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: 

• B: Brantford
• M: Milton
• V: Virtual
• W: Waterloo

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.