Applied Bachelor of Arts: Community Research and Evaluation

Okanagan College offers a four-year Applied Bachelor of Arts degree, located at the Kelowna campus with limited course offerings at Salmon Arm, Vernon and Penticton campuses. This baccalaureate degree provides graduates with employable skills in applied research and an understanding of how the social sciences and liberal arts actively contribute to a culturally diverse sustainable society. Developed for the context of the southern interior of B.C., this program includes studies of regional Indigenous cultures and prepares graduates for direct contributions to local and regional issues. Through contextualized learning, the goal of the degree is to provide applied research skills within a context of liberal arts studies and applied social science, emphasizing an empirical orientation to understanding, to application of knowledge, and to intervention. Characterized by the strengths of a terminal degree that produces employable skills, this degree can also prepare students for admission to selective graduate studies programs. All graduates of this applied degree program will be ready for today's job market through mastery of higher-order analytical skills and techniques for applied research. Practical related field experience is a central component of the applied degree education.

This degree enables students to develop competencies in academic and professional writing, qualitative and quantitative analysis, critical thinking skills, ethics, applied research, program evaluation, multi-disciplinary world views, and languages other than English (including regional First Nations' languages). Students will complete field experience (a practicum, field placement or co-operative education program in the fourth year) as well as a capstone project that will tie academic studies to relevant local and regional issues. The degree program develops and maintains scholastic strengths in students, requiring a minimum of 55% in each course counting toward the degree and a minimum cumulative grade average of 60% for all courses taken while in the program. For students seeking direct entry into the Master of Social Work Foundational Two-Year Track graduate studies program at UBC Okanagan, in addition to these degree requirements a minimum grade average of 76% in the upper level courses counting toward the degree is required.

Community Research and Evaluation

A community research focus of the Applied Bachelor of Arts degree provides students with pathways to applied social service work or potential for transition to graduate studies at UBC Okanagan. Students will be granted an Applied Bachelor of Arts: Community Research and Evaluation (ABA-CRE) degree upon completion of the following:

Admission Requirements

Regular Applicants:

Regular applicants have B.C. high school graduation (or equivalent) completed or are currently enrolled in Grade 12.

Academic Requirements:

B.C. high school graduation (or equivalent), including satisfaction of the English entrance and Mathematics entrance requirements. The English entrance requirement is completion of English 12 with a minimum grade of 70%. Equivalent English 12 alternatives can be accessed at this link.

Applicants who have passed English 12 with a minimum grade of less than 70% may be admitted if they take Okanagan College Adult Basic Education English 012 concurrent to other courses in their first semester in the degree program.

The Mathematics entrance requirement is a minimum of 50% in any of Pre-calculus Grade 12, Principles of Mathematics 12, or Adult Basic Education MATH 012. Students without this Mathematics entrance requirement may be granted conditional admission if they satisfy the entrance requirement with OC MATH 012 in their first year in the degree program. Conditional admission students will be unable to register for any course where MATH 012 is a prerequisite until such time as the Mathematics entrance requirement is satisfied.

Mature Applicants:

Applicants shall be eligible for consideration for admission under the mature applicant category if they are at least 21 years old and have been out of full-time high school study for at least three years. The English and Mathematics entrance requirements for students admitted as mature applicants must be satisfied with successful completion of ENGL 012 concurrent to other courses in their first semester in the degree program, and successful completion of MATH 012 in the first year of study at Okanagan College. Students must satisfy these English and Math requirements to retain standing in the degree program.

Program Outline

Graduation Requirements

To receive an Applied Bachelor of Arts: Community Research and Evaluation a student must earn at least 120 credits as prescribed in the degree program outline. A minimum Cumulative Grade Average of 60% is required to be eligible for graduation with the ABA degree, and only course grades of 55% or greater will contribute to the credits necessary for graduation.

Residency Requirements

Students who transfer to Okanagan College may be eligible for a maximum of 75 transfer credits toward the Applied Bachelor of Arts at Okanagan College while meeting all graduation requirements for the degree program. Students must complete a minimum of 33 credits at the 300- or 400-level at Okanagan College to receive an OC Applied Bachelor of Arts. Courses granted transfer credit must have been completed within 10 years of the student's commencement in the ABA.degree program. Students with a baccalaureate level credential recognized by Okanagan College may receive up to 60 credits toward the applied degree and are not subject to the within 10 years transfer rule.