Admission
Students with a recognized undergraduate degree, from UBC or elsewhere, may apply to pursue a Bachelor of Arts as a second degree. Applications are evaluated in accordance with the requirements for Admission from Post-Secondary study; see Admission and Transfer.
Year Level
Students may be placed at any of Year 1, 2, or 3 standing upon admission.
Students admitted to Year 3 standing should be prepared to choose a degree program option prior to registration.
Program of Study
Students whose previous study was in an Arts discipline should note that they may not complete a second degree in the same discipline. Students planning to take courses prerequisite to another degree or professional program should consult that program for admission requirements, and may wish to consider Unclassified studies.
Credits
Second degree students must complete a minimum of 60 UBC credits; this number will be higher for those admitted to Year 1 or 2 standing. Credits to be completed at UBC must include no fewer than 48 upper-level credits, normally completed while registered in the Bachelor of Arts degree program.
Abiding by the principles of the Pan-Canadian Protocol on the Transferability of University Credits, transfer credit may or may not be awarded; see Transfer and Exchange Credit. A limited number of credits completed through Unclassified Studies at UBC Vancouver, and any unused credits from a previous UBC Vancouver degree program, may be eligible to be applied toward the second degree.
Students will be advised of their credit requirements upon admission and the evaluation of their record of prior study by Arts Advising.
Degree Requirements
Second-degree students must fulfill normal B.A. Degree Requirements for students who entered the program in 2023/24 or earlier or Degree Requirements for students who entered the program in 2024/25 or later. However, courses completed through prior study may exempt the student from some degree requirements or modify the number of required credits. This may also be true for program requirements, particularly those at the lower level.
To satisfy the Arts Credit Minimum Requirement, no fewer than 36 credits must be taken in subject areas identified in the UBC Calendar course descriptions as being offered by the Faculty of Arts; this number will be higher for those admitted to Year 1 or 2 standing.