THE PROGRAM

Although the core of most Arts undergraduates’ studies is a Major in a particular subject or a combination of two Majors or of a Major and a Minor in two different subjects, the Faculty of Arts does offer to students who would prefer a multidisciplinary approach to their studies a choice of twelve quite varied interdisciplinary majors, and students with academic interests that don’t correspond neatly to any individual subject of instruction  might consider the possibility of a major focused on:

Canadian Studies
Cognitive Systems
Creative Writing
First Nations and Endangered Languages Program
First Nations and Indigenous Studies Program
International Relations
Latin American Studies
Medieval Studies
Modern European Studies
Religion, Literature, and the Arts
Speech Sciences
US Studies

In addition even to these programs, however, the Faculty of Arts also offers to students the possibility of building a multidisciplinary program of their own on a framework provided by the generically titled alternative to the whole system of Majors and Minors, Interdisciplinary Studies (IDST).

IDST students design a cross-disciplinary program of study  out of courses that are drawn from two of four broad categories – the Creative and Performing Arts, the Humanities, the Physical and Life Sciences  and the Social Sciences – and that suit their individual learning and career goals.

Like the interdisciplinary Majors created by the Faculty, a student-initiated program may be appropriate as preparation for advanced study in a wide range of professional fields, including Education, Journalism, Law, Library/Information Studies, in some cases Business or Social Work, or even Medicine.

IDST does not, however, offer the preparation for graduate studies in specific subjects that is provided by departmental Majors and Honours programs:  to preserve its interdisciplinary character, IDST students are permitted to earn only 18 upper-level credits in any one subject, so at least a single term of further preparation after the BA will almost certainly be required of candidates for an M.A. even in the subject chosen as the primary discipline of their interdisciplinary program.