Program Highlights
Build your own program with a mix of arts, sciences and humanities courses in the Associate of Arts degree program at CapU.
This 60-credit credential provides a foundation in a range of academic disciplines, critical thinking, writing and research skills.
In addition to required coursework in English, Science and Arts, you'll have the freedom to select from first- and second-year courses across every faculty at CapU.
Your choices can include everything from mathematics and computing science, to business, creative and performing arts, the social sciences or humanities.
After completing your associate's degree, you can ladder your credits into many bachelor's degree programs at CapU, including the Bachelor of Arts with a Major in Interdisciplinary Studies, the Bachelor of Arts with a Major in Psychology and many more.
Admission Requirements
English language requirements
English is the language of instruction at CapU. All applicants are required to demonstrate competence in the English language prior to admission.
If English is not your first language or you’ve received your education in a language other than English, you must meet our English Language Requirements.
Basic requirements
- High school graduation
- A minimum grade point average of 2.0 (60%) calculated on English Studies 12 or English 12 or English First Peoples 12 and two academic Grade 12 courses
Program Requirements
An Associate Degree is a formal credential that recognizes the successful completion of sixty (60) credits in Arts or Sciences. To be eligible for the Associate of Arts Degree a student must complete the following requirements.
60-semester credits of first- and second-year courses, including the following:
- Six credits in first-year English
- Nine credits in Science, including at least the following:
- Three credits in Mathematics, or Computing Science or Statistics (Statistics courses taught in subject areas such as Business, Economics, Psychology, etc. may also be used to meet this requirement)
- Three credits in a laboratory science
- Thirty-six credits of Arts courses, of which a minimum of 18 credits must be at the 200-level or higher
- Six credits in the Social Sciences
- Six credits in Humanities (including the Creative and Performing Arts) other than English
- Six credits in Social Science or Humanities (including some Creative and Performing Arts) other than English
No more than six credits of the above may be in a single area. - Eighteen additional credits in Arts courses
- Nine credits in Arts, Science, or other areas.
Program Notes
Courses taken within the Associate Degree framework are defined as follows:
- A course is defined by the subject for which it is granted transfer credit at Simon Fraser University (SFU) or the University of British Columbia (UBC: Vancouver or Okanagan Campus) or the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) or the University of Victoria (UVic).
- An Arts course is defined to be any course in a subject area for which there is a Baccalaureate of Arts degree at SFU or UBC (Vancouver or Okanagan Campus) or UNBC or UVic.
- A Science course is defined to be any course in a subject area for which there is a Baccalaureate of Science degree or Baccalaureate of Applied Science degree at SFU or UBC (Vancouver or Okanagan Campus) or UNBC or UVic.
- A course in an "other" area is defined to be any course in a subject area for which there is a Baccalaureate degree other than in Arts, Science, or Applied Science at SFU or UBC (Vancouver or Okanagan Campus) or UNBC or UVic.
- A first-year course is defined as a course that has assigned or unassigned transfer credit at the 100-level at SFU or UBC (Vancouver or Okanagan Campus) or UNBC or UVic.
- A second-year course is defined as a course that has assigned or unassigned transfer credit at the 200-level or higher level at SFU or UBC (Vancouver or Okanagan Campus) or UNBC or UVic.
- A laboratory science is one in which a substantial component of student instruction involves the study of natural phenomena, either in the laboratory or in the field. Each institution granting the Associate Degree will determine which of its courses satisfy this requirement.
Additional requirements for Associate Degrees
- No course may be used to meet more than one of the requirements.
- 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.
- Although the number of credits awarded for any particular course may vary from institution to institution, it is expected that a student will have completed the equivalent of approximately 20 three-credit courses to fulfil the degree requirements.