These questions supplement the Choosing Your Courses in First Year Science guide. If you haven't already, familiarize yourself with the guide before reading on.
When should I register for courses? Where can I find my registration date?
Register for both Term 1 and Term 2 courses during your registration appointment, which will be shown in Workday. You will also receive an e-mail from Enrolment Services one week before registration opens, notifying you of your registration date and time.
Can I switch course sections?
You can swap sections of courses to change your timetable. However, if you drop a section, you risk not being able to add another section if it is full. If you try to swap one course section with another and the desired section is full, you will get a message to indicate why your request couldn't be completed and you will still be registered in the original section of that course. Here’s steps for how to swap or drop courses in Workday.
I’ve heard about Credit/D/Fail courses. Should I take them?
Most courses are graded on a percentage scale - very few are simply “Pass” or “Fail” (P or F). Some courses may be taken as either (a) percentage grading, or as (b) Credit/D/Fail. Courses taken on a Credit/D/Fail basis allow you to receive a credit, a D, or a Fail standing instead of a percentage grade.
In the Faculty of Science, students must use percentage grading for the Lower-level Requirements, the Communication Requirement, Science Breadth AND any course required for a specialization (including minors). Science students can choose to take some elective courses on a Credit/D/Fail basis; these courses must be selected carefully to ensure that they are not needed for any of the categories noted above.
In first year, take only percentage-graded courses; a course might seem like an elective, but could be necessary for a minor or double major in future years. Wait a year or two before using the Credit/D/Fail option for an elective. We don’t recommend you choose Credit/D/Fail for any Science course, unless you are certain you won’t need it for your specialization or a future minor.
You must request a Credit/D/Fail grading through Science Advising.
What’s the minimum I have to complete in first year?
While there is no minimum number of credits or set of courses that are needed in first year, it's important to become familiar with the Science Promotion Requirements and Degree Progression rules to avoid unnecessary delays to your eligibility to specialize (e.g., apply for a major).
The course I want has reserved seats. What does that mean?
Sometimes, you will see that a course includes reserved seats. Seats in some course sections are reserved for students studying in a particular degree program or specialization. When there are general seats remaining, any student with the pre-requisites (if needed) can still register in the course. When general seats are all taken, you can check the “Reserved Seats Available by Eligibility” table to determine if you are eligible for the reserved seats. If you believe you are eligible for an available reserved seat and are having difficulties, check with the appropriate department for help:
The class I want is full! What should I do?
A lot of registration changes happen in the first week or so of school as people adjust their schedules. Read this blog post on how to try and secure a spot in a class, or a particular section of a lab.
Having difficulties with registration?
Don’t panic. With a little patience you will probably be able to resolve it yourself.
- Check to see if the course is full – if so, look for another section.
- Check to see that you have the required pre-requisite. For instance, you need either BIOL 111 or Biology 11 or 12 to register in BIOL 112. If you don’t have high school Biology, register for BIOL 111 in term 1, and BIOL 112 in term 2.
- Make sure you aren’t trying to put two courses in the same time slot. This includes waitlisted courses.
- If you are still not able to register, check out the helpful information pages departments have provided:
- Biology Course Registration FAQ
- Chemistry Registration FAQ
- Computer Sciences Courses & Registration
- Math Registration Issues
- Physics First Year Guide and Registration FAQ
If your registration problem is still not solved, and it is NOT due to a full course:
- for difficulties with waitlists, contact the department offering the course,
- for technical difficulties on Workday, consult your Enrolment Service Advisor (ESA)
- or for other inquiries, connect with Science Advising. As noted above, we can’t put you in a course if it’s full; however, if you’ve encountered another difficulty that is not resolved with the above steps, connect with us right away.
Can I declare a specialization (major) in first year?
Bachelor of Science (BSc) students don’t declare a specialization until you have completed first year and have been promoted to second year class standing. Once you are promoted to second year class standing and before you register for the next winter session’s courses, you will apply for and be placed in a specialization (major or honours). Each specialization has specific admission requirementsthat you need to take in first year to be eligible, so keep these in mind as you choose your first year courses.
Each major in the Calendar lists a set of courses under First Year – do I need to take all of these courses to be eligible to apply to the specialization?
In your first year, plan to complete the specialization admission requirements (link) of the specializations that you are considering applying to. The admission requirements are a smaller subset of the courses listed under First Year in the Calendar. This means that you could take some of the courses in the Calendar in a subsequent year, however you need to be mindful of things like course pre-requisites to ensure you don’t unnecessarily fall behind.
Can I delay some courses until the summer session or second year?
Plan to complete promotion requirements and specialization admission requirements during your first winter session. Some summer courses will not be completed until August, which is after you register for winter courses (in July), so you may encounter difficulty with meeting pre-requisites and your summer courses do not count towards the specialization admission requirements unless they are complete by the time you. Additionally, some high-demand second-year courses require that you have credit for the prerequisite first-year course before being able to register. Find out more about summer course registration.
Have More Questions?
Drop in to Science Advising and speak with a Science advisor.