Students love the Bachelor of Arts and Science Program and its core courses! Here is a small sample of the outstanding feedback we receive every year:
"The BAS program allowed me to broaden my perspectives during my studies at Trent. It is a unique program yet facilitates countless opportunities in the professional world. I would encourage any prospective students searching for an understanding through an interdisciplinary lens to consider the adventure the Bachelor of Arts & Science program has to offer."
~ Michelle Sorensen
Dr. Jessica Marion Barr and Honours BAS graduate Michelle Sorensen at Trent Convocation 2022
"The Bachelor of Arts and Science program has taught me how to experience the world in a new way. It has taught me how to be curious, present, and critical of the ideas that surround me and how they manifest in society. It has taught me how to learn deeply. From each experience, I learn something new. Form each article I read and each class I attend I can pick up on something I can connect to, or something that challenges my perceptions. It has taught me how to bridge ideas from one subject to the next, and shown me how incredibly interconnected the world is."
~ Hannah Tibble
"I wanted to, first of all, thank you for introducing me into the humanities, arts, and social sciences in both ASCI 2001 & 3001. Past courses at Trent I was enrolled in didn't quite highlight the need of art to be implemented into science, nor for science to be applied in art and I think the past year in ASCI classes has really challenged this idea. After having been exposed to this quite complex intertwining relationship with sciences and arts, I truly believe my learning and knowledge throughout my university journey has come full circle. I think that ASCI classes should be mandatory for every university student to introduce the need for humanities, arts, and social sciences into sciences, and for sciences to be implemented into humanities, arts, and social sciences!"
~ Jacob A.
"Enrolling in the Bachelor of Arts and Science program at Trent University was one of the best decisions I have made as a future educator. Not only have I grown academically, but I have developed the necessary skills that will continue to inspire my future research and knowledge. I believe developing a balance between both the arts and sciences is apparent in today’s world, especially as a teacher. This program has inspired me to strive and contribute to the balance and collaboration of two subject matters. Specifically focusing on the science of Environmental Sciences and arts of Indigenous Studies, I have continued to flourish, using the essential skills I have encountered, to navigate and blend my knowledge together in a creative way. Pursuing my education through multiple perspectives has allowed me to grow into the strong scholar I am today."
~ Alycia Holt
Teachers Education Stream: Bachelor of Arts and Sciences in Environmental Sciences and Indigenous Studies
"Studying Arts and Science in the BAS program has allowed me to learn about and examine the relationships between arts and science. I've found that the relationships between arts and science help to characterize an individual discipline's function as a whole; they are inextricably linked. Both are enhanced by input from the other. Even the beginning of the scientific process relies on critical analysis of our current knowledge and imagining of how and where that knowledge can change (this takes a type of thinking that can be developed in the arts). I'm able to extend the techniques for analysis and communication I've developed in Arts and Science to all components of my Environmental and Resource Science major! Doing a BAS makes me feel prepared to step into almost any academic setting, regardless of the discipline. I knew Arts and Science was right for me because I didn't want to choose 'one or the other' coming out of high school, and this way I just do 'both'!" -
~ Roz Shepherd
"The Bachelor of Arts and Science (ASCI) program at Trent University is unique, as it allows students to experience a diverse range of courses and interconnect arts and science. In ASCI courses, the professors are friendly and welcoming. Each ASCI class allows for personal testimony and connection to a wide variety of other disciplines. By the end of the required courses for ASCI, I had the opportunity to publish a book, which integrated the arts and science. This was only one of the amazing opportunities I have had in the ASCI program. This program is truly one of a kind as it allows students to create their own post-secondary journey with real life experiences. This program provided me with an abundance of knowledge and skills that I will bring into my future profession as an educator. I have a new outlook on the connection between arts and science, and the impact it has on society and the world around me. Through ASCI I have gained an incredible amount of confidence in my personal and academic life. I hope to inspire future students to step out of their comfort zone and find the arts and science connection in everything."
~ Courtney Aagesen
The Bachelor of Arts and Science program is so much more than a university degree. Its core courses provide foundations and in-depth explorations of interdisciplinary studies well beyond the scope of a standard undergraduate degree. Limiting a student’s experience only to the first-year courses, one is emersed in multiple subjects from across the university featuring guest lecturers from different departments at Trent and beyond. Starting in first year we have been encouraged to develop our investigative and research skills through multiple methods encompassing a plethora of knowledge forms from peer-reviewed journals to graphic novel adaptations of the history of Turtle Island to Robin Wall Kimmerer’s traditional Indigenous knowledge written in beautiful artistic prose. The depth and substance of materials in subsequent courses only build on this.
Not only do students in this program explore topics through readings and lectures, but the professors also share their research and intellectual passions with the class, enticing us to explore our own academic endeavours. From the first day of classes, we were encouraged to investigate our own interests through multiple lenses. This is fitting because the BAS allows for the most flexibility in terms of required courses with its dual minor option. I am taking psychology and Indigenous studies, but I have also taken courses in chemistry, philosophy, writing, and child and youth studies. This would not have been possible without the freedom the BAS gives you.
Most importantly, each and every professor and staff member associated with the BAS is eager to see students succeed and go out of their way to see that happen. Just this year, I have been part of the inception of an honours thesis option for BAS students because I wanted to take on an interdisciplinary research project in fourth year that would not fit in any other department. The program coordinator immediately took an interest in my ideas, and suddenly I was in meetings with her and two of our deans!
If you are someone who is interested in multiple subjects, who likes analyzing problems and situations from different perspectives, and are passionate about learning, the BAS is the program for you!"