Explore media and popular cultures, global cultural studies, and critical and cultural theory through courses in internet culture, film and television, activism, globalization, human rights, and more. You'll graduate with the knowledge and skills required for a wide variety of professions.
Why this program?
- Build an exceptional foundation with global perspectives on media, identity, diversity, and justice
- Challenge dominant or “normal” assumptions about who and how we are, in relation to others
- Learn in a self-critical, self-reflexive, and engaged teaching and research environment
Program information
Send details- Campus: Okanagan
- Faculty: Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies
- Degree: Bachelor of Arts
- Length 4 yrs
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Co-op
Yes
You can combine your studies with full-time, paid work at top local and international organizations.
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Honours
No
You can study intense specialization in a single field.
Cultural Studies offers an interdisciplinary approach to traditional humanities and social sciences, encouraging you to examine specific concerns, such as the construction of racial, gender, national, class, and sexual identities, issues of social change, and the experience of power.
You’ll study how different disciplines constitute knowledge and experiment with different approaches to knowledge production that may have more impact in the real world. For example, a student in a third-year documentary and docudrama course might submit a short essay and post an original film to YouTube in lieu of a typical research term paper.
Experiential learning and research
The first of its kind in western Canada, the Cultural Studies program offered by the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies seeks to approach questions of identity, power, and justice from an intercultural and global perspective. It gives you the ability to structure your degree in a way that fosters linkages between disciplines.
In your third or fourth year, you’ll have the option of taking Community-Engaged Research in Cultural Studies (CULT 499), a course that links experiential learning with the development of writing, research, and analytical skills. You’ll have the opportunity to engage with various community partners in a team-based setting to complete projects that support these groups.
Send details
Life at UBC's Okanagan campus
The Cultural Studies program on UBC's Okanagan campus provides you with a portfolio of tangible experiences and skills – from collaboration and digital literacy, to community-engaged research.
Find out moreYour future
As a Cultural Studies graduate, you will be an empowered critic and theorist of historical and contemporary cultural activities, and possess the ability to generate learning that influences society. You’ll be prepared to live in a world where writing, reading, coding, and decoding are employable skills in high demand. Work in marketing, advertising, publishing, or web design, or continue your education to pursue a career in law or social work.
Program graduates
- Communications and Marketing Advisor, Capilano University
- Cultural Operations Manager, Sncewips Heritage Museum
- Advisor, International Programs and Services, UBC's Okanagan Campus
- Blogger, ANOKHI Magazine
- Social Media Intern, Jugni Style
UBC stories
“It is one thing to identify what is wrong with this world, but it’s another to see how people are managing to live and finding joy within it. Because this is where the changes are happening.”
Sophie H., Bachelor of Arts, Cultural Studies Read the full story
Program requirements
English-language requirements
English is the language of instruction at UBC. All prospective students must demonstrate English-language competency prior to admission. There are numerous ways to meet the English Language Admission Standard.
General admission requirements
IB Diploma Programme
- Completed IB Diploma, including at least three Higher Level courses.
IB Certificate Courses
- IB Certificate courses (Standard and Higher Level) may be used in an admissions average if you are graduating from a recognized high school curriculum that can be used as your basis of admission.
- IB Math Applications and Interpretations SL, or IB Math Studies, do not satisfy the math requirement for admission to UBC’s science-based programs, the Faculty of Management, the UBC Sauder School of Business, or the Vancouver School of Economics.
Degree-specific requirements: Arts
- No specific courses required beyond those needed for general admission
Related courses
The following subject categories are particularly relevant for this degree. Consider taking courses in these areas in your junior year and senior year.
- Language Arts
- Mathematics and Computation
- Second Languages
- Social Studies
- Visual and Performing Arts