What is Interdisciplinary Arts and Science?
The Honours Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences is a four-year honours degree program that allows you to customize your degree by choosing from nearly any field of study in the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (FAHSS). Whether it be a degree combining environmental science and film, biology and psychology, or chemistry and visual arts (just to name a few options!), you can select a plan based on your personal interests and career goals while increasing your skills and employability in the ever-changing job market.
As an ArtSci student, you may choose from the following options:
- Major concentration with a minor
- Double major concentration
- Major concentration with a double minor
Major concentrations require 12 courses.
Minor concentrations require 6 courses.
Upon graduation, you will receive an Honours Bachelor of Arts and Sciences (HBAS) recognizing your studies in each area of concentration.
Why major in Arts & Science (ArtSci)?
- Pursue your passions and customize your degree by taking classes in both the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (FAHSS).
- Core ARSC courses foster an interdisciplinary way of thinking and transferable skills to help you adapt to the ever-changing demands of the job market.
- Core ARSC courses also offer small class sizes, with some of the smallest student professor ratios on campus, and a chance to pursue a major research project in your final year of study. The smaller program size enables you to form personal connections with your peers and professors and fosters a strong sense of community amongst students and alumni.
- The program prepares you for diverse career and graduate school opportunities.
Frequently Asked Questions
After enrolling in the Arts and Science program you will begin to take courses in your desired areas of concentration as well as other required Arts and Sciences courses. At the start of your second year in the program, you will formally declare your major and minor concentrations. To meet your degree requirements, you will take courses offered in your area of major/minor concentration, in addition to required courses offered by the Arts and Science program. In your final year, you will work with a faculty supervisor to complete a research project on a desired topic of study.
Total Number of Courses: 40 courses/120 credits
- At least 15 courses from the Faculty of Science
- At least 15 courses from FAHSS, including core ARSC courses in topics such as ethics, research methods, and interdisciplinary ways of knowing
- A 2-course major research project in your fourth year
The ArtSci degree requires core courses (course code ARSC) that emphasize interdisciplinary perspectives and collaboration, and build skills and knowledge in areas including research, problem-solving, ethics, communication, and critical thinking.
It is designed to allow you to study with flexibility while gaining the credits needed in each of your fields of study to graduate on time and develop subject-specific expertise.
Students in the Bachelor of Arts and Science program can choose from a wide range of subjects in the arts and in the sciences. See the list below for possible areas of study:
Faculty of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
- Communication, Media and Film
- Criminology
- Dramatic Art
- English
- French Studies
- Greek and Roman Studies
- History
- Modern Languages
- Music
- Philosophy
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Visual Art
- Women and Gender Studies
Faculty of Science
- Biochemistry
- Biological Science
- Chemistry
- Computer Science
- Earth and Environmental Science
- Economics
- Mathematics and Statistics
- Physics
Employers everywhere seek graduates who can think analytically and creatively and conduct independent research; who have familiarity with the world of science and technology; can communicate effectively; and who are broadly educated. ArtSci graduates are prepared to adapt and contribute to the ever-changing demands of professional life.
Your ArtSci degree will prepare you for a variety of career paths by developing expertise in your chosen fields of study while fostering valuable transferable skills such as problem-solving, communication, argumentation and reasoning, critical thinking, and ethics.
Our graduates go on to pursue further studies and successful careers in a range of fields. Here are some of the many examples:
Advanced Studies:
- Medical School
- Dental School
- Veterinary School
- Law School
- Teacher's College
- Graduate School
Career Options:
- Medicine
- Law
- Health Research
- Art Conservation
- Environmental Science
- Speech Pathology
- Archaeology
- Public Health
- Education
- Creative Arts
- ...and more!
All ArtSci students share a set of core degree requirements which can be found in the undergraduate calendar under Honours Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences; however, each area of major/minor concentration also contains its own requirements under that section of the undergraduate calendar.
In first year, you will learn how to navigate the program as part of ARSC 1000: Intro to Interdisciplinary Arts & Science, and you will receive further support as you meet with your undergraduate advisor throughout the course of your degree.
All students in the Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences program will take a selection of core Arts and Sciences courses (course code ARSC), as well as courses more specific to their areas of major/minor concentration.
As an example, a student in their first semester with concentrations in History and Computer Science may take courses such as ARSC-1000 Introduction to Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, HIST-1030 Past to Present: Understanding History, HIST-1240 The World in the Twentieth Century, 1945-Present, COMP-1000 Key Concepts in Computer Science, and MATH-1720 Differential Calculus.
All ArtSci students are expected to complete a two-semester research project in their final year under the course code ARSC 4990 or the equivalent in another program. The research project allows students to work with a faculty supervisor to explore their chosen topic, providing them with a capstone research experience that will strengthen graduate applications and prepare students for future endeavours.
The project can focus on any topic of interest (including but not limited to those of their major concentration) and is supervised by a faculty member with expertise in that area. Recent projects have explored a range of topics, from sonifying ecological data by composing original harp music, to analyzing curriculum in undergraduate genetics courses, to investigating methods of literacy acquisition amongst 16th century English peoples, to studying stream health in Trinidad’s Western Peninsula.
In addition to this, many ArtSci students are involved in the Outstanding Scholars program, which provides paid undergraduate research opportunities.