Bachelor of Arts in English

The English program at Athabasca University explores a wide range of literary works from diverse genres, countries and historical periods.

In this program you will do the following:

• analyze forms, styles and ideas of a variety of literary theories, from feminist to post-colonial.
• improve your skills in critical thinking, interpretation and writing.
• gain a better understanding of the global spread of English, both in language and in literature.

Our courses span a wide range of topics from literary theory to creative writing, and from children’s and world literature to drama. The program has a focus on Canadian literature, and it also includes optional individualized reading and research courses.

Why take the Bachelor of Arts?

The Bachelor of Arts strengthens critical and creative thinking through a broad range of social, political and cultural studies. The program is designed to

• broaden your perspective on local and global affairs
• encourage community and social involvement
• prepare you for lifelong learning and occupational diversity

Students who complete this program should be able to do the following:

• Write cogently and persuasively in a variety of modes, using the appropriate form of English for the occasion.
• Exercise critical discernment and employ disciplinary knowledge ethically and systematically to explore and critique oneself and the world.
• Conduct research independently and with scholarly rigour in order to make appropriate and well-reasoned contributions to knowledge within the field.
• Apply the skills of information literacy for the selection and use of authoritative scholarly sources.
• Distinguish textual forms and genres in order to evaluate their functions and facilitate a close reading of a text as a composed artifact.
• Apply original and creative thinking related to the discipline in order to produce compelling and imaginative work.
• Apply knowledge of the discipline’s major bodies of work, theoretical concepts, and interpretive approaches, and recognize diverse forms of knowledge, accounting for accuracy, complexity, and ambiguity.
• Evaluate the social contexts and complexities of literature and language in Canada, including Indigenous and immigrant works, and recognize the multiplicity and global dispersal of "Englishes."

Possible career options

• Writer, technical playwright, novelist, poet
• Journalist
• Editor
• Publisher
• Proofreader
• Copywriter
• Film/television producer
• Civil/foreign service officer
• Project manager
• English as a second language (ESL) teacher
• Researcher

• Completion of high school in an English-speaking country.
• Completion of 15 university credits from a recognized English-speaking university, or 1 year at a non-university post-secondary institution with an overall average of 75% (GPA of 3.0).

English is the language of instruction and communication in SCIS graduate programs.

Proficiency in English is an essential requirement for admission to SCIS graduate programs. Although working and studying online requires a different level of English language skills than does the classroom situation, students must nevertheless be able to communicate effectively with faculty, administration, and with other students.

For more information on the English Language Prociency Requirements for Graduate Studies please refer to the AU graduate calendar.

• Minimum score of 6 on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).
• Minimum score of 60% on the Canadian Academic English Language Assessment (CAEL).
• Minimum score of 80 on the Michigan English Language Battery (MELAB) test.
• Minimum score of 59 on the Pearson Test of English (PTE).
• Minimum score of 213 on the computer- or paper-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL PBT), with 4.5 on the Test of Written English (TWE).
• Minimum score of 80 with an essay score of 20 on the Internet-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL iBT).
• Successful completion of AU’s English Language Proficiency Program with an overall average of 75% (GPA of 3.0).
• See the English Language Proficiency Requirements Policy for further details.

How to apply

You can apply to AU online, anytime. Once you’ve completed the online application form and paid the one-time general application fee (and transfer credit evaluation fee, if applicable), you’re officially an AU student and can start registering in courses.

• How to enrol in an undergraduate program

Make sure we get your transcripts if you want us to consider your previous post-secondary education for transfer credit.