Step 2: Choose Electives
Electives are are outside of the required courses listed for your program. All programs require students to choose electives to complete their degree, but the number of electives you need to take will depend on your program, and what you choose to take is up to you – you can even take electives outside of your faculty!
Find Electives
Go to Browse Classes to search for electives using the criteria below along with the discipline codes chart.
Choose an Elective
Electives are a great opportunity for you to expand your knowledge and explore various areas of interest. It is a good idea to create a list with more possible electives than you will need, just in case scheduling constraints, high enrolment or course restrictions limit some of your options.
Choosing electives may seem overwhelming at first, but there are a few things you can consider to make the process easier:
- Customize your degree with Options and Minors (or both!). Check the program's requirements for an option or minor and choose courses that can be used to complete it.
- Search for electives that align with your passions outside of the classroom or subjects that you enjoyed in high school.
- Think ahead to your career and further education goals. Are there certain prerequisites that you will need to complete in order to apply? (i.e. Law School, Teacher Education, Medical School, CPA requirements etc.).
- Review your program’s suggested electives in Step 1 of the Course Registration Guide or the Academic Calendar.
- Consider course availability (term offered, delivery method, prerequisites, restrictions etc.) and search for electives that allow you to balance your schedule around required courses and personal commitments. Ideally each of your terms will have both required and elective courses.
- Check your program’s year level limits to ensure that your elective choices will not exceed the maximum number of 100 level credits allowed in your degree.
Discipline Codes
Legend for Campus:
- W: Waterloo
- B: Brantford
- O: Online
| Code | Discipline | Campus | Faculty |
|---|---|---|---|
| AN | Anthropology | O, W | Faculty of Arts |
| AB | Arabic | W | Faculty of Arts |
| AR | Archaeology and Heritage Studies | O, W | Faculty of Arts |
| AF | Arts Faculty | W | Faculty of Arts |
| AS | Astronomy | O, W | Faculty of Science |
| BI | Biology | B, O, W | Faculty of Science |
| BU | Business | B, O, W | Lazaridis School of Business and Economics |
| MB | Business Technology Management | B, O | Lazaridis School of Business and Economics |
| CH | Chemistry | B, W | Faculty of Science |
| GC | Christian Studies and Global Citizenship | B, O, W | Martin Luther University College |
| CS | Communication Studies | O, W | Faculty of Arts |
| CP | Computer Science | B, O, W | Faculty of Science |
| CC | Criminology | B, O, W | Faculty of Human and Social Sciences |
| KS | Cultural Studies | O, W | Faculty of Arts |
| DATA | Data Science | W | Faculty of Science |
| DH | Digital Humanities | W | Faculty of Arts |
| DMJN | Digital Media and Journalism | B | Faculty of Liberal Arts |
| EC | Economics | B, O, W | Lazaridis School of Business and Economics |
| EM | Education Minor | O | Faculty of Education |
| EN | English | B, O, W | Faculty of Arts |
| ES | Environmental Science | O, W | Faculty of Science |
| ENTR | Entrepreneurship | B, O, W | Lazaridis School of Business and Economics |
| FS | Film Studies | W | Faculty of Arts |
| BF | Foundations | B | Faculty of Liberal Arts and Faculty of Human and Social Sciences |
| FR | French | O, W | Faculty of Arts |
| DD | Game Design and Development | B, O | Faculty of Human and Social Sciences |
| GG | Geography | O, W | Faculty of Science |
| GESC | Geography and Environmental Studies | O, W | Faculty of Science |
| GL | Geology | W | Faculty of Science |
| GM | German | W | Faculty of Arts |
| UNDC | Global Crime and Justice | O | Faculty of Human and Social Sciences |
| GS | Global Studies | O, W | Faculty of Arts |
| HE | Health Science | W | Faculty of Science |
| HS | Health Studies | B, O | Faculty of Human and Social Sciences |
| HI | History | B, O, W | Faculty of Arts |
| HR | Human Rights and Human Diversity | B, O, W | Faculty of Liberal Arts |
| ID | Indigenous Studies | B, O, W | Faculty of Liberal Arts |
| UU | Interdisciplinary | O, W | Interdisciplinary |
| INED | International Education Studies | W | Faculty of Arts |
| IT | Italian | W | Faculty of Arts |
| KP | Kinesiology | W | Faculty of Science |
| WORK | Labour Studies and Career Development | B | Faculty of Liberal Arts |
| LL | Languages and Literatures | W | Faculty of Arts |
| LA | Latin | W | Faculty of Arts |
| LY | Law and Society | B | Faculty of Liberal Arts |
| OL | Leadership | B, O, W | Faculty of Human and Social Sciences |
| MA | Mathematics | B, O, W | Faculty of Science |
| ML | Medieval Studies | W | Faculty of Arts |
| MI | Mediterranean Studies | W | Faculty of Arts |
| MU | Music | O, W | Faculty of Music |
| MZ | Muslim Studies | W | Faculty of Arts |
| NO | North American Studies | O, W | Faculty of Arts |
| PP | Philosophy | B, O, W | Faculty of Arts |
| PC | Physics | W | Faculty of Science |
| PD | Policing | O | Faculty of Human and Social Sciences |
| PO | Political Science | W | Faculty of Arts |
| PS | Psychology | B, O, W | Faculty of Science |
| SAFE | Public Safety | O | Faculty of Human and Social Sciences |
| RE | Religion and Culture | O, W | Faculty of Arts |
| SC | Science | O, W | Faculty of Science |
| SE | Social Entrepreneurship | O, W | Faculty of Arts |
| SOJE | Social and Environmental Justice | B | Faculty of Liberal Arts |
| SK | Social Work | B | Faculty of Social Work |
| SY | Sociology | O, W | Faculty of Arts |
| SP | Spanish | W | Faculty of Arts |
| ST | Statistics | W | Faculty of Science |
| UX | User Experience Design | B, O | Faculty of Liberal Arts |
| WS | Women and Gender Studies | O, W | Faculty of Arts |
| YC | Youth and Children's Studies | B, O, W | Faculty of Liberal Arts |
Next Step: Build Your Timetable
In steps one and two, you've taken note of all the required courses and electives you are taking. It's time to move to Step 3: Build Your Timetable.