University of Calgary

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Faculty of Arts?
The Faculty of Arts is the largest and most diverse faculty at the University of Calgary, with over 23,000 course enrollees and more than 6500 undergraduate and graduate students supported by approximately 350 faculty and staff. The faculty encompasses the former Faculty of Communication and Culture, Faculty of Fine Arts, Faculty of Humanities and Faculty of Social Sciences and came into existance on April 1st, 2010.

Why was the decision made to amalgamate the arts and social sciences faculties?
A unified structure for arts and social sciences programs will enable the university to enhance their profile. Further, concentrating our efforts on one administrative structure will allow us to focus on three primary outcomes:

1) Improve the student experience by:

  • Enhancing recruitment, retention and progression of highly qualified students.
  • Simplifying a set of rules and regulations that unify standards and ease application and admission processes, improve course selection and availability, simplify processes for transferability between undergraduate programs, and streamline academic advising.
  • Expanding graduate education and the range of potential supervisors for graduate students.
  • Promoting interdisciplinary programs more effectively.

2) Enhance opportunities for multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary collaboration including increased funding and research support.

3) Provide greater financial flexibility and planning capability to the arts and social sciences.

  • The budget of the Faculty of Arts is comprised of the former budgets for the Faculties of Communication and Culture, Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. 

It is also significant that the majority of our counterparts (10 of our G13 peers) have two or fewer arts and social science-type faculties.

What are the changes to program requirements in the Faculty of Arts?
All core courses required for degree programs remain the same. Changes that have been made to program regulations include harmonizing the breadth requirements across all Faculty of Arts programs, relaxing breadth requirements, and changes to policies, which make it easier to transfer between programs, pursue multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary or joint degrees.

  • For information about program requirements, please contact the Student Success Centre at 403-220-5881 or success@ucalgary.ca or consult the 2010/11 Calendar. 

How will changes in faculty or program regulations affect me?
Students will graduate in the degree program in which they are enrolled, based on the requirements at the time that they enrolled. Of course, students retain the option to switch to new programs if they so choose and one of the goals of a restructured faculty is to allow students to do with greater ease. The changes to requirements will take effect for the 2010/11 Calendar.

  • Changes to program requirements will not affect students graduating in 2010. Students planning to graduate in 2010 will graduate under the requirements that were in place at the time they began their programs.
  • Changes to program requirements will not affect students admitted to programs in 2009 or earlier. Continuing students will graduate under the requirements that were in place at the time they began their programs.
  • The new requirements will take effect for students entering their programs in Fall 2010.
  • For information about program requirements, please contact the Student Success Centre at 403-220-5881 or success@ucalgary.ca.

Will any of the changes affect the degree designations?
Students will still receive the degree they have been working toward. The only difference will be in the name of the faculty from which you graduate. For example, instead of receiving a degree that says "BA in Canadian Studies conferred by the Faculty of Communication and Culture," the degree will say "BA in Canadian Studies conferred by the Faculty of Arts" or “BFA in Art conferred by the Faculty of Arts.”

Will any programs disappear as a result of the amalgamation of faculties?
Programs will not disappear as a result of the amalgamation. The goal within unifying the Faculties of Communication and Culture, Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences is to preserve and build upon the best elements of every department and faculty. Our intention is not to weaken programs that are working well. The goal is to maintain the best elements and fix any elements that aren't working. However, the structure of the general degrees (The Multidisciplinary degree in Communication and Culture and the General Humanities degrees) are likely to change over the next two years as we move to a consolidated multidisciplinary BA.

How will students benefit from the Faculty of Arts being in a single administrative structure?
Unifying the four previous faculties into the Faculty of Arts is meant to improve the student experience by:

  • Enhancing recruitment, retention and progression of highly qualified students.
  • Simplifying a set of rules and regulations that unify standards and ease application and admission processes, improve course selection and availability, simplify processes for transferability between undergraduate programs, and streamline academic advising.
  • Expanding the range of potential supervisors for graduate students.
  • Promoting interdisciplinary programs more effectively.