Registration and courses
All courses are worth a certain amount of credit. As an Arts student, you are eligible to take up to 30 credits over the winter session (32 credits for first-year students) and 14 credits in the summer session (summer credits are not required). If you want to increase the amount of credits you are permitted to take per term, review credit limit increase information and eligibility.
No, but new students must pay an acceptance deposit and continuing students must pay a registration deposit. More information about deposits.
Before registration, create a worklist or multiple worklists on the SSC to build potential timetables. You can use the “test registration” function on the SSC to check whether you will be able to register in the courses you want in your worklist.
Saving a course to your worklist does not register you in the course. Once your registration has opened, you may choose to "Register Selected" or "Register All" of the courses from your worklist.
Deleting a course from your worklist will not drop you from the course. If you would like to make any changes to your timetable after you have registered, be sure to do so from the "Add/Drop courses" page.
Learn how to create and edit a worklist.
Watch a video about creating a worklist.
From the Student Service Centre (SSC), go to your Course Schedule; in the upper right corner, select your desired academic session (e.g. 2019 Winter). On the menu near the top of the page, click on “Registration” and then “Registered Courses.” On this page, you will see the courses you have successfully registered in.
A course code distinguishes one course from another. It also denotes what subject area a course belongs to, the year-level of that course, and the section number. For example, “ENGL 110 001” is an English course at the 100-level, with a course number of 110, and section number of 001.
A section is the particular class you register in. The section details include the time, location, term and professor. Each section has enrolment limits, so some sections might be full, while others might be available. Sections numbers come after the course number. For example, Eng 110, 001 refers to English 110, section number 001. Evening sections are usually given a 900-level section number. Labs and tutorials are usually given section numbers that start with LA and T. See a glossary of course schedule terms.
Review your options to pursue full courses.
Transfer credit
You can view any advanced credit you receive on the Student Service Centre (SSC). Log in with your CWL and click “Transfer Credit” under the heading “Grades & Records.” The number of credits you received from AP/IB courses will be at the top of the page. To see a specific breakdown of the credits for a given course, select UBC Vancouver from the drop-down menu as your campus location. Your specific AP/IB credits will automatically load.
If you have not submitted your results for your AP/IB courses, you will need to contact your assigned Enrolment Services Professional. If any credit is added, you will be able to see it through your SSC account.
The advanced credit you receive can be used to meet degree requirements, program requirements, or electives as appropriate.
See a list of Advanced Placement, British-patterned education, and International Baccalaureate courses that are eligible for first-year credit at UBC.
Degree and program requirements
Program requirements differ from the Degree Requirements. All students in the Faculty of Arts must complete the Degree Requirements, but program requirements are specific to each student’s chosen program (major).
No. You have an opportunity to explore and discover your interests in your first year. Most students declare or apply for their major at the end of second year. Browse a list of Arts programs and to see if they require application or self-declaration. You are required to complete a major in order to graduate as a Bachelor of Arts student.
First-year programs
Yes. The Co-ordinated Arts Program (CAP) and Arts One program consist of 18 credits each. If you choose one of these First-Year Programs, it leaves you with up to 12 credits to use.
Registration for CAP is the same as for any other course. Log in to the Student Service Centre (SSC) with your CWL login and click “Course Schedule.” Select “Standard Timetables” from the “Browse” drop-down menu. Click on “BA – Bachelor of Arts” and choose “Standard Timetables – Year 1.
Register in the appropriate CAP stream that best suits your interests. Remember to register in all required discussion groups. Visit the CAP website for more information.
Follow the instructions on the Arts One website.
Faculty transfers
If you want to transfer out of the Faculty of Arts to another UBC Faculty, you should visit the destination Faculty’s Advising office for transfer information.
If you want to transfer into the Faculty of Arts from another UBC Faculty, please meet with an Arts Academic Advisor to discuss your transfer credits and potential program.