Who is eligible to apply for a BSc specialization?
BSc students in class standing 2 or 3 without a specialization and eligible, are required, to apply for a specialization through this coordinated process. Students eligible to apply are notified by email in advance of the opening of the application. Please be sure to check the email you use for official UBC communication to be informed about the BSc specialization admission process.
When do I apply?
The BSc specialization process occurs in May and June and is open to all BSc students who do not yet have a specialization except those in class standing 1.
What should I know about the BSc specialization application if I am a transfer student?
If you are a transfer student, you will apply to a specialization in your first year attending UBC if you are in class standing 2 or 3 based on your completed transferrable course work. If you are in class standing 1, you must complete the promotion requirements before you can apply for a specialization.
How does the process work?
Applicants are ranked by their most recent winter session average or admission average (for transfer students). Some specializations also take in to account the average for disciplinary courses, for example Major in Mathematics. The Neuroscience specializations allocates a small portion of their spaces via a random draw.
Students are placed into their first-choice specialization (so long as they meet the eligibility requirements) ordered by average, as long as there's still room in that specialization. If there isn't space in a student’s first choice, we move to their second choice and do the same evaluation. If there isn’t room in their second choice, we review their third choice.
We’re able to place the vast majority of students into one of their three choices. To increase the likelihood you are placed into one of your three choices, be sure to select specializations for which you meet the criteria.
When will I know the outcome of my application?
Roughly three weeks after the application has closed, you’ll receive an email directing you to log into Workday Student to view your assigned specialization.
Can I change my application after I’ve submitted it?
No. Ensure you’re confident in your choices and have done the recommended research to inform your decisions before you submit your application.
What happens if I don’t apply for a specialization?
Eligible students are required to apply for a specialization. Students with specializations experience the following advantages:
- Since departments prioritize course seats for students in their own specializations, students without a specialization may have a harder time getting into courses.
- Only students with specializations may apply to department specialization admission processes. For example, you cannot apply to some honours programs without an existing specialization.
Students who do not obtain a specialization before the end of the winter session in which they have completed 48 credits of course work will be assigned a specialization by the Faculty of Science.
