Choosing Courses as a Transfer Student

This guide is for transfer students from other institutions who have second-year standing in Science. It walks you through course selection from the point of choosing your specialization to the first day of class.

Step 1: Choose Your Program Specialization: Major, Minor or Honours

The requirements of a specialization determine the courses you need to focus on during registration. Now is the time to explore UBC Science's program specializations -- get a feel for requirements, explore UBC calendar entries, bookmark contacts for departmental program advisors, and discover student clubs for each program specialization.

Explore UBC Science's Program Specializations

Review the UBC Academic Calendar Requirements For All Science Specializations

Entering 2nd Year Class Standing and Above

Some transfer students are eligible for 2nd year class standing or higher based on how their transfer credits apply to the Science class standing requirements. UBC Science runs a coordinated application for specializations in May and June. You'll be asked to identify your three top choices. Preview the application process here.

Step 2: Course Planning

It’s important to start with your previous coursework, which may be pre-requisites for some UBC courses. UBC Science may not apply high school courses in the same way that your previous institution did - this can have an impact on which university courses you’re eligible to take. Note any courses that you may still need—in subsequent steps, you can determine if you have the pre-requisites you need through post-secondary course transfer credit, or whether you’ll need to complete the pre-requisite at UBC.

Step 3: Review Your Transfer Credits

Start by reviewing the transfer credit section of the UBC Academic Calendar. Once you’ve reviewed the Calendar, read on. 

Transfer credits will be assigned to either:

• (a) specific courses (e.g. CHEM 233), called "specific credit", OR
• (b) a generic year level (e.g. CHEM 2nd), called "general credit" 

If you cannot see your transfer credit on Workday yet, you can check the online search tool to learn if your past coursework has previously been reviewed and assigned credit at UBC. This information can help with your preparation for course planning.

In most cases, transfer credit articulation will be complete by mid-June. If by mid-June you don’t see information about your transfer credits on the Student Service Centre, please contact Enrolment Services. For international students, the process can take longer – please be patient and see our tips below for how to register while you wait for more information.

Depending on the institution you’re arriving from, UBC may need to do more work to articulate (evaluate and determine) your general transfer credit. For instance, students transferring from institutions within British Columbia or other major institutions in Canada will not need to have their general credits further articulated. However, students transferring from institutions overseas may have a number of general credits which need to be further articulated upon arrival. 

• Check the Transfer Credit tab under Academics in Workday.
• When your registration day and time arrive, you may not have answers about all your transfer credits. In each of these cases, treat the credit as general and register for all the courses that you don’t have specific credit for at UBC. You can drop the required course at a later date if you receive transfer credit for it.
• Courses must overlap significantly with UBC curriculum in order to be assigned a specific course for transfer credit. So you may still have general credits after review--this means that the credit will count toward your degree generally but will not count toward specific course requirements in your program.

Course-Specific Credit Vs Generic Credit

When your coursework at another institution overlaps significantly with a course at UBC, you might receive course-specific credit (e.g., CHEM 233). Courses that don’t sufficiently overlap will be ‘general’ or generic year-level credits. They can count towards requirements such as ‘18 credits of lower-level coursework’ and occasionally as prerequisites for higher-level courses. Generic year-level credits don’t generally satisfy specific requirements (e.g., CHEM 233) towards completing your degree. And if you have CHEM 2nd transfer credit for a chemistry course that covered some organic chemistry but not everything in the curriculum of the required course at UBC, you’ll need to take a second year UBC organic chemistry class to fulfill your degree requirement.

Step 4: Prepare for Registration

After you are notified about the outcome of your specialization application and you review your transfer credit, you’re now ready to choose your courses. Return to the UBC Calendar for a reminder of the year-to-year course requirements for your specialization. The Calendar entry for your specialization also provides a sample year-to-year timetable. For instance, for a Major in Biology you would look up the Biology Calendar Entry in the UBC Calendar.

UBC Academic Calendar

Step 5: Build Your Saved Schedule

In Step 2, you identified courses that you may still need to take. Use this as your starting point. In June, you’ll be notified of your registration date and time via email - this is called a registration appointment. Courses fill up quickly, so be prepared with more than one saved schedule ahead of your registration day. You’ll also need to be prepared to register for term 1 AND 2. Learn how to use the course registration system.

Designing your timetable means:

• You select the courses and course sections relevant to your program specialization
• More flexible time choices for your timetable
• Most lectures will be in large classrooms, but most labs/tutorials will be in small groups

Some specializations have a Standard Timetable (STT) option, requiring you to register for a block of your core courses with one click. When you see a course section marked STT, you will only be able to register in that section if you are in the specific specialization that is noted.

There are many things to be prepared for and aware of when you’re registering. We’ve compiled a list of the major registration questions and answers for UBC Science students. The FAQs include information about restricted seats, how to switch course sections without losing your seat, and more.

Don't Panic If You Can't Get Into a Course!

Many classes may be full during your registration time. Don’t panic! If there's another section with seats, register immediately. If all the course sections are filled, register for the waitlist. Remember, a waitlist requires that you wait! Science Advising, your department, and course instructors can’t move you into a class. If you’re on a waitlist you’ll be placed in the class in order as other students switch sections. Check out tips and more.

Step 6: Balance School, Work, Extracurricular and Play

Choose an appropriate courseload for your first year at UBC Science. A full courseload is 30 credits or more over the two terms of the winter session. Plan your timetable well, and leave some time for fun. Sports, recreation, and social time will give you balance. You may need a certain number of credits per term to be eligible for housing, student loans, UBC scholarships, and an honours program.

Step 7: Resources and Support

Science Advisors

Questions about course planning, registration or degree planning.

UBC Academic Calendar

Review the program specialization entry for an overview of your degree.

Departmental Program Advisors

Connect with your program advisor for help with specialization requirements.

Your Instructor, TA or Professor

Can help with questions on coursework, research opportunities, or further study options.

Enrolment Service Advisors

ESAs can help advise on financial support, student loan applications, and technical issues with Workday.