Selecting Electives: Senior Faculty of Science Students

Choosing electives is a personal choice, based on disciplines of strength and interest and perhaps future aspirations. Your academic advisor cannot select electives for you. The following resource includes a few things to consider when you’re selecting electives in the senior years of your program.

Number of Electives You Can Register In

The number of electives you can register in depends on your specific program. Check the appropriate Academic Calendar for the program that you are pursing to determine the total number of electives for your program. Uncertain of the appropriate calendar for the degree that you are pursuing? Check MyDegree in the "Major" block and note the "Catalog year".

Most courses are one term in length and earn 0.5 credit (there are some Laurier exceptions that are 0.25 credit or 1.0 credit).

100-Level Electives

All programs have a minimum number of senior credits that are required for the degree. Therefore, there is a maximum number of 100-level courses, including both required and elective, that can be completed within the 20.0 credit minimum for your program. Check the appropriate Academic Calendar for the program that you are pursing to clarify the maximum number of 100-level courses that you can complete as this may influence the year level of your elective choices.

Breadth Requirements

Most Faculty of Science programs include language for “breadth requirements” for electives: Electives must include at least X credits from a discipline outside of those offered by the Faculty of Science.

• This breadth requirement may be completed with any course offered by the Faculties of Arts, Human and Social Sciences, Liberal Arts, Music, Education (EM), the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics and the Martin Luther University College. Some ideas are included at the end of this resource.
• The discipline codes chart provides the home faculty for all courses. For reference, Faculty of Science course codes include AS, BI, CH, CLIM, CP, DATA, ES, GESC, GG, GL, HE, HN, KP, MA, PC, PS, SC, ST, WASC.
• Note that this requirement can be completed with courses offered at any level (1XX-4XX).

Electives May Be Used to Complete a Minor/Option

You may consider working towards a minor / option, but you are not required to do so. Interest in a minor / option may assist you in picking elective courses.

• You may browse by minor / option on the academic programs page or by using the general list of minors and options.
• For detailed requirements of an option or minor, you should refer to the 2025/26 academic calendar. Select a Faculty, then the department offering the minor (MI) or option (OP) of interest. Links to specific minors and options will be listed under the “Program information” section.

Registering in a French Course

You must complete an override form from the Department of Languages and Literatures to register in your first French course at Laurier.

Class of Interest at Capacity

Popular electives can reach capacity quickly. Do not become discouraged!

• For courses with a waitlist, you can add your name (if there are openings on the waitlist) and check your waitlist position using LORIS.
• If a fall / winter term course is at capacity, and the course does not have a waitlist, we recommend that you monitor LORIS to watch for an opening in the course(s) so that you may register yourself. Registration numbers continuously fluctuate.

You have until September 17, 2025 to register for Fall Term 2025 courses and January 16, 2026 for Winter Term 2026 courses.

Courses of Interest

We have compiled a list of some senior electives offered through other faculties whose content may be of interest to a Faculty of Science student. You must check the course description for any pre-requisites.

 Courses based on STEM in social, cultural, philosophical and historical context

 Courses based on human health, community and lifespan

Courses based on environment, biosphere and climate