First-year courses
As an Arts student, you’ll choose your major at the end of first year. You’re encouraged to explore a second major in first year to discover potential new interests.
In your Arts First courses, instead of going to a lecture hall, you and your classmates will work together to respond to an intriguing challenge. With only 25 students in each of the two first-year courses, you might address topics such as The Science of Happiness, Are We Erasing History?, Games and Culture, and Writing About Poems and Songs.
You can choose to study Peace and Conflict Studies through Honours Arts or Honours Arts and Business.
Honours Arts
September to December
January to April
This is a sample schedule. Courses or when a course is offered may change depending on availability.
Honours Arts and Business
September to December
- ARBUS 101 – Introduction to Business in North America
- ECON 101 – Introduction to Microeconomics
- Arts First Requirement 1
- Prospective major #2
Plus one course from
January to April
- ARBUS 102 – Accounting Information for Managers
- ARBUS 202 – Professional and Business Ethics
- Arts First Requirement 2
- Prospective major #2
Plus one course from
This is a sample schedule. Courses or when a course is offered may change depending on availability.
After first year
About 40% of the classes you’ll take will be Peace and Conflict Studies courses. With your remaining classes, you can choose electives from many of the 100 subject areas.
Sample upper-year courses
PACS 323 – Negotiation: Theories and Strategies
PACS 329 – Restorative Justice
PACS 331 – Trauma, Healing, and Conflict Resolution
PACS 333 – Advanced Mediation Practice
Advisors are here to help
With so much flexibility, you might have a lot of questions. We're here to help! If you're applying for admission, contact our Faculty of Arts recruitment team.
Once you're a Waterloo student, you'll have access to academic advisors who can help you
- choose your courses,
- select minors and specializations,
- ensure that you're meeting the requirements for your degree, and more.
Learn more
Overview of Waterloo's Peace and Conflict Studies program.
