Students with a recognized undergraduate degree may be eligible to pursue a BSc as a second degree, or the Bachelor of Computer Science. Students will not be permitted to undertake a second degree program that overlaps significantly with studies for a previously granted degree.
The pursuit of an honours, General Science, or Integrated Sciences program as a second degree is normally not permitted. Various departments in UBC Science have special requirements (such as having your program approved in writing). It is recommended to speak with the appropriate advisors early in your program.
Questions?
- Students must complete a minimum of 60 credits at UBC while enrolled in their second degree program
- Students must satisfy all Faculty and program requirements
- All upper-level Faculty and program requirements must be met through second degree credits only
- Specific program requirements completed prior to commencement of the second degree may not be repeated, and must be replaced by additional courses in order to satisfy the 60-credit and upper-level requirements
- The remaining degree requirements and course prerequisites can be satisfied by any combination of first- and second-degree credits
- Any second-degree student who has not completed the Communication requirement upon admission must complete it within the first 30 credits completed at UBC
Students with limited background for their chosen program may find it necessary to complete more than 60 credits to fulfill all degree requirements. Since no transfer credit appears on the transcript, students admitted to a second degree must consult with Science Advising and the appropriate department regarding specific second degree requirements prior to starting their program.
The standard promotion requirements apply only to students admitted from high school or on transfer from another post-secondary institution.
Students admitted on the basis of prior study (i.e. completion of a first degree) are subject to special promotion requirements based on the year level to which they were admitted.
Entering First Year
For students admitted into first year, promotion to second year requires completion of a minimum of 15 100-level Science credits (either with UBC credits or from prior study).
Entering Second Year
For students admitted into or promoted to second year, promotion to third year requires completion of any of the following that were not met with prior study:
- Minimum 3 credits of the Communication Requirement
- Lower Level Science Requirements
- A total of at least 30 Science credits
Entering Third Year
For students admitted into or promoted to third year, promotion to fourth year requires completion of:
- Minimum 18 UBC credits, including any remaining part of the English requirement
- Minimum 9 credits of Science courses numbered 300 or above
You must take 6 credits of first-year English in your second degree.
Getting into a specialization can be done in 1 of 2 ways.
- Applying through the Second Year Application Process
This is for students going into Year 2. (Students are given only a brief window of time, in the month of June, in which they can apply to these programs, so watch for emails pertaining to this.) They list their top 3 choices in order of preference. Then they are placed in programs based on their marks and prerequisite courses completed. If a student does not meet the requirements for their first choice, they will be considered for their second choice, and so on. - Applying directly to the department
This is for students going into 3rd year. Find the contact details for the relevant program advisor.
Please Note: There are a limited number of seats available in many specializations. If you do not get into your desired specialization at the second-year level, you may have another chance after second year. However, you will have to improve your academic record to have a chance.