This guide will help you map out courses for Winter Session of your first year at UBC Science. Take the time to work through it. Degree navigation is complex, and getting your first year right helps set the foundation for your entire UBC experience. Plan. Explore.

You’ll also receive instructions from Enrolment Services, and additional guidance is available in the Registration Guide on the Student Service Centre. See Planning Ahead: Using Summer Session Courses for guidance on creating a 12-month academic plan.

Contents

A Start Overview And Quick FAQ
Step 1: Determine What Courses You Need to Take and When
Step 2: Access the High-School Equivalent Courses You Took
Step 3: Personalize Your Timetable with Specific Courses You Need
Step 4: Decide on Your Optimum Course Load
Step 5: Access Any Advance or Transfer Credits
Step 6: Choose Your Electives

Overview

How many courses should I take?

First-year students typically take at most five courses per term in Winter Session, which runs September to April. That totals 10 courses over Term 1 (September to December) and Term 2 (January to April). Exceptions include:

• If you don't have advance credit for first-year English courses and are not exempt from the LPI, take no more than 12 credits (roughly 4 courses) in first term. Spend the free time working on your writing skills (consider the non-credit WRIT 098).
• If you have a job or volunteer position that occupies 10 or more hours a week, don’t attempt a full course load.

The Calendar says that the Major I intend to pursue after first year requires a specified list of courses. Do I have any choice?

Not every course that you see listed as a “first-year course” in the Calendar description of your major has to be completed in your first winter session. Be strategic. If your intended major includes second-year courses in CHEM, then you have to complete the first-year CHEM courses in first year. If your major doesn’t include any second-year PHYS courses, you could delay a required first-year PHYS course until second year.

When should I register for courses?

Register for both Term 1 and Term 2 courses on your registration date, which will be indicated under Student Service Centre > Registration. You should also receive an e-mail from Enrolment Services when your registration day and time has been decided. Before that date you may see a message that registration is Blocked. That just means your time to register hasn’t arrived. A smooth experience requires preparation including payment of the registration deposit in advance.

I’ve heard about Credit/D/Fail courses. Should I take them?

Only take percentage graded courses in first year. Most courses are graded on a percentage scale, a few as simple pass or fail (P or F) and others as Credit/D/Fail (credit for a grade of 55% or more, D for anything between 50% and 54.9% and F for results under 50%). Any course required for the specialization you pursue will need a percentage grade. Wait a year to two before using the Credit/D/Fail option for an elective.

Do I declare a major in first year?

Most students don’t declare a specialization until they register in second year. Only the Computer Science Major is open to first-year students but it, too, can be started in second year.

What’s the minimum I have to complete in first year?

Decisions on promotion to the next year-level are made in May or June after winter session. To be promoted to second-year standing, students need to have successfully completed 24 credits, of which 12 must fulfill Lower-level Science Requirements chosen from the following:

• Up to two courses from: CHEM 121, 123, 113; PHYS 101, 102, 107, 108
• One from BIOL 111 (for students without credit for high school biology) or one lecture course in ASTR, BIOL, EOSC, or GEOB (for students with credit for high school biology)
• MATH 100 (or equivalent)
• Up to two further courses in MATH or in CPSC or STAT

N.B. If you have to take CHEM 111 or PHYS 100 (because your high school background was not extensive enough), the courses do not count in the minimum Lower-level Science credits for promotion. If you take MATH 110, three of its six credits count toward the promotion requirement. In Step 3 of the Step-by-Step Course Planning Guide below you will be able to determine whether or not you will have to take any of those three courses.

Credits you have earned from AP, IB or A-level studies may satisfy promotion requirements, but they do not count in your first-year credit load (see steps 4 and 5 of the Step-by-Step Course Planning Guide below).

When you are promoted to second-year standing, before you will register for the next winter session’s courses, you will have to enter a specialization (major or honours). Each specialization has specific first-year course requirements you should check.

What if I don’t complete all the requirements for promotion during winter session?

You may continue as a first-year student into the next winter session as long as you have not exceeded the upper limit on the number of credits you may attempt before being promoted. See Promotion Requirements. Reaching that limit is unlikely after one winter session.

You should plan to complete the absolutely required courses during winter session. Why? Some summer courses will not be completed until August, after the time next summer when you will be registering for winter courses (July), and so you may encounter difficulty. Theoretically, courses you complete in the next summer session can enable you to register for second-year courses for the following winter, but some courses are coded to exclude students who do not already have credit for the prerequisite course at the time of registration.

See the courses that are absolutely required for entry into each specialization (major).

At the time you are planning your courses for winter session, the current summer Course Schedule should be visible and you can use it as a guide for your options for the following summer (many courses are offered regularly in summer).

If you do not have all of the required courses for your desired specialization by the end of your first winter session, but you catch up later there are many specializations (but not all) you can enter when you move from second- to third-year standing.

Step 1: Determine What Courses You Need to Take and When

All BSc students must complete basic courses in biology, chemistry, mathematics and physics, and fulfill a communication requirement. The specific courses that you need to take depend on the courses you completed in secondary school and which specialization (major) you intend to pursue.

Take the Essential First-Year Courses for Your Intended Specialization

Our descriptions of Science specializations link to formal descriptions in the Calendar. For example, the description of the Biology Major lists first-year courses in BIOL, CHEM, MATH, and PHYS. Only some of the courses are required in your first winter session in order for you to be eligible for a spot in that major the next year. All the specializations are listed with their absolutely essential courses.

There you will see that only some BIOL and CHEM courses are required in your first winter session. You may even be given advance credit for one or more of them from AP, IB or A-level courses you completed in high school, but you will not have advance credit for them all.

Can’t decide on a specialization? Many specializations have the same--or almost the same--first-year requirements. For example, Earth and Ocean Sciences and Geophysics, Mathematics and Statistics, Biochemistry and Chemistry, Microbiology and Biology have similar groupings of first-year prerequisites because they share second-year course requirements. Check out the Combined Major in Science as well--it provides a path for becoming a scientifically literate citizen well prepared for a wide range of careers.
You don't enter your specialization until second year (except Computer Science which you may apply for in first or second year). Knowing what you want to study after first year will help you choose your courses for first year, but don't worry if you haven't narrowed your specialization choice down quite yet.

Don’t Cram All the First-Year Courses into Your First Winter Session

So not every course listed in the Calendar description of your desired major as a 'first-year course' has to be completed in your first winter session. Be strategic. If your intended major includes second-year courses in CHEM, then you have to complete the first-year CHEM courses in first year. If your major lists a first-year PHYS course but doesn’t include any second-year PHYS courses, you could delay taking the first-year PHYS course until second year. In this way you can open space in first year to try one of the thousands of other courses on offer in a subject you haven't studied before. See Step 6 of this Planning Guide below (Choose Electives).

Most of your basic requirements will have to be completed within your first two winter sessions. Take the opportunity to sample some of the diverse course options that a university can offer. You don't get your courses approved prior to registration. You're capable of reading and making decisions. Just keep in mind:

• Certain courses have restrictions. Read the description of each course in the course schedule carefully. There are a few courses you can’t take for credit and many pairs or groups of courses that are so similar you can't get credit for more than one.
• Each course if offered by a Faculty and it’s important to know if a course is from Science, Arts or another Faculty. A Science student can get credit for a maximum number of courses that are neither Arts nor Science, for example. You will not run into difficulty in this regard in first year.

Review of Step 1

By now you should have one list of courses you plan to take in first year (to qualify for your desired area(s) or specialization and to meet promotion requirements) and another list of required courses you could take in first year or defer to second year.
Now you need to determine whether or not you can take those required courses directly or have to take a preliminary course. To decide, move to Step 2.

Step 2: Determine Which High-School Equivalent Courses You Took

When you’re admitted to UBC your high school courses are assigned a ‘grade-level’ based on the typical curriculum of a student from a British Columbia school. The grade-level to which your courses are assigned (Grade 11 or Grade 12) is recorded in the Student Service Centre under Grades and Records. Don't assume that you have a Grade 12 equivalent. Check.

If you have Grade 11 chemistry, for example, and the major you want to pursue requires first-year CHEM courses, you will be taking CHEM 111 and 113 and not 121 and 123. If you did not take a calculus course you will not likely be taking MATH 100 but instead will take one of the alternative versions of first-term calculus such as 180 or 184 (or 110).

Step 3: Personalize Your Timetable with Specific Courses You Need

High School: Do You Have?	No	Yes
Biology 11 or Biology 12 At least one year of biology during your senior secondary program.	Take BIOL 111.	Take ONE of ASTR 101, ASTR 102, BIOL 112, BIOL 121, EOSC 110, EOSC 112, EOSC 114, GEOB 102 or GEOB 103.
Math 12 (pre-calculus) with at least 80% Visit the UBC Math site for details.	Take MATH 110* if your pre-calculus grade is under 80%.	Take ONE of MATH 180,184, 100, 102, 104 or 120** (see next row for how to choose).
Math 12 with at least 80% AND a separate Calculus 12 course Visit the UBC Math site for details.	Take MATH 180 or 184.	Take ONE of MATH 100, 102, 104 or 120**.
Chemistry 12 Two years of secondary school chemistry--in some countries this normally requires an AP, IB or A-level course.	Take CHEM 111 and TWO of CHEM 113, PHYS 101, PHYS 102 or (PHYS 107**, 108** and 109**).	Take TWO of CHEM 121, CHEM 123, PHYS 101, PHYS 102 or (PHYS 107**, 108**, 109**).
Physics 12 Two years of secondary school physics-in some countries this normally requires an AP, IB or A-level course.	Take PHYS 100 and TWO of CHEM 121, 123 (or 113), PHYS 101, PHYS 102.	Take TWO of CHEM 121, CHEM 123 (or CHEM 113), PHYS 101, PHYS 102 or (PHYS 107**, 108**, 109**).
Communication Requirement Are you exempt from the LPI? If you're uncertain, see the First-Year English website. If you're NOT exempt, did you achieve a level 5 on the LPI?	Take Writing 098. Check LPI deadlines, which are also found on the First Year English website.	Take SCIE 113*** and ONE of ENGL 110, 111, 112, 120** and 121** or take TWO of those ENGL courses. These two courses must be completed within the first 60 credits attempted (first two years.)
* MATH 110 A two-term course. For information on the Mathematics Basic Skills Test, which may permit a student to take MATH 100, 102, 104, 180, or 184 instead of MATH 110, visit the UBC Math site. ** HONOURS Honours courses intended for students specializing in the area. *** SCIE 113 Students in first-year science (but not Science One or Coordinated Science) are eligible for a First-year Seminar in Science. It offers a small-class experience and extensive faculty member interaction. SCIE 113 provides a supportive environment in which to explore science as a comprehensive way of knowing. The course contains a science and society speaker series and will strengthen your communication skills. Spaces are limited.

Communication Requirement

UBC Science students are expected to become good communicators--in writing and verbally. First-year English courses are very valuable, and most BSc students have to gain credit for two such courses. However, some students will be able to take SCIE 113, the First-Year Seminar in Science--which counts as one of the two required courses for the Communication Requirement.

Students admitted directly from secondary school are expected to take an English course in first year if eligible. To be eligible, students must be exempt from the Language Proficiency Index (LPI) examination or have written the LPI and obtained a score of 5. For details on exemptions visit the English site.

To accommodate students moving from abroad, a sitting of the LPI test is offered at the end of August or the start of September. Students will receive information through e-mail.


You can register for English courses before having passed the LPI. During the first week of classes in September the English Department will deregister students from Term 1 English courses who by then are not eligible. English courses fill up quickly, so register for them as soon as possible. If no seats are available, try a wait-list. Remember to check the Student Service Centre frequently to see if you've been moved from the wait list into the regular class.

Why attend to the LPI requirement early? It's so important that students make progress on the Communication Requirement that we give you only the first winter session (nominally 30 credits) to meet the LPI requirement. The earlier you pass, the more flexibility you'll have in degree planning. If you're transferring from another university or college into second or third year at UBC Science, you must have completed all six credits of English or passed the LPI before being permitted to register as a UBC Science student. Second-degree UBC Science students who haven’t met their Communications Requirement by the time they’ve completed 30 credits at UBC will not be permitted to enrol in courses other than first-year English until the requirement is met.

Review of STEP 3

Now you should have a list of the specific courses you need to meet your goals and to (partially) fulfill lower-level requirements. For example, you may need to take CHEM 111 (because you only have the equivalent of Grade 11 chemistry) and CHEM 113 so that you can qualify for a Chemistry Major in second year. You will also know that only CHEM 113 will count toward the Lower-level Requirement. Go to Step 4 to refine your course list.

Step 4: Decide on your Optimum Course Load

You should now have selected a typical first-year load of approximately 30 credits. Consider taking fewer if you need to pass the LPI exam, work, or volunteer. Your first-year credit load is important so note the following:

• To hold a UBC award you need to register in at least 24 credits in winter session. To be considered for an award after first year you must register in at least 27 credits in winter session of first year.
• To qualify for an Honours option in second year you must successfully complete at least 30 credits in winter session of first year with no failed courses.
• To live in student housing you need to register in at least 9 credits a term.
• For local government-sponsored student loans, you need to register in at least nine credits a term.
• Advance credit (e.g., from AP, IB, or A-level courses) does not count in your winter session course load because you earned it before starting studies at UBC.
• Science One (with BIOL 140) counts for 27 credits and the Coordinated Science counts for 23 to 29 credits.

Now look at the sample first-year course selections we've mapped out for several UBC Science specializations on the page linked below. These are only samples meant to illustrate basic principles: don’t overload yourself, defer courses when it won’t jeopardize promotion at the end of first year, explore electives, and get started on your Arts requirement early.

Note that some courses run September to December (Term 1) and others January to March/April (Term 2). The sample schedules illustrate some examples. Courses that are restricted to Term 1 are: BIOL 111, CHEM 111, CHEM 121, MATH 100/102/104/120, PHYS 100. After studying the sample timetables, you may want to revise your course choices.

Step 5: Access Any Advance or Transfer Credits

If you took A-Levels, Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses and did well enough to expect to be offered 'advance credit', you may not know if you'll be receiving the advance credit when your registration date arrives. Even if you do know, you'll have to decide whether to accept the advance credit or lose it by taking the equivalent UBC course.

How to decide? There is no simple answer. If the course is core to your area of study, it may be worthwhile to take the UBC course. If the course is an elective, then why not accept the advance credit and give yourself more flexibility in planning your first year?

If you are likely to want to take the UBC course, then register for on your registration day. If you wait until you are notified of your advance credit (you will find the information on your Student Service Centre), you may find that all the space in the UBC course is full. If you change your mind, you can drop the UBC course later and find an elective. To find out what credit you may be receiving, go to:

A-Levels: https://you.ubc.ca/ubc/vancouver/bpe.ezc?pageID=1238
AP: https://you.ubc.ca/ubc/vancouver/ap.ezc?pageID=1236

IB: https://you.ubc.ca/ubc/vancouver/ib.ezc?pageID=1240

If you're coming from high school and have received a large amount of advanced credit, you are encouraged to take a larger number of electives or take more challenging honours-level first-year courses (in MATH and PHYS). If you are thinking of taking a second-year course, contact the Science Student Information Centre for advice.

If you’re transferring from a college or university, check how those credits have been interpreted by UBC by logging into the Student Service Centre and clicking on Grades & Records (then on Transfer Credits). If you're not sure how they fit into your degree, compare them to your requirements and then contact an advisor (in the Science Student Information Centre if it is a requirement common to all B.Sc.'s or the advisor for your specialization). See also Credit at UBC and Elsewhere.

Now, look again at your list of chosen courses and adjust based on your decisions on how to use (potential) advance credit.

Step 6: Choose Electives

Electives broaden your horizons and allow you to acquire knowledge and skills that complement your interests in particular areas of science. During your degree you must take at least 18 Arts credits (three or six of which are normally first-year English) and for Majors, nine more Arts or Science credits outside your area of specialization (called the Breadth Requirement). Students may also take up to 18 credits in any Faculty or School including, but not limited to, Science or Arts. A BSc degree offers lots of choice. You’re a scientist, so experiment.

How do you know which Faculty offers a particular course? Check the course section of the UBC Calendar. Most courses with the following prefixes have Science credit: ASTR, ATSC, BIOC, BIOL, CHEM, CPSC, EOSC, GEOB, MATH, MICB, PCTH, PHAS, PHYL and STAT. The description will tell you if a particular course is not for Science students. Some courses offered by other departments and faculties are designated as Science Credit--these include some ANAT, PSYC, FNH and MEDG courses. Read the Science Requirement in the BSc section of the UBC Calendar.

By browsing the Course Schedule you'll see what courses are available and might be of interest. Popular electives include economics, anthropology, psychology, philosophy, music, French, sociology, Spanish—the list goes on and on. Some students taking a full complement of required courses in first year have little room for electives. Go back to Step 2 for hints on how to open space for electives in your first-year timetable. If you do have room in your timetable, go for it--but don’t overextend yourself.