In the Faculty of Arts at UBC, you can choose between three first-year study options: Arts One, the Coordinated Arts Program (CAP), or a custom timetable.

Arts One and CAP are designed to ease you into the university experience by offering small class sizes, tight-knit communities, and a variety of pre-designed timetables that will satisfy several Arts degree requirements in your first year.

In any of our first-year study options, you have the ability to create a customized degree experience that meets your unique academic and career goals. Below, meet three UBC students and learn about their experiences in each first-year study option.




Arts One

Bianca Chui says the best part about Arts One is the community.

Arts One is one of Canada’s top first-year programs. Students develop strong reading and writing skills and benefit from small class sizes and extensive support from instructors and peers.




Coordinated Arts Program (CAP)

Small class sizes and a supportive learning environment made CAP the right choice for Aida Sanjush.

In CAP, students select one of five streams that feature interlinked courses from a range of Arts disciplines and have access to exclusive academic and social support.


Custom Timetable

Ethan Donnelly wanted flexibility in his schedule and the freedom to choose a range of different topics and professors.

With Custom Timetable, students choose a personalized set of courses to meet degree requirements. Students may include a wide range of study topics or delve into a specific area of interest.


 Arts OneCAP Custom Timetable
Credits 18 credits

12 elective credits
18 credits

12 elective credits
30 credits (build your own timetable)
CoursesA year-long program comprised of weekly lectures, seminars and tutorialsA year-long program comprised of 4-6 courses (5 streams)Mix of courses
LengthTwo terms (Sept-Apr)Two terms (Sept-Apr)Two terms (Sept-Apr)
Teaching Approach Each theme is taught by five faculty members from various Arts departmentsEach course is taught by a different faculty member from various Arts departmentsVaries
Format 100-student lecture once per week

20-student seminar twice per week

Four-student tutorial once per week
100-125 student lecture once per week

25-student CAP seminar once per week (previously ASTU)
Varies
Workload One set of readings

A series of essays

One final capstone assignment and a final exam
Each course has readings, assignments, and an exam

*Assignments are coordinated across CAP courses
Varies

*Assignments are not coordinated across courses
Degree Requirements Writing componentWriting componentYou must select courses that will meet your first-year degree requirements

About the Bachelor of Arts program

school

90+ undergraduate program options

language

Students from over 120 countries worldwide

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$1M+ in annual prizes, scholarships & awards

All figures from the 2017/18 academic term. 


What’s next?