Ontario College of Art & Design

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DEGREE/DIPLOMA REQUIREMENTS

  • BFA and BDes
  • Diploma
  • Year-level Restrictions
  • First-Year Liberal Arts & Sciences Requirements

BFA and BDes

GROUP A

Starting in September 2006, all students entering first year as well as students who took LS ONE (LBST 1D01) 2005/2006 must complete the following Liberal Arts & Sciences requirements for a total of 5.0 credits:

LBST (First-Year) 1.5 credits
VISA, VISC, VISD, VISM (History and Theory of Visual Culture) 1.5 credits

Plus 0.5 credit selected from four of the five following categories: 2.0 credits
ENGL (English)
HUMN (Humanities)
SCTM (Science/Technology/Mathematics)
SOSC (Social Sciences)
VISA, VISC, VISD, VISM (History and Theory of Visual Culture)

At least 1.5 credits of the 5.0 credits above must be completed at the 300 or 400 level.

GROUP B

All students in degree programs who entered first year in September 2005 or earlier (except students who took LS ONE; see Group A above) must complete the following Liberal Arts & Sciences credits for a total of 5.0 credits:

ENGL (English) 0.5 credit
HUMN (Humanities) 0.5 credit
SCTM (Science/Technology/Mathematics) 0.5 credit
SOSC (Social Sciences) 0.5 credit
VISA, VISC, VISD, VISM (History and Theory of Visual Culture) 3.0 credits

Alumni in degree completion programs and students who entered second year prior to September 2004 must complete at least 2.0 credits at the 300 or 400 level. Students who entered second year in September 2004 or later, must complete at least 1.5 credits at the 300 or 400 level.

Alumni in the Degree Completion Program Alumni admitted to the degree completion program are required to complete 5.0 credits in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Sciences, as outlined in Group B above. At least 2.0 of these credits must be completed at the third- and/or fourth-year levels. All alumni returning for degree completion are strongly urged to meet with an academic advisor in Liberal Arts & Sciences for advice about their program of study.

Alumni are subject to the general registration restrictions for Liberal Arts & Sciences courses, but are exempt from specific course prerequisites. It is nevertheless strongly recommended that students take the prerequisites listed for 300 and 400 level courses. Special alternatives for Liberal Arts & Sciences requirements at the 100-level are available to alumni and some advanced standing students, subject to permission of the Liberal Arts & Sciences and Interdisciplinary Studies office (see the special section below on First-Year Liberal Arts & Sciences Options for Alumni and Advanced Standing Students).

Alumni who completed degree-eligible liberal studies credits for their diploma program at OCAD University may apply up to 2.5 of these credits towards their degree requirements. At least half of the credits required for degree completion, as determined at the time of admission, must be completed at OCAD University.

Students may apply for Transfer of Credit for courses completed at another university prior to admission to degree completion or may apply to take courses on a Letter of Permission at another university subsequent to admission to degree completion, subject to OCAD University's residency requirements and Transfer of Credit policies.

Diploma (AOCAD): First-Year Entry September 2005 or Earlier

Students completing the old Associate of OCAD University (AOCAD) diploma program must complete the following Liberal Arts & Sciences credits:

A Total of 4.0 Liberal Arts & Sciences credits are required for the AOCAD

First-Year Entry in September 2003, 2004 or 2005
1.5 First-year credits
2.5 VISA, VISC, VISD, VISM, ENGL or HUMN credits at the 200, 300 or 400 level of which 1.0 credit may be studio/seminars offered by the Faculties of Art and Design

First-Year Entry in September 2002 or earlier
1.0 First-year credit
3.0 VISA, VISC, VISD, VISM, ENGL or HUMN credits at the 200, 300 or 400 level of which 1.5 credits may be studio/seminars offered by the Faculties of Art and Design

All year-level restrictions and specific course prerequisites are applicable to diploma students.

Year-Level Restrictions

The academic progress of students is measured in terms of credits completed. Student year level
is defined as follows:

Year One: 0 to 4.75 completed credits
Year Two: 5.0 to 9.75 completed credits
Year Three: 10.0 to 14.75 completed credits
Year Four: 15.0 or more completed credits

Year one of each OCAD University undergraduate degree program is comprised of 3.5 studio and 1.5 liberal studies
credits at the first year level.

Students in some programs may substitute 0.5 credit at the year two level for one of their first year courses. Permitted substitutions, if any, are outlined in the program guides.

The prerequisite for second year level courses is normally 3.0 first year level studio and 1.0 first year liberal studies
credits, including the first year writing course.

Students may not register for third year level courses unless they have completed most of second year as well as all of their first year requirements as outlined in the program guides. Each Faculty publishes annually the total number of completed credits prerequisite for their third year level courses.

Students may not register for fourth year level courses unless they have completed most of third year as well as all of their second year requirements as outlined in the program guides. Each Faculty publishes annually the total number of completed credits prerequisite for their fourth year level courses.

Students are advised that the required developmental level of academic skills and background knowledge is progressively greater through the 200, 300 and 400 levels of study. Students should register in courses in keeping with both their year-level placement in studio programs and their academic ability. However, third- and fourth-year students are not prevented from taking 200-level Liberal Arts & Sciences courses and in fact may find they cannot fit these courses into their schedules until later. Course planning with an advisor for the full four-year program is strongly recommended.

Course Prerequisites
Prerequisites may also apply for specific courses at the 300 and 400 level. Students should familiarize themselves with the prerequisites listed for individual courses and ensure that they plan their course selection accordingly.

First-Year Liberal Arts & Sciences Requirements

All incoming first-year students are required to complete 1.5 Liberal Arts & Sciences credits at the 100 level.

Faculty of Art Students

First Year Writing Course*
one of: LBST 1B11: The Essay and the Argument - Mechanics; LBST 1B12: The Essay and the Argument - ESL; or LBST 1B13: The Essay and the Argument - Rhetoric
0.5 credit
LBST 1B03: Introduction to Visual Studies II: History and Culture Since 1500 0.5 credit
LBST 1B06: Introduction to Visual Studies III: Critical Frameworks 0.5 credit

*Students may take LBST 1B11 or LBST 1B13 in either Fall or Winter, but LBST 1B12 takes place over both Fall and Winter semester. Students must complete their first year writing course (one of: LBST 1B11, LBST 1B12 or LBST 1B13) and either LBST 1B02 or LBST 1B03 before they may register for 200-level Liberal Arts & Sciences courses.

PLEASE NOTE: The minimum passing grade for the first year writing course is 60% (C-).


Faculty of Design Students

First Year Writing Course*
one of: LBST 1B11: The Essay and the Argument - Mechanics; LBST 1B12: The Essay and the Argument - ESL; or LBST 1B13: The Essay and the Argument - Rhetoric
0.5 credit
LBST 1B02: Introduction to Visual Studies I: History and Culture to 1500 0.5 credit
LBST 1B03: Introduction to Visual Studies II: History and Culture Since 1500 0.5 credit

*Students may take LBST 1B11 or LBST 1B13 in either Fall or Winter, but LBST 1B12 takes place over both Fall and Winter semester. Students must complete their first year writing course (one of: LBST 1B11, LBST 1B12 or LBST 1B13) and either LBST 1B02 or LBST 1B03 before they may register for 200-level Liberal Arts & Sciences courses.

PLEASE NOTE: The minimum passing grade for the first year writing course is 60% (C-).


First-Year Options for Alumni and Advanced Standing Students
The first-year Liberal Arts & Sciences options described above may or may not be appropriate for alumni and advanced standing students, depending on their background and experience with university-level liberal arts & sciences courses.

All alumni in the degree completion program and advanced standing students are urged to make an appointment with the Liberal Arts & Sciences Student Advisor prior to registration to determine the appropriate first-year and upper level Liberal Arts & Sciences courses.

Alumni are generally exempt from the first year writing course and may select an English course at the 200 or 300 level to fulfill the ENGL requirement. Advanced standing students who have not taken a university level writing course should register for one of: LBST 1B11, LBST 1B12, or LBST 1B13.

Last Modified:1/24/2012 12:57:29 PM