Liberal Arts

smiling students outside Ayamdigut Campus, Whitehorse

Wanted: Open minds with bright futures.

Yukon University’s Liberal Arts programs provide a foundation to a variety of social science and humanities disciplines that offer a range of career opportunities for you to explore.

Liberal Arts

Yukon University made changes to the way its courses are delivered as a result of COVID-19.

Scheduled courses will be offered face-to-face and online this academic year. Some courses may have weekly scheduled video-conferenced sessions, while others may run entirely face to face or a combination. See the course pages and course outlines for details.

Winter 2023 at YukonU: We are pleased to welcome our students, faculty, staff and public back to our 13 campuses. Some of our classes have resumed in person. YukonU COVID-related health and safety measures have been developed in consultation with the Yukon Chief Medical Office of Health.

Contact the School of Liberal Arts or a program advisor for assistance or for more information about changes to the programs and courses.

Program description

The Liberal Arts programs are designed for students wishing to transfer to a university degree or related program such as:

  • Arts
  • Communications
  • Education
  • Educational or Clinical Psychology
  • Environmental Policy and Management
  • Literature and Letters
  • Public History and Writing
  • Public Policy and Research
  • Recreation
  • Social Services
  • Social Work
  • Tourism

Both Liberal Arts programs reflect the belief that degree-bound students ought to acquire solid critical thinking, research and communication skills through introductory study in a variety of social science and humanities disciplines. They also present an ideal opportunity for continuing education or for exploring various educational and career paths.

Admission requirements
  • Grade 12 graduation with English 12

If students do not meet either admission requirement, they should explore entry options with a Program Advisor.

Graduation requirements

To graduate, Certificate students must

  • complete ENGL 100 and ENGL 101 (6 credits)
  • complete two social-science electives (6 credits)
  • complete two science electives (6 credits)*
  • complete four open and Liberal Arts electives (12 credits)

In addition, Certificate students must

Diploma students must

  • complete all Certificate requirements (that is, 30 credits and demonstrate YFN CC)
  • complete two 200-level humanities electives (6 credits)
  • complete four Liberal Arts/Science electives (12 credits)
  • complete four Open or Liberal Arts/Science electives (12 credits)

In addition, Diploma students must

  • complete at least 6 courses numbered 200 or higher (18 credits)
  • complete at least 50% of the work at Yukon University
  • maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 (C average)

NOTE ABOUT LANGUAGES: While not a requirement, study of a second language is encouraged so students meet the second-language requirements of many universities.

IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT LIBERAL ARTS/SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT AND OPEN ELECTIVES: Liberal Arts certificate students may take up to 6 credits, and diploma students up to 12 credits, from outside the School of Liberal Arts and School of Science (but excluding Continuing Studies).

However, students must recognize that such coursework may not be transferable to programs at other post-secondary institutions and may result in a credit shortfall upon transfer. Students working towards a degree or program at another institution or planning to continue post-secondary studies in the future should check their course selection with a Program Advisor.

*NOTE: Science elective courses do not require labs. Please check with a Program Advisor to discuss options or see the program guide for course suggestions.

Yukon First Nations Core Competency

Yukon University recognizes that a greater understanding and awareness of Yukon First Nations history, culture and journey towards self-determination will help to build positive relationships among all Yukon citizens. As a result, you will be required to achieve core competency in knowledge of Yukon First Nations.

For details, visit Yukon First Nations Core Competency

Transferability

For transfer information on a specific Yukon University course, click the 'Check the BC Transfer Options' link on the course’s information page. For additional information, consult a Program Advisor.

Money matters

Fees

Tuition for credit programs is calculated per course credit. See money matters for more information.

Some programs and courses have additional fees -  see Ancillary Fees.


Student financial awards

Education is an investment in your future, your family and your community. Yukon University is pleased to support that investment by offering some of the most competitive tuition rates in the country, as well as several student financial awards to help offset your educational and living costs.


Financial assistance

There are government programs, scholarships, bursaries, awards and First Nation funding available to financially support you throughout your academic career.

See money matters for more information, or talk to our financial advising staff in the Student Services Centre. Email or call 867 668 5209 to make an appointment.

Course delivery explained
Table image of delivery methods. Synchronous Face-to-face is F.S.; Synchronous online is O.S.; Synchronous blended is B.S. Asynchronous face-to-face is F.A.; Asynchronous online is O.A.; Asynchronous blended is B.A.; Self-paced face-to-face is F.P. ; Self-paced online is O.P.;  Self-paced blended is B. P.; Synchronous an asynchronous delivery is O.A.S.; Hyflex (high flex) is H.F.X..s

Source: Registering for academic courses

Face to face

Denoted by an F in the first letter of the delivery code (e.g., FS, FA, FP).

Students and the instructors to be present in the same physical location for class time, either in a classroom, lecture theatre or another learning environment.

Online

Denoted by an O in the first letter of the delivery code (e.g., OS, OA, OP).

Students and instructor connect through online tools and are not required to be in the same physical space for any portion of the course. Students will access and submit all coursework over the internet.

Blended

Denoted by a B in the first letter of the delivery code (e.g., BS, BA, BP).

Includes a combination of online and face to face learning activities and may require connecting with instructors and other students at specific prescheduled times through the course. For example, students can complete online self-paced assignments by a certain date, then meet on-site or online for additional learning activities.

Synchronous

Denoted by an S in the second letter of the delivery code (e.g., FS, OS, BS).

Students are expected to participate in course activities at specific scheduled times, either on-line through video conference or in person for face to face sessions.

Asynchronous

Denoted by an A in the second letter of the delivery code (e.g., FA, OA, BA).

Students are not required to connect with instructors and other students at specific pre-scheduled times but must submit course work according to a schedule set by the instructor, often on a weekly basis. Meeting times may be scheduled between instructor and students or between students as needed through the course.

Self-paced

Denoted by a P in the second letter of the delivery code (e.g., FP, OP, BP).

Students are not required to connect with instructors and other students at specific times and may complete their course work at their own pace within the timeframe of the course, set by the instructor. Meeting times may be scheduled between instructor and students or between students as needed through the course.

Online asynchronous/synchronous

Denoted by an AS in the second and thirds letters of the delivery code (e.g., OAS)

Course is delivered online with a combination of real-time (synchronous) instruction and independent (asynchronous) instruction.

HyFlex

Denoted by HFX

Courses are delivered both in person and online at the same time by the same faculty member. Students can then choose for each and every class meeting whether to show up for class in person or to join it online. The underlying design ethos behind the HyFlex Model is flexibility and student choice.

Program Guides

A program planning guide lays out the courses and requirements needed to graduate from a particular program. It guides you through course selection options for each term, provides a sample program pathway and acts as a tool to track your progress.

Courses

Core English

Core
Title Campus Scheduled
ENGL 100 - Academic Writing and Critical Thinking Whitehorse (Ayamdigut), Online/Video
W
S
ENGL 101 - Introduction to the Study of Literature Whitehorse (Ayamdigut), Online/Video
W
S

Science courses

Elective
Title Campus Scheduled
ANTH 101 - Biological and Forensic Anthropology
ANTH 103 - Anthropological Archaeology
ANTH 140 - Introduction to the Fields of Anthropology
ASTR 100 - Introduction to Astronomy Whitehorse (Ayamdigut)
W
BIOL 101 - Ecology, Evolution and Diversity
BIOL 102 - Cellular Biology and Physiology Whitehorse (Ayamdigut)
W
BIOL 290 - Beringia: Its Pleistocene Environment and Paleoecology
CHEM 110 - The Structure of Matter
CHEM 111 - Chemical Energetics and Dynamics Whitehorse (Ayamdigut)
W
ENVS 100 - Introduction to Environmental Science 1
ENVS 101 - Introduction to Environmental Science 2
ENVS 225 - Environmental Change and Fish and Wildlife Health
ENVS 226 - Environmental Change and Community Health
ENVS 227 - Yukon Source Water Protection and Watershed Stewardship Whitehorse (Ayamdigut)
W
GEOG 101 - Introduction to Physical Geography 1
GEOG 102 - Introduction to Physical Geography 2 Whitehorse (Ayamdigut)
W
GEOG 290 - Climate Change and the Circumpolar World
GEOL 105 - Physical Geology
GEOL 108 - Earth Through Time
MATH 100 - Single Variable Calculus 1
MATH 101 - Single Variable Calculus 2 Whitehorse (Ayamdigut)
W
MATH 105 - Introductory Statistics
MATH 120 - Mathematics for the Life Sciences Whitehorse (Ayamdigut)
W
MATH 141 - Mathematics for Business Whitehorse (Ayamdigut)
W
NOST 201 - The Natural History of the North
NOST 326 - Lands and Environments of the Circumpolar North I
NOST 327 - Lands and Environments of the Circumpolar World II Online/Video
W
PHYS 100 - Introductory Physics
PHYS 101 - Elementary Physics 1
PHYS 102 - Elementary Physics 2 Whitehorse (Ayamdigut)
W
PSYC 202 - Cognitive Psychology Online/Video
W
RRMT 236 - Land and Protected Area Management Whitehorse (Ayamdigut)
W
RRMT 241 - Introduction to Land Management Whitehorse (Ayamdigut)
W

Archives

Elective
Title Campus Scheduled
ARCV 140 - Archives and Collections Management

Chemistry

Communications

Elective
Title Campus Scheduled
COMM 100 - Business Communications Whitehorse (Ayamdigut)
W
S
COMM 200 - Intercultural Communication for Business Whitehorse (Ayamdigut)
W
COMM 204 - Introduction to Scientific and Technical Communication Whitehorse (Ayamdigut)
W

Computer Science

Elective
Title Campus Scheduled
CPSC 128 - Object Oriented Programming I Whitehorse (Ayamdigut)
W

Creative Writing

Economics

Elective
Title Campus Scheduled
ECON 100 - Introduction to Microeconomics
ECON 101 - Introduction to Macroeconomics Whitehorse (Ayamdigut)
W

Environmental Studies

Elective
Title Campus Scheduled
ENST 200 - Environmental Perspectives
ENST 201 - Environmental Ethics Whitehorse (Ayamdigut)
W

Linguistics

Elective
Title Campus Scheduled
LANG 140 - Language and Culture Preservation
LANG 240 - Language Activism Online/Video
W

Mathematics

Physics

Social Work

Elective
Title Campus Scheduled
SW 200 - Introduction to Social Work Online/Video
W

Theatre

Elective
Title Campus Scheduled
THEA 200 - Introduction to Acting 1 Whitehorse (Ayamdigut), Online/Video
W
S