The Faculty of Arts offers distinctive programmes and special areas of instruction. These include:

The Coordinated Business Programme in the Faculty of Arts is an Honours Programme through which students interested in business, administrative studies, or public policy can follow a common curriculum while exploring various business and business related degree programmes available at the University.

The Coordinated Business Programme allows newly admitted students the opportunity to discover their aptitudes and interests within the context of a Liberal Arts degree while developing critical skills emphasized by potential employers.

Given the various areas of specialization students may wish to pursue, the Coordinated Business Programme is designed as the "gateway" into Faculty of Arts degree programmes such as:

As a first year Coordinated Business student, your course selection should include: a 9 credit Humanities or Social Science Foundations course; Economics AS/ECON1000 3.0/1010 3.0; one of Mathematics AS/MATH1550 6.0 or AS/MATH1530 3.0/1540 3.0 (same as AS/ECON1530 3.0/1540 3.0), or an equivalent; a 6 credit 1000-level Natural Science course, or a 6 credit elective course; a 3 credit elective course.

Other business-related degree programmes are offered by different Faculties at York. Faculty of Arts students may apply to transfer from the first year of the Coordinated Business Programme into the Bachelor of Business Administration degree (offered by the Schulich School of Business) or into the Bachelor of Administrative Studies degree (offered by Atkinson College).

The Advising Centre offers Coordinated Business group advising sessions in February. These sessions are intended to help Coordinated Business students plan course selections for the next academic session.

The Faculty of Arts offers students the opportunity to study concurrently towards a B.A. at York University and a Diploma or Certificate in one of five areas in Communication Arts at either Centennial or Seneca College. While you earn your Arts degree, you can also complete your training for a professional career in:

Students are eligible for entry into the Communication Arts Programme after the completion of a minimum of 24 credits in the Faculty of Arts. Admission will be based on academic standing, interview and special test results. This Joint Programme will normally take one year longer to complete than the usual university degree programme, but you will earn both a University degree and a specialized College diploma or certificate.

The Department of Psychology at York and Seneca College offer a Joint Programme leading to a B.A. in Psychology from York and a Diploma in Early Childhood Education from Seneca. You may apply to this programme during the second year of your studies in Psychology.

The York programme gives you a solid grounding in psychology, philosophy and sociology and covers the main areas of development and family psychology, while the Seneca programme gives you training in play and learning environments, daycare activities and administration, infant skills, and special needs.

York University and Seneca College offer a Joint Programme leading to a B.A. at York and a Diploma in Social Service-Gerontology from Seneca. Application to the programme is made in January of the year in which you expect to complete your 60th credit.

This Joint Programme allows students to complete a B.A. in Psychology at York in conjunction with a Certificate in Rehabilitation Counselling. The Certificate is awarded jointly by York and Seneca College. You are admissible to the programme after you have successfully completed 60 credits in the Faculty of Arts including an introductory course in Psychology (with a minimum grade of C).

The York programme offers courses which cover topics such as personality, group behaviour, and the sociology of health and illness. Seneca offers professional courses where you will receive training in the rehabilitative process, types of disability, case management and interviewing.

Students who complete the Honours B.A. Double/Major Programme in Law and Society and in one of the affiliated departments, are eligible for admission to the one-year diploma programme in Court and Tribunal Administration at Seneca College. This programme, normally two years long, leads to job placement in management roles in courts and tribunals across Canada.

There are various Diploma and Certificate Programmes which may also be pursued simultaneously with a Faculty of Arts degree programme. These include:

Canadian Operational Research Society (CORS) - Information available from the Mathematics and Statistics Department, N502 Ross Building.

Advanced Certificate in Hebrew and Jewish Studies

Certificate of French Proficiency

Certificate of Proficiency in German Language

Certificate of Proficiency in Italian Language

Certificate of Proficiency in Japanese Language

Certificate of Proficiency in Russian Language

Certificate in Coaching

Certificate in Fitness Assessment and Exercise Counselling

Certificate in Law & Society

Certificate in Practical Ethics

Certificate in Refugee and Migration Studies

Certificate in Rehabilitation Services (York-Seneca)

Certificate in Sports Administration

Certificate in Sports Therapy

Certificate in Urban Studies

The Centre for Academic Writing offers practical instruction in aspects of writing to all students in the Faculty of Arts. The chief method of instruction is individual tutoring, with each session usually lasting one hour. Normally you will be allowed up to one tutoring session per week. After you have enrolled, you will be assigned to a particular tutor whose area of expertise most closely matches your needs. You will then make appointments with your tutor through the receptionist. Using assignments you have been given in your courses, you and your tutor will work together on any part of the writing process with which you need assistance. Ideally, you and your tutor will work together until you are both satisfied with your ability to handle your assignments on your own; this may be accomplished in only one or two sessions or it may necessitate a series of sessions over the course of the academic year. The Centre for Academic Writing, then, should not be considered an essay writing service, nor a proofreading/correction agency. It is a teaching unit designed to help you to recognize and solve your writing problems so that ultimately you can write effective essays on your own. Located in South 329 Ross Building, (416) 736-5134.

The ESL programme in the Faculty of Arts was established to assist students needing ESL support to continue developing their language ability and maximize their success in their university studies. Students will generally be required to provide the results of an English language proficiency test, such as YELT (York English Language Test) or TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). The results of these tests help determine a student's strengths and weaknesses in language and indicate what ESL support, if any, that student should have.

During the advising/enrolment appointment, ESL students will meet with the ESL Advisor in the Advising Centre. At this time, the information from the language test will be reviewed, and the student's past experience with English will be considered. The advisor will then place the student in a suitable arrangement of courses, taking into account the student's ESL needs. Students should note that ESL courses and sections are clearly marked as "ESL" in the Lecture Schedule, but enrolment can only take place through the ESL Advisor in the Advising Centre. These courses cannot be accessed on the Voice Response Enrolment System.

The Coordinator of the ESL programme for the Faculty of Arts is Professor Nick Elson, who may be reached by contacting the Advising Centre at (416) 736-5022.