6.4 Bachelor of Arts (Honours) and International Bachelor of Arts (iBA) (Honours) Degree Regulations

  1. A program is offered leading to the Honours Degree of Bachelor of Arts and the Honours Degree International Bachelor of Arts (iBA). The Bachelor of Arts Honours and the iBA degrees require, over and above the requirements of the General Degree, a concentration at an advanced level in an approved field, consisting of a subject or subjects of specialization and/or related subjects, and a high quality of work throughout the program. An Honours degree is of distinct advantage to students who plan advanced work or careers in their chosen fields and also to those who have a clear commitment to some special field of study. An Honours degree with first or second class standing is, in many cases, a prerequisite for admission to a graduate program.

  2. A student completing a degree program in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences will normally follow the degree regulations in effect in the academic year in which the student first entered Memorial University of Newfoundland. This is determined by the year of the student number. However, a student may elect to follow subsequent regulations introduced during the student's tenure in the program.


6.4.1 Admission and Registration

  1. Admission to Honours programs is competitive and limited, depending upon available resources. A student should consult the criteria established for the program in question. To be considered for admission to an Honours program, a student shall submit an "Application for Admission to Honours" form to the Office of the Registrar. The application may be obtained at www.mun.ca/regoff/forms.php. The application must be approved by the Head of the Department or Program Supervisor of the Subject of Specialization before the student can be admitted to the program.

  2. A student who wishes to enter an Honours program is strongly advised to consult the Head of the Department or Program Supervisor at the earliest possible date, as it may not be possible to complete the requirements for the degree in the normal time if the decision to embark on the program is delayed beyond the end of the second year.

  3. A student who has been awarded the General Degree of Bachelor of Arts may convert it to an Honours Degree of Bachelor of Arts by applying to the department of specialization and the Registrar and, upon approval of such application by the Department, completing the requirements for the Honours degree as set forth in the regulations. Similarly, a student who has been awarded the General Degree of International Bachelor of Arts may convert it to an Honours Degree of International Bachelor of Arts by following the same process.

  4. Upon entering the program, the student shall be assigned a Faculty Advisor by the Head of the Department or Program Supervisor. The Faculty Advisor will be responsible for advising the student and the Head of the Department or Program Supervisor with respect to the student's program of studies.


6.4.2 Subjects of Specialization

Subjects which may be chosen as Subjects of Specialization for the Honours Degree of the Bachelor of Arts or the Honours Degree of the iBA are the following:

  1. Those administered by Departments in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences by the Head of the Department: Anthropology, Archaeology, Classics, Economics, English, Folklore, French, Geography, German, History, Linguistics, Philosophy, Political Science, Religious Studies, Sociology.

  2. Bachelor of Arts Honours Programs are also available in and administered by the following Faculty of Science Departments: Computer Science, Mathematics and Statistics, Psychology. These programs require a Minor, or alternatively a second Major, in the Bachelor of Arts offered by a Department in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.


6.4.3 Course Requirements

A student for the Honours Degree of Bachelor of Arts or the Honours Degree of the iBA shall complete a program of studies that shall consist of not fewer than 120 credit hours subject to the following regulations:

  1. A student is required to complete the Core Requirements as detailed in the Regulations for the General Degree of Bachelor of Arts. These include:

    1. Breadth of Knowledge Requirement

    2. Critical Reading and Writing (CRW) Requirement

    3. Language Study (LS) Requirement

    4. Quantitative Reasoning (QR) Requirement

  2. A student must also:

    1. Pass a general comprehensive examination in a Subject of Specialization. This examination may be written, or oral, or a combination of both. The comprehensive examination shall count as 3 credit hours in the Subject of Specialization; and/or

    2. Submit an Honours essay on an approved topic which, at the discretion of the Head of the Department or the Program Supervisor, may be followed by an oral examination thereon. Normally, the Honours essay will count as 3 credit hours in the Subject of Specialization, or as 6 credit hours in the case of linked (A/B) Honours essays (please consult departmental regulations).

      The semester in which the student sits for the comprehensive examination, and/or the semester in which the Honours essay is to be submitted, may be decided by the student after consultation with the Head of the Department or Program Supervisor.

      A copy of the Honours essay must be submitted to the University Library upon completion. All Honours essays in the University Library shall be available for unrestricted consultation by students and faculty except under very exceptional circumstances, which must be approved by the Head of the department concerned. Copyright remains with the author. A signed release form must accompany an essay or dissertation when it is submitted to the University Library.

  3. Further courses shall be chosen either

    1. in consultation with the Faculty Advisor and with the approval of the Head of the Department or Program Supervisor of the Subject of Specialization. The student's program shall include not fewer than 60 credit hours in courses applicable to the Subject of Specialization, including the comprehensive examination and/or the Honours essay, at least 36 of which must be at the 3000 level or above, and not fewer than 24 credit hours in a Minor subject or program according to the Departmental or Program Regulations covering that Minor, and the total number of credit hours which may be applied to the degree is not fewer than 120; or

    2. in consultation with the Faculty Advisor and with the approval of the Head of the Department or Program Supervisor of the Subject of Specialization. The student's program shall include not fewer than 60 credit hours in courses applicable to the Subject of Specialization, including the comprehensive examination and/or the Honours essay, at least 36 of which must be at the 3000 level or above, and not fewer than 36 credit hours in a Major subject or program according to the Departmental or Program Regulations governing that Major, and the total number of credit hours which may be applied to the degree is not fewer than 120; or

    3. a student may complete the Joint Honours program.


6.4.4 Departmental Regulations

A student for Honours degrees shall also comply with such additional requirements of the appropriate Department(s) as are approved by the Senate and printed in the Calendar.


6.4.5 The Joint Honours Program

As an alternative to a Major and Minor, a student may complete a Joint Honours, which consists of a minimum of 42 to a maximum of 51 credit hours taken from each of two participating Honours programs. The student must fulfill all other requirements of the B.A. or iBA degree, including the minimum of 120 credit hours.

  1. Students who choose a Joint Honours program will have requirements reduced in each Honours program as prescribed in the program’s regulations and found in each individual program’s Calendar entry.

  2. The Joint Honours program requires completion of an Honours program in at least one of the following: Anthropology, Archaeology, Classics, Economics, English, Folklore, French, Geography, German, History, Linguistics, Philosophy, Political Science, Religious Studies, Sociology.

  3. The student's program shall include not fewer than 42 and not more than 51 credit hours in courses approved for each of the Subject of Specialization, including the comprehensive examination and/or the Honours essay, of which at least 27 shall be at the 3000 level or above in each of the Subjects of Specialization, and the total number of credit hours which may be applied to the degree is not fewer than 120.

  4. A student in the Joint Honours program may choose the Subject of Specialization for the Honours essay and/or comprehensive examination.

  5. As outlined in Limit on Certain Credit Hours, credit hours cannot be simultaneously used to fulfill the requirements of both programs in Joint Honours.