World Literature (Honours) at Simon Fraser University

Programme overview

The honours program is for outstanding students who want concentrated research and writing in world literature beyond the major. Entry is competitive and only a small number of students are admitted each year. The core is an honours essay produced across WL 480 and WL 490. Instruction is in English, and students are encouraged to study languages and study abroad.

Faculty: Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences | Department: Department of World Languages and Literatures | Study mode: full-time | Location: Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

What you will study

A minimum of 18 lower division units including WL 100, 200, with upper division WL 300, 301W, the Research Seminar for Honours Essay (WL 480) and the Honours Graduate Essay (WL 490), plus electives from ENGL, FREN, HUM and INDG courses on world literatures.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Interested students draw up a one-page statement of their prospective honours project in consultation with a world languages and literatures faculty member who has the relevant expertise. This statement needs to be received well in advance of the intended start of the program – the statement will then be forwarded to the departmental chair for approval. Applicants must have a minimum 3.67 grade point average (GPA) in world literature courses, and a minimum 3.33 cumulative grade point average (CGPA).

Tuition is charged per credit, so the total depends on the courses you register for each year. Current fees are listed in the official fee schedule.

Fall (September), Spring (January) and Summer (May) terms; most students start in the fall term.

Fall 2027: high school applications open 1 October 2026 and close 31 January 2027; other post-secondary transfer applications open 1 March 2027 and close 15 April 2027. Summer 2027: all applications open 1 December 2026 and close 15 January 2027. Spring 2027: all applications opened 1 July 2026 and close 15 September 2026.

The non-refundable application fee is 86 CAD for domestic students and 130 CAD for international students, payable online by credit card. Applications are submitted through EducationPlannerBC.

Apply through the official page: https://www.sfu.ca/students/admission.html

Explore more study programmes

Arts & Humanities