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Liberal arts – marketable mind power
No one can be certain what future careers will look like. But acquiring the broadest possible range of abilities that can be applied across disciplines and industries will surely give you an edge in our fluid, fast-changing world.
That’s why we offer liberal arts programs at SJU. They’re your key to unlocking the human experience – all of it. And while you’re exploring ideas, you’ll become increasingly flexible and proficient in the valuable skills that will set you apart:
- Communication – using words to articulate ideas, to clarify complexity, to persuade and motivate
- Analytical reasoning – taking an idea apart, assessing its pieces, and reinventing it
- Leadership – pondering and absorbing the qualities that make great leaders
- Global awareness – delving into world issues and ways to address them
- Creativity – recognizing, inspiring, developing, and harnessing innovation
- Problem solving – establishing priorities, determining solutions, and evaluating a course of action
The SJU factor
At SJU, we’ll support you as a whole person to help you become the well-rounded graduate you aspire to be. And we’ll challenge you to stretch your limits:
- To wake up your mind and send it in new directions
- To open your heart to the issues that burden our planet
- To direct your spirit to examine the philosophies that can lead to change
Earn a Waterloo Bachelor of Arts degree
When you register for Arts through St. Jerome’s University, you’ll be in the same program working toward the same degree as Waterloo-registered students. You can take some of your courses in our smaller, intimate classrooms, but you’re also free to choose classes on the main Waterloo campus or at the other three university colleges.
Honours Arts
Honours Arts is our largest and most flexible program. The literally hundreds of program combinations let you explore multiple subjects. If you can settle on one, you can choose a major at the end of your first year. Or you can keep your options open.
If you have a diverse range of interests and are fascinated by people in a variety of context and situations, Honours Arts could be the program for you.
Honours Arts Majors
- Anthropology
- Classical Studies
- Classical Studies or
- Classics
- Communication Studies
- Communication Studies or
- Communication Arts and Design Practice
- Economics
- English^
- Literature or
- Literature and Rhetoric or
- Rhetoric, Media, and Professional Communication or
- Creative and Professional Writing
- Fine Arts
- Visual Culture or
- Studio Practice
- French^
- Gender and Social Justice
- German
- History^
- Legal Studies^
- Liberal Studies*
- Medieval Studies^
- Music
- Peace and Conflict Studies
- Philosophy^
- Political Science
- Psychology^
- Religious Studies^
- Sexuality, Marriage, and Family Studies^
- Social Development Studies
- Sociology^
- Spanish
- Theatre and Performance
*General degree only
^ Areas of study that have departments at St. Jerome’s University.
Honours Arts Minors
Customize your degree with one or more of the 50+ minors available in Arts.
- Anthropology
- Applied Language Studies
- Canadian Politics and Public Policy
- Canadian Studies
- Catholic Studies
- Church Music and Worship
- Classical Studies
- Cognitive Science
- Communications Studies
- Cultural Identities
- Digital Arts Communication
- East Asian Studies
- Economics
- Economic Theory
- English
- Fine Arts Studio
- French
- Gender and Social Justice
- German
- History
- Human Resources Management
- Human Rights
- Human Sciences
- Indigenous Entrepreneurship
- Indigenous Studies
- International Studies
- International Trade
- Italian Studies
- Jewish Studies
- Legal Studies
- Management Studies
- Medieval Studies
- Mennonite Studies
- Music
- Peace and Conflict Studies
- Philosophy
- Political Science
- Politics and Business
- Psychology
- Public Policy and Administration
- Religious Studies
- Russian and East European Studies
- Sexuality, Marriage, and Family Studies
- Social Development Studies
- Sociology
- Spanish
- Studies in Islamic and Arab Cultures
- Technical Writing
- Theatre and Performance
- Visual Culture in a Global Context
Co-op Possibilities
Honours Arts is primarily a regular, September-to-April program. However, co-op is available in all Faculty of Arts majors beginning in your second year. Depending on your program, you’ll graduate with either 16 or 20 months of paid, relevant work experience on your résumé, and the alternating school and work terms give you the chance to explore a variety of careers.
Co-op study/work sequence
| September to December | January to April | May to August | |
| First Year | Study Term | Study Term | Off |
| Second Year | Study Term | Work Term | Study Term |
| Third Year | Work Term | Study Term | Work Term |
| Fourth Year | Study Term | Work Term | Study Term |
| Fifth Year | Work Term | Study Term |
Study Term = Four-month school term at SJU/Waterloo
Work Term = Four-month co-op work term
Off = Make your own plans (work, travel, vacations, etc.)
Learn more about the study/work sequence for your program of interest.
More information
Visit the University of Waterloo Honours Arts program page or request an Honours Arts brochure.
Honours Arts and Business
Interested in the humanities, social sciences, languages, or fine and performing arts but also want a solid foundation of business knowledge? Honours Arts and Business might be the perfect answer! Take a look at the benefits:
- In-depth study of your Arts major – in contrast to the few, limited Arts electives usually included in business degree
- A full complement of practical business courses – the same ones that form the core of most business degrees: accounting, management, economics, marketing, entrepreneurship, ethics, and communication
- Choice of co-op or regular – co-op = 20 months of paid, relevant work experience on your résumé before you graduate plus the chance to explore a variety of careers through the alternating school and work terms
A winning combination
Interested in conducting business transactions in a second language? No problem. Want to learn how to manage a theatre or art gallery? Absolutely. Your well-rounded, diverse Arts and Business background will truly make the world your stage!
Honours Arts and Business majors and required courses
- Anthropology
- Classical Studies
- Classical Studies or
- Classics
- Communication Studies
- Communication Studies or
- Communication Arts and Design Practice
- Economics
- English^
- Literature or
- Literature and Rhetoric or
- Rhetoric, Media, and Professional Communication
- Fine Arts
- Visual Culture or
- Studio Practice
- French^
- Gender and Social Justice
- German
- History^
- Legal Studies^
- Liberal Studies*
- Medieval Studies^
- Music
- Peace and Conflict Studies
- Philosophy^
- Political Science
- Psychology^
- Religious Studies^
- Sexuality, Marriage, and Family Studies^
- Social Development Studies
- Sociology^
- Spanish
- Theatre and Performance
*General degree only
^ Areas of study that have departments at St. Jerome’s University.
The business plus – required Arts and Business courses
In addition to your Arts major, you’ll take these business related courses:
| Course Code | Course Name | Notes |
| ARBUS 101 | Introduction to Business in North America | Cross-listed with AFM 131 |
| ECON 101 | Introduction to Microeconomics | |
| ARBUS 102 | Accounting Information for Managers | Cross-listed with AFM 123 |
| ARBUS 202 | Professional and Business Ethics | Cross-listed with PHIL 215 |
| ARTS 280 | Statistics for Arts Students (or another approved Arts statistic course) | |
| COMMST 204 | Leadership, Teams, and Communication | As of Sept.1, 2023, SPCOM courses are renamed to COMMST |
| ARBUS 200 | Entrepreneurship Principles and Practices | |
| ENGL 210F | Genres of Business Communications | |
| ARBUS 300 | Practical Business Skills | |
| ARBUS 301 | International Business | Cross-listed with AFM 333 |
| ARBUS 302 | Principles of Marketing and Consumer Economics | Cross-listed with MGMT 244 |
| ARBUS 303 | Marketing Strategy | Cross-listed with MGMT 345 |
| ARBUS 400 | Strategy and Program Integration |
And one of:
| Course Code | Course Name |
| HIST 113 | Canadian Business History: Innovators and Entrepreneurs |
| PSCI 231 | Government and Business |
Honours Arts Minors
Customize your degree with one or more of the 50+ minors available in Arts.
- Anthropology
- Applied Language Studies
- Canadian Politics and Public Policy
- Canadian Studies
- Catholic Studies
- Church Music and Worship
- Classical Studies
- Cognitive Science
- Communications Studies
- Cultural Identities
- Digital Arts Communication
- East Asian Studies
- Economics
- Economic Theory
- English
- Fine Arts Studio
- French
- Gender and Social Justice
- German
- History
- Human Resources Management
- Human Rights
- Human Sciences
- Indigenous Entrepreneurship
- Indigenous Studies
- International Studies
- International Trade
- Italian Studies
- Jewish Studies
- Legal Studies
- Management Studies
- Medieval Studies
- Mennonite Studies
- Music
- Peace and Conflict Studies
- Philosophy
- Political Science
- Politics and Business
- Psychology
- Public Policy and Administration
- Religious Studies
- Russian and East European Studies
- Sexuality, Marriage, and Family Studies
- Social Development Studies
- Sociology
- Spanish
- Studies in Islamic and Arab Cultures
- Technical Writing
- Theatre and Performance
- Visual Culture in a Global Context
Co-op study/work sequence
| September to December | January to April | May to August | |
| First Year | Study Term | Study Term | Off |
| Second Year | Study Term | Work Term | Study Term |
| Third Year | Work Term | Study Term | Work Term |
| Fourth Year | Study Term | Work Term | Study Term |
| Fifth Year | Work Term | Study Term |
Study Term = Four-month school term at SJU/Waterloo
Work Term = Four-month co-op work term
Off = Make your own plans (work, travel, vacations, etc.)
Learn more about the study/work sequence for your program of interest.
More information
Visit the University of Waterloo Honours Arts and Business program page or request an Honours Arts and Business brochure
