General Studies - UBC | Undergraduate Programs and Admissions

If you're searching for a general liberal studies program, this could be the place for you. During your studies you can draw from four categories – Humanities, Social Science, Science, and Creative and Performing Arts.

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Program information

Campus: Okanagan
Faculty: Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Degree: Bachelor of Arts

Length 4 yrs
Co-op Yes
You can combine your studies with full-time, paid work at top local and international organizations.
Honours No
You can study intense specialization in a single field.

This program provides a general liberal studies education with a curriculum of courses drawn from Humanities, Social Science, Science, and Creative and Performing Arts.

An alternative option is to design a program with a defined theme. Current thematic options are Cognitive Science, Latin American Studies, and Gender and Women’s Studies.

GWST 110 - Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Power II: Everyday Life
Interdisciplinary overview of feminist theory and methods, and analysis of subjective and objective experiences of sexuality, violence, family life, work, law, and social policy issues.
GEOG 128 - Human Geography: Space, Place, and Community
Critical introduction to the study and application of the major themes of human geography, including historical, regional, urban, social, and cultural geographies. Draws upon a range of geographic research methods to investigate geographic phenomena, especially human-environment relations. Not for Science credit.
GERM 101 - Oral Expression I
For beginners who have some exposure to the grammatical and syntactic elements. The course will consist of oral and aural practice, basic conversation, and vocabulary expansion exercises. Students will be expected to participate actively in group activities and to give oral presentations.
HIST 110 - Survey of the Ancient World
Survey of ancient history from the first civilizations in the Near East to the fall of Rome. Includes examinations of the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome. This course is intended as a basis for understanding the origins of Western civilization.
PHIL 125 - Introduction to Scientific Reasoning
Historical and logical analysis of various types of scientific hypotheses and the data that support or undermine them. This course is restricted to students with fewer than 90 credits.

SOCI 205 - Childhood and Society
Children's social experiences and the institutions that shape them. Historical evolution of childhood; families, schools, and socialization; violence against children; the state and social policy; street culture; the media.
POLI 221 - International Politics
Study of the emergence and organization of the modern international system of states, including an examination of the ends and means of interstate relations.
ARTH 202 - The Critical Viewer
Critical thinking about art and visual cultures of the world, past and present, and how visual works can be viewed closely, creatively analyzed, and interpreted.
CRWR 210 - The Power of Story
An interdisciplinary survey on story designed to assist students in the analysis and construction of narratives, exploring how story structure, character, and action create meaning.

DIHU 301 - The Self-Conscious Text
Addresses computational methods for student-led humanities research, including visualizing, mapping, and encoding. No Digital Humanities or computing experience required.
ENGL 392 - History of English Language I
History of the English language from its Indo-European beginnings through Old English (ca. 500-1100 C.E.). Emphasis placed on the pronunciation of words, changes in meaning and form, and sentence structure. Consideration given to social-historical/cultural factors that contribute to linguistic change.
ECON 339 - Economics of Technological Change
Application of economic analysis to technological change; impact of technological change on the growth and distribution of income; economic influences on the invention and diffusion of technology; interaction between technology, work, skills, and education; public policy toward technological change.
INDG 306 - Indigenous Land Rights
Legal theories under British Law or its historical derivations that have been used to justify the colonization of Indigenous peoples. Legal arguments and anthropological evidence raised by Indigenous groups to challenge those theories. Particular reference is paid to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States.
GEOG 316 - Geography of Natural Hazards
The role of physical and biological hazards, human ecology, environmental perception and world social and political order in explaining the risk of natural disasters. Assessment of acceptable risk, disaster relief and reconstruction, and contrasts between developed and developing nations.

FREN 461 - 17th- and 18th-Century French Comedy
Explores French comedies through a selection of works by authors such as Moli?re, Lesage, Marivaux, and Beaumarchais. Examines the aesthetic and political forces that shaped these plays, as well as the relationships between comedy and the representation of class and gender. Plays will be studied in their socio-historical context and approached using current literary criticism.
HIST 444 - Slave Societies in the Americas
Comparative analysis of the institution of chattel slavery, its growth, its effects on slaves and masters, its relation to the larger society, and the causes of its decline in the various cultures of the Americas.
PSYO 451 - Intergroup Relations and Innovation
An in-depth exposure to the major theoretical and methodological issues within the domain of intergroup relations. or
ARTH 403 - Global Surrealism
The development of Surrealism from its roots in 20th-century French thought to its global proliferation in film, literature, visual culture and contemporary theories.
CRWR 474 - Writing with Media
Applied and theoretical aspects of writing with media. Develops specialized skills for working with media such as audio installations, broadcast, recordings, live performance, and video. Students will be encouraged to work in interdisciplinary and collaborative modes.

Your future

A UBC education will introduce you to people and ideas from around the world, open doors to new opportunities, and take you places you never imagined. You’ll graduate not only with expertise in your chosen field, but with the skills you need to continue growing, learning, and evolving with your career over time.

Program requirements

Canadian high schools
International high schools
International baccalaureate

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

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Your future

Related programs

Program requirements

English-language requirements

General admission requirements

Degree-specific requirements: Arts

Related courses

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