New Student Registration: Bachelor of Arts with Major

6 credits from one or a combination of fine arts and languages. Courses can be chosen from studio art; music; French; German; Mi’kmaq; Spanish (excluding SPAN 255); Celtic studies language courses (CELT 101, 102, 111, 201, 202, 300); classical studies language courses (CLAS 111, 112, 121, 122, 215); English creative writing courses (ENGL 223, 225, 267, 322, 422); modern languages/religious studies (MLAN/RELS) 209. (Transfer students with credits from other fine arts disciplines or languages will be permitted to use such transfer courses in fulfillment of this requirement.)

6 credits from one or a combination of the humanities. Courses can be chosen from art history; catholic studies; Celtic studies (excluding CELT language courses 101, 102, 111, 201, 202, 300); classical studies (excluding CLAS language courses 111, 112, 121, 122, 215); development studies*; English (excluding ENGL creative writing courses 223, 225, 267, 322, 422); history; modern languages (MLAN) 123; philosophy; religious studies (excluding RELS 209); Spanish (SPAN) 255; women’s and gender studies*.

* Courses in Development Studies (DEVS) and Women’s and Gender Studies (WMGS) can be used to satisfy distribution requirements 2 and 3, but the same course cannot be used to satisfy both requirements. The humanities and social sciences requirements must be met with 12 credits of unique courses.

6 credits from one or a combination of the social sciences. Courses can be chosen from anthropology; aquatic resources (AQUA) 202 (AQUA selected topics courses may be options, depending on the topic in a given year); climate and environment (CLEN) 201, 320, 355; development studies*; economics; interdisciplinary studies (IDS) 305; political science; psychology; public policy and governance; sociology; women’s and gender studies*. (Completed courses in health can be used to fulfill this requirement if a student has not also completed credits from the social sciences listed above. BA students will only have completed HLTH credits if they changed program from the BASc in Health.)

* Courses in Development Studies (DEVS) and Women’s and Gender Studies (WMGS) can be used to satisfy distribution requirements 2 and 3, but the same course cannot be used to satisfy both requirements. The humanities and social sciences requirements must be met with 12 credits of unique courses.

6 credits from one or a combination of disciplines from the Faculty of Science. Courses can be chosen from aquatic resources (excluding AQUA 202; AQUA selected topics courses may be options, depending on the topic in a given year); biology; chemistry; climate and environment (CLEN) 101, 102, 202, 303, 304; computer science; data science; Earth and environmental sciences; human nutrition (some HNU courses are restricted to HNU students); mathematics and statistics; nursing (NURS) 303; physics. (Completed courses in engineering, health, human kinetics, and nursing can be used to fulfill this requirement. BA students will normally only have completed credits in these disciplines if they changed programs. These disciplines are restricted to students in the relevant programs and BA students are normally not permitted to register in courses from these departments.)

Note: Bachelor of Arts students are welcome to take any science course for which they have the appropriate background. In addition to the introductory courses in each of the above science departments, the following science courses may be of particular interest to students in the BA:  BIOL 220 (6 credits); BIOL 221 (open to third- and fourth-year BA students); CSCI 128, 135, 215, 223, 225; EESC 173, 273, 274, 277; HNU 142, 145, 163, 405; MATH 101, 102, 105, 236; PHYS 108, 171, 172, 250; STAT 101, 331, 344.

1. I am interested in Development Studies, but there is only one 3-credit course available at the 100-level. What else should I take in the other semester to fill out my schedule?
You can take a 3-credit course in any of the other arts (or science) subjects listed above. If you plan to do a joint major or honours in DEVS, you may wish to take ECON 101 and 102 in first year, as these courses are required for those programs.  You would also be advised to read the Development Studies page, found at the link in the table above, for further guidance on first-year course selection, if you plan a minor, major, or honours program in DEVS.

2.  I am interested in English, but there is only one 3-credit course available at the 100-level.  What else should I take in the other semester to fill out my schedule?
If you choose ENGL 111 in the first term, you can take any English course at the 200 level that is offered in the second semester, subject to availability. However, second-term 200-level English courses may be full before first-year registration opens, so this option may not be a possibility for you.  Alternatively, you can take a 3-credit course in any of the other arts (or science) subjects listed above.  If the course you wish to take is a second-term course, you will need to ensure that it does not have a first-term prerequisite.  You can also choose to take ENGL 111 in second term and a different subject in first term.

3. I am interested in Public Policy and Governance, but there is only one 3-credit course available at the 100-level.  What else should I take in the other semester to fill out my schedule?
You can take a 3-credit course in any of the other arts (or science) subjects listed above.  If you plan to do PGOV as a major or honours subject, you could opt to take PGOV 101 in first term and STAT 101 in second term, since the latter is a required 3-credit course for those programs.  (This would be in addition to ECON 101 and 102, and PSCI 101 and 102, as outlined in the "Things to Remember" section above.)  If you intend to do a minor or more in Public Policy and Governance, you should read the Public Policy and Governance page, found at the link in the table above, for further guidance on first-year course selection.

4. I am in the Applied Forensic Psychology program. PSYC 110 is a first-term course.  What do I take to fill out my schedule for the other 3 credits?
You can take a 3-credit course in any of the other arts (or science) subjects listed above, to round out your schedule for second term, as long as the course does not have a first-term prerequisite.

5. What if I am interested in taking a course in a subject that is not mentioned above?
The other subjects offered at StFX are in our professional or applied science programs: Aquatic Resources; Business Administration; Engineering; Health; Human Kinetics; Human Nutrition; Nursing.  These subjects cannot be used as minors (except Business Administration, which is available as a minor for students pursuing an Economics major), so can be open electives only in the BA degree pattern.  These subjects, other than Business Administration, can also fulfill credits in the science distribution category.  However, most courses in these departments (other than Aquatic Resources) are restricted to students in these programs.  If you are interested in taking courses from one of these programs you will need to contact the relevant department chair to request an override.  (The exception is Aquatic Resources, whose courses are open to all students.)  Override permission for BSAD, ENGR, and HNU courses will normally be granted if seats are available after their degree students have registered.  Override permission for HLTH and NURS courses will not be granted.  Override permission for first-year HKIN courses is rarely an option; most courses fill completely with first-year HKIN students, and some of those first-year courses are never options for non-HKIN students (HKIN 115, 161, 162, and skills courses).

6. What is the Humanities Colloquium?
The Humanities Colloquium is an opportunity for first-year Bachelor of Arts students to study Western Civilization with an interdisciplinary focus on the great books. It offers ENGL 100 (Introduction to Literature and Critical Writing); HIST 101 (Western Civilization:  Earliest Civilizations to the Wars of Religion); HIST 102 (Western Civilization: Columbus to Decolonization); and PHIL 100 (Introductory Philosophy) in an integrated, chronologically coordinated way. If you have an interest in these courses, investigate the option of this unique enhanced learning experience here.

7. What is the Social Justice Colloquium?
The Social Justice Colloquium is an opportunity for first-year Bachelor of Arts students to consider why inequality exists and how we can work together to create a world with greater opportunities for all people. It offers ANTH 112 (Introduction to Socio-cultural Anthropology), DEVS 101 (Introduction to Development Studies), SOCI 101 (Introduction to Sociology I), SOCI 102 (Introduction to Sociology II), and WMGS 100 (Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies) in a coordinated format to encourage the study of social justice from various perspectives. If you have an interest in these courses, investigate the option of this unique enhanced learning experience here.

8. What if I am interested in an honours or an advanced major degree?
Course selection is no different for first year. You may wish to check table 4.1.5 in the Academic Calendar for grade and average requirements, so that you are aware of the grades you will need for admission to these programs at the end of first or second year.