Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) - For Students
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Requirements
- How many non-Arts (Commerce/Science) courses can I count toward my B.A.?
- What are the minimum requirements to graduate from a B.A. program?
- How many transfer credits can I apply to my major? Minor? Concentrations?
- What is required if I want to pursue a dual degree?
- Can I do a B.A. with a minor in Commerce subjects?
- What are the requirements of the Business minor?
- How do I know what program I'm in?
- Why did my faculty requirements change?
- How do I know what academic regulations apply to my program?
- What courses do I need to do declare a major in Crimiology?
- I started my B.A. when you could get a major in 15.0 credits (90 credit hours). Now that the rules have changed, do I have to do 20.0 credits (120 credit hours)?
1. How many non-Arts (Commerce/Science) courses can I count toward my B.A.?
A maximum of 18 credit hours from non-Arts areas such as Commerce or Science, may be counted as electives toward your Bachelor of Arts degree. Credit hours earned in excess of the maximum cannot be counted toward the B.A..
The following courses are considered to be Arts courses and are not counted toward the non-Arts maximum:
- MGSC 1205 - Qualitative Methods I
- MGSC 1206 - Qualitative Methods II
- CISY 1225 - Introduction to Computer Applications
- MGMT 2383 - Micro Organizational Behavior
- MGMT 2384 - Macro Organizational Behavior
- MGSC 2207 - Introductory Statistics
The following subject areas are considered to be Arts disciplines and courses taken from these areas are not counted toward the non-Arts maximum:
Education EDUC
Economics ECON
Mathematics MATH
Psychology PSYC
2. What are the minimum requirements to graduate from a B.A. program?
To be eligible to graduate, students must meet the following academic requirements:
- Basic Arts Requirements
- Course requirements for all formally declared major(s), minor(s), concentrations.
- Minimum number of credit hours at the 2000 level or higher in courses from Arts disciplines:
B.A. 90 credit hours 48hrs required at 2000 or higher
B.A. 120 credit hours 66hrs required at 2000 or higher - Minimum cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 1.70
- Minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.00 in those courses associated with declarations.
Students must submit an Application to Graduate to the Registrar's Office in order to be assessed for graduation.
3. How many transfer credits can I apply to my major? Minor? Concentrations?
Majors
Advanced standing and/or transfer credits may be counted toward requirements for majors so long as a minimum of 50% of the total number of credit hours required for the major is completed at Saint Mary's University.
Minors & Concentrations
A maximum of 50% of the credit hours required for each minor and/or concentration may be counted from advanced standing and/or transfer credits.
4. What is required if I want to pursue a dual degree?
In a Dual Degree program, students complete the academic requirements for 2 degree programs (e.g. B.A. and B.COM.) and graduate from both degree programs at the same time.
Students wishing to pursue a Dual Degree program must have and maintain a minimum of cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 3.00.
To be enrolled in this program, students must have a Change of Program/Faculty form signed by the Associate Dean of Arts.
5. Can I do a B.A. with a minor in Commerce subjects?
Although you cannot declare a minor in a specific subject area in Commerce (e.g Marketing), you may take Commerce courses provided you satisfy any prerequisites and you can declare the Business minor which provides a good introduction to commerce subjects.
NOTE: A maximum of 18 credit hours can be counted as electives toward your B.A. Any courses exceeding this limit will be extra for your own interest.
6. What are the requirements of the Business minor?
The specific requirements of the Business minor are as follows:
30 credit hours in total, of which:
- 3hrs ACCT 2241 Introductory Accounting I
- 3hrs ACCT 2242 Introductory Accounting II
- 3hrs CMLW 2201 Legal Aspects of Business
- 3hrs COMM 2293 Communications
- 3hrs MGMT 1281 Introduction to Business Management
- 3hrs MGMT 2383 Micro Organizational Behavior
or MGMT 2384 Macro Organizational Behavior - 3hrs MKTG 2270 Introduction to Marketing
- 3hrs CISY 1225 Introduction to Computer Applications
- 6hrs Electives in Commerce subjects
7. How do I know what program I'm in?
IF you started your B.A. at SMU in September 2003 or any time after, the programs you have access to are:
- B.A. with major in 120 credit hours
- B.A. General with double concentration in 90 credit hours
- B.A. with honors in 120 credit hours
IF you started your B.A. at SMU before September 2003, the programs you have access to are:
- B.A. with major in 90 credit hours
- B.A. with honors in 120 credit hours
You may OPT INTO: - B.A. with major in 120 credit hours
- B.A. General with double concentration in 90 credit hours
IF you are still unsure of your program requirements, please consult your academic advisor(s).
8. Why did my faculty requirements change?
Faculty requirements refer to the Basic Arts Requirements, the 2000-level Arts requirement, and the minimum number of credit hours required to satisfy your B.A.
Your Faculty requirements may change if:
• You have been absent from your studies at SMU for more than 4 years and you have to re-apply to Saint Mary's,
• You transferred from SMU to another post-secondary institution and then transferred back to SMU,
• You were required to withdraw from SMU for a period of 12 months and then you were re-admitted to SMU.
9. How do I know what academic regulations apply to my program?
Your Bachelor of Arts degree is made up of two (2) sets of regulations:
1. Faculty Requirements including: Basic Arts Requirements, 2000-level Arts requirement and the total, minimum number of credit hours required of your B.A. program (i.e. 90hrs or 120hrs).
The academic regulations pertaining to your faculty requirements are those in effect at the time you were enrolled in the Faculty of Arts.
(E.g. If you enrolled or switched into the Faculty of Arts in September 2003, the 2003-2004 Academic Calendar is your reference for the faculty requirements).
2. Declaration Requirements refer to any subject area(s) that you have formally declared as a major(s), minor(s) or concentration.
The academic regulations pertaining to your declaration(s) are those in effect at the time you made a formal declaration.
(E.g. If you declared your major in September 2004, the 2004-2005 Academic Calendar is your reference for the requirements of your major).
In short, regulations from more than one Academic Calendar may apply to your B.A. program. The Registrar's Office website has Academic Calendars available in PDF format dating back to the 1999-2000 academic year.
10. What courses do I need to do declare a major in Crimiology?
Students considering declaring a major in Criminology will need to complete the following prerequisite courses and meet the minimum grade requirements:
Both of the following courses with a grade of C or better in each:
3hrs - SOCI 1210 Introductory Sociology
3hrs – SOCI 1211 Critical Issues in Social Analysis
&
6hrs from the following courses with a grade of C or better in each:
3hrs – ANTH 1202 Introduction to Ethnology & Social Anthropology
3hrs – ANTH 1280 Introduction to Biological Anthropology
3hrs – ECON 1201 Principles of Economics: Micro
3hrs – ECON 1202 Principles of Economics: Macro
6hrs – POLI 1200 Introduction to Political Science
3hrs – POLI 1230 Law and Politics
3hrs – PSYC 1200 Introduction to Psychology
3hrs – PSYC 1250 Social Behavior
3hrs – PSYC 1260 Personality: Normal and Abnormal
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11. I started my B.A. when you could get a major in 15.0 credits (90 credit hours). Now that the rules have changed, do I have to do 20.0 credits (120 credit hours)?
No, you may continue under the same rules that were in effect when you started your B.A., UNLESS one or more of the follow apply to you:
- You transferred to another university mid-program at SMU and then transferred back in or after September 2003.
- You were required to withdraw from SMU and were re-admitted in or after September 2003.
- You voluntarily withdrew from your studies for longer than 4 years and had to re-apply to SMU to continue your studies in or after September 2003.
This page last modified Thursday, 17-Nov-2011 13:33:18 AST