Bachelor of Arts and Science (BAS)

The Faculties of Arts and Science at UNB in Fredericton are co-operating to make it possible for a student to combine Arts and Science in this four-year degree program.

This Joint Program allows students

  • to experience academic work in both Faculties before committing themselves to a specialization;
  • to gain a broader and more systematic exposure to disciplines outside that specialization; and
  • to prepare for subsequent degree programs that permit or encourage a broader distribution of courses; such programs include the General Science Program and various preprofessional programs leading to study in dentistry, medicine, veterinary medicine, optometry, and physiotherapy.

To be admitted to the Joint Arts and Science program, students must meet the entrance requirements for the BAS as outlined in the Admission Requirements Table under Admission Regulations.

To earn a BAS degree, students must complete the requirements of a Supplementary Major in an Arts subject and a Specialization in a Science subject. The requirements for a Supplementary Major are the same as those for one subject taken as part of a Double Major.

Within Science, students can specialize in one of the following subjects: Biology, Chemistry, Earth Sciences, Mathematics and Statistics, Physics, Economics (unless already selected as an Arts program), Psychology (unless already selected as an Arts program). Within Arts, students can select a Supplementary Major in one of the following areas: Anthropology, Archaeology, Classical Studies, Classics, Economics, Economics Studies, English, French, German, German Studies, History, International Development Studies, Law in Society, Media Arts & Cultures, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Spanish, Gender and Women's Studies, World Literature and Culture Studies. 

Program of Study

First Year 

  1. ARTS 1000 Development of Western Thought.
  2. 6 term lecture courses in first-year Science (MATH 1003 or 1053 included), 4 accompanied by labs. The choice of lecture and lab courses is dictated by the particular area of Science in which the student intends to specialize, and thus decisions about which lecture and lab courses a student takes should be made in consultation with a Science Faculty advisor.
  3. 6 ch (in any one discipline) chosen from either Humanities (Classics, English, History, Media Arts & Cultures, Philosophy, World Literature and Culture Studies), Languages (Ancient Greek, Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Latin, Modern Greek, Russian, Spanish), or Social Sciences (Anthropology, Archaeology,  Economics, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology).

OR

  1. ARTS 1100 Development of Western Thought (for Academic Success)
  2. 6 term lecture courses in first-year Science (MATH 1003 or 1053 included), 4 accompanied by labs. The choice of lecture and lab courses is dictated by the particular area of Science in which the student intends to specialize, and thus decisions about which lecture and lab courses a student takes should be made in consultation with a Science Faculty advisor.
  3. 3 ch (in any one discipline) chosen from either Humanities (Classics, English, History, Media Arts & Cultures, Philosophy, World Literature and Culture Studies), Languages (Ancient Greek, Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Modern Greek, Latin, Russian, Spanish,) or Social Sciences (Anthropology, Archaeology, Economics, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology). The discipline should be different from any of the three taken under regulation 2, above, since first-year students may take no more than 6 ch in any one discipline. 

Second Year

  1. Two additional term lecture courses in first-year Science. Whether these need to be accompanied by labs depends upon the area of Science the student has chosen to specialize in, and as such, these courses should be chosen in consultation with a Science Faculty advisor.
  2. 12 ch (6 ch in each of 2 disciplines) chosen from Arts, including at least one discipline from a group (Humanities, Languages, Social Sciences) not chosen in the first year.
  3. At least 18 ch of Science courses chosen in consultation with and pre-approved by the Science Faculty advisor.

Students will normally select a Supplementary Major in Arts and a Specialization in Science at this time, and should discuss the options with their Arts and Science advisors. 

Third and Fourth Years

The exact content of years 3 and 4 will depend upon the particular Arts and Science areas chosen. Students take advanced courses to give them a thorough understanding of their chosen subjects and prepare them for an immediate career or further work at graduate school. Students who elect to take a Single Major or Honours in Arts and/or Science may extend their program beyond the four years, depending on the subjects chosen.

  1. A minimum of 36 ch total in Science chosen in consultation with, and pre-approved by, the student's Science advisor. At least half of these courses must be at the 3000 or 4000 level.
  2. 36 ch total chosen in consultation with, and pre-approved by, the student's Arts Major advisor, 18 ch of which must be at the 3000 or 4000 level. 

Students should note that at least half the advanced-level credits counted towards the BAS degree must be from courses taken at the University of New Brunswick. Exceptions may be considered by the Deans of Arts and Science. Students should also note that, in any given year, their course load may not be evenly balanced between Arts and Science courses. Students should plan to meet with advisors from both Faculties on an annual basis to ensure that the selected courses satisfy pre-requisites for upper-level courses and take account of courses offered in alternating years, and other program requirements.

Students who enter the BAS program may opt to move into the BA program, the BSc program, or the concurrent BA/BSc program at any stage. With the exception of laboratory courses, all courses taken during the first two years can be counted towards either a BA or a BSc degree (or both). Approved specialized Science laboratory courses will count towards the BSc degree or the Concurrent Degree in Arts and Science (BA/BSc).

Instead of graduating with a BAS at the end of the four-year program, students may continue for a fifth year to earn both a BA and a BSc, two degrees, with a Major (or Honours) in an Arts discipline and a Major (or Honours) in a Science discipline - for example, BA (History) and BSc (Physics). See the following section for the five-year concurrent degree program in Arts and Science.

For further details on subjects in Arts, see the Bachelor of Arts portion of the Fredericton Programs section of this Calendar.