Undergraduate Processes

Please click on this document to view the Faculty of Science Academic Misconduct Process.

After Degree students are those who have been admitted to the Faculty of Science in a degree program but have completed previous degree(s) at the University of Calgary or other eligible postsecondary institutions.

Please complete the following form to start your After Degree assessment. The assessment will determine which course credit, if any, may apply from your previous degree(s) to your new After Degree program.

Change of Program is the process current UCalgary students follow to change their degree program including some of the following ways:

• Applying for a combined degree or double Major program
• Applying for a competitive Minor program
• Adding or removing a Minor or Concentration
• Applying for Honours

Application Deadline: February 1^st

The following instructions apply to any current UCalgary student who is applying to enter a Faculty of Science degree program:

1. Submit an application online to change into a Faculty of Science program through the Student Services Centre (my.ucalgary.ca). The application is available each year between October  – February 1^st and will take effect the following Fall term.
2. After the February 1^st deadline, applications will be reviewed on a student’s most recent 30 units from the preceding Fall term and back (ex. Fall 2022 courses and back for a Fall 2023 change). If a student has completed less than 12 units at the time of review, they will be evaluated based on their high school grades (except in the case of the BCEM, CMBI, ECOL, PLBI, ZOOL, and Honours programs which require a minimum of 30 units complete to be considered for admission, or in the case of Neuroscience, which requires additional course requirements for admission).
3. All applicants must meet the high school course requirements for admission to the Faculty of Science, even if we are not evaluating the application based on high school grades.
4. Students will receive a final admission decision on their application by mid-March.

Note: 

The following programs are not administered by the Faculty of Science.

Please direct any questions about the following to the appropriate faculty:

• BSc Anthropology, Archaeology, Earth Science, Geography, Psychology (Faculty of Arts)
• BSc Kinesiology (Faculty of Kinesiology)
• Bachelor of Health Sciences (Cumming School of Medicine)
• BSc in Engineering (Schulich School of Engineering)

For independent research courses please complete this webform.

For all other courses, please email the Undergraduate Science Center with your full name, UCID, Course Name and Course Code to request consent at science.advising@ucalgary.ca

Requests for a Course Overload are only considered for those who would experience significant delays in their current degree program. As such, the following types of requests will be denied:

• Courses that can be taken in a later semester (without affecting degree progression)
• Courses or specific sections that are preferred over others
• Requests from students who are not in a degree program (e.g. Open Studies, undeclared majors)
• Courses to transfer into another program or apply for a professional program
• Requests that require additional rulings and approvals (such as third attempts, time conflicts, and pre-requisite waivers)

Submitting an overload request does not guarantee enrollment. Requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and only approved if it is necessary for the student’s progression in the degree. If there is no overload capacity a request may also be denied. This is sometimes the case if no physical space is available.

All students who believe they require an overload in a science course must speak with their home faculty advisor. If the home faculty advisor agrees that the course is required in the current term, they will provide a recommendation to the Faculty of Science. No further action is needed from the student.

Lab exemptions are normally available for CHEM 201, 203, 209, 311, 315, 351, 353, 371, 373, 431, 433, 453, 471, 515, BIOL 241, 243, 311, 313, 315, BCEM 341, BCEM 393 and CMMB 343 to students repeating the course in the same modality within two years. Students are eligible for lab exemptions if they’ve obtained a 75% or higher in a prior attempt of the Chemistry lab or a ‘C’ or higher in a prior attempt of the Biology lab. Please note that laboratory or field based Biology courses are ineligible for waivers (example: BCEM 411, BCEM 413, CMMB 451, ECOL 413, ECOL 501 and all 507, 528 and 530 courses).

It is recommended that students interested in a lab exemption register normally for the lecture, lab, and tutorial (if applicable) and then complete this form. If approved, the USC will change the lab on your behalf.

All requests will be looked at by the Add/Swap date of the current semester.

The University of Calgary offers a flexible grade option, Credit Granted (CG) to support student’s breadth of learning and student wellness. Undergraduate courses using the CG grade will count toward degree requirements, however, will not have any impact on a student’s grade point average (GPA). The CG grade will appear on students' transcript when applied to a course as the final grade.
 
Faculty units may have additional requirements or restrictions for the use of the CG grade at the faculty, degree or program level. Please see the following list of courses in the Faculty of Science where CG is not eligible:

• NANS 502
• PHYS 598
• PHYS 599
• SCIE 501
• SCIE 529

For additional information about the CG grade and its requirements, please refer to the calendar. If you have any further questions or concerns about the CG grade that is not outlined in the calendar, contact our Undergraduate Science Advisors.

Please visit our "Grade Reappraisals and Appeals" webpage to view the steps and procedures for the following requests:

• Reappraisal of Graded Term Work
• Reappraisal of Final Grades
• Grade reappraisal appeal

• When do you need a grad check?  (video)
• Where do I find my degree requirements? (video)
• Request a Grad Check (form)

Before taking courses at other institution student must:

Meet with Program Coordinator, Student Advisor in the Undergraduate Science Centre to:

1. make sure you are eligible for a Letter of Permission
2. discuss how your planned courses will apply to your program requirements
3. ensure that such transfer credits advance their particular programs

Important information to note:

• Students may be authorized to take some program course work at another university (by requesting a letter of permission)
• Students with poor academic performance, such as being on probation or having a large number of withdrawals, will not be afforded this opportunity.
• Students may apply online for such authorization by requesting a Letter of Permission through their online Student Centre (under the “Academic’ section).  There is a $25.00 fee for processing a Letter of Permission request.
• Once approved, students will be advised officially as to how the proposed courses will transfer and an appropriate letter will be sent to the Registrar of the other university.
• The Letter of Permission must be obtained before the student registers for the courses at the other institution.
• Once the course is completed, it is the responsibility of the student to arrange for an official transcript to be sent to the Admissions Office in order to have transfer credit recorded.
• Some grade-point-average (GPA) calculations used by the Faculty of Science do not include transfer courses (ex. academic review, Dean’s List). If you are unsure if it will be used for consideration toward a specific process, please check with your advisor.

For more information please visit: https://calendar.ucalgary.ca/pages/ed046895dec049ab91662b867bd1a4e5 (section G)

After completing a course on a Letter of Permission:

Once an official transcript has been sent and received by the UCalgary Admission Office, check your Transfer Credit Report . If the credit is not posted within 4 - 6 weeks of the transcript arriving, contact the admissions team.

It is important to note that attending another institution without a Letter of Permission is grounds for dismissal from the University of Calgary.

Third attempts are considered for students who require a course for progression in their current program. Third attempts are final attempts at the course. To determine if a third attempt is appropriate, please follow these steps:

1. Speak with a Science Advisor to discuss your request for a third attempt, your academic plan, and the overall situation.
2. If a third attempt is required, you will receive an invitation to submit a formal request for a third attempt.  In this request, please include a proposed study plan where you explain in detail why you were not successful in the previous attempts, and what you will do differently to be successful in this final attempt.
3. If your request is approved, enrollment permission is posted, and you can proceed to register in the course

1. Meet with a Science Program Advisor to discuss need for Time Conflict.
2. The advisor will review your program and desired courses to determine if you meet requirements for Time Conflict approval. If the advisor confirms that a Time Conflict Approval is the only viable option, you will receive a Time Conflict Approval form.
3. It is your responsibility to meet with the instructor of each course to obtain each of their approval.
4. If the instructor feels the student still has a realistic opportunity for success in the course despite the time conflict, and both parties accept the consequences, the instructor may sign the student’s form.
5. If the student has obtained consent from both instructors, the form can be returned to the USC Advising Office.
6. The USC Advising Office will submit the Time Conflict form to Enrolment Services on your behalf.
7. Enrolment Services will process the Time Conflict and enroll the student in the appropriate courses upon receipt of the Time Conflict form.

Students are allowed a maximum of 3 consecutive terms away from the University of Calgary. (Ex. A student who takes courses in Winter 2022 may take Spring, Summer, and Fall 2022 off without permission. They must enroll in a Winter 2023 course at UCalgary to remain in their degree program.) If your time off exceeds 3 terms, your student status is forfeited and you will be discontinued from your degree program. To continue your studies, you must then reapply for admission.