Bachelor of Arts, Humanities Major - Putting your Humanities Major to work

Overview

The four-year Bachelor of Arts, Humanities Major is a flexible program in which students choose courses from across the Humanities Area of subjects, including those that do not currently offer a major or minor. Core courses in the program combine the knowledge and skills of at least two humanities disciplines.

Students choose the BA Humanities Major for a variety of reasons, but graduates from such programs frequently enter sectors that involve analyzing and synthesizing information, communicating, explaining, and creating.

Choosing courses that suit your needs

When choosing courses, AU program students must follow the BA degree regulations and the appropriate program planner. The online Degree Works tool helps students navigate their degree. In addition, students need to speak with an Academic Advisor annually, and they can also speak to an advisor whenever they have questions about their program.

Generally, first-year students (that is, those completing their first 30 credits) take 200-level courses, second- and third-year students take 300-level courses, and students in their fourth year will complete their necessary 400-level courses.

Humanities Majors can choose some non-Humanities Area credits that prepare them for work in the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors. Electives from the Social Sciences, Applied Studies, Business and Administrative Studies, or other areas of study can provide practical professional skills. Students in the Humanities Major who are considering completing a concurrent minor or certificate in another field or who wish to prepare for a certificate program after graduating should contact an Academic Advisor as early as possible in their degree for help choosing the appropriate courses.

Note: Students completing a Humanities Major as preparation for teacher’s college or law school need to research the entrance requirements of their intended programs carefully when planning their undergraduate studies. Likewise, students preparing for graduate studies should research the application process and consider their senior courses carefully.

Possible electives from outside the Humanities Area include the following:

  • ACCT 250 Accounting for Managers (Applied Studies)
  • ADMN 100 Introductory Quantitative Skills for Business (Applied Studies, preparatory course)
  • ADMN 201 Introduction to Business Studies (Applied Studies)
  • ADMN 232 Introduction to Management (Applied Studies)
  • ADMN 233 Writing in Organizations (Applied Studies)
  • ANTH 390 Community-Based Research Methods (Social Sciences)
  • CMNS 380 Corporate Communication (Social Sciences)
  • COMM 243 Interpersonal Communication (Applied Studies)
  • ENTP 212 Entrepreneurship (Applied Studies)
  • GOVN 301 Governance, the Public Sector and Corporate Power (Social Sciences)
  • GOVN 380/HSRV 363 Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Governance (Social Sciences)
  • HRMT 386 Introduction to Human Resource Management (Applied Studies)
  • INST 203 or 205 Indigenous Studies I or II (Social Sciences)
  • LGST 230 The Canadian Legal System (Applied Studies)
  • MKTG 396 Introduction to Marketing (Applied Studies)
  • ORGB 364 Organizational Behaviour (Applied Studies)
  • SOSC 366 Research Methods in the Social Sciences (Social Sciences)

Note: This is not a complete list of possible electives from outside the Humanities Area, but it provides some suggestions of courses from the Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Professional Arts programs for inspiration. Consult with an Academic Advisor when choosing courses.

Examples of AU certificate programs

Updated January 10, 2022 by Digital & Web Operations (web_services@athabascau.ca)