Environment (Bachelor of Arts): International Year One (Cornerstone Entry)

Curious about ancient societies, global change and Indigenous perspectives, but want a gentler start? Taking Cornerstone Entry into the Environment (Arts) stream of FIC’s International Year One (UTP Stage II), on the Burnaby campus of SFU, adds a support semester before the full workload, so the pathway runs four terms, about sixteen months.

That first semester features three Cornerstone courses: CNST101, which builds study and language skills and replaces ILS101 once passed, CNQS101, a quantitative survey, and CNSU101 on university life. You then move into environment coursework such as ARCH100 Ancient Peoples and Places, EVSC100 Introduction to Environmental Science, GEOG104 on climate and water, INDG101 and REM100 Global Change. PHIL105 Critical Thinking and a writing course round out the year, sharpening how you build and test an argument.

Instructors at FIC are approved by SFU, and each course follows an SFU design. Progression needs ten completed courses, 30 or more units, a C- minimum in every course and an overall GPA of 2.50. Students who reach it continue into second year at SFU in a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Environment, including majors in Archaeology and Human Geography, and can explore co-op work terms that SFU offers in the environment field.

After graduation, roles include environmental educator, parks and recreation planner, archaeological assistant, geography research assistant, sustainability officer and local government policy assistant. Cornerstone is the right fit for students entering at the lowest English level FIC admits who value an extra term of skills training and orientation. It gives time to adjust to Canadian classroom expectations before graded environment work begins.