The University of King’s College enjoys a special and highly effective partnership with Dalhousie University, the research powerhouse of the Maritimes. Foundation Year is available only to students registered at King’s, but it is part of degree programmes that the College offers in conjunction with Dalhousie: the Bachelor of Arts, the Bachelor of Journalism (Honours), the Bachelor of Science and the Bachelor of Music. Each of these degrees typically is comprised of courses taken both at King’s and at Dalhousie.

FYP is worth four out of the five credits normally required in first year. It is recognized as equivalent to first-year credits offered by Dalhousie in English, history, philosophy and sociology (except social anthropology). It also meets the introductory requirements of a number of other Dalhousie departments, as well as the three combined honours programmes at King’s. An abridged three-credit version is taken by students enrolled in Science. Foundation Year is taken by all first-year Bachelor of Journalism (Honours) students.

To complete their regular first-year course load, FYP students also take the following:

• Journalism students take the required Foundations of Journalism course;
• Science students take two credits of Science prerequisites;
• Music students take an applied skills course;
• Arts students take one elective credit; they are encouraged to choose a course or courses that provide prerequisites for upper-year studies not provided by FYP and/or that fulfill the degree requirement that they have a science and language credit.

After Foundation Year, students can continue benefitting from the College’s unique approach to interdisciplinary education by selecting one of its three joint honours programmes: Contemporary Studies, Early Modern Studies and the History of Science and Technology. Each one of these involves interdisciplinary courses taught at King’s and courses taught in departments at Dalhousie.

The Dalhousie/King’s relationship also means that, as King’s students, those who have taken FYP can instead choose to specialize in any subject offered by departments or programmes at Dalhousie belonging to the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences or the Faculty of Science. Whatever kind of degree programme they choose, FYP students can also profit from one of the approximately 60 study abroad programmes available to them through these joint faculties.

FYP alumni have followed many diverse paths: journalism, politics, business, theatre, law, education, international development, music, creative writing and medicine. They are secure in knowing that they have the ability to learn, to write, to speak persuasively and with passion, and to be open to change in the light of the ideas of others.