Bachelor of Arts, Political Economy Major
The mission of the Bachelor of Arts (4-year) is to strengthen your critical and creative thinking by offering a broad range of social, political, and cultural programs of study. A liberal arts education from Athabasca University is designed to broaden your perspective on local and global affairs, encourage community and social involvement, and prepare you for lifelong learning and occupational diversity.
The Bachelor of Arts (4-year) provides students with a broad, flexible education that allows them to develop, understand, and disseminate knowledge, to think critically, and to build on these abilities. In addition, the four-year degree fully prepares students for most graduate programs. Graduates of the Bachelor of Arts (4-year) with a Major are expected to have gained sufficient analytical and critical thinking skills to be able to engage in independent research in their chosen major. Athabasca University does not offer an Honours BA.
Students enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts (3-year) program who wish to transfer to the Bachelor of Arts (4-year) program must complete a new Undergraduate General Application Form. Previous education will be reassessed and students will be notified of the results.
Political Economy Major
The Political Economy program at Athabasca University is designed for both beginning students and professionals to understand and engage with Canadian and global political and economic issues. The course selection provides students the opportunity to develop a greater appreciation and understanding of diverse polities, economies, cultures, and regions of the world. Additionally, it offers to professionals the retooling skills and the academic credential necessary for successful employment in an era of globalization.
Planning your program
Our online program plans can assist you in selecting the courses needed to fulfill your program requirements.
Counselling Services offers an assessment website, "Mapping Your Future: Your Career and Athabasca University."
Athabasca University has developed program learning outcomes that describe the career options that may be available to you upon graduating.
Program requirements
Students complete the program regulations in effect at the time of their enrolment.
Although you may change majors, a major must be selected when you enrol in the Bachelor of Arts (4-year) program.
You are strongly encouraged to register in ENGL 255 early in your program. The English writing skills requirement is waived for students enrolling in the second undergraduate degree.
Program structure
Total credits in the program | 120 |
Minimum credits required | |
---|---|
At the senior (300 or 400) level (including 18 credits at the 400 level) | 75 |
In the major (compulsory) * may be higher depending on the specific requirements of the major | 45* |
Minimum senior-level credits in major (including a minimum of 12 credits at the 400 level) | 30 |
Arts (Humanities and social sciences) | 96 |
| 18 18 |
Science | 6 |
Residency requirement. A minimum of 30 credits must be obtained through Athabasca University. | 30 |
Graduation with Distinction or Great Distinction. At least 24 credits must be obtained through Athabasca University in order to be considered. | 24 |
Minor (optional) | |
Minimum credits in the minor (including a minimum of 15 credits at the 300 and 400 level) | 30 |
Students may not apply a course to both the major and the minor. | |
Maximum credits allowed | |
In any one discipline | 60 |
Applied studies | 18 |
At the preparatory level | 6 |
At junior level in any one discipline | 15 |
Maximum Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition credits | 9 |
Additional Political Economy Major requirements
Requirements in addition to the general program requirements for the Bachelor of Arts (4-year) with Major:
- 60 Political Economy Major credits outlined below including a minimum of 36 senior (300 or 400) level credits from major courses (a minimum of 12, 400-level credits).
- 15 credits in required core courses.
- 21 credits in one of the two Political Economy areas: Global Political Economy or Canadian Political Economy.
- 12 credits from the designated elective Political Economy major courses.
- 12 credits from the Political Economy designated elective program courses in Communications (CMNS), Global Studies (GLST), Governance (GOVN), History (HIST), Information Systems (INFS), Labour Studies (LBST), Industrial Relations (IDRL), Women’s and Gender Studies (WGST), and Indigenous Studies (INST).
- Students may transfer in a maximum of 30 credits of courses applicable to the requirements of the major.
Required core courses
(15 credits)
ECON 247 | Microeconomics | (3) |
ECON 248 | Macroeconomics | (3) |
MATH 215 or MGSC 301 | Introduction to Statistics or Statistics for Business and Economics I | (3) |
POEC 302 | Theories and Approaches to Political Economy | (3) |
POEC/GLST/INTR 230 | Globalization and World Politics | (3) |
Of the 21 credits required in the area of focus, students must take at least one course from each of the following areas: Economics, Political Economy, and Political Science. Select courses from only one area of focus.
Area of focus 1: Global Political Economy
ECON 401 | The Changing Global Economy* *Students who have taken ECON 301 may not take ECON 401 | (3) |
ECON 366 | Economic Development | (3) |
ECON 475 | International Trade | (3) |
ECON 476 | International Finance | (3) |
ENVS 435 | Transformative Change in Building Sustainable Communities | (3) |
ENVS/GLST 243 | Environmental Change in a Global Context | (3) |
FNCE 370 | Overview of Corporate Finance | (3) |
GLST 308 | Americas: An Introduction to Latin America and the Caribbean | (3) |
HIST 486 | The Industrial Revolution | (3) |
MKTG 414 | International Marketing and Exporting | (3) |
POEC/GLST/INTR 395 | Political Economy of Development: People, Processes, and Policies | (3) |
POEC/GLST/INTR 483 | International Political Economy: The Politics of Globalization | (3) |
POLI/INTR 330 | International and Global Politics | (3) |
POLI 342 | Introduction to Comparative Politics | (3) |
POLI 480 | Politics of Our Networked World in the Digital Era | (3) |
SOCI 435 | Theories of Social Change | (3) |
or
Area of focus 2: Canadian Political Economy
CMNS 380 | Corporate Communication | (3) |
CMNS 401 | Cultural Policy in Canada | (3) |
ECON 385 | Money, Banking and Canadian Financial Institutions | (3) |
FNCE 322 | Personal Finance | (3) |
GEOG 311 | Canadian Urban Development | (3) |
GOVN 301 | Governance, the Public Sector and Corporate Power | (3) |
GOVN 450 | Public Budgeting and Financial Management in a Globalized World | (3) |
HIST 326 | Contemporary Canada: Canada after 1945 | (3) |
IDRL 320 | The Law of Work | (3) |
IDRL 309/LGST 310 | Human Rights, the Charter and Labour Relations | (3) |
LBST/SOCI/WGST 332 | Women and Unions | (3) |
POEC 393 | Canada and the Global Political Economy | (3) |
POLI 309 | Canadian Government and Politics | (3) |
POLI 311 | Aboriginal Politics and Governments | (3) |
POLI 325 | Canadian Environmental Policy and Politics | (3) |
SOCI 291 | Canadian Society | (3) |
SOCI 321 | Sociology of Work and Industry | (3) |
TAXX 301 | Taxation I | (3) |
Electives
(select 12 credits from the following)
12 remaining elective credits selected from the following disciplines:
- Communication Studies (CMNS)
- Global Studies (GLST)
- Governance (GOVN)
- History (HIST)
- Information Systems (INFS)
- Labour Studies (LBST)
- Industrial Relations (IDRL)
- Indigenous Studies (INST)
- Women’s and Gender Studies (WGST)
Recommendations
- Students who may pursue graduate work in political economy or international affairs are strongly recommended to include POEC 499 among their electives.
- Language proficiency: Students in Canadian studies areas who may pursue employment in the federal civil service or foreign affairs, are strongly recommended to take French as an elective or option. Students interested in North American integration should take Spanish. Students interested in the economic integration of Europe should consider taking German. Students interested in governance capacity-building for First Nations communities should take Indigenous language courses.
"Language proficiency" generally refers to one of the following:- the ability to read French, Spanish, or German at a level consistent with the usual requirements of a junior French language course. This ability may be proven by one of the following: either by completing six junior language credits (for example FREN 200 and 201) or by passing a reading proficiency examination in French, Spanish, or German;
- speak fluently one of Canada’s Indigenous languages (for example, Cree or Inuktitut);
or - read one of Canada’s Indigenous languages (for example, Cree or Inuktitut), at a level consistent with the usual requirements of a second-year university language course.
- Writing proficiency: Students for whom English is a second language are strongly encouraged to take ENGL 177 and ENGL 189.
Second undergraduate degree
Students are not permitted to obtain a second undergraduate degree in the same field or related field as their first undergraduate degree. Students who have completed a previous undergraduate degree must enter the second undergraduate Bachelor of Arts (4-year) degree and follow these regulations. The English writing skills requirement is waived for students enrolling in the second undergraduate degree.
Updated July 18, 2022 by Office of the Registrar (calendar@athabascau.ca)