Selecting Electives: First-year Faculty of Science students

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The following resource walks you through how to select elective courses for your first year of studies in the Faculty of Science.

Step #1: Determine Your Required Courses

  • Use the first-year program requirements (in the Faculty of Science chart), to prepare a list of required courses for your program of registration.
  • Every Faculty of Science program has multiple 100-level required courses. The number of required courses varies between programs.

Step #2: Select Electives to complete your list of courses.

Selecting electives is a personal choice, based on disciplines of strength and interest and perhaps future aspirations. An Academic Advisor cannot select electives for you. There are a few things to consider when you’re selecting your electives. 

Year Level of Electives

You should focus on 100-level courses for your elective choices in your first year of studies. 200+-level electives of interest can be completed in future years.

 Number of Electives You Can Register In

The number of electives you can register in depends on your specific program.

  • 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).
  • Full-time Faculty of Science students typically complete 2.5 credits in each term (Fall and Winter).
  • You may elect to complete a lesser course “load” with fewer courses per term and increase the total terms of study to earn your degree.
  • If you are considering a reduced load for the fall and/or winter terms, it is recommended that you confirm your planned course selections with your Academic Advisor  prior to the start of the term.

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 consists of 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.
  • The Discipline codes chart on the “Electives” webpage provides the home Faculty for all courses. For reference, Faculty of Science course codes include AS, BI, CH, CP, DATA, ENVX, ES, GESC, GG, GL, HE, HN, KP, MA, PC, PS, SC, ST, WASC.
  • Note that this requirement does not need to be completed in your first year of studies OR with 100-level courses. However, it is recommended that you consider working on this program requirement (if applicable) in making first year elective choices.

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 Year 1 elective courses.

  • You may browse by minor / option on the academic programs page (using the filter) or by using the general list of minors and options.

  • For detailed requirements of an option or minor, you should refer to the 2024-2025 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 18, 2024 to register for Fall 2024 term courses and January 17, 2025 for Winter 2025 courses.