Academic Advising Centre
This guide has been prepared with the information you need to successfully register for your first year at UFV. Please review the information provided on this page thoroughly before contacting your academic advisor with questions.
The AA degree is a 2-year credential that provides a broad foundation of knowledge to either ladder into a bachelor’s degree program or into the workforce.
Initially, the AA was designed as a credential to transfer to other institutions. Don’t worry, you don’t need to transfer, but you do need to check that each course you take towards the AA does.
You can check the transferability of your courses using an online tool called the BC Transfer Guide. As long as each course you select transfers to one of the four main research institutions (UBC, SFU, UNBC, or UVIC) then you will able to use the course(s) in your AA.
The Associate of Arts degree offers the following options:
While the three additional options are more prescriptive for Arts course requirements, you can still plan courses for your first semester the same as you would for the General option. As well, you can always begin in the General option and then switch to one of the targeted options if you discover a passion for that discipline.
Remember: You don’t have to decide in your first semester — you can explore different subjects to determine your interests.
An Arts Associate (AA) degree requires the completion of a minimum of 60 credits. This is approximately 20 classes.
If you want to complete this program in two years, you will need to complete 30 credits or 10 courses each year.
The AA does not require the completion of these credits/courses within a specific timeframe. Your pace is based on your personal schedule and goals—it needs to work for you.
You can access a list of all approved and required courses for your program in two ways:
First time using MyGRADplan?
Visit MyGRADplan website to get login instructions and review tutorials. Specifically, you will want to learn about the 'What if' and 'Look ahead' features as they will be most helpful in your course planning.
Given that 3 classes correspond to approximately 20+ hours/week of school work both in and out of the classroom, it is very important that you consider your workload capacity carefully.
It is much better to start with less and add more coursework in future semesters than to start out feeling overloaded in your first semester.
Ultimately, the number of courses you take each semester is up to you, but here is what we recommend for first-year students:
Pick
3-4 courses per semester
Expect
9-12 hours per week in class
And at least
9-12 hours per week
for homework
Take the courses that interest you that could lead to your ideal career or on to a bachelor's degree. Here is an example of what a fall and winter semester might look like.
| Fall (Sept-Dec) | Winter (Jan-Apr) |
|---|---|
| ENGL 105 (English) | CIS 100 (Computer Information Systems) |
| AIS 101 (Arts and Integrated Studies) | CMNS 235 (Communications) |
| 100-level SOC (Sociology), or PSYC (Psychology), or HIST (History) | 100-level GEOG (Geography), or GDS (Global Development Studies), or FNST (First Nations Studies) |
| or MACS (Media and Communications), or THEA (Theatre), or VA (Visual Arts), etc. | or ECON (Economics), or BUS (Business), or CYC (Child and Youth Care), etc. |
Book an appointment with an academic advisor or email your questions to advising@ufv.ca.
Practicum orientation is held in June. If you do not receive an invitation, please email bswmswfield@ufv.ca.
The School of Social Work and Human Services will also have a welcome gathering in the fall for your specific program. An invitation will be sent to your UFV student email.
Make sure to check your UFV student email regularly for updates.