Two new admission categories are proposed for the Faculty of Applied Sciences: general admission to the B.A. program, and general admission to the B.Sc. program. As in the corresponding categories of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and the Faculty of Science, general admission signifies standing within the Faculty without commitment to any particular major. In the Faculty of Applied Sciences, these new categories will complement the existing categories of direct admission to Schools, bringing in additional students that can help in meeting Faculty admission targets. Based on these new categories, an overall redesign of the admission structure is proposed that both simplifies the existing regulations and completes the integration of the School of Interactive Arts and Technology and the TechOne program within Faculty admission requirements.
Since the inception of direct admission by faculty and credential, admission to the B.A. program in Applied Sciences has been coupled with approval as a Communication major, while admission to the B.Sc. program has been associated with approval as a Computing Science major. Indeed, the degree codes for these credentials are "CMNS" and "CMPT", respectively, in comparison to the "BA" of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and the "BSc" of the Faculty of Sciences. Correspondingly, admission to the B.A.Sc. program is associated with approval Engineering Science and admission to the B.Sc. (Kinesiology) with approval for that School. Each School within the Faculty had its own credential; a cute coincidence equating admission by faculty and credential to admission by school.
In general, direct entry routes for Applied Sciences programs have seen admission averages significantly higher than other categories for general university admission. While direct entry has had recruitment advantages for excellent applicants, the high admission averages have meant that the Faculty has turned away many potentially successful students. To compensate for the lack of general admission, some complexities in the admission structure have been introduced in the form of the Computing Science Guaranteed Placement program and the Applied Sciences One program for B.G.S. (Applied Sciences) applicants. Even so, the general tendency has been for substantial numbers of Applied Sciences applicants to be made general admission offers to the B.A. and B.Sc. programs of the other faculties. Neither the applicants nor the other faculties are necessarily well-served by this.
The recent incorporation of new programs into the Faculty has created additional complexities with respect to degree designations and admission models. The new School of Interactive Arts and Technology has now been established with a commitment to both B.A. and B.Sc. options. Also new for September 2004 is the Geographic Information Science program leading to the B.Sc. degree. These new programs alone mean that the coupling of credential codes to unique majors is problematic.
Introduced into the Faculty for September 2003, the TechOne program presents another strong case for a general admission categories associated with the B.A. and B.Sc. degrees. TechOne is designed to allow students to complete an integrated year of studies that keep options open for a range of follow-on programs. At present, follow-on options for business, computing science and interactive arts and technology are defined, while options for communication and engineering science are under consideration. So far, however, TechOne applicants have generally been offered admission to an unspecified Bachelor's degree program without commitment to a well-known credential such as the B.A. or the B.Sc. This lack of specificity was partly due to the unknown nature of the follow-on degrees for interactive arts and technology, which issue has now been resolved as indicated above. Unfortunately, the unknown nature of the credential has represented a significant recruitment challenge for the program. Offering general admission to a B.A. or a B.Sc. program can resolve this issue, as well as providing some discrimination of student interest without premature commitment to a particular major.
This document proposes general admission categories for the B.A. and B.Sc. degrees within Applied Sciences. In concert with these new categories, revised admission procedures are proposed to simplify and streamline the evaluation of applicants. The principal notion underlying this is the fast initial cut: immediately upon completion of application requirements, a decision as to admissibility within the Faculty can be made. If an admissible applicant then also meets automated admission criteria for a particular school or program, that decision can also be made immediately. However, if direct entry to a school or program requires further evaluation, recruitment based on general admission can still begin while direct entry deliberation takes place.
In considering the design problem for B.A. and B.Sc. general admission requirements to Applied Sciences, there are a number of relevant data points among existing admission models to be considered. These are introduced and briefly described below, each with their SIMS code which will be used for reference throughout this document.
Note that these first three models might well be considered to be delineate the design space: with arts-oriented admission models to be positioned with respect to the BA and BACH data points and science-oriented models positioned with respect to the the BACH and BSC data points.
Direct admission models for the Applied Science Schools as well as Business Administration are also import.
Each of these represents requirements relevant to important follow-on programs for students given general admission to Applied Sciences/TechOne.
The following new codes are proposed for the Applied Sciences general admission categories.
The design problem can thus be considered to solve for the variables ApBA and ApBSc in terms of constraints associated with the related reference models.
Beyond these variables, the following potential new admission codes are also identified, to fully delineate the design space for admission to subject/credential combinations in Applied Sciences.
Potentially, Applied Sciences could expand the existing 6 different admission codes and sets of requirements into 14 codes and sets of requirements. In contrast, the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Business Administration each have a single code and set of requirements for their degree programs. Even the much larger Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences has but 3 such admission codes (BA, BFA, BGSAR) with a common set of BC12 requirements applying to all three.
Another consideration in the overall design space, then, is the potential to reduce the number of distinct admission codes, and/or the number of distinct sets of admission requirements associated with these codes. For example, can the ApBSc requirements be designed to serve as a common set of B.Sc. requirements for CMPT, GIS_BSc, IAT_BSc and T1_BSc, as well? To the extent that such unifications can be achieved, there is the potential to achieve simplicity and economy in admission processing and in the explanation of admission requirements in recruitment activities.
This section develops a proposed BC12 admission model for general admission to the B.Sc. in Applied Sciences. Subsection III.1 presents an analysis of admission issues and potential models, while subsection III.2 presents recommendations.
Overall, a B.Sc. admission model for Applied Sciences should be defined to support the requirements of the direct B.Sc. programs within the faculty (Computing Science, Geographic Information Science, Interactive Arts and Technology) as well as the related programs in Engineering Science and Kinesiology. That is, an applicant admitted to the B.Sc. program ought to be well-prepared to pursue any of the direct B.Sc. programs without delay, and sufficiently well-prepared to pursue the related programs with only minimal delay.
Table III.1 below provides comparative BC12 admission models for consideration in the design of ApBSc, namely those of BACH, BSC, CMPT, ENSC and KIN. The models refer to BC12 and AP/IB courses selected from lists 1, 2 and 3 of SFU overall admission requirements for BC and Yukon applicants (see the Admission section of the SFU calendar). The table has been organized for comparative purposes, although there are a number of fine details dependent on different groupings of math and science courses. Nevertheless, the differences are not too hard to bring out if tackled row by row.
| BACH | BSC | CMPT | ENSC | KIN | |
| List 1 | English 12 | English 12 | English 12 | English 12 | English 12 |
| List 2 | one math course | Principles of Math 12 | one math course | one math course | one math course |
| one science course | one Science 121 | one science course | Physics 12 | one of Biology 12, Chemistry 12 or Physics 12 | |
| List 2 or 3 | any course | one additional Science 121 or Geography 12 | one additional math or science | Chemistry 12 | one additional course from Biology 12, Chemistry 12 or Physics 12 |
| one fine and performing arts course (recommended) or one social science course | one additional course | one social sciences or fine and performing arts course or list 2 humanities course | one additional course | one additional course | |
|
1Biology, Chemistry, Geology, or Physics 12 |
|||||
As shown in row 2 of the table, each model requires a course from the math subgroup of list 2. This subgroup consists of Principles of Math 12 and some AP/IB math courses. The BSC model requires Principles of Math 12 or an AP/IB course considered to be equivalent. The other models allow a better mark in a more advanced AP/IB course to be substituted instead; this encourages students to take such courses and benefits a small number of applicants who do well. (Note: the 2004 calendar still shows only Principles of Math 12 for the Applied Sciences programs, but the broader requirement has been approved by Senate). However, the vast majority of applicants in all categories satisfy this requirement with Principles of Math 12.
Rows 3 and 4 of the table deal with the science requirements of each model. Row 3 is structured to correspond with the science subgroup of list 2, while row 4 represents a more general slot for a required or allowed second science course from either list 2 or 3. As shown in row 3, all models do require at least one course from the science subgroup of list 2. The BACH and CMPT models allow the full range of courses within this subgroup, including the AP/IB courses in computing science or environmental studies. The other models are more restrictive, as shown. There is even more variation with respect to the second science slot in row 4. While the BACH model permits a science course, there is no specific requirement. The BSC model allows Geography 12, a course from the social sciences subgroup of list 2 in the second science slot. The CMPT model allows any science or math course from either list 2 or 3, while the KIN and ENSC models are much more specific.
As shown in row 5, the final course used for admission is relatively unconstrained in all models except BACH and CMPT. These models have a specific requirement for an arts 12 course in order to ensure breadth among incoming students. In the case of the CMPT model, in particular, the admission model has met with some success in encouraging breadth among applicants. Nevertheless, with most other admission models encouraging streaming amongst high school students (particularly amongst science students), these models have a significant filtering effect that reduces the size of the qualified applicant pool.
Table III.2 provides three design alternatives for ApBSc requirements.
| ApBSc1 | ApBSc2 | ApBSc3 | |
| List 1 | English 12 | English 12 | English 12 or Technical and Professional Communication 121 |
| List 2 | one math course | one math course | one math course |
| one science course | one of Biology 12, Chemistry 12 or Physics 12 | one of Biology 12, Chemistry 12 or Physics 12 | |
| List 2 or 3 | one additional science or Geography 12 | one additional science or social science course | one additional math, science or social science course |
| one additional course2 | one additional course2 | one additional course2 | |
|
1English 12 is required, but a higher mark in Technical and Professional Communication 12 may be used in its place in the admission average. 2If two courses are from list 3 they must be from different groups. |
|||
The first of these models is patterned after the existing BSC model, except that broader lists of science courses are allowed. For example, AP Computer Science may be allowed, which ought to aid in the recruitment of highly motivated students interested in computing science or related information technology programs. The second model is similar, but introduces two refinements. The first is that at least one of Biology 12, Chemistry 12 or Physics 12 must be included. This would exclude applicants who fail to have at least one of these key science courses. The second refinement is that the Geography 12 alternative is broadened to allow other social science 12 courses. This would encourage courses such as Law 12, Economics 12 or Psychology 12. This would also be consistent with the historic use of social science 12 as a computing science admission requirement, without mandating it. Finally, the third admission model provides two additional refinements. The first is that students would be encouraged to supplement English 12 with Technical and Professional Communication 12. This will assist many Applied Sciences applicants with writing skills in general and technical writing skills, in particular. The second refinement is that alternative math courses may be used to fulfill the second science course. This would be to the advantage of the many applicants who take advanced AP or IB calculus courses. Indeed, it seems perverse to allow calculus 12, a list 3 course, but not the more advanced AP/IB calculus courses of list 2.
In order to assess these models, a study of BC12 applicants for Fall 2004 admission was undertaken. Each of the existing models shown in Table III.1 and the proposed models shown in Table III.2 was assessed for the following groups of applicants: TechOne/IAT applicants, CMPT applicants, ENSC applicants, KIN applicants, all FAS applicants and all SFU applicants. Only BC12 applicants reporting at least 5 grade 12 courses were considered; an applicant was considered to meet a particular course model if the applicant had a qualifying set of courses in accord with the model and an average over these courses of at least 67%. For each applicant group and admission model, the percentage of applicants meeting the requirements of the model was determined. For example, it was found that 70% of TechOne/IAT applicants met the existing BACH course model, whereas 78-80% meet any of the three proposed ApBSc alternatives. Table III.3 shows the percentages for each applicant group and course model considered.
| Applicant Group | Course Model | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BACH | CMPT | ENSC | KIN | BSC | ApBSc1 | ApBSc2 | ApBSc3 | |
| TechOne/IAT applicants | 70 | 52 | 32 | 48 | 65 | 78 | 79 | 80 |
| CMPT applicants | 65 | 66 | 73 | 80 | 84 | 97 | 98 | 98 |
| ENSC applicants | 43 | 43 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 98 | 98 | 98 |
| KIN applicants | 51 | 48 | 41 | 89 | 94 | 94 | 95 | 95 |
| All FAS applicants | 52 | 48 | 69 | 81 | 86 | 91 | 92 | 93 |
| All SFU applicants | 52 | 41 | 39 | 63 | 72 | 75 | 80 | 81 |
As shown in Table III.3, each of the existing subject-specific models within Applied Sciences is fairly selective. Direct applicants to a particular subject tend to be the best-prepared group for the corresponding admission model, as would be expected. Applied to the overall SFU applicant pool, the models tend to significantly restrict the number of qualified applicants, with the percentage of qualifying applicants ranging from 39% (assessed against the ENSC course set) to 63% (assessed against the KIN course set).
Each of the proposed ApBSc models is quite effective in ensuring that general admission is broadly accessible to applicants with a reasonable, if not ideal, preparation for science-oriented programs in Applied Sciences. Notably, the restriction of the first science course to one of biology 12, chemistry 12 or physics 12 has almost no negative effect on the percentage of qualifying applicants, provided that the second science slot is more broadly based. From the accessibility perspective, the ApBSc models fare significantly better than the current BSC model of the Faculty of Science, particularly for TechOne/IAT applicants and CMPT applicants.
It is recommended that the ApBSc3 model be chosen as the model for general admission to B.Sc. programs within Applied Sciences.
This is the most inclusive of the models and hence will provide the greatest opportunity to meet admission targets without undue lowering of admission averages.
B.Sc. general admission should be made available to applicants effective for Fall 2005 admission.
Faculty of Applied Sciences admission has fallen below targets for both Fall 2003 and Fall 2004 admission. Implementation of general B.Sc. admission for the Fall 2005 cycle is needed to address this problem.
B.Sc. general admission to Applied Sciences should be an automatic second stage consideration of BC12, BCIB and CAN12 applicants to the following programs, effective for Fall 2005 admission.
Automated evaluation procedures will continue to apply for BC12, BCIB and CAN12 applicants to these subjects. Should an applicant not meet the subject-specific criteria, a general admission to the B.Sc. program of the first-choice faculty should be considered prior to alternatives.
B.Sc. general admission to Applied Sciences should be the automatic first stage consideration for all college and university transfer applicants as well as all non-Canadian high school applicants to the following programs, effective for Fall 2005 admission.
Prior to the manual evaluation of applicants by admission committees of the individual programs, a rapid decision on admissibility to Applied Sciences may be made by the Registrar's office operating under delegated authority according to Faculty-specified criteria.
It is recommended that the ApBSc3 model also be used as the basis for evaluation of BC12/BCIB applicants to each of the following programs within Applied Sciences, effective Fall 2006.
It is anticipated that each program would maintain a separate admission average that may vary from year to year depending on spaces available. Applicants below the program-specific average but above the faculty general-admission average would continue to qualify for general admission in accord with recommendation 3.
This section develops a proposed BC12 admission model for general admission to the B.A. in Applied Sciences. Subsection IV.1 presents an analysis of admission issues and potential models, while subsection IV.2 presents recommendations.
Table IV.1 below provides comparative BC12 admission models for the three reference points arguably most relevant to the design of the ApBA criteria, namely those of BA, BACH and BUS. The BUS criteria are considered relevant due to the role of Business Administration as a follow-on option to TechOne and the normal practice of considering B.B.A. applications for B.A. admission if they do not qualify for direct entry to Business. The BA model is relevant in each of its roles as the university standard for general admission, the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences standard for B.A. admission and as the School of Communication admission model. The BACH model applies both for its present role in TechOne admission and for direct admission into the School of Interactive Arts and Technology. The models refer to BC12 and AP/IB courses selected from lists 1, 2 and 3 of SFU overall admission requirements for BC and Yukon applicants (see the Admission section of the SFU calendar). The five rows of the table represent the five courses to be used in the admission calculation: one from list 1, two from list 2 and two more from either list 2 or list 3. The models presented are simplified slightly to focus on essential characteristics, eliminating details related to rarely used courses.
| BA | BUS | BACH | |
| List 1 | English 12 | English 12 | English 12 |
| List 2 | Two courses | Principles of Math 12 | Principles of Math 12 |
| one additional course | one science course | ||
| List 2 or 3 | two courses1 | two courses1 | one fine and performing arts course (recommended) or one social science course |
| any course1 | |||
|
1If two courses are from list 3 they must be from different groups. |
|||
As can be seen from this table, the design variations relevant to the ApBA requirements focus on the two required courses that must be chosen from list 2 of the overall SFU requirements. List 2 is divided into 4 groups: math, science, humanities and social sciences. The BA model provides completely free choice among these courses. The BUS model requires math, but allows the second course to be chosen from either science or arts courses. The BACH model requires math and science courses, with an arts-oriented requirement also specified.
In light of these models, Table IV.2 provides four proposed design alternatives for ApBA requirements.
| ApBA1 | ApBA2 | ApBA3 | ApBA4 | |
| List 1 | English 12 | English 12 | English 12 | English 12 |
| List 2 | Principles of Math 12 | one math or science course | one math or science course | one math or science course |
| one additional course | one additional course | one social science or humanities course | ||
| List 2 or 3 | two courses1 | two courses1 | two courses1 | one fine and performing arts, humanities or social science course |
| two courses1 | ||||
|
1At most 2 courses from List 3. If two courses are from list 3 they must be from different groups. |
||||
The first of these alternatives is simply the BUS model, requiring Math 12. The second alternative is a somewhat more flexible model allowing applicants to substitute a science course for math. Some studies of performance of 2003 TechOne students showed that good performance in TechOne MATH courses was more closely correlated with strong performance in science 12 courses than in math 12. The flexibility of this model also permits a wider pool of applicants to be considered. This flexibility may also useful in reconciling ApBA admission with the needs of the School of Communication: over 90% of qualified applicants to Communication under the BA model do indeed have at least one math or science 12, but a significant percentage have a science 12 without math 12.
The third model in this table adds an arts-oriented requirement among the list 2 courses. Applicants with only math and science courses from list 2 might be quite reasonably be expected to apply and qualify under B.Sc. requirements.
The fourth model broadens the arts-oriented requirement to all fine and performing arts or other arts courses from list 3 as well as those from list 2. However, the overall use of list 3 courses must meet the usual constraint: at most two are allowed and they must be from different subgroups.
In order to assess these Arts-oriented models, a second study of BC12 applicants for Fall 2004 admission was undertaken similar to the one described in section III for science-oriented models. Each of the existing models shown in Table IV.1 and the proposed models shown in Table IV.2 was assessed for the following groups of applicants: TechOne/IAT applicants, CMNS applicants, CMPT applicants, all FAS applicants and all SFU applicants. Only BC12 applicants reporting at least 5 grade 12 courses were considered; an applicant was considered to meet a particular course model if the average had a qualifying set of courses in accord with the model and this average was at least 67%. For each applicant group and admission model, the percentage of applicants having the BC12 courses required by the model was determined.
| Applicant Group | Course Model | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BA (= CMNS) | BACH | ApBA1 (= BUS) | ApBA2 | ApBA3 | ApBA4 | ||
| TechOne/IAT applicants | 96 | 70 | 95 | 95 | 42 | 89 | |
| CMNS applicants | 95 | 54 | 73 | 87 | 63 | 86 | |
| CMPT applicants | 99 | 65 | 99 | 99 | 50 | 83 | |
| All FAS applicants | 98 | 52 | 95 | 97 | 38 | 78 | |
| All SFU applicants | 98 | 52 | 87 | 94 | 50 | 83 | |
It is recommended that the School of Communication and the School of Interactive Arts and Technology agree on a common B.A. admission model and that the agreed model should also be used for B.A. general admission to the Faculty.
B.A. general admission should be made available to applicants effective for Fall 2005 admission.
Implementation of general B.A. admission for the Fall 2005 cycle is needed to help address continuing shortfalls in meeting admission targets.
B.A. general admission to Applied Sciences should be an automatic second stage consideration of BC12, BCIB and CAN12 applicants to the following programs, effective for Fall 2005 admission.
Automated evaluation procedures will continue to apply for BC12, BCIB and CAN12 applicants to these subjects. Should an applicant not meet the subject-specific criteria, a general admission to the B.A. program of the first-choice faculty should be considered prior to alternatives.
B.A. general admission to Applied Sciences should be the automatic first stage consideration for all college and university transfer applicants as well as all non-Canadian high school applicants to the following programs, effective for Fall 2005 admission.
Prior to the manual evaluation of applicants by admission committees of the individual programs, a rapid decision on admissibility to Applied Sciences may be made by the Registrar's office operating under delegated authority according to Faculty-specified criteria.
Admission to TechOne is somewhat anomalous within the overall context of SFU's structure of admission by faculty and credential. As a first-year program, there is no specific degree credential associated with TechOne itself. Rather, the credentials associate with follow-on options, currently business administration, computing science and interactive arts and technology. Whereas the B.B.A. and the B.Sc. credentials have long been associated with the first two options, the credentials for interactive arts and technology were unknown until this year. The pseudo-credential BACH (Bachelor's degree - unspecified) has been used for IAT applicants, as well as for those who have applied or been admitted to TechOne without a specified follow-on option.
For Fall 2004, students entering TechOne were assessed based on course requirements using one of the three codes BUS, CMPT or BACH. The first two codes were used for a small number of students who were also given direct admission to follow-on programs in business administration (B.B.A.) and computing science (B.Sc.), respectively. The vast majority of applicants were admitted under the BACH code.
The Senate-defined BC12 course requirements for BACH include specific arts and science requirements at the grade 12 level. This is appropriate to the intention of the TechOne and to the admission of students who are prepared to move in either direction. However, in analysis of applicant pools for Fall 2004, it became clear that significant numbers of applicants lacked this broad preparation. As shown in tables III.3 and IV.3 the BACH code is highly selective. In particular, many science-oriented applicants failed to have the required arts 12 course in fine and performing arts or social sciences. In order to avoid unduly limiting the applicant pool for Fall 2004, a temporary waiver of this requirement was sought and granted.
Even with the waiver in place as described, the number of qualified direct applicants to TechOne was well under 200 and far short of the 1000 or so needed to fill 400 spaces at a typical 40% rate. To address this issue, TechOne was defined as the primary default admission route for 2004, for SFU applicants deemed admissible to the university, but not to their specified program choices. Over time, it is reasonable to expect that the number of direct applicants to TechOne will grow, as will the acceptance of TechOne as an attractive first-year program for those directly admitted to follow-on programs in business and applied sciences. Furthermore, as more programs are developed at the Surrey campus, the oversize admission targets associated with TechOne should be reduced.
In summary, there are three essential issues that need to be addressed with respect to TechOne admission. The first is that TechOne admission may be offered in concert with admission to a variety of degree programs, which may have differing admission requirements. The second is that the combined arts-and-science general admission requirements represented by the existing BACH code is too restrictive, filtering out applicants who may have an initial orientation to one or the other. The third is that the admission models must continue accommodate the role of TechOne as a default program while the Surrey campus develops.
Over time, it is expected and desirable that TechOne will see an increasing number of students admitted both to the program and to follow-on options in applied sciences and business. Within applied sciences, options for Communication and for Engineering Science are under consideration to join the existing options in Computing Science and in Interactive Arts and Technology. Other options in information technology are also being developed.
When an offer to TechOne in concert with direct program admission is contemplated, the current and recommended practice is to give priority consideration to the admission requirements of the follow-on program. This is necessary to ensure that needs of the full degree program are met as well as to prevent the use of TechOne as a back door to program admission. However, it does raise the question of whether and how TechOne admission requirements should apply to such applicants.
An alternative to applying TechOne admission requirements is to apply TechOne prerequisites. That is, a student directly admitted to a follow-on program would only further be assessed to ensure that the prerequisite requirements of the TechOne core courses were satisfied. At present, the principal prerequisite of concern is the BC Math 12 prerequisite to CMPT 120.
To date, all admission models used for entry into TechOne have included Math 12. However, it seems unlikely that Math 12 will become a common requirement across all Applied Sciences admission categories; arts-oriented applicants to Communication and/or Interactive Arts and Technology may have other alternatives. In this event, measures to check prerequisites and to find alternatives for those lacking the appropriate preparation should be put in place.
Applicants being considered for admission to TechOne in concert with direct admission to a specific degree program should first be assessed in accord with the requirements of the degree program. TechOne registration should be conditional on satisfaction of prerequisite requirements or obtaining appropriate waivers. Admission offers including TechOne as an option should highlight prerequisite requirements that are not otherwise included in the admission requirements of the program in question.
The School of Computing Science should be asked to assess alternatives to the current Math 12 prerequisite for CMPT 120. For example, can completion of a science 12 be considered to provide sufficient maturity in application of mathematics at the grade 12 level? Alternatively, can MATH 100 or MATH 130 be used in place of MATH 12, possibly taken concurrently?
One of the goals of TechOne is to allow students to undertake a general year of introduction to art and technology without commitment to a specific follow-on program. In essence, TechOne is itself a form of general admission program within Applied Sciences. To date, a single direct admission model has been defined for the TechOne program, namely, the BACH course model, emphasizing both arts and science coursework at the grade 12 level.
With the introduction of B.A. and B.Sc. general admission models for Applied Sciences, it is possible to define new admission routes for TechOne applicants. That is, in making the selection of TechOne as the program of choice in the on-line application form, the credential submenu could be populated with choices for both B.A. and B.Sc. in addition to (or in place of) the current unspecified Bachelor's degree corresponding to the BACH code. Indeed, there is considerable merit in doing so in order to make TechOne accessible to a wider variety of direct applicants. While many applicants to TechOne satisfy both the arts and science requirements of the current BACH model, significant numbers of applicants fail to meet these requirements, having either an arts or a science orientation to their grade 12 coursework. As Tables III.3 and IV.3 show, most of these applicants would qualify under proposed ApBA and/or ApBSc models associated with general admission to B.A. or B.Sc. degree programs. As these applicants could well qualify to enter TechOne in concert with direct admission to a follow-on program, it also makes sense to make such models available for direct TechOne entry.
It is also reasonable to consider retiring the BACH pseudo-credential as a temporary expedient no longer necessary now that B.A and B.Sc. admission are available both for direct entry into Interactive Arts and Technology and for general entry into Applied Sciences. On the other hand, there may also be merit in maintaining a general studies option that allows students to enter the program without commitment to either an arts or science orientation.
Admission to the existing General Studies program in Applied Sciences (BGSAP code) may be a suitable alternative to continuation of the BACH pseudo-credential. One advantage is that this would bring TechOne admissions in line with SFU's overall admission structure by faculty and credential. More significantly, it would ensure that students are admitted to a real degree program that would guide program advising upon completion of TechOne. Indeed, the 2003-4 calendar entry identifies the General Studies program as a default program for students who do not transfer into a specific major, so initial admission to this program makes sense.
Effective for the Fall 2005 admissions cycle, B.A. and B.Sc. options should be added as credentials that direct TechOne applicants may choose. The relevant general admission criteria (ApBA or ApBSc course models) should be used in assessing applicants who make such a choice.
Effective for the Fall 2006 admissions cycle, the B.G.S. (Applied Sciences) option should replace the unspecified Bachelor's degree as an option that TechOne applicants may choose. The BACH code should be retained for Fall 2005 so that TechOne applicants may choose to be evaluated under advertised admissions criteria.
It is anticipated that continued growth in enrolment targets at the Surrey campus will see TechOne admission targets set at fairly high levels for several years. To meet these targets, it is anticipated that TechOne offers will continue to be made to generally qualified applicants who do not satisfy requirements for their initial program choices. Nevertheless, in conjunction with such offers it makes sense to use the Applied Sciences general admission model that best matches their initial choice.
Effective for the Fall 2005 admissions cycle, TechOne admission coupled with B.Sc. general admission to Applied Sciences should be specified as the default alternative for unsuccessful applicants to the following programs.
Effective for the Fall 2005 admissions cycle, TechOne admission coupled with B.A. general admission to Applied Sciences should be specified as the default alternative for unsuccessful applicants to the following programs.