As part of a cohort program, students will join one of five learning communities and take a selection of connected courses across various disciplines.
These learning communities are called streams and each focuses on a broad theme that the courses are centred around. Students will learn critical thinking and foundational skills within a familiar group of students and instructors who inspire success in a supportive yet intellectually challenging environment.
Why choose CAP?
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CAP was a great program to get settled into university. As a first year, entering this new environment was overwhelming and I was afraid of failure. But, CAP made this adjustment easy, with great support and teaching I learned many valuable skills that I will take with me through the rest of my university experience. (...)
With small class sizes of 100-125 students per cohort and 25 students per seminar, students invariably build long lasting relationships with their professors and peers. This social and academic support leads to enhanced student success.
Located in a shared space with other “Gateway” programs, the Coordinated Arts Program gives students exclusive access to one of the most desirable and self-contained study environments on campus, while remaining situated in the heart of the university.
The Coordinated Arts Program offers students a smoother transition into the challenges of university. With smaller class sizes, committed instructors, and coordinated assignment deadlines, the program sets students up to enter second year with all other second-year students armed for success.
Each stream is supported by an upper-level student who has previously taken CAP. These mentors host social events and information or study sessions, and are available to answer questions about being a student at UBC.
What is CAP 100 and CAP 101A?
CAP 100 and 101A are seminar courses available exclusively to students in the Coordinated Arts Program. CAP 100 (formerly ASTU 101) is an introduction to scholarly research and writing; it fulfills the Faculty of Arts writing requirement. CAP 101A invites students to apply their research and writing skills to literary, cultural, and media analysis. The small class sizes (only ~25 students per section) is unique to CAP and the cohort learning environment is ideal to help students hone their critical reading and thinking around relevant topics, and develop their competence in university research and writing. Each stream has several sections of CAP 100/101A, but students only register in one of them. Topics and readings are tailored to the stream theme.
Is a three-credit, one-semester course on academic research and writing which satisfies the Faculty of Arts Writing Requirement. It is offered in Term One in all five CAP streams. (This course was previously called ASTU 101).
Is a three-credit, one semester course on literary, cultural, and media analysis. It is offered in Term Two in most CAP streams (all streams except PPE) and students stay with the same instructor and classmates as CAP 100. This course offers students a chance to apply the research writing skills they learned in CAP 100, develop larger research projects based on their interests, and write in diverse genres that bring their research into communities beyond their university class.
Community Engaged Learning
Community Engaged Learning (CEL) is an exciting component of the Coordinated Arts Program. CEL connects classroom learning to communities and community-issues beyond the university. Many initiatives and projects have been developed to facilitate community engaged learning opportunities for CAP students. Initiatives and projects vary year-to-year.
One recent initiative is a speaker series called Community Talks. It features regular talks by community members or organizations. Speakers explore the themes of community-university relations, culture and representation, water and city planning, global migration and humanitarian work, civic engagement and Indigenous rights, and racialization and development among other things. Many classes incorporate the speaker topics and themes into their curriculum through discussions and assignments.
Individual instructors may also offer Community Engaged Learning opportunities specific to their courses.
Learn more about community engagement opportunities:
Frequently Asked Questions
What Bachelor of Arts degree requirements does CAP satisfy?
The program can help satisfy several degree requirements. CAP_V 100, one of the core CAP seminars, satisfies the BA Writing Component. In addition, CAP_V 101-A_E02, which is a part of the Environment and Society stream, satisfies the Place and Power requirement. Depending on what you decide to major in, your other CAP courses may also count towards the Ways of Knowing breadth requirements.
For more information about the BA degree requirements, please visit this page.
I know what I want to major/minor in. Is CAP a good fit?
CAP can still be a good option even if you know what you want to major/minor in. The courses in your chosen stream can be helpful with fulfilling some key requirements for your major/minor. For example, if you would like to major in Psychology, the CAP Individual & Society stream would be an excellent choice, as this stream has both PSYC_V 101 and PSYC_V 102, which are required courses for the Psychology major.
Please visit the individual department/program website(s) for more information about specific major/minor requirements.
Would I be able to use my AP/IB/A-level transfer credits towards CAP courses?
No, you will not be able to use your AP/IB/A-level transfer credits to skip courses in CAP. Students are required to take all the courses within their CAP stream. However, students may be able to use their transfer credits to fulfil other requirements outside of CAP. Please visit this page for more details about transfer credits. If you would like further information on how you may use transfer credits towards your degree, please contact the Arts Academic Advising office.
How are students graded in CAP?
Like most Arts undergraduate courses, CAP courses use percentage-based grading. For more information about percentage-based grading at UBC, please visit this page.
Is CAP a good option for commuters?
Yes, CAP can be a good option for commuters, as students as students have some flexibility in building their schedules. While some classes in the stream (Lectures) occur at set times, others (accompanying Discussion sections; Seminars like CAP_V 100 and CAP_V 101) have multiple timeslots for students to choose from.
How do I register for CAP?
Registration for CAP is open to all accepted UBC students with first-year standing on a first-come first-served basis. We offer two options. The first option (recommended) involves filling out an early registration form on our website. The second option is registering for CAP courses directly on Workday. For more information, please visit our registration page.
Does CAP fill up fast?
Generally, we have enough space to accommodate most students who are interested in the program. If seats fill up, we have waitlists in which students can register. Spots can also open up during the first several weeks of the term, as students make the final changes to their course schedule. If your preferred stream is full, consider a second stream choice.
Where can I see the schedules for different CAP streams?
You may view the schedules on the individual stream pages. Please see our “Streams” page for links to the dedicated stream pages.
Am I required to take all the courses within my chosen CAP stream?
Yes, CAP students are required to take all the courses within their chosen CAP stream.
You may email our office at support.fyip@ubc.ca, or send a message using our contact form.
