Application & Requirements

The International Academic Office (IAO)
 
Registrations for University of the Arctic international online Circumpolar Studies core courses (BCS 100, 311, 312, 321, 322, 331, 332) are managed by the International Academic Office (IAO). The Academic Coordinator at the IAO will register you in your course at the offering institution, keep a record of completed UArctic coursework, and may assist with credit transfer issues.

If you encounter any problems with the registration process, you can contact the IAO at:

Tel: +1 306 425-4694 or iao@uarctic.org
 Registration Guide


How to Apply for Online BCS Courses 

1. Download Registration Form
Registration and Declaration Form [WORD Printable Form, may also be completed in Word]
2. Fill out and sign Registration Form

Students should ensure they have completed the Course Prerequisites
  • BCS 100 is the prerequisite for all other BCS Courses
  • BCS 100 is the only prerequisite to take BCS 311, 321, 331, and 332.
  • BCS 100 and BCS 311 are the prerequisites for BCS 312
  • BCS 100 and BCS 321 are the prerequisites for BCS 322.
 
3. Submit form to your UArctic Site Coordinator

The UArctic Site Coordinator is your main contact person at your home institution for UArctic matters. You must submit your registration form to your Site Coordinator to receive permission to enroll in UArctic classes. This approval is to confirm that you are a student in good standing at your home institution, you are eligible to take your chosen BCS courses, and that the credits transfer back to your home institution.

4. Submit the form to IAO

Your Site Coordinator will forward your completed Registration Form to the International Academic Office on your behalf.  

5. The IAO will contact you

The University Coordinator at the International Academic Office will email you shortly before the semester begins with log in information for the BCS course(s) in which you are registered that semester.

 

Student Requirements

For a student to be able to register for Circumpolar Studies, students will have to complete the following requirements:
  • Be a student at a UArctic member institution; those who do not belong to a member institution can register as an Open Learner 
  • Have good academic standings
  • Have sufficient English skills to comprehend readings and to participate fully in the course.



Academic FAQs

Academic Information

a.       Our Students
 
Registration in online BCS core courses is open to students from all UArctic member institutions; those who do not belong to a member institution can register as an Open Learner. See below for information on credit transfer.
  
b.      Course Delivery
 
Online offerings of the BCS core courses are delivered on the internet in a global online classroom using Moodle (an online course management system). Courses are mostly asynchronous; however, some scheduled meeting times may be arranged by your instructor.
  
c.      Tuition
 
If applicable, tuition will be paid only to your home institution at the same rate as other courses offered by your home institution. Your UArctic Site Coordinator or the IAO can advise you further.
 
d.      Course Withdrawal

To assist students in avoiding academic penalties, the International Academic Office (IAO) may act on your behalf to withdraw you if you have failed to log on to your class website for 14 days (without prior approval from their instructor). To prevent financial and academic penalties at your home institution, you must immediately inform your UArctic Site Coordinator and the University Coordinator at the International Academic Office when you have withdrawn or intend to withdraw from a BCS course.

e.      Credits

Each online BCS course is worth 6 ECTS, or 3 credit units at most North American institutions.
 
f.        Credit Transfer
 
UArctic is not a credit granting institution; therefore, the IAO does not issue transcripts. The IAO forwards your transcripts from the institutions that offered your UArctic courses to your home institution. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure you will receive credit for the successful completion of online BCS courses. You should contact your Site Coordinator for confirmation of credit transfer to your home institution. Students should be aware that interpretation of grades upon transfer is at the discretion of their home institution.
 
g.      Language Requirements
 
All online BCS courses and web discussions are held in English. English language skills must be at a level to enable a student to comprehend readings and participate fully in the course. In some cases, arrangements may be made with your Site Coordinator to deliver assignments and write exams in your native language.
 

Additional Information

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is a serious academic offence and it will not be tolerated. It is intellectual theft and is punishable by a grade of zero on the assignment, a grade of zero in the course, or more severe academic penalties. Depending on your instructor, additional information regarding plagiarism is sometimes posted on your course site and/or within your BCS course outline.

Plagiarism includes copying phrases, sentences, paragraphs, pictures, illustrations, maps, etc., from any source, including books, web pages, magazines, articles, radio, television or cinema, etc., and presenting it in your own work without acknowledging the original author. Acknowledgement of words requires that you indicate the quoted material with quotation marks or blocked paragraphs and a reference to the original source. Recognition of images requires a source note and reference in a caption or in the text.

A related academic offence is handing in a paper or assignment you prepared for another course, or submitting a paper you bought or had someone else write. However, it is not an academic offence to have someone else read and edit your work. Indeed, having other people read drafts of papers is an accepted part of academic work.


Course Description Information

Instructors for the international online delivery of the Circumpolar Studies program for your BCS core course will provide in the course outline and/or on your course webportal all relevant information for the course description, course outcomes, course format, texts and materials, the working syllabus (weekly modules), assessment details – including online participation, midterms, research assignments and/or essays, and final exam – along with course policies and due dates for assignments and weekly discussion forums.


Circumpolar Studies Faculty

Please see our Circumpolar Studies Faculty for a list of current and past instructors for online delivery of BCS core courses.