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Students are able to enter directly into the Faculty of Arts for first year. The following options are available to students:

1. Enter the Faculty of Arts and declare a degree program with a specific Major Field.

2. Enter the Faculty of Arts and declare a general or multidisciplinary degree program.

3. Enter the Faculty of Arts directly but do not declare a degree program immediately.  (This is an interim measure prior to deciding on a degree program.)

Students intending to complete a degree program in the fine arts — i.e., programs in Art, Dance, Drama, or Music — should enter directly into their programs in first year so as to complete their undergraduate studies in a timely fashion.  While most other degree programs in the Faculty of Arts can be completed in a four-year time frame if students declare their program or change into a new program by the end of their first year, students are advised to finalize a program as early as possible. Students must declare a program by the time they have completed 10 full-course equivalents or two years of study taking the normal course load. Admission to some programs is limited for transfer students as well as high-school applicants due to high demand and/or subject to additional selection criteria.  See the Undergraduate Admissions section of this Calendar for details.

High-school applicants who are uncertain about their programs can choose either option 2 or 3. Subject to the constraints discussed above, there is considerable flexibility for subsequent program changes within the Faculty of Arts. Students may also be eligible to change to programs in other Faculties.

Students in the Faculty of Arts should be exposed to a range of academic disciplines throughout their program. Students in degree programs in Art History, Dance, Drama, Music and Visual Studies have prescribed first-year programs. All other Arts students, regardless of whether they have declared a Major, are encouraged to complete at least two and one half full-course equivalents from across the fields of study within the Faculty. Several interdisciplinary programs recommend General Studies 201 in their first year (see 4. Program Details). Further guidance on first-year course selection is available from the University of Calgary Registration Guide.