may be used toward this program

Note: Students choosing to complete two separate majors (double major) will complete two major programs, with at least one major subject in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Therefore, students will complete at least 30 units of upper division courses in each of the two major subjects. Students completing two majors will graduate with one BA degree.

Students wishing to prepare themselves in two program areas, but not desiring to undertake a major or a joint major program, may complete a program consisting of two extended minors, an extended minor and a minor, or two minors for the BA degree, at least one of which must be in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

A minor program requires at least 15 upper division units within a single program area unless otherwise specified in the Calendar. An extended minor consists of the lower division requirements for a major, plus the upper division requirements for a minor.

For all Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree options at least 120 units are required, which include:

• at least 60 units that must be completed at SFU
• at least 45 upper division units, of which at least 30 upper division units must be completed at SFU
• at least 60 units (including 21 upper division units) in Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences courses
• satisfaction of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences writing, quantitative, and breadth requirements
• an overall CGPA and upper division CGPA of at least 2.0
• a program (major, joint major, extended minor, minor) CGPA and upper division CGPA of at least 2.0

Requirements in addition to those listed above:

• the lower division requirements for each extended minor and/or minor programs
• 21 upper division units taken in Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences courses, of which at least 12 must be completed at SFU
• no more than 8 upper division units transferred from another institution may be used toward an extended minor or minor

A student must apply and be accepted into an honours program. Acceptance is contingent upon satisfying the entrance requirements of the department concerned. Applicants normally have a 3.0 CGPA in subject (s) of the honours field. In order to continue, this 3.0 CGPA must be maintained. Failure to do so will place the student in the corresponding general degree program. Students will still be subject to the regulations of the original graduating calendar. If a student is subsequently reinstated into the honours program, the graduating calendar is that which was in effect at the time of the original program acceptance.

For all Bachelor of Arts (BA) Honours degrees, students complete a minimum of 120 units, which includes:

• at least 60 units that must be completed at Simon Fraser University
• satisfaction of the writing, quantitative, and breadth requirements
• students complete at least 60 upper division units, which must include at least 48 units in upper division courses in a Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences honours program; no more than 15 upper division units that have been transferred from another institution can be used toward this requirement
• at least 60 units (including 21 upper division units) in Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences courses
• students complete lower division requirements for at least one Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences honours program
• students are required to achieve an overall cumulative grade point average (CGPA) and upper division CGPA of at least 3.0, and an honours program CGPA and upper division CGPA of at least 3.0

Students have the option of completing two undergraduate degrees concurrently by meeting the requirements of a first bachelor’s degree and the requirements of a second Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree. Students choosing this option will complete both degrees simultaneously and apply for graduation from both degrees in the same term.  

In some instances, instead of two concurrent degrees, it may be preferable to complete two extended minors, a joint major, a double major or a joint honors program leading to one bachelor’s degree. Students are encouraged to determine whether a second BA degree is actually required for their purposes (in many cases, post-degree studies may be more appropriate).  

For information regarding concurrent degrees and/or post-degree studies, students should seek advice from the Faculty advisors in Arts Central (AQ 3020).