Honours students presenting their work.
Being approved to enter the Honours stream means that you have met all the necessary requirements to be successful in our fourth-year level courses. In order to register in these courses you must be approved to Honours. The Honours stream also has various options including Thesis, Project, and Course Work. These will be declared in the spring leading into fourth year.
What are my options for fourth year?
Frequently asked questions
Being approved to enter Year Four (Honours) means that you have met all the necessary requirements to be successful in our fourth-year level courses (CHYS 400+ courses). For the system to recognize that you are permitted to take these courses, you must be approved to Honours. It is also a requirement for students to select their pathway.
All year three CHYS and Concurrent Education (Primary/Junior) students, regardless of your standing in the program, are required to apply for Honours no later than May 1, 2024.
Please see each pathway for individual requirements:
CHYS Academic Advising will be reviewing student records after the winter session to determine who can receive a formal offer versus a conditional offer. Any student who is missing courses from years 1-3 or did not meet a specific average requirement can be given a conditional offer, suggested to take a year to upgrade, or recommended to change to the with Major (non-Honours) degree program. It is best to meet with your Academic Advising Team to determine which option is best for you.
Students who meet the requirements for the research pathway will be sent an invitation to apply through a departmental form in May. Offers will then be sent out well before course registration to provide time to prepare.
- Passion and curiosity
- Ability to try something new and out of your comfort zone
- Expand on your knowledge
- Personal growth and independence
- Connections with professors
- Join a lab or research group
- Develops an evidence based and effective teaching practice
- Allows you to stand out in interviews
- Investigative instincts
- Time management skills
- Communication skills
- Strong and clear writing
- Public speaking
- Working with others
- Becoming research informed
This list is not exhaustive and we want students to know that the sky is the limit!
Examples of topics are as follows:
- Companion animals
- Social media
- Disabilities
- Climate crisis
- Children and war
- Ethics of AI
- Graffiti and youth culture
- Indigenous childhoods
- Activism and children’s participation
- Competitive dance culture
- Gender in Disney and Marvel
- Girls and dress codes
- Sexual harassment online
- Affects of racism
- Bullying and bystanders
- Mental health
- Reading and learning disabilities
- Sex education debates
- Family conflict
- Substance use and abuse
- Young caregivers
- Queer identities
- Perfectionism
Students who do not meet the requirements for Honours at the time of their application and would not like to pursue a conditional offer or upgrade for reapplication the following year have the option of moving into the BA with Major (non-honours) degree program. Students are encouraged to meet with the Academic Advising Team if they wish to explore this option as it is important to discuss the change in year four degree requirements.
Please note, students wishing to pursue this degree program only require a 60 percent major and overall average and Honours requirements no longer apply.
