First Year Required Courses & Specialization Admission Requirements

Students studying at desks

 

Were you expecting to find the BSc Specialization Application info? We can redirect you.

There is a difference between specialization admission requirements and required first-year courses for a specialization.

A specialization means a Major, Honours, Combined Major or Combined Honours. Your specialization is the area of focus (e.g., computer science or atmospheric sciences) for the BSc degree you’re completing. You begin studying at UBC Science without a specialization for your first year before applying for a specialization in May/June.

Specialization requirements are all the courses that must be completed to earn a degree in that specialization, including (1) First Year required courses and (2) specialization admission requirements.

  1. When checking the UBC Calendar by specialization, students are often surprised by the number of courses listed under the “First Year” category – these are First Year required courses for that specialization. They do not all need to be completed in your first year.
  2. Specialization admission or eligibility requirements are a smaller group of courses you must complete in your first year to be eligible to apply for your intended specialization. You must also eligible to be promoted to second year class standing before you can apply for a specialization.

See below for a comparison of specialization admission requirements and First Year required courses for Biology, Major (3095).

Specialization Admission Requirements for BiologyFirst Year required courses for Biology  
Table of Specialization Admission Requirements for Biology  Table of First Year required courses for Biology (via the UBC Calendar)  

*Note: This example was accurate at the time of publishing. Check the UBC Calendar and Science Specialization Application website for the most up-to-date information about requirements for this specialization.

In the comparison above, MATH 100 and PHYS 131 are examples of First Year required courses for Biology, but not specialization admission requirements.

Guide to Choosing Your Courses

Additional Links and Resources

Musqueam First Nation land acknowledegement

We honour xwməθkwəy̓ əm (Musqueam) on whose ancestral, unceded territory UBC Vancouver is situated. UBC Science is committed to building meaningful relationships with Indigenous peoples so we can advance Reconciliation and ensure traditional ways of knowing enrich our teaching and research.

Learn more: Musqueam First Nation

Faculty of Science

Office of the Dean, Earth Sciences Building
2178–2207 Main Mall
Vancouver, BC Canada
V6T 1Z4
UBC Crest The official logo of the University of British Columbia. Urgent Message An exclamation mark in a speech bubble. Arrow An arrow indicating direction. Arrow in Circle An arrow indicating direction. A bookmark An ribbon to indicate a special marker. Calendar A calendar. Caret An arrowhead indicating direction. Time A clock. Chats Two speech clouds. External link An arrow pointing up and to the right. Facebook The logo for the Facebook social media service. A Facemask The medical facemask. Information The letter 'i' in a circle. Instagram The logo for the Instagram social media service. Linkedin The logo for the LinkedIn social media service. Lock, closed A closed padlock. Lock, open An open padlock. Location Pin A map location pin. Mail An envelope. Mask A protective face mask. Menu Three horizontal lines indicating a menu. Minus A minus sign. Money A money bill. Telephone An antique telephone. Plus A plus symbol indicating more or the ability to add. RSS Curved lines indicating information transfer. Search A magnifying glass. Arrow indicating share action A directional arrow. Spotify The logo for the Spotify music streaming service. Twitter The logo for the Twitter social media service. Youtube The logo for the YouTube video sharing service.