Liberal Arts and Professional Studies – Rules and Regulations

For a comprehensive listing of University policies and procedures refer to the Undergraduate Calendar Section on Policies and Regulations and visit http://www.yorku.ca/secretariat/policies/.

Transfer Students

Students who enter with prior experience at a postsecondary educational institution are enrolled in an Honours program if their prior cumulative grade point average (including failed courses) is at least the equivalent of 5.00 on the York scale. (Note: courses taken at other postsecondary institutions are not calculated as part of the student’s grade point average at York, nor do they appear on the York transcript.)

Academic Standing Requirements for Visiting Students

Individuals who wish to enrol in undergraduate credit courses, but who do not intend to complete a degree or a certificate may be admitted to York as a visiting student (refer to the Admissions section for more information). There are three categories of visiting students:

Those who hold an undergraduate degree (three-year bachelor's degree minimum) from an accredited university/university-level institution;
Those who do not hold an undergraduate degree but wish to enrol in York courses to fulfill the academic, upgrading or professional development requirements of a professional designation;
Those who are currently attending another recognized university and wish to take York courses on a letter of permission issued by their home institution.

Repeated course legislation does not apply to visiting students but only to academic degrees and certificates. Therefore, all courses attempted or taken will count in the overall cumulative grade point average.

GPA Requirement

Students in categories a) and b) whose overall cumulative grade point average falls below 4.00 on at least 24 credits attempted will not be allowed to enrol in any subsequent session as visiting students. Students who are not permitted to re-enrol must apply for re-admission through the Admissions Office.

Credit Limits

Students in category b) who have maintained an overall cumulative grade point average of 4.00 throughout their studies and who have completed 30 credits will not be allowed to enrol in subsequent sessions and must either reactivate to proceed as visiting students or may choose to apply for admission to a degree or certificate program.

Visiting students admitted to the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies may:

(i) enrol in degree credit courses providing they meet the published corequisite(s) and prerequisite(s), or obtain permission of the Chair of the discipline concerned;

(ii) not register in a course equivalent to one already completed.

Faculty Transfers

Students who were last registered in an undergraduate degree program in another Faculty of York University and who wish to transfer to the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies must submit a Program Change Request, available on the Program Change Web page at http://www.registrar.yorku.ca/program/change/index.htm. Refer to the Academic Standing section for degree/program academic standing requirements.

Information for Continuing Students in a Grandparented Program

Students who were registered in a degree and program formerly in the Atkinson Faculty of Liberal and Professional Studies or the Faculty of Arts have been moved to the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies. Grandparenting provisions have been developed for students continuing in these degrees and programs.

Grandparented rules allow students to complete their studies following the rules of the programs they were in prior to the Fall/Winter 2009-2010 Session. This includes all major and degree requirements including general education requirements and upper level requirements, as well as the electives or required credits outside the major. For more information on the grandparenting rules visit http://www.yorku.ca/laps/transition/faqs/grandparented.html.

Second or Subsequent Degrees

Students who hold an undergraduate degree from an accredited institution, and who are admissible according to Faculty and University policies, may pursue a second (or subsequent) degree program in the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies.

Eligibility for admission and standing will be assessed according to performance in the first or subsequent degree(s). Students will be assessed as eligible for an Honours degree if they have graduated with Honours standing in their first degree. Students who are eligible for an Honours degree program will be enrolled in Honours, but may elect to graduate with a bachelor’s degree. Students admitted to an Honours degree and 90-credit bachelor program will be granted transfer credit in accordance with the University’s residency requirement. Under certain circumstances, students admitted to a 90-credit bachelor’s degree program may qualify to proceed in an Honours degree; however, the transfer credit granted upon admission will not be amended.

All second (and subsequent) degree candidates must meet the residency requirements and must satisfy all upper-level requirements and requirements in the major/minor subject(s). Grade point averages are calculated for students in second (or subsequent) degree programs only on the courses taken for that degree and not on courses taken to satisfy requirements for the first or subsequent degree(s).

Students must apply through Admissions for second and subsequent undergraduate degree(s). University residency requirements apply.

Course Loads

Fall/Winter Session

A full course load is defined as 30 credits during the fall/winter session. Students may take a maximum of 36 credits overall (and 18 credits per term) without petitioning. Students with substantial familial or financial responsibilities outside the University are advised to consider taking fewer courses in a session. It is recommended that students take their personal circumstances and academic standing into consideration before taking a course load of 36 credits in the fall/winter session.

Summer Session

A full course load is defined as 15 credits in the summer session. Students may take a maximum of 18 credits overall without petitioning. Students with substantial familial or financial responsibilities outside the University are advised to consider taking fewer courses in a session. It is recommended that students take their personal circumstances and academic standing into consideration before taking a course load of 18 credits in the summer session.

Courses Taken at York University

Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies degree candidates may enrol in courses offered by other York University Faculties provided they meet the publicized corequisite(s) and/or prerequisite(s). Students are responsible for ensuring that out-of-Faculty courses meet Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies degree and program requirements. Out-of-Faculty courses are credited at the level at which they are taken.

York University courses are also offered in Italy by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics. In addition, independent study, directed reading and thesis courses are offered by some departments/schools. Students interested in arranging such courses should inquire at the relevant department/school. Individual programs may place restrictions on the number and nature of courses taken.

Cross-listed Courses

Some courses in the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies are cross-listed. Cross-listed courses are offered jointly by two or more teaching units (such as departments or divisions), or teaching units in two or more different Faculties. Regardless of the offering Faculty or discipline identified by the course prefix of a cross-listed course, every offered section of a cross-listed course is substantially the same as every other and all are therefore recognized as instances of the “same” course.

Cross-listed courses may not be double counted in order to fulfill degree requirements.
Cross-listed courses may not be used to fulfill degree requirements of credits required outside the major in the programs offering the cross-listing.

Letters of Permission (LOP) - Taking Courses at Another University

If you wish to enrol at another university (host) and have credits completed there transferred toward your York degree/certificate, you must first request a letter of permission (LOP) and receive approval from the Registrar's Office. While you are pursuing your York degree/certificate, transfer credit will not be granted for work completed at another university without the LOP. Further information is available on the Letters of Permission Web page at http://www.registrar.yorku.ca/enrol/lop/index.htm.

Eligibility

To be eligible for an LOP you must be pursuing a York degree and/or a certificate program.
You must be in good academic standing.

Ineligibility

You are ineligible for LOP consideration:

If you are a non-degree student at York (you may apply directly to the host without an LOP).
An LOP will not be issued if you are on academic warning, program warning, debarment warning or academic probation.
If your academic status changes after the LOP is issued and you are no longer in good standing or are ineligible to proceed in your program, the LOP will be rescinded and you will no longer be eligible for transfer credit from the host regardless of the grade achieved there.
If you enrol in courses at the host other than those listed on the LOP, you will not receive transfer credit upon completion unless the Registrar's Office amends your LOP in advance.
Your LOP will not be processed if there are outstanding debts on your University account.

Students' Responsibilities

It is your responsibility to ensure that:

You complete the Letter of Permission form and submit it along with detailed calendar course descriptions from the host institution to the Faculty/school/department best able to identify any York-based course credit exclusions or substitutes.
Submit the completed form, along with the $50 non-refundable processing fee, to the Registrar's Office drop-box in the lobby of the Bennett Centre for Student Services. Approved LOPs will be sent to the host university and a copy sent to you for your records. Incomplete applications for an LOP cannot be processed and will be returned to you.
Courses completed on an LOP meet your program requirements.
Once you have been issued the LOP, it should be presented to the host institution's Admission Office. The host governs admission and application deadlines for students applying on an LOP.
Should your enrolment/registration circumstances change; that is, the courses(s) you are requesting on an LOP is (are) not available, you must immediately contact the Faculty in order to request approval for any replacement courses. Obtain departmental approval for these changes, then notify the Registrar’s Office at lop@yorku.ca of any enrolment changes as soon as they are made.
An official transcript is forwarded to the Registrar’s Office at York University as soon as final grades are available from the host institution, refer to the deadline dates on the Letter of Permission Web page (http://www.registrar.yorku.ca/enrol/lop/index.htm) under the Instructions and Application tab.
If you do not register or complete any of the courses for which you were issued the LOP, you must provide the Registrar’s Office with documentation from the host declaring you either did not enrol/register or that you withdrew from the course(s) without any academic penalty.

Important Notes

Maximum number of credits you may enrol/register in an academic session including courses taken on an LOP, is 18 credits in summer or 36 credits in fall/winter (18 credits per term).
You must obtain a minimum grade of C (as understood in the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies) for credit to be granted.
Course credit exclusions (CCEs) are courses offered at York and the host institution that are similar enough in content that both may not be taken for degree credit. A course substitute can replace a specific York course/degree requirement. A course substitute can be a CCE but a CCE is not always a course substitute.
Some York programs are subject to external accreditation or professional association requirements (e.g. practica and core courses for engineering, nursing or social work), which restrict approvals for LOPs. Please consult your Faculty school/department for details.
Credit towards your degree will only be counted once for repeated courses taken at York or elsewhere. Should you repeat a course the initial grade will be replaced with the notation of “NCR-No Credit Retained”.
Generic results of “Pass” or “Credit Achieved” at the host will not be accepted for transfer credit to your York degree.
Transfer credit will be assessed based on the course work/requirements including in-class hours completed at the host institution and not on the course work/requirements of the York credit exclusion or substitute.
Courses and grades achieved at the host are not listed on your York transcript or included in your York grade point average(s).

Audit a Course

With the permission of a course director, an auditor attends classes and participates in a course in the same way as other students, but does not submit assignments or write tests or examinations. Restrictions may apply. Further information about admissibility, application procedures, courses available and fees may be obtained at Registrarial Services.

Directed Reading Courses

Students who are pursuing directed reading courses may do so after having successfully completed (passed) 24 credits in the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies. The Faculty provides for such independent reading courses which are subject to the guidelines of the departments and schools, and to the following regulations:

The maximum permissible number of directed reading courses depends on a student’s degree option and availability.
Students in Honours programs may take 24 credits; students in a bachelors program may take 18 credits.
Within their last 30 credits, students may take a maximum of 12 credits in directed reading courses.
Students may take a maximum of 12 credits of directed reading courses with the same faculty member.