There are two Combined Major programs within our undergraduate portfolio.
Combined Major in Philosophy and Political Science
Requirements
Students within the Combined Major in Philosophy and Political Science (PHIPO) must complete the following Political Science courses:
| Course | Credits | Year Typically Taken | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| POLI_V 100 | 3 | 1st | |
| POLI_V 101 | 3 | 1st | |
| POLI_V 110 | 3 | 1st / 2nd | |
| POLI_V 240 | 3 | 2nd | |
| POLI_V 380 | 3 | 3rd | Prerequisite: POLI_V 110 |
| POLI 34* | 3 | 3rd | 300-Level Political Theory Course (POLI 340-349) |
| Four 300- or 400-level POLI courses | 12 | 3rd & 4th | |
| Total | 30 |
To access a course plan template for the PHIPO Program, please enroll in our Undergraduate Info Hub and, once you have done so, visit our ‘Creating Your Degree Plan in Six Steps’ page.
Please note: PHIPO Combined Majors are permitted to take a maximum of two 400-level POLI seminars during their time at UBC. Members of our Undergraduate Advising Team regularly check seminar enrolments to ensure that students do not exceed this seminar registration limit. If you have exceeded this limit, a member of our advising team will get in touch with you to better understand why you have structured your schedule in this way and confirm which of your extra seminars can be dropped from your schedule. If you are not responsive to our first or follow-up attempts to reach you, we may reduce the number of seminars on your schedule without your input.
Admission
Students who meet our program entry requirements can self-declare a Combined Major in Philosophy & Political Science without having to submit an application to our Department.
Program Entry Requirements
- Enrolled in UBC-V’s Bachelor of Arts program; and
- Have second-year standing or above.
Please follow these steps to join the Combined Major in Philosophy and Political Science:
- If you have yet to declare a specialization or wish to change your current specialization to the Combined Major in Philosophy and Political Science, please follow the steps outlined in this Workday tutorial: Declaring or changing your primary major, honours, or specialization.
- Select: B.A., Combined Major in Philosophy and Political Science (Vancouver).
- If you wish to add the Combined Major in Philosophy and Political Science to your existing specialization (e.g., a student who wishes to complete the Combined Major alongside their existing Sociology Major), please follow the steps outlined in this Workday tutorial: Adding a program of study (second major or minor).
- Select: Combined Major in Philosophy and Political Science (Vancouver).
- Self-enroll in the Department’s Undergraduate Info Hub, a Canvas course from which we send our monthly undergraduate newsletter, share important program information, and post our advising team’s drop-in advising days/times.
Combined Major in Economics and Political Science
Requirements
Students within the Combined Major in Economics and Political Science (ECPO) must complete the following Political Science courses:
| Course | Credits | Year Typically Taken |
|---|---|---|
| POLI_V 100 | 3 | 1st |
| POLI_V 101 | 3 | 1st |
| POLI_V 240 | 3 | 2nd |
| One of POLI_V 220 or 260 | 3 | 2nd |
| One of POLI_V 350 or 352 | 3 | 3rd |
| Five 300- and 400-level POLI_V courses | 15 | 3rd & 4th |
| Total | 30 |
Please note: ECPO Combined Majors are permitted to take a maximum of two 400-level POLI seminars during their time at UBC. Members of our Undergraduate Advising Team regularly check seminar enrolments to ensure that students do not exceed this seminar registration limit. If you have exceeded this limit, a member of our advising team will get in touch with you to better understand why you have structured your schedule in this way and confirm which of your extra seminars can be dropped from your schedule. If you are not responsive to our first or follow-up attempts to reach you, we may reduce the number of seminars on your schedule without your input.
Admission
In order to be considered for admission into Combined Major in Economics and Political Science, a student must meet the admission requirements for the Major in Economics. Additionally, we would like ECPO applicants to have completed at least nine credits of our 12-credit lower-level POLI requirement (POLI_V 100/101/ 240/3 credits chosen from POLI_V 220 or POLI_V 260), ideally by May 2026.
If you will not complete at least nine credits of ECPO’s 12-credit lower-level POLI requirement by May 2026, you are still welcome and encouraged to apply for this program.
2026W Application Process
During this admissions cycle, students who are applying for the ECPO Program will only submit one application via the ECON application portal (which will open in the spring of 2026). ECPO applicants will not submit an application to POLI directly.
Frequently Asked Questions
PHIPO
No.
No. You can self-declare the Combined Major in Philosophy and Political Science at any point in the year—assuming that you have not already applied to graduate.
Yes. However, those who join a Combined Major without having completed their full lower-level POLI requirement will be expected to complete this requirement as soon as possible. Tip: Our 100- and 200-level POLI courses are designed to prepare you for the content of our upper-level course catalogue. With this in mind, we strongly recommend completing what remains of your lower-level POLI requirement as soon as possible. If you’re interested in completing any of these requirements over the Summer Session, take a look at our website to see the courses on offer.
Please get in touch with our Advising Team (poli.ugrad@ubc.ca) well in advance of registration/graduation-related deadlines and outline your situation. If we see reason to waive your POLI_V 100 requirement (or any other POLI program requirement) based on your academic history, we will let you know.
Yes, as long as you meet our program entry requirements.
To take the vast majority of our 300-level courses, you are required to have third-year standing or to have completed a set number of lower-level POLI_V courses. This is the case even if you are a Combined Major in Philosophy and Political Science. Please see this page of the Calendar for the specifications for each course.
If you are a Combined Major in Philosophy and Political Science looking to switch into our Combined Major in Economics and Political Science, you will need to submit an application during ECON's admissions process. ECON’s application portal is set to open in March 2026. Otherwise, please follow the steps outlined in this Workday tutorial to change your specialization. If you face any difficulty changing your program of study, please contact our advising team, at: poli.ugrad@ubc.ca.
ECPO
Students who are applying for the Combined Major in Economics and Political Science (ECPO) must submit an application via the ECON application portal (which will open on March 16, 2026). 2026W ECPO applicants will not submit an application to POLI directly. If you have any questions about the ECON admissions process, please refer them to ECON’s admissions team (vse.undergrad@ubc.ca).
ECON ranks students “according to their weighted GPA and offer admission to the top students based on the number of seats available...” For more information on ECON’s admission process, please visit their website.
Yes. However, those who join a Combined Major without having completed their full lower-level POLI requirement will be expected to complete this requirement as soon as possible. Tip: Our 100- and 200-level POLI courses are designed to prepare you for the content of our upper-level course catalogue. With this in mind, we strongly recommend completing what remains of your lower-level POLI requirement as soon as possible. If you’re interested in completing any of these requirements over the Summer Session, take a look at our website to see the courses on offer.
Please get in touch with our Advising Team (poli.ugrad@ubc.ca) well in advance of registration/graduation-related deadlines and outline your situation. If we see reason to waive your POLI_V 100 requirement (or any other POLI program requirement) based on your academic history, we will let you know.
Yes. Please follow the steps outlined in this Workday tutorial to change your specialization. If you face any difficulty changing your program of study, please contact our advising team, at: poli.ugrad@ubc.ca.