No matter what year you're in, there are a few things to keep in mind when choosing your courses.

Don't overextend yourself. Make sure that you have enough time and energy to devote to your courses. Take a reduced course load, if necessary. Completing four successful courses is better than failing one or more courses. If you pass a course in UBC Science you will not be able to repeat the course for higher standing.

UBC offers many exciting courses—choose some purely out of interest. You’ll find it easier to get through the tough courses if you're also taking classes you’re passionate about. Remember, there's more than one path to medicine, law or grad school!

Important Credit Minimums Per Session

30 credits to enter into an Honour’s program in later years (or continue in one)
27 credits to be eligible for scholarships the next year
24 credits to be eligible for housing (12 per term)
24 credits, including 12 from Lower-level Requirements, to be eligible for promotion
18 credits to be eligible for BC student loans (9 per term)

Credit Exclusions

Visit the UBC Calendar to get a handle on credit exclusions--courses in which there is sufficient overlap that credit can be obtained for only one selection. And remember, the fact that two courses overlap doesn’t mean they’re interchangeable. Program specifications may require a specific course selection.

Web: www.students.ubc.ca/calendar/index.cfm?tree=12,215,410,414

Second Year

Students entering the second year of their studies with UBC Science are expected to be preparing to decide which program they are going to follow. This is also a good time to begin your breadth requirements.

It is important to check the requirements for your desired program—they may also include a minimum average for admission or continuation. In particular, pay close attention to the courses that are needed as prerequisites. Some of these must be taken at a specific time in your degree. Also, not all courses are offered every term, so be sure to plan core courses ahead of time so that you are not missing a key course.

Consult with Science Advising, departmental advisors, and above all, familiarize yourself with the UBC Calendar and the program websites for any program that you are pursuing, or about which you would like more information.

Third Year

By this point, the majority of students with UBC Science will have chosen their program. The beginning of third year is a good time to review Faculty and program requirements (refer to your program in the UBC Calendar). Both sets of requirements must be fulfilled before you graduate with a B.Sc. Some things to keep in mind:

• Not all upper year courses (300+) are offered every year.
• Breadth requirements are met by taking courses outside of your specialization.
• If you have not been able to gain admittance to the program of your choice, you should consult with the program advisors for other programs you may be interested in pursuing. Microbiology and Cell Biology and Genetics are two examples of programs with a larger number of applicants than available seats.
• If you are in the General Science program, a list of some possible courses is available online here.
• Before selecting your fourth year courses review the graduation requirements of the Faculty of Science.

Fourth Year

During a student's fourth year, the Science Advising Office automatically conducts preliminary graduation checks for Faculty requirements towards the end of Term 1.

These grad checks are based on the list of winter session courses that the student is registered in as of October. Courses added or dropped after this term may not be reflected in the grad check. Students who are deficient in only a few credits (for example, 3 credits of Arts), will be notified via email in December. This is done so that the student can register for a Term 2 course to correct the deficiency in order to graduate the following May.

Students who are short far more credits than can be corrected in Term 2 may not receive such an email. Lastly, students who appear to meet all Faculty requirements will also not receive an email from Science Advising.

It would be in your best interest to go through the Faculty requirements yourself early in the first term of your fourth year (or even earlier) so that you will have enough time to make any necessary changes to your registered course list.