Honours Arts

Rushing into a major is a rookie mistake. So, give it a year.

You’re all about “try before you buy.” That’s smart! Use your first two terms to test the waters before choosing your major.

Sample courses from the humanities, social sciences, fine and performing arts, and languages and cultures. Discover subjects you weren’t exposed to in high school, or delve deeper into your favourite subject.

Use paid co-op work terms to explore potential career areas, gain valuable work experience, and earn money to help pay for school.

Whatever direction you end up taking, Honours Arts will give you the critical thinking skills to analyze issues, make persuasive arguments, write well, and speak with conviction — skills that will serve you well along any career path.

You can also co-register and complete your Waterloo degree through St. Jerome's University or Renison University College, smaller academic communities located on campus.

What courses will you take in Honours Arts?

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.

You will also take an Arts First course in either the fall or winter term of your first year. In this course, 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 this course, you might address topics such as The Science of Happiness, Are We Erasing History?, Games and Culture, and Writing About Poems and Songs.

After first year

About 40% of the classes you’ll take will focus on your honours major. With your remaining classes, you can choose electives from many of the 100 subject areas at Waterloo.

You can also add additional areas of interest and expertise by including a minor (or minors) as part of your degree.

What majors can you choose?

Faculty:
Faculty of Arts

Degree:
Bachelor of Arts

Available as a co-op program?
Yes

Available as a regular program?
Yes

Include minors and options?
Yes

Choose from 28 majors. At the end of first year, it’s your choice. Pick one (or two!) of 28 different Arts majors. And then you can easily combine majors and minors to customize your degree to your interests.

Room for extracurriculars. Honours Arts gives you plenty of time outside the classroom to join clubs, run for student government, study abroad, volunteer, or explore other interests.

Co-op = relevant paid work experience

In Waterloo's co-op program, you'll normally alternate between four-month school terms and four-month paid work terms throughout your degree. With thousands of employers hiring Waterloo co-op students each year, you can explore careers by applying to jobs related to your major.

It's a great way to get relevant experience, make connections with potential future employers, and identify careers you might like to pursue.

Co-op work-study sequence

Starting in second year, you'll normally alternate between school and work every four months, integrating your classroom learning with real-world experience. You can return to the same employer for a couple of work terms to gain greater knowledge and responsibility or work for different employers to get a broad range of experience.

If you choose a major in Economics, English, or Fine Arts, your first work term will be halfway through second year (January to April 2027).

Year	September to December (Fall)	January to April (Winter)	May to August (Spring)
First	Study	Study	Off
Second	Study	Co-op	Study
Third	Co-op	Study	Co-op
Fourth	Study	Co-op	Co-op
Fifth	Study	Study	-

All other Honours Arts majors will have their first work term after second year (May to August 2027).

Year	September to December (Fall)	January to April (Winter)	May to August (Spring)
First	Study	Study	Off
Second	Study	Study	Co-op
Third	Study	Co-op	Study
Fourth	Co-op	Study	Co-op
Fifth	Co-op	Study	-

Learn more about co-op →

What can you do with an Honours Arts degree?

The flexibility of Honours Arts and the choice of 30 majors provides an incredible range of possible careers to pursue. Sample careers of our graduates include

Manager, Human Relations — Microsoft Canada
Lawyer — Dewey LeBoeuf LLP
Copy Editor and Designer — Booker Publishing
Account Executive, Higher Education — Apple Canada

Teacher — Upper Grand District School Board
Marketing Officer — Statistics Canada
Recreation Therapist — YMCA
Protection Support Worker — Children's Aid Society

Learn about the future of careers in arts, humanities, social sciences, languages, and creative arts.

Tuition fees

First-year tuition

Type of fees	Tuition (8 months of school)
Domestic (Ontario residents)	$9,000
Domestic (Out of province students)	$9,000
International (visa students)	$57,000

Estimated amounts listed include incidental fees. Fees based on 2024-25 tuition rates.
Visit our financing page to learn about scholarships, estimate your total expenses, and see how co-op can help pay for your education.

Common questions about the program

Can I change my major after I apply? Can I do a double major?

When you apply to Waterloo, you'll indicate a major that you'd like to pursue. (A major is the subject you'd like to be the focus of your degree.) You’re not committed to this major — and you don’t need to solidify the major(s) you want to explore in first year until June, which is when you'll select courses for the term starting in September. You’ll begin your major in first year even though you don’t officially choose it until the end of first year. We recommend that you explore two majors in first year to keep your options open.

You can definitely do a double major as an Honours Arts student. You could also do a minor. Not sure what a major or minor are? Check out our guide to university terminology. Advisors in the Faculty of Arts will be able to help you with choosing courses and potential majors.

Can I switch to co-op if I change my mind?

If you’re even slightly interested in including co-op work terms as part of your degree, you should apply to co-op when you apply to Waterloo. You’ll automatically be considered for the regular system of study if you aren’t accepted for co-op, but the admission ranges are often very similar between the two systems of study.

If you’re in good academic standing it is possible to switch into co-op later in your studies, but it's not guaranteed as decisions are based on how many spaces are available in co-op and how far through your degree you are.

What's the difference between Honours Arts and Business and Honours Arts?

Most of the requirements are similar, however, Honours Arts and Business requires 14 business courses, which means less time for electives, but a strong business foundation. Watch this video for more details on both programs.

View on YouTube

Admission requirements

Ontario students: six Grade 12 U and/or M courses including

Any Grade 12 U English (minimum final grade of 70% is required)

Admission average: Low 80s

Plan to major in Economics? Grade 12 Calculus and Vectors is recommended as helpful background.

Plan to major in Political Science; Psychology; Sexuality, Marriage, and Family Studies; Social Development Studies; or Sociology? Grade 12 Mathematics of Data Management is recommended.

Not studying in Ontario? Search our admission requirements.

How to apply?

Apply directly to this program on your application.

Related program

Honours Arts and Business

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