Program

Associate of Arts (Associate Degree)

Faculty
Humanities & Social Sciences
Department
Humanities & Social Sciences
Credits
60.00
Length of Program
Four semesters
Credential Type
Associate Degree
Campus
Coquitlam
New Westminster
Learning Format
Full-time
Part-time
Admission Type
Open Enrolment - General Admission Requirements
Offered
Fall
Summer
Winter

Overview

Associate degrees take two years to complete and concentrate on one area of study. If you plan your courses carefully with a university program in mind, you’ll be able to transfer all 60 credits to university. In most cases, an associate degree will allow you to enter the third year of a four-year bachelor's degree program. To ensure your courses transfer, see the BC Transfer Guide.

To earn a specialization with the Associate Degree, you must complete 18 or more credits (of the 60 credits required for the degree) in a given academic discipline, and at least nine of those 18 credits must be considered second-year courses. A specialized Associate of Arts Degree can lead into a Major or Minor Bachelor of Arts Degree program at a university.

Specialty Associate of Arts Degrees:

Associate of Arts Degrees with Thematic Focus:

Admissions Requirements

Cost

Calculate your tuition and see the approximate cost of taking your program at Douglas College with the tuition & fee estimator. See costs broken down into categories including tuition fees, textbooks, student activity fees, U-Pass and more. 

For more information, refer to the tuition fee charts

Program Requirements

Curriculum Framework

Graduation Requirements:

  • Successful completion of 60 University Transfer credits as listed below
  • Require a minimum program GPA of 2.00
  • All courses must be University Transfeable - a University Transferable course is a course that transfers to one of the Research Universities - SFU, UBC (UBCV or UBCO), UNBC, or UVIC in the BC Transfer Guide
  • 50% (30 credits) of all coursework must be completed at Douglas College
  • Specializations are available and will be noted on the transcript and will not be noted on the credential
  • Time limit to complete program graduation requirements: seven (7) years

Course Requirements:

An Associate of Arts Degree consists of 60 credits of university transfer courses (approximately 20 courses) that are selected from several areas of study.

The following are the general requirements for an Associate of Arts Degree at any B.C. college:

  • 6 credits first-year English* electives
  • 6 credits Humanities** electives
  • 6 credits Social Sciences** electives
  • 6 credits Arts** electives
  • 18 credits second-year Arts** electives in 2 or more subject areas
  • 3 credits Lab Science elective
  • 3 credits Math, Statistics or Computing Science elective
  • 3 credits Math, Statistics or Science elective
  • 9 credits other University Transfer electives

*English courses can include courses in written Communications and Creative Writing that transfer to one of the B.C. research universities (SFU, UBCV, UBCO, UNBC, or UVIC) as English credit. A maximum of 3 credits can come from such an equivalent; at least 3 credits must be earned in an actual ENGL course, so-named. For purposes of the Associate of Arts degree, English courses cannot be counted as Humanities courses.

** Arts courses are available in the Faculty of Languages, Literature, and Performing Arts, and the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. To confirm whether a course is designated as "humanities" or "social sciences", check with an Academic Advisor. Courses in Economics and Mathematics also may be used as Arts electives toward an Associate of Arts Degree.

Definitions:

A course is defined by the subject for which it is granted transfer credit at one of the research universities (SFU, UBCV, UBCO, UNBC, or UVIC).

  • An Arts course is defined as any course in a subject area for which there is a Baccalaureate of Arts Degree at one of the research universities.
  • A Science course is defined as any course in a subject area for which there is a Baccalaureate of Science Degree or Baccalaureate of Applied Science Degree at one of the research universities.
  • The requirements specified above are intended to provide breadth of exposure to a variety of disciplines in both Arts and Sciences. In some instances there may be some ambiguity as to whether a course is in the Humanities or Social Sciences and is an Arts course or a Science course. Most Physical Geography and Mathematics would be designated as Science courses.
  • A course in an "other" area is defined as any course in a subject area for which there is a Baccalaureate Degree other than in Arts, Science or Applied Science at one of the research universities.
  • first-year course is defined as a course that has assigned or unassigned transfer credit at the 100-level at one of the research universities.
  • second-year course is defined as a course that has assigned or unassigned transfer credit at the 200-level or higher level at one of the research universities.
  • laboratory science course is one in which a substantial component of instruction involves the study of natural phenomena, either in the laboratory or in the field.

For detailed information you should meet with a Student Success Advisor.

Co-operative Education Option:

Students enrolled in this program may be eligible for a Co-operative Education designation. Co-operative Education involves alternating full-time academic and work terms. For information contact the Co-operative Education Office.

Program Guidelines

Program Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this program and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the program, consider the previous version as the applicable version.

Testimonials

student quote

Global career goals

Associate of Arts degree student Saya Soma plans to complete a bachelor's degree and launch a career with the United Nations.

Career Pathways

This program will prepare you for further education and enhance your current skill set. Develop your academic experience, discover what interests you and apply your new knowledge to your future education and career.