The Associate of Arts degree is a two-year degree which is approved to be offered in BC by the Minister of Advanced Education. It is recognized by many colleges and universities in North America and around the world. The Associate of Arts is a foundational degree designed to broaden individual knowledge and experience, provide greater opportunity for success in the workplace, and lay a solid foundation for further study.
The Associate of Arts degree program consists of 60 credits, which are typically completed over a 2 year period. This timeframe is based on the student completing 5 courses each semester, for 2 semesters per year.
One of many benefits to the Associate of Arts degree program is that students will be eligible to apply for an Off- Campus Work Permit (OCWP) after 6 months of full time academic study, provided they are maintaining a satisfactory GPA. For the purposes of the OCWP, full time student status is defined as 3 or more university level academic courses per semester. An OCWP allows eligible students to work to a maximum of 20 hours per week, which provides an opportunity to gain valuable experience in the workplace and earn an income. As a private college, Alexander College is very fortunate to be included with public universities like UBC and SFU in our students being eligible to work off campus.
Graduates of the Associate of Arts degree program may choose to transfer to a university to complete a Bachelor’s degree. The Associate of Arts degree will allow the students to enter directly to 3rd year Faculty of Arts at the university of their choice in BC or elsewhere. Through the BCCAT transfer system, there are agreements in place with several universities which benefit Associate degree holders by awarding a .25 GPA reduction to the GPA required for admission. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that all prerequisites for upper level courses at the receiving institution have been met, and to note that the credit value for some courses may vary between institutions. Students who are planning to transfer credits to another college or university are responsible to find out how their credits will transfer to the receiving institution. Please consult the BC Transfer Guide or see Academic Advising.
International students who wish to remain in Canada after completion of the Associate of Arts degree are also eligible to apply for a Post Graduate Work Permit. A Post Graduate Work Permit will allow the graduated student to live and,work in Canada for a period of up to 3 years. Those who are interested in staying in Canada for a longer period of,time will be eligible to apply for permanent residency in Canada after completion of their first year of eligible full time
employment.
Below are the course requirements to obtain an Associate of Arts Degree.
General Requirements
60 semester credits of first and second year courses. These must include a minimum of 18
credits in Arts at the second-year level taken in two or more subject areas.
| Associate of Arts Degree Requirements | Alexander College Courses |
|---|---|
| A. 6 credits in first-year English; and | ENGL 100 (3), ENGL 101 (3), ENGL 102 (3), ENGL 103 (3) |
| B. 9 credits in Science which shall include at least: • 3 credits in Mathematics, or Computing Science or Statistics (Statistics courses taught in subject areas such as Business, Commerce, Economics, Psychology, etc. may also be used to meet this requirement); • 3 credits in a laboratory science, and |
MATH 100 (3), MATH 104 (3), MATH 105 (3), MATH 151 (3), MATH 152 (3), MATH 232 (3), CPSC 100 (4), CPSC 111 (4), CPSC 112 (4), CPSC 115 (3) BUEC 233 (3) BIOL 100 (4), BIOL 101 (4), BIOL 102 (4) CHEM 100 (4), CHEM 101 (4), CHEM 102 (4) PHYS 100 (4), PHYS 101 (4), PHYS 102 (4) |
| C. 36 credits in Arts which shall include a minimum of 18 credits at the 2nd year level taken in 2 or more subject areas including: • 6 credits in Humanities (including the • 6 credits in the Social Sciences; |
ECON 103 (3), ECON 105 (3), ECON 210 (3), ECON 260 (3), ECON 280 (3), ECON 290 (3), ECON 291 (3), ECON 295 (3) ENGL 101 (3), ENGL 102 (3), ENGL 103 (3), ENGL 220 (3), ENGL 221 (3), ENGL 222 (3) *(except ENGL courses used to meet first-year English requirements) HIST 101 (3), HIST 102 (3), HIST 201 (3), HIST 223 (3), HIST 224 (3) PHIL 100 (3), PHIL 120 (3), PHIL 210 (3) PSYC 101 (3), PSYC 102 (3), PSYC 217 (3), PSYC 218 (3), PSYC 223 (3), PSYC 241 (3), PSYC 260 (3) SOCI 100 (3), SOCI 103 (3), SOCI 210 (3), SOCI 250 (3) |
| D. 9 credits in Arts, Science, or other areas. | COMM 237 (4), COMM 281 (3), COMM 290 (3), COMM 291 (3), COMM 292 (3), COMM 293 (3), COMM 294 (3), COMM 296 (3), COMM 298 (3) |
Note:
- An average overall grade of “C” (cumulative GPA of 2.0 or its equivalent) calculated on all
courses counting towards the associate degree must be achieved.
- Obtaining 60 credits completes the Associate of Arts Degree requirements.
*Last updated April 2011
For the most up-to-date transfer information please see the BC Council on Admissions and
Transfer (BCCAT) website http://www.bctransferguide.ca