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Bachelor of Professional Arts, Governance, Law, and Management Major

Regulations amended, effective September 1, 2021.

The Bachelor of Professional Arts program is a four-year program designed for students who have completed an Athabasca University (AU) approved two- or three-year diploma or 60 credit equivalent from an accredited university, college, or institute of technology. Some students may qualify to earn additional credits through prior learning assessment.

If you have any questions, please contact Advising Services.


Governance, Law, and Management Major

The Bachelor of Professional Arts, Governance, Law, and Management (BPA-GLM) major is offered by Athabasca University’s Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. Sixty credits are required for degree completion beyond the Athabasca University (AU) approved two-year college diploma (or 60 credit equivalent) that students enter the program with. The BPA-GLM provides students with the requisite knowledge and practical know-how needed by professional for good governance and the successful management or organizational change, particularly the increasing shift of knowledge-based society to e-governance in a globalized world.

Online program plans assist students in selecting the courses needed to fulfill their program requirements.

Counselling Services offers an assessment website, Mapping Your Future.

AU has also developed program learning outcomes that describe the career options that may be available to you upon graduating.


Enrolment routes

  • Post-Diploma (PD) Transfer
  • University Transfer
  • Prior Learning

Enrolment requirements

Full enrolment into the Governance, Law, and Management major requires 60 credits. The BPA, Governance, Law, and Management major is available to:

  • graduates of an approved two- or three-year diploma (60-90 credits), two 30-credit certificate programs, or one 30-credit certificate and 30 transferable credits;
  • graduates of an undergraduate university degree in a discipline other than Public Administration;
  • applicants with a minimum of 60 credits of university-level coursework;
  • applicants with a minimum of 60 AU Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) credits; or,
  • applicants with a combination of AU PLAR credits combined with university-level course credits to reach at least 60 credits.

Coursework and credentials must have been obtained from an accredited college, university, or institute of technology approved by Athabasca University. Individuals who have questions about the eligibility of their previous education for enrolment are strongly encouraged to contact Advising Services.

Pre-enrolment status

Applicants are granted pre-enrolment status if they have 6 or more credits, but less than the 60 credits required for enrolment. They can complete the remaining credits at AU for full enrolment.

Note: Those in the pre-enrolment category might consider completing an AU certificate or diploma credential that serves as a building block toward the degree, such as the 30-credit certificates or a diploma such as the 60-credit University Diploma in Arts. The courses within the 30-credit University Certificate in Public Administration (UC-PADM), for example, can be applied to both enrolment and to satisfy BPA major requirements, however, credits can only be used once. Contact Advising Services for more information about how you can earn the UC-PADM credential to fulfill major requirements, or to satisfy both entry and major requirements.

English language assessment

In addition to meeting the stated enrolment requirements, applicants must also complete AU’s English Language Assessment (ELA) prior to being enrolled in the program. Based upon the applicant’s ELA results, a recommendation will be made as to which writing skills’ course is appropriate. Those applicants whose ELA suggests they would benefit from skill building courses at the 100-level will be allowed to register in ENGL 155: Developing Writing Skills; ENGL 177: English for Academic Purposes; or PHIL 152: Basics in Critical Thinking, Reading and Writing. The 100-level skill building course can be counted as a Junior Option in the Major.


Program requirements

Students must complete the regulations that are in effect at the time they enrol in the program.

Students are strongly encouraged to register in their English courses early in their program.

Some students may qualify for:

  1. a maximum of 60 credits of Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) towards entry to this program;
  2. a maximum of 30 credits towards senior credit once they are accepted into the program; or,
  3. a combination of PLAR credits applied to entry and the remaining credits in the program.

Applicants with less than 30 credits who wish to use PLAR for program entry must first receive approval from the BPA-GLM program coordinator. These applicants then will be conditionally enrolled after completion of ADMN 232: Introduction to Management and GOVN 301: Governance, Public Sector, and Corporate Power. Applicants who seek PLAR credits for enrolment who already have 6 or more transferable credits can also be conditionally enrolled in the BPA-GLM. However, they can only commence the PLAR process after they have completed ADMN 232 and GOVN 301.

To learn more about PLAR opportunities within the Governance, Law, and Management program, please contact the GLM program coordinator or the Centre for Learning Accreditation.

Program structure

program structure
Total credits in the program 120
Enrolment requirement 60

Minimum credits required beyond the college diploma

maximum credits required beyond the college diploma
Common Core credits 12
Major and elective and/or option credits 48
Total 60
Residency requirement: A minimum of 30 credits must be obtained through Athabasca University 30
Graduation with Distinction or Great Distinction. At least 24 credits must be obtained through Athabasca University in order to be considered. 24

Within the degree students are required to earn for degree completion

within the degree, students are required to earn for degree completion
Minimum credits required at the senior (300/400) level 48
Minimum credits required at the 400 level 18
Maximum credits allowed at junior (200) level* 12
*see English Language Assessment section; this could include an ELA recommended 100-level writing skills course.


Common core

(12 credits)

All BPA programs require students to take a common core of courses which can be taken at any time. Students are encouraged, however, to complete the common core courses early in their program. The common core addresses skills and knowledge that will help students succeed with the remaining degree requirements. When choosing courses in the common core please consult Advising Services.

common core courses
1. Take one of the following writing skills courses:
ENGL 255 Introductory Composition or
PHIL 252 Critical Thinking
(3)
NOTE: Students who have taken a course deemed equivalent to one of these courses must take the other course. All students are strongly encouraged to complete their writing skills course(s) early in their programs.
2. Take one of the following Indigenous cultural competency courses:
INST 203 Indigenous Studies I or
INST 205 Indigenous Studies II
(3)
NOTE: Students who have taken a course deemed equivalent to one of these courses must take the other course.
3. A senior (300/400) level professional ethics course, such as:
CMNS 455 Media Ethics or
PHIL 333 Professional Ethics or
PHIL 334 Professional Ethics in Heritage Resources Management or
PHIL 335 Biomedical Ethics or
PHIL 337 Business Ethics or
PHIL 371 Ethics, Science, Technology, and the Environment
(3)
4. A research methods course, such as:
SOSC 366 Research Methods in the Social Sciences or
ANTH 390 Community-Based Research Methods
(3)


Governance, Law, and Management – specific requirements

communication studies specific requirements
Common Core credits 12
Major Courses credits 36
Minimum Governance (GOVN) credits 18
Options credits 12
Minimum credits required at the 400 level 18
Maximum credits allowed at the 200 level (which may include 3 credits at the 100 level if recommended by the ELA. See English Language Assessment section above). 12
Residency requirement. A minimum of 30 credits must be obtained through Athabasca University. 30
Graduation with Distinction or Great Distinction. At least 24 credits must be obtained through Athabasca University in order to be considered. 24
Maximum Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) credits *see Prior Learning above

Major courses

(36 credits)

A total of 36 credits must be taken as noted in the following seven groups of major required courses (a course cannot be used to fill more than one group requirement):

Group 1: Governance

(6 credits)

required major courses
Must include:
GOVN/POLI 301 Governance, the Public Sector, and Corporate Power (3)
And one of:
GOVN All GOVN courses

Group 2: Indigenous Cultural Competency

(3 credits from the following list)

group 2: indigenous cultural competency
ANTH 362 First Peoples of Canada (3)
POLI 311 Aboriginal Politics and Governance (3)
INST All INST courses

Group 3: Women-Focused or Gender Studies

(3 credits from the following list)

group 3: women focused or gender studies
ANTH 375 The Anthropology of Gender (3)
HSRV 421 Advocacy from the Margins (3)
LGST 390 Women, Equality, and the Law (3)
POLI 350 Women in Politics (3)
WGST All WGST courses

Group 4: Political Studies

(6 credits from the following list)

group 4: political studies
GLST 205 Building Blocks of Global Studies: Overview of Approaches, Concepts, and Issues (3)
GLST/ENVS 243 Environmental Change in a Global Context (3)
PHIL All PHIL courses
POEC All POEC courses
POLI All POLI courses
SOCI 381 The Rich and the Rest: The Sociology of Wealth, Power, and Inequality (3)

Group 5: Legal Studies

(6 credits from the following list)

group 5: legal studies
CMNS 311 Mass Media and the Law (3)
CRJS 370 Youth Justice (3)
ENVS 305 Environmental Impact Assessment (3)
GOVN/LGST/CJRS 377 Issues in Access to Information and Privacy Protection (3)
GOVN/GLST/POLI 440 Global Governance and Law (3)
LGST All LGST courses

Group 6: Policy and Management

(6 credits from the following list)

group 6: policy and management
CMNS 308 Understanding Statistical Evidence (3)
or
SOCI 301 Social Statistics
GOVN 380/HSRV 363 Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Governance (3)
GOVN 390/POLI 392 Public Policy and Administrative Governance (3)
GOVN/POLI 403 Public Policy in a Global Era
GOVN/POLI 405 Innovative Public Management (3)
GOVN/GLST 450 Public Budgeting and Financial Management in a Globalized World (3)
HSRV 322 Ideology and Policy Evolution (3)

Group 7: People and Management

(6 credits from the following list)

group 7: people and management
ENVS 435 Transformative Change in Building Sustainable Communities (3)
GOVN/HSRV/POLI 400 Governance and Leadership (3)
HRMT All HRMT courses
IDRL All IDRL courses
LBST All LBST courses

Options

(12 credits)

12 credits from any discipline*

* Students whose ELA results recommend preparatory skill development via ENGL 155, ENGL 177, or PHIL 152, may count one of these 3-credit 100-level courses towards the Option requirement.

Students who wish to pursue employment in the federal civil service or foreign affairs are strongly encouraged to take French for their Option courses. Students interested in North American integration should take Spanish. Students interested in governance capacity building for First Nations communities should consider taking an Indigenous language course.

Note: Courses that are cross-listed with courses on the major or elective list will meet the requirements. Students are advised to plan their program of study carefully using a program planner, and to consult with Advising Services to ensure that they meet all of the degree requirements.

Information effective Sept. 1, 2021 to Aug. 31, 2022.

Updated June 15, 2022 by Office of the Registrar (calendar@athabascau.ca)

https://www.athabascau.ca/calendar/2021/ 68c178be0a2a51fa5b33dd6f56be5045