FACULTY of ARTS and SCIENCE

ACADEMIC PLANNING

The information below is specific to Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science students. Use this information to plan your degree, enrol in courses and manage your progress towards graduation.

If you need help after reviewing the academic planning information or if you have a question that is not covered here, there are several ways to connect with an academic advisor.

Contact Us

Planning your degree

In the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science you must complete 120 credits of non-duplicative coursework. You can complete a major and a minor, a double major, or a major and two minors.

How long will it take me to complete my degree?

A MacEwan University Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science is 120 non-duplicative credits. If you take 15 credits per term (10 courses per year), it will take you 4 years to complete your degree. In Canada, the average time to complete a 120-credit degree is over 5 years. This is because many students work while in school. Your degree may take longer if you change your area of study.

A number of tools and resources are available to help you choose courses for your degree and stay on track towards graduation:

Academic Calendar

The academic calendar is not just a list of dates. It contains the official rules and regulations that govern what courses you need to take to graduate with a degree in your chosen discipline. A new calendar is published each year. You must use the academic calendar corresponding to the year you declare your major(s) and/or minor(s) or the year you are admitted to an Honours program.

Pay attention to these sections in particular as you plan the courses you will take to complete your degree:

  • Requirements for your major or majors
  • Requirements for your minor or minors
  • Degree requirements
  • Degree regulations

Academic Calendar // Programs

  • Institutional graduation regulations

Academic Calendar // Institutional Graduation Regulations

You may also refer to the academic calendar for course descriptions and information on prerequisites or corequisites as you select and enrol in your courses.

Academic Calendar // Course Descriptions

Academic Schedule – important deadlines

The Academic Schedule is a list of all the important dates and deadlines for the academic year, including fee payments, exam periods, and course add/drop/withdraw deadlines. These dates are non-negotiable and missing them could have academic and/or financial consequences.

Academic Schedule

Academic program progress report

If you were admitted to your program or declared your major in Fall 2019 or later, you will have access to the Academic Program Progress Report (APPR) and the What if Report (WHIF) in myStudentSystem. The WHIF will allow you to see what would be required if you were to change your program or change your major/minor. The APPR shows you where you are at in your academic progression. You can access the APPR and the WHIF from the Academic Progress tile in your myStudentSystem.

The intention of the APPR is to help you track your progress towards degree completion. It identifies transferred, enrolled, and completed courses and matches them to program requirements. It also identifies outstanding program requirements.

While the APPR is a very useful tool, it is not advisable to rely solely on the APPR for planning purposes. It is an unofficial document and is best used in conjunction with the Academic Calendar and the applicable BA or BSc Overall Degree Planner.

Students entering the program with previous post-secondary credits, IB or AP courses, a MacEwan diploma or a previous degree should not rely on the APPR. Instead, follow the process outlined for additional planning assistance to request help from an academic advisor.

How to read the APPR

Learn the basics of reading and interpreting your APPR. In this video you will be shown the different sections of your report as well as what to look for when planning.

Watch video

Degree and discipline planning sheets

For declarations in 2021/22 or any year earlier than 2021/2022

If you will be declaring your major/minor in the 2021/22 academic year or if you have previously declared in an earlier year, planning sheets are available in the Planning Sheets section of the Academic Planning page to help you keep track of the courses you have taken and still need to take to fulfill the breadth, major(s), minor(s) and option requirements of your degree. You will need:

  • the overall degree planner and
  • the applicable major(s) and minor(s) sheets.

Use the planning sheets for the year you declare your major and minor or the year you are accepted into an honours program.

For declarations beginning in 2022/23

After 2021/22, we will no longer be providing individual major and minor planning sheets, but we will continue to keep updated versions of the overall degree planner to help you organize and keep track of your degree progress.

If you will be declaring after 2021/22, you will use the Academic Calendar to determine which courses will be needed to fulfill the breadth, major(s), minor(s) and option requirements of your degree, but you can still use the overall degree planner to keep yourself on track and organized.

Sign up for an academic planning session

Get a strong start to your academic career by registering for an online Academic Planning session. When you register for the online group session, you will learn how to:

  • Use the Academic Calendar
  • Plan your degree
  • Choose the right courses for your specific degree program
  • Find enrolment resources
  • Declare your major and minor
  • Organize and keep track of your academic progress

Academic planning sessions are offered throughout the year for both new and returning students. If you are a new student starting either in the Fall or Winter term, attend a session before the beginning of your first term. Sessions for returning students are announced in the Arts & Science Newsletter.

Sign up form

Note: You must log in with your MacEwan University account to access the sign-up form. Logging into the MacEwan portal does not mean you are logged out of your personal google account. More Information.

Additional planning assistance

If you are entering the program after completing IB, AP or other post-secondary courses, you may be able to use that credit to meet some degree requirements.

Transfer credit assessment

All transfer credit is assessed after you have accepted an offer of admission and paid your admission confirmation deposit. Evaluation of transfer credit can take several weeks. After your transcripts have been evaluated, a report of transfer credit assessment results is added to your account in myStudentSystem. See the Transfer Credit page for information on how to read your report.

ADMISSIONS // TRANSFER CREDIT

Program planning assistance

If you have questions about how your transfer credit works towards specific degree requirements, contact Arts & Science Academic Advising after your transfer credit assessment results have been posted to your account in myStudentSystem.

Pre-Qualifying Minor Requirements for MacEwan Diploma Graduates Entering the Bachelor of Arts or the Bachelor of Science

Students who graduated with a MacEwan University diploma can enter the Bachelor of Arts (BA) or the Bachelor of Science (BSc) and use their diploma in place of a minor. This reduces the number of credits required for the degree from 120 to 102.

To qualify, students must have started their diploma no earlier than Fall 2004 for the BA or Fall 2007 for the BSc.

Students who submit this form will have their previous course work assessed to determine the credit they will receive toward the BA or BSc degree. Students may receive additional credit toward their degree based on the MacEwan University Cross-Faculty Course Recognition List (listed in the Academic Calendar).

Pre-Qualifying Minor Planning

If you would like to complete a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree after graduating from your diploma program, the following things need to happen before an Arts and Science Academic Advisor can complete an assessment to confirm which of your diploma courses will be used and which courses you still need to take to complete the degree:

  1. An offer of admission to the BA or BSc program.
  2. Acceptance of your offer.
  3. Payment of your admission confirmation deposit.

We cannot start your assessment until the above conditions are met. If you submit the form before meeting these conditions, you will be asked to resubmit when the conditions have been met.

If you choose to complete a minor, do not submit this form. If you wish to complete both a major and a minor, you will enter the BA or BSc program as a regular student and you will be required to complete 120 credits. The 120 credits will include any applicable cross-faculty course recognition. If completing a minor, be mindful that an Arts & Science minor is 18 senior-level credits (6 senior-level courses). If you do not already have the prerequisite junior level course(s) for the minor, that will also mean an additional 1 to 2 courses, depending on your minor. As the maximum course load per term is 15 credits (5 courses), declaring a minor may extend your degree progression by at least one full academic term, and possibly longer depending on course availability and scheduling.

Exclusions

At this time, the Travel and Office Administration diplomas are excluded from this offer. If you have questions or concerns about courses on the Cross-Faculty Course Recognition List, please contact artsandscience@macewan.ca.

Pre-Qualifying Minor requirements assessment request form

If you already hold an undergraduate degree from a recognized post-secondary institution, you may be eligible to earn another baccalaureate from MacEwan University.

Before proceeding with your subsequent baccalaureate at MacEwan, please be aware that:

  • Students with a previous MacEwan University credential are required to complete a minimum of 45 credits in their subsequent program beginning from their first term in the BA/B.Sc. program.
  •  Students who hold a baccalaureate degree from another post-secondary institution must complete a minimum of 60 additional MacEwan University credits applicable to the BA/B.Sc. Forty-five of these credits must be completed beginning from the first term in the BA/B.Sc. program. This credit requirement also applies to students who began their studies at MacEwan University and completed a credential at another institution.

How long will it take to complete my subsequent baccalaureate at MacEwan?

While MacEwan may transfer up to 60 external credits towards the 120 credit MacEwan degree, that does not mean that all 60 credits will be transferred or that you will be able to complete your second degree at MacEwan in 2 years or less. The time it takes to complete your second degree at MacEwan will be contingent on a number of factors, including:

  • Subsequent baccalaureate students do not have priority enrolment. All new students, including subsequent baccalaureate students start as 1st year students and will have a corresponding enrolment date with limited or restricted access to senior level courses reserved for declared majors. Subsequent baccalaureate Year of Study is updated after the first completed term, at which time your enrolment appointment date will also be updated.
  • Declarations can only happen during the declaration time frame of September 1 to January 15 (for competitive majors/minors) or February 15 for regular (non-competitive) majors/minors. Competitive major and minor applications may not be reviewed or approved until February 1.
  • Course scheduling. Not all senior level courses are offered every term. Some senior level courses are offered only once a year, and some only every second year.

In addition to the above, other factors to consider include:

  • At what point in the academic year you were accepted into the MacEwan BA/BSc program and course availability at that time.
  • If you are eligible to be declared at the beginning of your admit term.
  • If you are working towards meeting requirements for a competitive major or minor, you may not have access to other senior level courses in that discipline until you are declared.

Subsequent baccalaureate assessment process

If you would like to complete another Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science, the following things need to happen before an advisor can complete an assessment to confirm which courses you need to take:

  1. Acceptance of your offer of admission to the program
  2. Payment of your admission confirmation deposit
  3. Transfer credits must be posted to your student record (you can see the courses on your transfer credit report and/or on your course history in myStudentSystem)
  4. Availability of applicable program materials (all students enter our programs as undeclared students and are bound by the program of study requirements for the year they declare, which can match the term they are admitted to, but not before). This means that the earliest we can advise incoming Fall term subsequent baccalaureate students will be mid- to late October when the updated Academic Calendar is available, but prior to when new student enrolment opens.

Please do not submit this form until your confirmation deposit has been paid and your transfer credit has been posted to your MacEwan student record (you can see the transfer credit on your myStudentSystem). We cannot complete the process without this information. If you submit the form without these two conditions, you will be asked to resubmit when the conditions have been met.

SUBSEQUENT BACCALAUREATE DECLARATION REQUEST FORM

An Arts & Science academic advisor will email you at your mymacewan email address with a subsequent baccalaureate assessment. Please note that depending on the time of year and where we are in the academic cycle for that term, it can take anywhere from two to four weeks to complete your assessment.

If you apply as a subsequent baccalaureate student but do not intend to complete a degree at MacEwan (e.g., if you apply to a program to complete prerequisites for future schooling), the subsequent baccalaureate declaration request form must still be submitted; however, an academic advisor will not follow up with a subsequent baccalaureate assessment.

You must always consult the website and/or calendar of the institution(s) you hope to attend. As well, you should familiarize yourself with the profession, including ethical issues, and gain relevant experience. There may be additional requirements, such as admission interviews.

We do not give advice about which courses to take for a particular program because students who plan to pursue a specific profession should apply to more than one program to increase chances of acceptance. Also, programs change admission requirements and applicant assessment procedures without informing external institutions.

It is your responsibility to obtain the most accurate, up-to-date information on your own behalf. Once you know which courses you require, we can usually assist you in determining which MacEwan courses meet those requirements (e.g., organic chemistry or biochemistry).

Transferability between Alberta institutions is tracked through the online TransferAlberta guide. In order to have MacEwan University courses assessed for transferability outside Alberta, please contact the receiving institution and be prepared to give them a copy of your course syllabus (we can help you with this if you have lost it).

Here is a partial list of professional programs whose prerequisites can be completed by arts and science students:

Chiropractic Medicine, Dental Hygiene, Dentistry, Education, Law, Medical Laboratory Sciences, Medicine, Optometry, Pharmacy, Registered Dietitian (nutrition programs), Veterinary Medicine

To find out which Canadian schools offer accredited programs in the profession of your choice, go to alis.alberta.ca and choose the occupational profile you want. In the full profile, there will be information on accreditation for all professions. Please contact the accreditation body for a list of all accredited programs in Canada. This information may not be easy to find, but it is worthwhile searching for it.

In addition, students can access graduate professional programs like occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech language pathology, as well as traditional academic graduate programs in their discipline of study.

Choosing courses

Overview

Students starting in the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science all have different goals. When choosing courses in your first year, we advise you start by taking the breadth and/or option courses required for your respective degree choice.

Choose your courses (Video) Enrolment questions and answers (Video)

 

Note: You must log in to Google Drive with your MacEwan University account to access the videos. Logging into the MacEwan portal does not mean you are logged out of your personal Google account. More Information.

Getting started

Use the Getting Started planning sheets for either the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science for help with selecting first-year courses.

2023-24 GETTING STARTED // BACHELOR OF ARTS (PDF) 2023-24 GETTING STARTED // BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (PDF)

2024-25 GETTING STARTED // BACHELOR OF ARTS (PDF) 2024-25 GETTING STARTED // BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (PDF)

Course descriptions

Course descriptions provide you with a brief overview of what you will study in a course, the credit value and the prerequisites. The course description legend breaks down the structure of a course description. Course descriptions are available in the Academic Calendar.

Prerequisites and corequisites

A prerequisite is a course condition that must be successfully completed with a specific grade prior to attempting the next-level course. The prerequisite grade for most university-level courses in Arts and Science is C-, but there may be a few courses requiring a higher grade.

The course descriptions in the Academic Calendar may also list corequisites which are courses that must be taken along with another in the same term.

You are responsible for using the Academic Calendar to confirm that you have met the high school and/or post-secondary prerequisites for any courses that you enrol in. The Faculty of Arts and Science has the right to withdraw students from a course or withhold credit for a course at any time if prerequisites or corequisites are not in place.

Courses numbered 100-199 are considered junior-level.
Courses numbered 200 and higher are considered senior-level.

Arts and science courses

Courses in the subjects listed below are considered Arts and Science courses. Use the Academic Calendar for complete course descriptions including prerequisites. As a BA or B.Sc. student, you will be selecting courses from both arts and science to meet breadth and other program requirements.

Arts courses

ANTH, CHIN, CLAS, COMP, COSL, CRWR, ECON, ENGL, FREN, GEND, GERM, GREK, HIST, HUMN, INDG, JAPN, LATN, LING, NEHI, PABA, PHIL, POLS, PSYC, SOCI, SPAN, SUST, WINL, WRIT

Science courses

ASTR, BICM, BIOL, BOTN, CHEM, CMPT, EASC, GENE, MATH, PABA, PHSC, PHYS, PSYC, SCIE, STAT, WINL, ZOOL

Note:

PSYC and PABA—as there is both an Arts Psychology major and a Science Psychology major, all PSYC and PABA courses can be used as Arts or Science, depending on your specific program.

Out-of-faculty courses

An out-of-faculty course is a course not offered by the Faculty of Arts and Science. There are maximums and declaration-based exclusions for out-of-faculty options.

Maximums

If you declared an Arts or Science major or minor before Fall 2023, you can use up to 15 credits of out-of-faculty courses towards your degree.

If you have declared or will be declaring an Arts or Science major or minor from Fall 2023 onward, you can use up to 18 credits of out-of-faculty courses towards your degree.

Exclusions

If you have declared or will be declaring an out-of-faculty minor, you cannot use any other out-of-faculty courses towards your degree.

 

Course load

Course load refers to the number of credits taken in a term. When choosing how many courses you should take in a term, consider the following:

  • The majority of courses in the Faculty of Arts and Science are 3 credits.
  • To be a full-time student, you must enrol in 9 credits per term.
  • The maximum course load in the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science is 15 credits per term.
  • If you have a student loan, you must maintain enrolment in a minimum of 9 credits per term.
  • You must enrol in a minimum of 3 credits in an academic year to remain in the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science.
  • You must enrol in a minimum of 3 credits in the first term you are accepted to one of our programs.

Credit overload requests

The maximum course load in the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science is 15 credits (5 courses) per term. To take more than 15 credits (5 courses), you need to apply and be approved for credit overload.

General eligibility

  • You must be declared.
  • You must have completed a minimum of 24 university-level credits (8 courses) towards the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science from when you started your BA or B.Sc. at MacEwan.
  • Ideally, you should have a minimum GPA of 3.0 based on completion of 15 credits (5 courses) in a previous term, but all credit overload applications will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Request Process

To discuss your eligibility for credit overload, please book an in-person appointment with an Arts & Science Academic Advisor.

Language courses are usually 5 hours per week. If you have taken a language other than English in high school, been in an immersion program or if you are a heritage speaker of a language other than English, you should verify your placement level before enrolling in classes in that language.

Language placement information

Visit the language website for placement information:

Contact the Department of Humanities for placement information:

Enrolling in courses

You will use myStudentSystem to enrol in classes on or after your enrolment date. Check out the step-by-step instructions for using myStudentSystem to learn how to navigate the university's student information and enrolment system.

Top five things to remember as you are enrolling:
  1. You are responsible for enrolling yourself in courses; advisors will not build your schedules or enrol you in your courses.
  2. You cannot be added to a course that is already full.
  3. If you are taking multi-component courses, you need to enrol in both an open lecture component and an open lab or seminar section separately.
  4. Check the course reserve limits to find out if you can enrol in the course.
  5. You can schedule courses back-to-back; you have ten minutes between back-to-back classes.

Print this Timetable Worksheet to keep track of your course schedule as you enrol.

When you enrol, myStudentSystem will check for post-secondary prerequisites. High school prerequisites are checked by the Faculty of Arts and Science during the first month of the term.

At the beginning of every academic term (Fall, Winter, Spring/Summer), the Faculty of Arts and Science audits every student in every course for post-secondary prerequisites. If you are missing post-secondary prerequisites, you will be sent one warning email. Failure to withdraw from the indicated course(s) and/or failure to respond to the email warnings may result in withdrawal from the course(s).

Prerequisites for courses in future terms

You can enrol in a course in a subsequent term if you are enrolled in the pre-requisite course in the prior term. For example, if you are enrolled in CHEM 101 in the Fall term, you can then also enrol in CHEM 102 in the Winter term. Please note that if you are waitlisted for the course in the first term, you will not be able to enrol in the next-level course in the following term. For example, if you are waitlisted for CHEM 101 in the Fall term, you will not be able to enrol in CHEM 102 in the Winter term. Once you get a seat in your waitlisted class, you will then be able to enrol in the next-level class in the following term.

If you withdraw from or fail to successfully complete the prerequisite course, you must remove yourself from the winter term course immediately.

You may be withdrawn from a course at any time if you start the course without the prerequisite or co-requisite. Credit for that course may be withheld.

Prerequisites from another post-secondary institution

If you met a prerequisite by completing a course at another post-secondary institution, please be aware that:

  • Indirect course equivalents (e.g., your PSYC course at your previous institution transfers to MacEwan as PSYC 1XX) do not meet the criteria for a prerequisite. Your transfer course must be a direct equivalent to be considered a prerequisite.
  • You should be able to enrol yourself with a direct course equivalent (e.g., PSYC 104 at your previous institution transfers to MacEwan as PSYC 104). Direct course equivalents do not normally require permission numbers. If you have a direct course equivalent and you are getting a prerequisite error message when attempting to enrol, contact Arts and Science Academic Advising at artsandscience@macewan.ca.

Permission numbers allow you to enrol in sections that are not available for automatic enrolment in myStudentSystem.

Eligibility

Permission numbers may be granted for the following reasons:

  • myStudentSystem does not recognize your direct equivalent transfer credit as the prerequisite.
  • You have been placed in a higher-level language course (e.g., 200-level).
  • You are taking a 100-level course for which a certain set of high school modules meet the prerequisite criteria, but you are receiving a prerequisite warning message when you try to enrol (e.g., you have completed the required high school modules for enrolment in CMPT 103, but myStudentSystem will not let you enrol).
  • You are taking a special topics course or honours thesis or any other course that requires consent of the department.

Request process

Permission numbers cannot be issued by phone or in-person. Permission number requests must be submitted by MacEwan email.

  • From your MacEwan University student email account, email artsandscience@macewan.ca
  • Include the following information in the email:
    1. Your full name
    2. Your student ID number
    3. The term and year you are requesting a section for (e.g., Fall 2022 or Winter 2023)
    4. The course and section number you want to take (e.g., BIOL 495 AS01)
    5. How you have met the pre-requisite(s)
    6. Your reason for requesting a permission number
Example

Name: Stu Dent
ID number: 123456
Term/Year: Fall 2023
Course: BIOL 495
My prerequisites: I have BIOL 323 (B+), and BIOL 367 (A-)
Reason: Special Topics course that requires permission number

Special Topics courses focus on specific areas of interest within a discipline. The topics are chosen based on the expertise of the instructors who teach these courses, and the topics may vary from term to term. Visit the department webpage for a list of current and upcoming special topics courses. From the department homepage > In this Section > Academics > Courses

Field schools may take place in different locations. In these courses, you gain hands-on experience and apply what you have learned in class. Check the department webpage to see if they offer field school opportunities. From the department homepage > In this Section > Academics > Experiential Learning

The list of all departments in Faculty of Arts and Science is on the Departments webpage.

Independent study courses are designed for intermediate- and senior-level students with an interest in doing discipline-specific research or study. See the Academic Calendar for course descriptions and requirements.

Independent study application process

If you wish to complete an independent study course, you must make prior arrangements with an instructor who is willing to supervise you and create a specialized course outline for the proposed project. Talk to an instructor who teaches in or studies the topic area you are interested in exploring to begin your application.

Independent study application deadlines

In the Faculty of Arts and Science, the following deadlines apply:

Fall term: August 1
Winter term: December 1
Spring term: April 1
Summer term: June 1

Independent study application form

The application process can take several weeks. Completed and electronically signed applications must be submitted to asindependentstudy@macewan.ca by the posted deadlines.

CMPT 496 is a capstone project in which students plan, conduct, and communicate the results of an independent project in Computer Science under the direction of a faculty supervisor. The project can be undertaken by an individual student or, if the scope warrants, by a team of students. Registration is contingent on the student(s) having made prior arrangements with a faculty member willing to supervise the project and is intended for students in the final year of their degree.

Visit the Department of Computer Science Capstone Project page for a list of Computer Science faculty project supervisors and a link to CMPT 496 course agreement form.

WINL 300

Work integrated Learning

In WINL 300, students engage in work integrated learning through employment that typically lasts for one semester. Any placement needs department approval. After the successful completion of the placement, there is a critical analysis/demonstration of the learning accomplished.

Students who are interested in WINL 300 will need a faculty supervisor. To enroll in WINL 300, complete the course agreement form in consultation with your faculty supervisor and your employment supervisor/contact.

WINL 300 Course Agreement Form

WINL 301

Work integrated Learning within a class setting

In WINL 301, students engage in work integrated learning through a placement with an agency or community organization involving either a paid (employment) or an unpaid (volunteer) position and course-based instruction. The aim is to enable students to develop the ability to integrate their learning through a combination of academic and work-related activities.

Enrolment requires department/Faculty approval. Successful completion of the course involves both a placement component (e.g. work experience) and coursework in a group setting (e.g. class experience), including a critical analysis/demonstration of the learning accomplished. 

For more information on WINL 301, visit Careers & Experience > Experiential Learning > Work-integrated Learning (Faculty of Arts and Science).

Interested students can also learn more by contacting Sebastian Panciuk at panciuks@macewan.ca

Faculty of Arts and Science students may, on approval, be granted permission to take courses at another post-secondary institution.

Process

You must apply for and be granted permission before starting an external course. The visiting student process is governed by the External Course Taking policy. If approved for visiting student permission, you will receive a Letter of Permission from MacEwan University's Office of the University Registrar. Without the Letter of Permission, transfer credit will not be applied to your MacEwan program of study.

Basic requirements

Eligibility for Faculty of Arts and Science visiting student permission is determined on a case-by-case basis, but the following two lists outline some basic requirements.

Visiting student applicants must:

  • be declared
  • have completed a minimum of 24 credits towards the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science while in the program of study at MacEwan
  • be in good academic standing at the time of the application
  • ensure compliance with program of study residency requirements
  • be aware of and adhere to the application, prerequisite and graduation deadlines. (These deadlines are listed further down in this section.)

Visiting student permission will not be granted:

  • for any course required for competitive major or minor declaration
  • to bypass prerequisite requirements
  • if you already have an outstanding Letter of Permission and the transfer credit for the outstanding Letter of Permission has not yet been posted to your student record
  • for courses that are offered on a regular basis at MacEwan

Important notes

  • Only one course per request form
  • Approval is given for only the course and term listed on the Letter of Permission. If you wish to take a different course, or take the course in a different term, or attend a different institution, you must submit a new visiting student application.
  • You must comply with the visiting student deadlines and policies of both MacEwan University and the host institution.
  • Students will not be considered for credit overload under the visiting student application.
  • Honours students must consult with their Honours advisor regarding placement of external courses.
  • Visiting student credits and final grades will be considered as part of your credit load and GPA in applications for Faculty of Arts and Science continuing student scholarships.
  • Your eligibility for other academic awards or scholarships may be affected when you complete degree requirements at another institution. Contact the Financial Aid Office in the Office of the University Registrar for specific details on eligibility for awards other than the Faculty of Arts and Science continuing student scholarships.
  • If you are approved for visiting student, it is your responsibility to ensure that you are enrolled in and/or registering in MacEwan courses as per Withdrawal from University Programs policy.

Procedure

  • An academic advisor will review your application and will email your myMacEwan email address to let you know whether your request has been approved or denied.
  • If your application is approved, the Office of the University Registrar will send a Letter of Permission (LOP) to your myMacEwan email account. File the LOP someplace where you will have easy access to it for future reference. It contains information and instructions you will need to follow after you have completed the external course.
  • It is your responsibility to apply to and enrol at the host institution. MacEwan University has no role in your application, admission, or registration at the host institution.
  • On completion of the external course, you must submit an official transcript from the host institution to MacEwan’s Office of the University Registrar.
  • If you are taking visiting student courses in your graduation year, you are responsible for submitting all transcripts to the Office of the University Registrar by the document deadline. Please note that if you miss the document deadline, you will need to reapply to graduate for the next Convocation term.
  • If you plan to use a visiting student course to meet prerequisites for a MacEwan course, your final grade for the external course must be posted to myStudentSystem prior to enrolment in the next level course.
  • Check your transfer credit report in myStudentSystem to ensure that transfer credits are properly posted

VISITING STUDENT APPLICATION FOR LETTER OF PERMISSION

Timelines and deadlines

Visiting student requests may take up to four weeks to process. Advisors will only review visiting student requests during the following periods:

Term Visiting student request available

Fall

After the Winter add/drop deadline until August 1

Winter

After the Fall add/drop deadline until December 1

Spring

After the Winter add/drop deadline until April 1

Summer

After the Winter add/drop deadline until June 1


Prerequisite document deadlines

Your official transcripts for visiting student courses must be received by MacEwan's Office of the University Registrar by the following document deadlines to be used for prerequisites:

  • Fall term: August 15
  • Winter term: December 15
  • Spring/Summer term: April 15

There are no exceptions to the prerequisite document deadlines. They are non-negotiable. Failure to submit your visiting student transcripts by the deadline means the course is ineligible for credit at MacEwan, either toward the degree or for the prerequisite. No transfer credit will be applied, and you will not be able to enroll in the next-level course at MacEwan.

Graduation document deadlines

Your official transcripts for visiting student courses must be received by MacEwan's Office of the University Registrar by the following document deadlines to be used for the purpose of graduation:

  • Spring convocation (June) : May 1
  • Fall convocation (November) : October 1
There are no exceptions to the graduation document deadlines. They are non-negotiable. Failure to meet the deadline to submit your visiting student transcripts for graduation means you will need to apply or reapply to graduate in the next term.

Managing your progress

Academic integrity means honesty and responsibility in scholarship. It is essential to the mission and vision of MacEwan University. As a student, you are expected to comply with all academic integrity regulations. You can find out more about defining integrity and your rights and responsibilities on MacEwan's Academic Integrity website.

Academic Integrity

A course outline, also called a course syllabus, is distributed in the first class of each course. It is an official outline of what you can expect to learn in the course and what is expected of you. It includes such things as required texts and readings, assignment deadlines, assessment dates, and the weighting of course requirements.

Read your syllabus carefully and refer to it throughout the term.

Final exams

It is your responsibility to know when and where your final examinations are scheduled and to arrive on time. You must be available for the entire exam period to accommodate exam schedule changes.

For more information about final exams and the final assessment policy, refer to the exams website.

Final Exams

Exam deferrals

If you need to request a deferral for a midterm exam or assignment, talk to your instructor. To request a deferred final exam, follow the process outlined by the Exam Services Centre.

Exam Services Centre // Deferred Exams

The minimum passing grade at MacEwan University is D. However, to be in good academic standing, you must maintain a 2.0 Grade Point Average (GPA) each term. Please refer to the Academic Standing Policy for details or speak with an advisor for help understanding the policy.

If you are a declared student and have completed at least 60 credits (20) courses, we strongly recommend requesting a progress check. Progress checks are a formal review of your course history and progress toward meeting your major/minor requirements, breadth exit requirements, and degree regulations.

It is not an evaluation of your application to graduate, and you are entitled on one (1) progress check per declaration. If you redeclare, you can request another progress check.

It is a good idea to request a progress check when you are at the halfway (or a little more than the halfway) point of your degree as this will give you time to make any scheduling adjustments and complete any outstanding requirements that have been identified in the progress check.

At the absolute latest, we urge you to request a progress check before enrolment opens for your final year.

Progress Check Request Form

If you entered the program with previous post-secondary credits, IB or AP courses, or you have completed a MacEwan diploma program or you have already completed a degree at MacEwan or another institution, do not submit a progress check request form. Instead, follow the process outlined under "Additional planning assistance."

Timelines and deadlines

Progress checks may take up to four weeks to process. Advisors will only do progress checks during the following periods:

TERM PROGRESS CHECK AVAILABLE

Fall

After the add/drop deadline until December 1

Winter

After the add/drop deadline until April 1

Spring/Summer

From May 15 until August 1

Apply to graduate

Once you are confident that you will meet graduation requirements, you must apply to graduate through myStudentSystem by the deadline. You can find the "Apply for Graduation" link in myStudentsSystem under Academic Records.

Advisors will review all graduation applications. If you are missing requirements, they will contact you directly. Students who look like they are on track will NOT be contacted.

MacEwan University holds two convocation ceremonies each year. If you complete your degree in December or April, you convocate in June. If you complete your degree between May and August, you convocate in November.

Check the Convocation website for details on the ceremony, confirming your attendance and ordering your gown.

Declaring your major/minor or applying to Honours programs

Your major allows you to study a subject in great depth. It can lead you towards your career or to graduate studies in a specific area. You will also explore a second subject in greater depth as a requirement of your degree. You have the option to complete a secondary major, a minor or two minors.

We encourage you to explore several subject areas before you decide on your major(s) and/or minor(s).

Arts majors and minors

Science majors and minors

Contact a discipline advisor

Each discipline has appointed a faculty member to advise declared students on course content in the discipline as well as career options and graduate school. We strongly recommend that you use the discipline advisor as a resource to explore academic and career paths. Check the department website for contact information.

Academic departments

You must officially declare your major(s) and minor(s). You should declare after you are admitted to the program and prior to completing 45 credits towards your degree. You are bound by the degree requirements of the year you declared your major and minor. Make sure you are using the Academic Calendar and your overall degree planner with the applicable major(s) and minor(s) planning sheets from the year you declare.

General declarations

Declarations are open from September 1 to February 15 (except competitive majors and minors). The following majors are open to general declaration: Anthropology, Applied Statistics, Chemistry, Economics, English, History, Mathematics, Mathematical Sciences, Philosophy, Physical Sciences, Political Science and Sociology.

Steps to Declare

Log in to myPortal.MacEwan.ca

Launch myStudentSystem

  1. Go to Academic Records
  2. Select Major/Minor Declaration
  3. Click on Submit New Request
  4. Select your chosen major(s) and minor(s) as applicable
  5. Read the acknowledgement statement and check off the I Agree box if you are in agreement
  6. Click Submit

You will receive notification of any declaration status changes via your MacEwan email and in the Academic Records section of myStudentSystem. To confirm your declaration has been processed correctly, confirm that it appears in the Major/Minor Declaration menu item.

Competitive declarations

You must meet course and grade requirements for application to competitive programs. Find this information in the Academic Calendar for your program of choice. The following majors and minors are considered competitive:

  • Biological Science Major for B.Sc.
  • Computer Science Major for B.Sc.
  • Psychology Major for BA or B.Sc.
  • Business Law Minor for BA or B.Sc.
  • Digital Experience Design Minor for BA or B.Sc.

Declarations for competitive majors and minors are open from September 1 to January 15. Selection to a competitive major or minor is based on your AGPA ranked against other students who have applied in the same year, unless otherwise stated. As there is a maximum number of students admitted in these disciplines, we recommend that students who apply for a competitive major or minor also prepare an alternate plan.

You will be told whether or not your application was successful by February 1. If you are not admitted into the competitive major or minor of your choice, use the general declaration process outlined above to choose an alternative.

If you wish to change your major or minor, you must re-declare. Once you have successfully declared a competitive major or minor in a particular discipline, you will not be asked to compete again in that discipline. However, you will be bound by any new program of study changes based on the date of your updated declaration.

Important notes for all students

  • If you decide to change your major and minor, you can re-declare by repeating the process above. You will need to follow the requirements of the year you re-declare if you do so. However, if you are accepted into a competitive major and decide to re-declare to change your minor, you will not be required to compete again for your major.
  • If you have to reapply to the program, you are considered an undeclared student when you are re-admitted. You will need to re-declare and re-compete for competitive majors and minors.
  • You are responsible for confirming that your declaration has been updated by checking the Academics section in myStudentSystem.
  • If you have been admitted under an internal laddering agreement or have completed a previous degree and are now working towards a subsequent baccalaureate degree, you cannot declare online. Please contact your program advisor for assistance.

You declare your minor at the same time that you declare your major.

If you change your mind, you can re-declare. Use the academic calendar for the year you re-declare to determine the major, minor and degree requirements you must meet for graduation.

Honours degrees are available in:

For admission and information regarding Honours planning, please contact the Honours advisor in your discipline from the links above.

If you are considering an Honours program, request a progress check or request to have your current progress check updated at least two weeks prior to meeting with your Honours advisor. See the Progress check tab under Managing your progress on this page for more information on how to request a progress check.

Please ensure you are using the Academic Calendar and planning information for the year you officially declare. Refer to the table below to determine which year to use:

If you declared ... Degree Requirements Year Declaration Year
On or after September 1, 2021 and before or on February 15, 2022 2021/2022 2021
On or after September 1, 2020 and before or on February 15, 2021 2020/2021 2020
On or after September 1, 2019 and before or on February 15, 2020 2019/2020 2019
On or after September 1, 2018 and before or on February 15, 2019 2018/2019 2018
On or after September 1, 2017 and before or on February 15, 2018 2017/2018 2017
On or after December 1, 2016 and before or on February 15, 2017 2016/2017 2016
On or after December 1, 2015 and before or on March 1, 2016 2015/2016 2015

Planning sheets

Bachelor of Arts

Overall degree planners


Bachelor of Science

Overall degree planners

Bachelor of Arts

Overall degree planners


Bachelor of Science

Overall degree planners

Bachelor of Arts

Overall degree planners


Bachelor of Science

Overall degree planners

Bachelor of Arts

Overall degree planners

Majors

Anthropology, Economics, English, History, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology.


Bachelor of Science

Overall degree planners

Majors

Applied Statistics, Biological Sciences, ChemistryComputer Science, Mathematics, Mathematical Sciences, Physical Sciences, Science Psychology


Minors

Arts minors

Anthropology, Classics, Creative Writing, Economics, English, French, Gender Studies, History, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology*, Sociology, Spanish. Bachelor of Arts students can also take any science minor.

Science minors

Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Computer Science, Earth and Planetary Sciences, Mathematics, Physics, Planetary Physics, Psychology*, Statistics. Bachelor of Science students can also take any arts minor. *the psychology minor is the same for both Arts and Science students

Out-of-faculty minors

Accounting, Arts and Cultural Management, Business Law, Digital Experience DesignBusiness Studies, Finance, Human Resources, Marketing


Honours

Interested in Honours? Planning Sheets are available at the Program Services Office 6-211.

Bachelor of Arts

Overall degree planners

Majors

AnthropologyEconomicsEnglishHistoryPhilosophyPolitical SciencePsychologySociology.


Bachelor of Science

Overall degree planners

Majors

Applied StatisticsBiological SciencesChemistryComputer ScienceMathematicsMathematical SciencesPhysical SciencesScience Psychology


Minors

Arts minors

AnthropologyClassicsCreative WritingEconomicsEnglishFrenchGender StudiesHistoryPhilosophyPolitical SciencePsychology*, SociologySpanish. Bachelor of Arts students can also take any science minor.

Science minors

Biological SciencesChemistryComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary SciencesMathematicsPhysicsPlanetary PhysicsPsychology*, Statistics. Bachelor of Science students can also take any arts minor.

*the psychology minor is the same for both Arts and Science students 

Out-of-faculty minors

AccountingArts and Cultural ManagementBusiness LawDigital Experience DesignBusiness StudiesFinanceHuman ResourcesMarketing


Honours

Interested in Honours? Planning Sheets are available at the Program Services Office 6-211.

Bachelor of Arts

Overall degree planners

Majors

AnthropologyEconomicsEnglishHistoryPhilosophyPolitical SciencePsychologySociology.


Bachelor of Science

Overall degree planners

Majors

Applied StatisticsBiological SciencesComputer ScienceMathematicsMathematical SciencesPhysical SciencesScience Psychology


Minors

Arts minors

AnthropologyClassicsCreative WritingEconomicsEnglishFrenchGender StudiesHistoryPhilosophyPolitical SciencePsychology*, SociologySpanish. Bachelor of Arts students can also take any science minor.

Science minors

Biological SciencesChemistryComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary SciencesMathematicsPhysicsPlanetary PhysicsPsychology*, Statistics. Bachelor of Science students can also take any arts minor.

*the psychology minor is the same for both Arts and Science students

Out-of-faculty minors

AccountingBusiness LawDigital Experience DesignBusiness StudiesFinanceHuman ResourcesMarketingArts and Cultural Management

Bachelor of Arts

Overall degree planners

Majors

AnthropologyEconomicsEnglishHistoryPhilosophyPolitical SciencePsychologySociology


Bachelor of Science

Overall degree planners

Majors

Applied Statistics, (New starting September 2018), Biological SciencesComputer ScienceMathematicsMathematical SciencesPhysical SciencesScience Psychology


Minors

Arts minors

AnthropologyClassicsCreative WritingEconomicsEnglishFrenchGender Studies(New starting September 2018), HistoryPhilosophyPolitical SciencePsychology,* SociologySpanish. Bachelor of Arts students can also take any science minor.

Science minors

Biological SciencesChemistryComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary SciencesMathematicsPhysicsPlanetary PhysicsPsychology,*, Statistics. Bachelor of Science students can also take any arts minor.

*the psychology minor is the same for both Arts and Science students

Out-of-faculty minors

Accounting,** Business LawBusiness StudiesFinanceHuman ResourcesMarketing**

 **New starting September 2018


Honours

Interested in Honours? 2018-19 Planning Sheets are available at the Program Services Office 6-211.

Bachelor of Arts

Overall degree planners

Arts majors

AnthropologyEconomicsEnglishHistoryPhilosophyPolitical ScienceArts PsychologySociology.


Bachelor of Science

Overall degree planners

Science majors

Biological SciencesComputer ScienceMathematicsMathematical SciencesPhysical SciencesScience Psychology.


Minors

Arts minors

AnthropologyClassicsCreative WritingEconomicsEnglishFrenchHistoryPhilosophyPolitical SciencePsychology,* SociologySpanish. Bachelor of Arts students can also take any science minor.

Science minors

Biological SciencesChemistryComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary SciencesMathematicsPsychologyPhysicsPlanetary PhysicsStatistics. Bachelor of Science students can also take any arts minor.

*the psychology minor is the same for both Arts and Science students

Out-of-faculty minors

Business StudiesBusiness Law


Honours

Interested in Honours? Planning Sheets are available at the Program Services Office 6-211.

Bachelor of Arts

Overall degree planner

Arts major

AnthropologyEconomicsEnglishHistoryPhilosophyPolitical SciencePsychologySociology. Bachelor of Arts students can also take any Science minor.


Bachelor of Science

Overall degree planner

Science majors

Biological SciencesComputer ScienceMathematicsMathematical SciencesPhysical SciencesPsychology. Bachelor of Science students can also take any Arts minor.

There is also a worksheet for Biological Sciences majors. This is to assist with course planning, as many courses have prerequisites that are only offered in either Fall or Winter.

Science Honours

Psychology


Minors

Arts minors

AnthropologyClassicsCreative WritingEconomicsEnglishFrenchHistoryPhilosophyPolitical SciencePsychology,* SociologySpanish. Bachelor of Arts students can also take any Science minor.

Science minors

Biological SciencesChemistryComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary SciencesMathematicsPsychology,* PhysicsStatistics. Bachelor of Science students can also take any Arts minor.

*the psychology minor is the same for both Arts and Science students.

Out-of-faculty minors

Business StudiesBusiness Law

Bachelor of Arts

Overall degree planning

BA program planner

Arts majors

AnthropologyEconomics, EnglishHistoryPhilosophyPolitical SciencePsychologySociology

Honours

Anthropology,EnglishPolitical SciencePsychologySociology


Bachelor of Science

Overall degree planning

B.Sc. program planner

Science majors

Biological Sciences, Computer ScienceMathematicsMathematical SciencesPhysical SciencesPsychology

There is also a worksheet for Biological Sciences majors. This is to assist with course planning, as many courses have prerequisites that are only offered in either Fall or Winter.


Minors

Arts minors

Anthropology, Business StudiesClassicsEconomicsEnglishFrenchHistoryPhilosophy, Political SciencePsychologySociologySpanish. Bachelor of Arts students can also take any science minor.

Science minors

Biological SciencesChemistryComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary SciencesMathematicsPsychologyPhysicsStatistics. Bachelor of Science students can also take any Arts minor.

*The Psychology minor is the same for both Arts and Science students. 

Bachelor of Arts

Overall degree planning

BA program planner

Arts majors

AnthropologyEconomicsEnglish, HistoryPhilosophyPolitical Science, Psychology, Sociology

Arts Honours

Anthropology,EnglishPsychologySociology


Bachelor of Science

Overall degree planning

B.Sc. program planner

Science majors

Biological SciencesComputer ScienceMathematicsMathematical SciencesPhysical SciencesPsychology

There is also a worksheet for Biological Sciences majors. This is to assist with course planning, as many courses have prerequisites that are only offered in either Fall or Winter.


Minors

Arts minors

AnthropologyBusiness StudiesClassicsEconomicsEnglishFrench, HistoryPhilosophyPolitical SciencePsychologySociologySpanish

Science minors

Biological SciencesChemistry, Computer Science, Earth and Planetary Sciences, MathematicsPsychologyPhysicsStatistics

Bachelor of Arts

Overall degree planning

BA program planner

Arts majors

AnthropologyEconomicsEnglish, HistoryPhilosophyPolitical Science, Psychology, Sociology

Arts Honours

EnglishPsychologySociology


Bachelor of Science

Overall degree planning

B.Sc. program planner

Science majors

Biological SciencesComputer ScienceMathematicsMathematical SciencesPhysical SciencesPsychology

There is also a worksheet for Biological Sciences majors. This is to assist with course planning, as many courses have prerequisites that are only offered in either Fall or Winter.


Minors

Arts minors

AnthropologyBusiness StudiesClassicsEconomicsEnglishHistoryPhilosophyPolitical SciencePsychologySociology

Science minors

Biological SciencesChemistry, Computer Science, Earth and Planetary Sciences, MathematicsPsychologyPhysicsStatistics

If you declared your major and minor prior to the 2013-2014 academic year, please contact Academic Advising to get your planning sheets.