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First-Year Program Requirements: Faculty of Science

The following information is part of Step 1: Program Requirements of the Course Registration Guide for first-year Faculty of Science students. To view the remaining steps, consult the Course Registration Guide.

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Course Load

To earn an Honours Degree, you will need to complete 20.0 credits:

  • 0.5 credit: Normally conducted over one term
  • 1.0 credit: Normally conducted over two terms

If you are studying part-time, you can take up to 1.5 credits per term. Full-time status is given to students who take 2.0 or 2.5 credits per term.

If you select 2.5 credits in the fall term and 2.5 credits in the winter term, you can complete an Honours Degree in four years.

For all Faculty of Science single degree programs, you may elect to proceed on a reduced load (2.0 credits per term) or part-time load (less than 2.0 credits per term) and increase the number of terms of study to complete your full degree.

If you select 2.5 credits in the fall term and 2.5 credits in the winter term in each year of study, you can complete an Honours Degree in four years.

GPA-Based Progression

To progress from year one to year two in most Honours programs, you require: 

  • an overall cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 4.0 (C-) and
  • a cumulative GPA of at least 5.0 (C) in the honours subject courses.

There are programs with atypical progression requirements. Refer to the specific program section of the academic calendar for details on progression and graduation requirements.

Calculus Preparation Evaluation (CPE)

Students taking MA100, MA102, MA103, or SC101 must complete the mandatory Calculus Preparation Evaluation (CPE) online before you can register in the course. Based on the results of the CPE, you may be required to complete MA102 before registering in MA103 or SC101 prior to registering in MA100.

Students registering in PC131 must first register in a Calculus course (MA100, MA102 or MA103) before you can register in PC131.

Program Requirements by Major

The 100-level courses for each program, both required and elective, are listed below. Some things to note:

  • Your program requirements are presented as a full load of 5.0 credits (2.5 credits in each of the fall and winter terms). 
  • All Faculty of Science programs have a maximum junior (100-level) credit limit: 6.0-7.0 credits depending on the specific program.
  • Consider registering for elective courses that would contribute to a minor or option.
  • Most programs must eventually include a minimum number of electives from a discipline outside of those offered by the Faculty of Science. You should consider completing at least one elective course from another faculty in Year 1. 

Students interested in BA Policing in combination can find the required courses listed under the Faculty of Human and Social Sciences (online) program requirements.

Definitions

  • BA: Bachelor of Arts (honours)
  • BKin: Bachelor of Kinesiology (honours)
  • BSc: Bachelor of Science (honours)
  • Combination-Only BA: A program that must be taken in combination with another BA program
  • BBA: Bachelor of Business Administration (honours)
  • An asterisk (*) denotes a course worth 1.0 credits

Next Step: Choose Your Electives

Now that you've determined your program requirements, it's time to move to Step 2: Choose Your Electives to plan and select your electives.