2 years at RDC - 2 years at most universities

Two-Year University Transfer Program:

RDC offers the first two years of the Bachelor of Arts program. Students have the ability to transfer to a multitude of institutions after one or two years of study at Red Deer College. For institutions within Alberta, transfer agreements exist and students can see how RDC courses transfer to specific universities using the Transfer Alberta website.

See the Planning Guides for more information on transfer requirements for the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary.

For students looking at transferring outside of Alberta, there are many possibilities. While no formal transfer agreements exist outside of Alberta, the Bachelor of Arts program is quite versatile and easily transferable.

Please contact the artscienceinfo [at] rdc [dot] ab [dot] ca (School of Arts & Sciences) for more information regarding transferring to other institutions within Alberta or outside of the province.

Four-Year Degree Completion:

Years three and four of a University of Calgary Bachelor of Arts degree can be completed at RDC. Majors in Psychology and Sociology are available (with optional Minors in Anthropology, Communications, English, History, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology). See the program website.

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Bachelor of Arts graduates may also go on to professional studies in fields such as law, business, education, etc., or may continue to graduate studies (for a Master's or Doctoral program) in their specific area of interest.

Liberal Arts graduates generally have superior skills in conceptual analysis, evaluation and critical reasoning, leadership motivation, and interpersonal and communication skills.

The objective in all programs is to provide you with the basis of a liberal arts education which will allow you to transfer to universities offering a Bachelor of Arts degree program.

In most cases, you will major in one of the subjects listed below. By declaring a major, you are simply stating your intent to pursue a comprehensive study of that subject area. Some university programs require you to declare a minor, which represents a second subject you will study in some depth as well.

Majors

You are required to complete a major in the Bachelor of Arts degree. A major includes a certain number of courses taken in one field of study. Generally, about half of the courses taken in a four year degree will be chosen from the major field. This number will vary according to your choice of major and the university you attend.

Majors available at RDC are Anthropology, Communications, Economics, English, History, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology.  

Honours

Honours programs are designed to prepare students particularly well for advanced study at the Master's or Doctoral level in the major field of interest. High standards of performance are required in Honours programs. Most universities offer Honours programs in the same fields as the Majors listed above. You should consult with an Academic Advisor for details.

Course Load: Full-time or Part-time Study:

The Bachelor of Arts program is open to full-time students and part-time students. A full-time student will take at least 3 courses per term (minimum 9 credits), with 5 (15 credits) being the normal full load. Extra courses represent special burdens and may result in poor academic performance. A student will be permitted to take more than 5 courses in a term only under exceptional circumstances and with the approval of an Academic Advisor. Part-time students take 1 or 2 courses per term.

Related Link: Admission requirements for specific programs will often refer to Alberta Grade 12 course groups. Visit the Admissions page for detailed group descriptions.

1. Minimum average of 60% with no mark below 50% in:

a. ELA 30-1
b. 4 courses from Groups A, B, or C (Social Studies 30-1 and a 30-level Language Other than English highly recommended), with no more than one course from Group B
Note: Some universities require Math 30-1 for admission or as a prerequisite for required courses.  Transfer students are responsible for learning the specific admission, progression, and prerequisite requirements of their programs.

OR

2. Mature Student
You must be 19 years of age or older, out of high school at least one full year before the program starts, and have a minimum average of 60% with no mark below 50% in:

a. ELA 30-1
b. Subject from Group A, B, or C

OR

3.  Successful completion of one year of a diploma program and Associate Dean approval.

Students should be aware of the following:

• whether or not Math 30-1 is required for admission or as a prerequisite varies depending on transfer destination
• students without Math 30-1 may limit their eligibility to some majors or institutions
• this recommendation applies only to Bachelor of Arts majors available at RDC and Math 30-1 specifically.  For other 30-level admission or prerequisite requirements, or for admission to other degrees, please refer to the appropriate university calendar.

Deficiencies in High School Course Requirements
If you are eligible for admission but need high school equivalency courses, see an Academic Advisor.

Note: Applicants whose first language is not English must demonstrate English language proficiency in addition to the program admission requirements.

You must pass 20 term university transfer courses or a minimum of 60 credit hours, and achieve a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00 to receive a RDC Diploma in University Transfer Studies.

Program Content of specific majors available at RDC:

• Anthropology
• Communications
• Economics
• English
• History
• Philosophy
• Political Science
• Psychology
• Sociology

This information provides basic program content but does not include specific details regarding requirements. This information is current at the time of publication but may change as the universities change their requirements.

If you wish to check exact degree requirements and transfer equivalents, see the university calendars and the Transfer Alberta website.

Course Selection:

Universities normally place restrictions on the type of courses accepted for the B.A. degree. These restrictions may take the form of required core subjects, or discipline areas and limits on the number of first-year courses that you can take. In selecting courses, you must make sure they meet both the admission and the program requirements of the transfer university. For more information on course selection for each BA major, refer to the Academic Advising Planning Guides.