The Associate of Arts (AA) degree prepares students for life as an educated person and lays a solid foundation for further study.

This two-year, 60-credit (20 courses) undergraduate program is equivalent to the first two years of a four-year degree in the Arts. It prepares students to transfer to research or teaching universities to complete a bachelor’s degree or serves as a credential to enter the labour market. The AA degree is accepted for transfer into bachelor degree programs at University Canada West (UCW) and all British Columbia degree-granting institutions, provided other admission requirements are met.

Graduates of the AA program will develop these skills:

- Workplace problem-solving skills

- Ability to work in teams

- Leadership skills for the workplace

- Communications and soft skills for employability

In September 2021, UCW received 5 stars rating from the QS Stars higher education rating system, the world’s most popular source of comparative data on university performance. 

As part of the QS Stars audit process, institutions receive an overall rating of between zero and 5+ stars, as well as a rating in at least eight of 13 key areas. We have achieved 5 stars in Teaching, Employability, Online Learning, Academic Development, Social Responsibilities and Inclusiveness and 4 stars for Internationalisation. UCW is the third university in Canada, and the first in British Columbia, to receive a 5 Star rating from QS Stars. There are only a total of seven institutions in the United States and Canada to receive a 5 Star rating.