Integrated Studies
ufv.ca/integrated-studiesIn the Bachelor of Integrated Studies (BIS), students can create a flexible, multidisciplinary program suited to their educational and career goals. To complete their program, students develop and demonstrate core competencies highly desired in the workforce, such as effective communications and the use of data. Prior learning and professional experience can be used, by assessment, to meet one or more of the competencies. In their program, students can choose to specialize by completing a customized Theme, minors, or a concentration in Applied Management.
Potentially, yes! BIS students must demonstrate professional competency as a condition of degree completion, and prior or continuing professional experience may be considered for this requirement. In addition, the Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) process allows students the opportunity to have non-traditional learning and work experience assessed for credit. Please contact an Academic Advisor for more information.
Note: Students may also present English 12, English Literature 12, English 12 First Peoples, AP English, IB English A (standard level or higher level), or out-of-province equivalent.
Students will be considered on the basis of courses equivalent to Approved Grade 12 courses. See the Admissions section of the calendar for more information on equivalents to B.C. secondary school graduation.
Students must have B.C. secondary school graduation equivalency, meet the prerequisites for ENGL 105 or CMNS 125, and have completed an equivalent average of B (equated to the UFV grading system) in two academic Grade 12 subjects.
Students who do not meet these requirements might consider Qualifying Studies.
Students who have completed the International Baccalaureate diploma program, the B.C. Graduation diploma (B.C. Adult Dogwood), or the General Educational Development (GED) certificate may be considered to have the equivalent of B.C. secondary school graduation for admission purposes.
Note: Students applying under category 1 above, with fewer than 30 credits applicable for BIS entrance at the time they apply for admission, but who have a minimum CGPA of 2.00 on all post-secondary courses attempted, may be considered for admission based on secondary school requirements.
A limited number of seats will be available for students who are starting or returning to university after five or more years in the work force. Applicants must have B.C. secondary school graduation or equivalent, meet the requirements for ENGL 105, and submit a written statement of interest with their application. Students granted entrance under this application category are required to meet with the BIS Academic Advisor prior to registration.
Students who do not meet these requirements might consider Qualifying Studies and/or a meeting with an Academic Advisor.
Applications are accepted for entrance to the Fall, Winter, and Summer semesters. For application deadlines, see Specific intake application process.
Applicants who meet the entrance requirements will be admitted in order of their application date. This date is set when an application, all required documentation, and the application fee have been submitted.
See the Fees and Other Costs section. Books and additional supply costs vary according to course subject matter and mode of delivery.
The BIS program can be completed in four years of full-time study, with students taking 10 courses per calendar year. A reduced course load is permitted.
Students who have already completed a degree at the bachelor’s level may be granted an additional bachelor’s degree provided that the two degrees are significantly different and that the student has met the program requirements. At least one third of the total credits required for the additional degree, including at least 30 upper-level (300- or 400-level) credits for the subsequent degree beyond the credits taken in the first or concurrent degree, must be taken at UFV. See UFV's Subsequent and Concurrent Bachelor Degree policy (98) for more information.
There are sets of requirements for the BIS.
To receive a Bachelor of Integrated Studies degree students must complete the following minimum requirements:
In addition, students must complete the following two requirements:
Core competency | Requirement |
Written communication | CMNS 125 or ENGL 105 |
Additional written, oral, or visual communication | One of: (see Notes)
|
Note 1: Students applying to the Applied Management concentration will need to complete one of CMNS 125, CMNS 175, or CMNS 251.
Note 2: Any 100-level or higher course taught in a language other than English, including beginning and introductory language courses, can be used to meet either the Effective Communications requirement or the Intercultural Engagement requirement. A single language course can only be used to meet one requirement, but students may choose to complete an additional language course to meet another requirement.
Note 3: A single Communications or English course can be used to meet only one program requirement.
Core competency | Requirement |
Statistics | One of: STAT 104, STAT 106, or PSYC 110 (see Note) |
Additional use and interpretation of numerical data | One of: (see Notes)
|
Note 1: Students applying to the Applied Management concentration will need to complete STAT 104 or STAT 106 in order to satisfy prerequisites for MGMT courses in the concentration.
Note 2: A single STAT course can be used to meet only one program requirement.
Core competency | Requirement |
Scientific competency | One of: (see Note)
|
Note: Teacher education programs will have more specific lab science requirements. Students planning on continuing on to Teacher Education programs should check with those programs' admissions requirements.
Core competency | Requirement |
Digital competency | One of:
|
Core competency | Requirement |
Intercultural engagement | One of:
|
Note 1: Some sections of IDS 300 or IDS 400 may be used to meet this requirement, depending on topic. Students interested in using an IDS 300 or IDS 400 course should check with their BIS advisor.
Note 2: EAP courses are considered developmental level and are not awarded university credit.
Note 3: Note: Any 100-level or higher course taught in a language other than English, including beginning and introductory language courses, can be used to meet either the Effective Communications requirement or the Intercultural Engagement requirement. A single language course can be used to meet only one requirement, but students may choose to complete an additional language course to meet another requirement.
Note 4: A single internship or practicum can be used to meet the Intercultural Engagement requirement or the Professional Competency requirement, but not both. Students have the option of completing more than one internship or practicum in their program, in which case each placement can be used to meet a separate requirement.
Successful completion of one of the following:
Students can choose from the following degree pathways: Themes, minors, concentrations, Co-operative Education, and General option (no specialization).
Students wishing to declare a minor or Theme should indicate their intent to do so by 60 credits or, for transfer students with more than 60 credits, at time of entry. Students wishing to apply for declare a concentration in Applied Management should refer to the requirements for application (below).
Themes allow students to create a customized program of study in an area for which UFV does not offer a major or minor. Students complete their Theme using upper-level courses from two or more disciplines. Past Themes have included explorations of aging, public relations, Middle Eastern studies, and agroecology. Students should request a meeting with the program advisor or chair to discuss building their Theme around their educational and professional interests.
All Themes must meet the following requirements:
Please see the Bachelor of Integrated Studies website or the Advising Centre website for information and forms on completing a Theme.
The Applied Management concentration is a 24-credit prescribed program that provides a management focus for students in the BIS. The concentration will appeal to students already in leadership or supervisory roles in business, agri-business, not-for-profit, public and private organizations, trades and manufacturing, transportation, service, and/or may be seeking to take their careers in this direction.
For more information on this program and its requirements, see the Applied Management concentration section of the calendar.
The BIS allows for use of approved credits assigned by the School of Business upon presentation of the following Transport Canada approved aviation credentials: Private Pilot's Licence, Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot's Licence, and MultiEngine Rating or Instructor Rating. The cost of acquiring the aviation credentials is the responsibility of the student.
This option may also be of interest to students who have completed the Business Administration (Aviation) diploma and wish to continue their studies to complete a university degree with a related Theme.
Students select electives to complete one or more minors or extended minors. Refer to the appropriate calendar details for the minor or extended minor requirements.
Students may not complete both a minor and an extended minor in the same program.
Note: For students completing a Theme option, only two upper-level courses (maximum of eight credits) of a minor or extended minor can be used toward the Theme.
Students select courses to complete a minimum of 120 credits, of which at least 45 must be upper-level. Students are eligible to select any course for which they meet the prerequisites. Choice should include courses that enhance a career path, or meet prerequisites for professional programs, or for expanding academic knowledge. The program is developed according to the intended learning goals of the individual.
The Co-operative Education option provides students with the opportunity to acquire paid, career-related work experience in conjunction with their studies in the Bachelor of Integrated Studies degree program. See the Co-operative Education section for more details.
Students may formally declare minors or intention to complete a Theme after they have been accepted. Unless otherwise stated, to be eligible to declare minors, students must have a minimum CGPA of 2.00 on all credits attempted and earned a minimum grade of C on each of the required courses for the subject discipline. (Some areas have specific requirements; these are listed in the calendar under the relevant discipline.) Students are encouraged to declare minors or their intention to complete a Theme as soon as possible.
Students will be required to make this declaration by 90 credits, or upon entry to degree program, whichever is later. Students may request to declare a minor or Theme after 90 credits on a case-by-case basis. Students who do not meet the requirements of their planned minor or Theme may be able to graduate with a BIS, general option (no specialization).
Please note that the number of students wanting to enter any minor program may exceed capacity. Departments reserve the right to select competitively if necessary. UFV cannot guarantee available seats in required program courses on demand.
UFV students who wish to take academic work at other institutions for credit toward the degree must obtain permission. A Letter of Permission request is available at ufv.ca/registrar/forms or can be obtained from the Office of the Registrar. Students must be in good standing (CGPA > 2.00) to receive a Letter of Permission. When approval has been granted, the Office of the Registrar will issue a Letter of Permission to the student.
Except as noted below, total transfer and course challenge credits, including prior learning credit, may not exceed 90. A minimum of 30 credits must be completed at UFV. A minimum of 24 upper-level credits must be completed at UFV. Within these limits, transfer credit may be applied to the BIS with courses passed with a grade of D or better. A D grade may not be sufficient for prerequisite purposes. Transfer credit is not used in the calculation of the institutional cumulative grade point average.
Course Repeat policy (86): Students may not register for a course more than twice without the permission of the department head/director for the discipline or their designate. All attempts will be recorded on the transcript, but only the highest grade will be included in the GPA. Transfer courses are considered in the number of attempts. A “W” or “AU” course is not counted as a duplication. Multiple repeats of the same course count as a single duplication.
Undergraduate Continuance policy (92): Students must have a CGPA of at least 2.00 to remain in good academic standing. Failure to meet or maintain a 2.00 will result in restrictions on registration and may lead to academic suspension.
Subsequent and Concurrent Bachelor Degree policy (98): Students who have already completed a degree at the bachelor’s level may be granted an additional bachelor’s degree provided that the two degrees are different, and that the student has met the program requirements. Students will complete at least one third of the total credits required for the additional degree, including at least 30 additional upper-level credits, beyond the credits taken in the first or concurrent degree. All 30 upper-level credits must be obtained through completion of UFV courses.
Transfer Credit policy (107) and Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) policy (94): Students who successfully complete academic course work at another post-secondary institution may be able to transfer this credit to UFV to satisfy BIS degree requirements. Students will need to have earned a grade of C- or better in their transfer courses to use these to meet prerequisite requirements for UFV courses, unless otherwise specified. Students may also be able to earn academic credit through an assessment of prior learning.
Students can complete academic course work at another post-secondary institution and transfer this credit to UFV to satisfy BIS degree requirements, under the following restrictions:
Provided those requirements are met, up to 50% of credits required for the degree may be met through recognition of non-formal credit through the PLAR process (including course challenges). Total transfer credit and prior learning credit must not exceed 90 credits.
It is the student’s responsibility to ensure all program requirements are met. This should be done by regular consultation with the BIS Academic Advisor. Degree candidates who qualify to receive a UFV degree must be approved by the BIS Academic Advisor and Senate.
Students must apply for graduation in the first month of their final semester. Visit the Graduation webpage for more information. The final deadline for students who wish to attend the June Convocation ceremony is April 1 of each year, with all program requirements completed by April 30.
For complete details on courses see the course descriptions section.