Bachelor of Arts, Political Economy Major

Regulations effective Sep. 1, 2025.

The mission of the Bachelor of Arts (4-year) is to strengthen your critical and creative thinking by offering a broad range of social, political, and cultural programs of study. A liberal arts education from Athabasca University is designed to broaden your perspective on local and global affairs, encourage community and social involvement, and prepare you for lifelong learning and occupational diversity.

The Bachelor of Arts (4-year) provides students with a broad, flexible education that allows them to develop, understand, and disseminate knowledge, to think critically, and to build on these abilities. In addition, the four-year degree fully prepares students for most graduate programs. Graduates of the Bachelor of Arts (4-year) with a Major are expected to have gained sufficient analytical and critical thinking skills to be able to engage in independent research in their chosen major. Athabasca University does not offer an Honours BA.

Students enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts (3-year) program who wish to transfer to the Bachelor of Arts (4-year) program must complete a new Undergraduate General Application Form. Previous education will be reassessed and students will be notified of the results.

Political Economy Major

The Political Economy program at Athabasca University is designed for both beginning students and professionals to understand and engage with Canadian and global political and economic issues. The course selection provides students the opportunity to develop a greater appreciation and understanding of diverse polities, economies, cultures, and regions of the world. Additionally, it offers to professionals the retooling skills and the academic credential necessary for successful employment in an era of globalization.

Planning your program

Our online program plans can assist you in selecting the courses needed to fulfill your program requirements.

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

Program requirements

Students complete the program regulations in effect at the time of their enrolment.

Although you may change majors, a major must be selected when you enrol in the Bachelor of Arts (4-year) program.

You are strongly encouraged to register in ENGL 255 early in your program. The English writing skills requirement is waived for students enrolling in the second undergraduate degree.

The degree conversion provision is available to Athabasca University students who have been awarded a three-year AU degree and wish to convert to a four-year degree. For more information about this regulation, please review the Undergraduate Degree Conversion From Three- to Four-Year Program Policy

Students must meet the following English writing skills requirement:

  • hold credit in ENGL 255 (Students are strongly encouraged to register in ENGL 255 early in their program.);
    or
  • have a grade of B- (70 per cent) or better in an Athabasca University English course above the preparatory (100) level;
    or
  • receive credit for an English course in which a grade of B- or better was achieved.

Students in the Bachelor of Arts (4-year) program, as either a first or second undergraduate degree, generally have the option to combine two majors if they wish. Students who undertake double majors must fulfill all requirements for both majors. Depending upon the majors chosen, this may greatly restrict course selection (particularly in the second undergraduate degree program) or require the completion of more than 120 credits. Students considering enrolling in double majors should consult with an Athabasca University advisor for assistance in selecting their programs and courses.

You may change majors at any time. You will be placed in the current regulations. If you wish to remain in the regulations that were in effect at the time of your original enrolment, contact Admissions and Evaluations Services. Please reference the appropriate Calendar, e.g., 2012-2013 regulations. To request a change of major, complete and submit a new Undergraduate General Application Form. No fees are required.

In the Bachelor of Arts (4-year), students have the option of taking a minor in addition to their major. Although students must declare a major when they become BA (4-year) program students, they may declare a minor at any point in their studies. A BA minor comprises 30 credits distinct from the major in a related discipline in the Humanities or Social Sciences offered at Athabasca University. At least 15 of the 30 minor credits must be at the 300 or 400 level. If they choose a minor, students must still complete all requirements of the major. No course can be used to complete requirements for both the major and the minor. The minor will be recorded on the transcript. Available BA minors are:

Program structure

Program structure
Total credits in the program 120
Minimum credits required
At the senior (300 or 400) level
(including 18 credits at the 400 level)		 75
In the major (compulsory)
* may be higher depending on the specific requirements of the major		 45*
Minimum senior-level credits in major (including a minimum of 12 credits at the 400 level) 30
Arts (Humanities and social sciences) 96
18
18
Science 6
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
Minor (optional)
Minimum credits in the minor
(including a minimum of 15 credits at the 300 and 400 level)		 30
Students may not apply a course to both the major and the minor.
Maximum credits allowed
In any one discipline 60
Applied studies 18
At the preparatory level 6
At junior level in any one discipline 15
Maximum Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition credits 9

Additional Political Economy Major requirements

Requirements in addition to the general program requirements for the Bachelor of Arts (4-year) with Major:

  1. 60 Political Economy Major credits outlined below including a minimum of 36 senior (300 or 400) level credits from major courses (a minimum of 12, 400-level credits).
  2. 15 credits in required core courses.
  3. 21 credits in one of the two Political Economy areas: Global Political Economy or Canadian Political Economy.
  4. 12 credits from the designated elective Political Economy major courses.
  5. 12 credits from the Political Economy designated elective program courses in Communications (CMNS), Global Studies (GLST), Governance (GOVN), History (HIST), Information Systems (INFS), Labour Studies (LBST), Industrial Relations (IDRL), Women’s and Gender Studies (WGST), and Indigenous Studies (INST).
  6. Students may transfer in a maximum of 30 credits of courses applicable to the requirements of the major.

Required core courses

(15 credits)

Required Core Courses
ECON 247 – Microeconomics (3)
ECON 248 – Macroeconomics (3)
MATH 215 – Introduction to Statistics (3)
or
MGSC 301 – Statistics for Business and Economics I
POEC 302 – Theories and Approaches to Political Economy (3)
POEC/GLST/INTR 230 – Globalization and World Politics (3)

Of the 21 credits required in the area of focus, students must take at least one course from each of the following areas: Economics, Political Economy, and Political Science. Select courses from only one area of focus.

Area of focus 1: Global Political Economy

Area of Focus 1: Global Political Economy
ECON 401 – The Changing Global Economy* *Students who have taken ECON 301 may not take ECON 401 (3)
ECON 366 – Economic Development (3)
ECON 475 – International Trade (3)
ECON 476 – International Finance (3)
ENVS 435 – Transformative Change in Building Sustainable Communities (3)
ENVS/GLST 243 – Environmental Change in a Global Context (3)
FNCE 370 – Overview of Corporate Finance (3)
GLST 308 – Americas: An Introduction to Latin America and the Caribbean (3)
HIST 486 – The Industrial Revolution (3)
MKTG 414 – International Marketing and Exporting (3)
POEC/GLST/INTR 395 – Political Economy of Development: People, Processes, and Policies (3)
POEC/GLST/INTR 483 – Political Economy of Globalization (3)
POLI/INTR 330 – International and Global Politics (3)
POLI 342 – Introduction to Comparative Politics (3)
POLI 480 – Politics of Our Networked World in the Digital Era (3)
SOCI 435 – Theories of Social Change (3)

or

Area of focus 2: Canadian Political Economy

Area of Focus 2: Canadian Political Economy
CMNS 380 – Corporate Communication (3)
CMNS 401 – Cultural Policy in Canada (3)
ECON 385 – Money, Banking and Canadian Financial Institutions (3)
FNCE 322 – Personal Finance (3)
GEOG 311 – Canadian Urban Development (3)
GOVN 301 – Governance, the Public Sector and Corporate Power (3)
GOVN 450 – Public Budgeting and Financial Management in a Globalized World (3)
HIST 326 – Contemporary Canada: Canada after 1945 (3)
IDRL 320 – The Law of Work (3)
IDRL 309/LGST 310 – Human Rights, the Charter and Labour Relations (3)
LBST/SOCI/WGST 332 – Women and Unions (3)
POEC 393 – Canada and the Global Political Economy (3)
POLI 309 – Canadian Government and Politics (3)
POLI 311 – Aboriginal Politics and Governments (3)
POLI 325 – Canadian Environmental Policy and Politics (3)
SOCI 291 – Canadian Society (3)
SOCI 321 – Sociology of Work and Industry (3)
TAXX 301 – Taxation I (3)

Electives

(select 12 credits from the following)

electives
ANTH 320 – Ancient Cities and Civilizations (3)
ANTH 362 – First Peoples of Canada (3)
ANTH 375 – The Anthropology of Gender (3)
ANTH 394 – Urban Anthropology (3)
CMNS 402 – Global Communication (3)
CMNS 421 – Being Online (3)
CMNS 423 – The Television Age (3)
CMNS 385/SOCI 378 – Rebel with a Cause: Social Movements in History and Popular Culture (3)
ECON/HADM 321 – Health Care Economics (3)
ECON 380 – Public Finance and Expenditure (3)
ENTP 212 – Entrepreneurship (3)
ENVS 435 – Transformative Change in Building Sustainable Communities (3)
FREN 100 – French for Beginners I (3)
FREN 101 – French for Beginners II (3)
GEOG 201 – Introductory Human Geography (3)
GEOG 302 – The Canadian North (3)
GEOG/GLST 200 – World Regional Geography (3)
HADM 336 – Community Health Planning (3)
HADM/HSRV 339 – Organization of the Canadian Health Care System (3)
HIST 336 – History of Canadian Labour (6)
IDRL 308 – Occupational Health and Safety (3)
INST 111 – Introductory Cree I (3)
INST 112 – Introductory Cree II (3)
MATH 244 – Business Math (3)
MATH 265 – Introduction to Calculus I (3)
MKTG 406 – Consumer Behaviour (3)
MKTG 440 – Marketing Strategy (3)
PHIL 371 – Ethics, Science, Technology, and the Environment (3)
SOCI 381 – The Rich and the Rest: The Sociology of Wealth, Power, and Inequality (3)
SOCI 450 – Environmental Sociology (3)
SOCI/WGST 345 – Women, Gender and Work in Canada (3)
SPAN 200 – Introductory Spanish I (3)
SPAN 201 – Spanish for Beginners II (3)
WGST 401 – Contemporary Feminist Theory (3)

12 remaining elective credits selected from the following disciplines:

Recommendations

  1. Students who may pursue graduate work in political economy or international affairs are strongly recommended to include POEC 499 among their electives.
  2. Language proficiency: Students in Canadian studies areas who may pursue employment in the federal civil service or foreign affairs, are strongly recommended to take French as an elective or option. Students interested in North American integration should take Spanish. Students interested in the economic integration of Europe should consider taking German. Students interested in governance capacity-building for First Nations communities should take Indigenous language courses.

    "Language proficiency" generally refers to one of the following:
    • the ability to read French, Spanish, or German at a level consistent with the usual requirements of a junior French language course. This ability may be proven by one of the following: either by completing six junior language credits (for example FREN 200 and 201) or by passing a reading proficiency examination in French, Spanish, or German;
    • speak fluently one of Canada’s Indigenous languages (for example, Cree or Inuktitut);
      or
    • read one of Canada’s Indigenous languages (for example, Cree or Inuktitut), at a level consistent with the usual requirements of a second-year university language course.
  3. Writing proficiency: Students for whom English is a second language are strongly encouraged to take ENGL 177 and ENGL 189.

Second undergraduate degree

Students are not permitted to obtain a second undergraduate degree in the same field or related field as their first undergraduate degree. Students who have completed a previous undergraduate degree must enter the second undergraduate Bachelor of Arts (4-year) degree and follow these regulations. The English writing skills requirement is waived for students enrolling in the second undergraduate degree.

Program structure

Program structure
Total new credits not applied from a previous degree
* May be higher depending on the specific requirements of the major.		 60*
Minimum credits required
At the senior level (including 18 credits at the 400 level) 48‡
‡ May be higher depending on the specific requirements of the major.
Arts (Humanities and social science) 48
9
9
Science 6
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 credits allowed
In any one discipline 45
Applied studies 12
At the preparatory level 0
At junior level in any one discipline 12
Maximum Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) credits
** A maximum of 39 PLAR credits is allowed if you declare a Labour Studies major.		 9**
Major (compulsory)
Minimum senior (300 or 400) level credits in major (including 12 credits at the 400 level) 30
Information effective Sep. 1, 2025 to Aug. 31, 2026.

Updated July 26, 2024 by Office of the Registrar