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The following general requirements apply to all programs administered by the Faculty of Science. In addition, there are the course requirements for the individual programs. These are listed in Section 5 (Program Details).

The following courses may form part of a student's degree program in Science, but may not be used to satisfy the requirement of four FCE from outside the Faculty.

The University of Calgary is committed to providing students with rich undergraduate educational experiences that can be completed in four years. Beginning in the Fall of 2008, for first year students studying in the Faculties of Arts or Science the University introduced a four-year graduation guarantee. Participation in this program requires a shared commitment from the University and the Student ensuring timely progression towards degree completion. To find out more on this program visit www.ucalgary.ca/gradguarantee/. If you have additional questions on this please call the Undergraduate Programs Office, 403.220.5881.

A student must present an approved list of courses completed with passing grades. This list will be referred to as the program. The program must satisfy the following conditions.

(a) The program must contain at least 20 FCE with a maximum of 8 FCE at the 200-level.

(b) The program must contain at least eight FCE in a Science field. The field chosen for a program will be referred to as the "major field." The Science fields are listed in Section 5 (Program Details). Only one FCE in the major field may be a "D" or "D +".

(c) The GPA calculated over the program must be at least 2.00, and the GPA for courses in the major field must also be at least 2.00. The program may not contain more than three FCE with "D" or "D+" grades.

(d) Breadth requirement: The program must contain at least 10 FCE from outside the major field, of which at least four FCE must be courses selected from Faculties other than the Faculty of Science. Of these four FCE, students must take at least one FCE from the Faculty of Arts.

The four FCE from other faculties may not be chosen from among the courses listed in Table I. The requirement to include four FCE in other areas is intended to broaden the student's perspective beyond ones offered by the Faculty of Science.

Science 311 may be counted among the four FCE from other faculties.

(e) The program must include certain specified courses. The specified courses required for individual programs are listed in Section 5 (Program Details).

(f) No more than 10 FCE taken at other institutions and acceptable for transfer credit may be included in the program. A maximum of four FCE taken at other institutions and acceptable for transfer credit may be included in the major field.

(g) Credit will not be granted toward Science degrees for Physical Activity courses (i.e., Dance Education Activity/Theory, Outdoor Pursuits Activity/Theory, and Physical Education Activity/Theory).

Note: These requirements may change with every Calendar issue. A given Calendar issue applies to the academic year beginning on July 1 and ending on the following June 30. The time of entry into a program in the Faculty of Science is defined as the first session after admission to the program during which a student successfully completes any courses applicable to the program. A student's program is subject to the course requirements which are in the Calendar current at the time of entry into the program, and a student is allowed five years counted from the time of entry into the program to graduate under these requirements.

Students who exceed this five-year limit must consult with the Head of the Department (or designate) or Program Director (or designate) concerned who will decide on an acceptable set of course requirements for the proposed date of graduation. The Head (or designate) or Program Director (or designate) will communicate the decision to the Associate Dean (Undergraduate Advising) in writing.

Note: Course work that forms part of the requirements from a student's major field as listed in Section 5 (Program Details) and which is more than six years old at the time of graduation may be included in the program only with written permission of the Head (or designate) of the Department or Program Director (or designate) concerned.

Note: Courses taken in the University of Calgary Faculties of Medicine or Veterinary Medicine (and, at the discretion of the Associate Dean, courses taken as part of a degree in Dentistry or Optometry or Medicine or Veterinary Medicine outside of Calgary) may be counted towards a BSc degree in the Faculty of Science if at least 15 FCE have been taken in a Science program, and if the Science course requirements for a Science Major are met by those 15 or more FCE. Honours degrees and degrees with distinction will not be granted in this manner. Not all Major programs can be completed in this way in three years.

The notation "With Distinction" will be entered in the permanent record and on the graduation parchment of a student successfully completing a Major program with a grade point average of at least 3.60 over the last 15 FCE taken for the degree. In cases in which the "last 15" must include some but not all of a group of courses taken concurrently, the selection will be made in the manner most advantageous to the student.

A student who has taken part of his/her course work at another university or who has transferred into the Faculty at a relatively late stage may be granted a degree "With Distinction" at the discretion of the Faculty.

Degrees with Honours are awarded in two classes: Honours and First Class Honours.

The requirements are the same as for the Major Programs, except for the following additions or changes.

Honours Requirements

• A minimum GPA of 3.30 over the last 15 FCE.
• At the time of each annual review conducted after admission to an Honours program, a GPA of 3.30 or better over

(i) All Science courses taken since the previous review,

(ii) All courses taken since the previous review.

• The program must contain at least nine and no more than twelve FCE in the major field.
• Candidates for Honours have five years in which they are registered in courses to complete the required program.
• Candidates for Honours Co-operative Education or Internship programs have six years in which they are registered in courses to complete the required program.

Note: A student who fails to maintain the necessary performance standards or who decides not to continue in an Honours program may transfer to a Major program.

First Class Honours Requirements

In addition to the Honours requirements, successful completion of a Department-approved program equivalent to 20 FCE with a GPA of at least 3.60 over the last 15 FCE. A student who has taken part of his/her course work at another university may be granted a degree with First Class Honours at the discretion of the Faculty.

The Faculty of Science has three Co-operative Education programs and one Internship program. All are offered as Major and Honours programs. For general information on Co-operative Education and Internship programs refer to the Co-operative Education/Internship section of this Calendar. For specific program details, see Section 5 (Program Details) in the Faculty of Science section of the Calendar.

Cooperative Education and Internship programs in the Faculty of Science are five years in length and include four or five four-month terms of supervised work experience in various industrial and government establishments. Apart from this work experience, the degree requirements are the same as for the regular Major and Honours programs.

Students who wish to enter a Co-operative Education or Internship program are urged to discuss their pre-admission course selection with the Undergraduate Officer of the Department offering the program as early as possible.

The general deadline for admission to a Co-operative Education or Internship program in the Faculty of Science is December 1. However, for some Co-operative Education programs, as for Internship programs, additional admission deadlines may be available. If so, these are listed in the Calendar section of the Department offering the program. Applications for admission to a Co-operative Education or an Internship program must be submitted to the Career Services Office on forms available from that Office.

For continuation in Co-operative Education/Internship programs, students are required to maintain a minimum GPA of 2.30 (Major) or 3.30 (Honours).

Note: Department requirements that exceed the Faculty minimum supersede these Faculty standards. Furthermore, students who receive a grade of "F" in a Co-operative Education/Internship course will be withdrawn from the Co-operative Education/Internship program and will not receive Co-operative Education/Internship designation.

These are single degree programs. A student in a Major program whose program also meets the requirements for a second Major in a different field, in either the Faculty of Science or another faculty, may declare a second Major in this field. The same is true for Honours programs. It is not possible for one of the two programs to be an Honours program and for the other one to be a Major program.

Declaration of the second Major or Honours may be made no later than at the time of the last registration. Special restrictions apply to certain double Major or Honours combinations. Consult the relevant Department in Section 5 (Programs Details). All such double Major or Honours combinations must be able to be accommodated under the same rubric (either BSc or BA).

Students may pursue a combined program of at least 25 FCE that leads to two degrees from the Faculty of Science. The two degrees will be awarded simultaneously. Interested students should consult the Associate Dean (Undergraduate Advising).

The two programs may not be from the same Department, except for combinations of Geophysics with one of Geology, Applied and Environmental Geology, or Environmental Science.

Major Degree Requirements

Students who have obtained an approved degree (BSc, BEd, etc.) may enrol in a "second" bachelor's degree program. The graduation requirements for a second degree are the same as those for a degree with a Major field (see above) except for the following:

(a) Up to 10 FCE counted towards any previous degrees may be counted towards requirements in the second degree. These may not include more than half the minimum number required in the new Major field.

(b) Courses not used toward previous degrees (as determined by the institution awarding those degrees) may be used to reduce the number required in the second degree where applicable.

(c) Of all courses used toward the second degree, at least 10 FCE must be taken at the University of Calgary.

(d) Students normally will not be admitted to a second degree program in any field in which they already possess a degree. Students with a degree in the Natural Sciences should consult the Undergraduate Programs Office to find out whether they would be permitted to enrol in a program that covers the same subject matter as their Concentration One.

Formal application for admission to a second degree program should be made to the Admissions Office. Upon admission to the program, students are advised to contact the Undergraduate Program Office (UPO) to discuss their academic plans and obtain general advice regarding the requirements of the second degree. The UPO will then prepare a detailed formal assessment outlining the remaining requirements in each individual case.

The second degree will be awarded "With Distinction" if a GPA of at least 3.60 is achieved over the courses completed in the second degree program, excluding those used in point (a).

Note: Departments are under no obligation to compress their course offerings in such a way as to minimize the time spent on a second degree.

Honours Degree Requirements

Students who have obtained an approved degree may proceed to a second bachelor's Honours degree, subject to the requirements for Honours degrees specified above, with the following modifications:

(a) Admissibility will be based on the overall grade point average obtained in the first degree, and grade point averages required for graduation will be calculated using courses completed in the second degree program.

(b) The student must obtain approval of the Department or Program concerned.

(c) The permissible duration of the second degree program will be determined by the Associate Dean (Undergraduate Advising) at the start of the program in conformity with the spirit that governs the duration of a first degree honours program, taking into account what courses remain to be taken in the second degree program.

(d) The degree will be awarded as First Class Honours if a GPA of at least 3.60 is obtained over the courses completed in the second Honours degree program.

The two collaborative programs available, in Earth Science and in Environmental Science, are single BSc degree programs administered jointly by the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Arts.

These multi-disciplinary programs with restricted entry require careful course selection to satisfy the requirements of both Faculties. Students considering one of these programs should contact the appropriate Program Director, as early as possible for advice regarding their program. Program details for Earth Science are listed in the Faculty of Arts and Environmental Science in the Faculty of Science section of this Calendar.

Students may pursue a combined program of at least 25 FCE that leads to two degrees, one from the Faculty of Science and one from another Faculty. The two degrees will be awarded simultaneously.

Students must meet the admission and graduation requirements of both Faculties involved, as described in the Faculties' sections of this Calendar.

These programs require careful selection of courses to complete the requirements of both faculties. Interested students are urged to contact the Student Affairs Offices of both faculties for advice in choosing their courses, beginning in first year, and should see the Associate or Assistant Deans of the two Faculties involved.

With the Faculty of Arts  

BSc or BA (Science) and BSc or BA (Arts) Program

Students intending to pursue this program may enter either the Faculty of Science or the Faculty of Social Sciences. At the time of admission to either Faculty, students must apply for the combined degree program and declare two major fields as described in each Faculty's section of this Calendar.

Degree Requirements for the BSc or BA (Science) and BSc or BA (Arts) Program

(i) The Faculties of Science and Social Sciences require the successful completion of at least eight and not more than ten FCE in the Major Field. Faculty and Departmental requirements for graduation in a program with a Major Field must be met.

(ii) Courses taken to satisfy the major field requirements for one of the two degrees may be counted towards the breadth requirement for the other degree.

(iii) The number of junior courses taken must not exceed nine FCE in total.

(iv) A maximum of 10 FCE taken at other institutions and acceptable for transfer credit may be included in the combined programs. A maximum of four FCE taken at other institutions and acceptable for transfer credit may be included in the major field of each program.

With the Haskayne School of Business

BComm and BSc (Actuarial Science) Program

For program details, please see the Haskayne School of Business section of this Calendar.

BComm and BSc (Computer Science) Program

For program details, please see the Haskayne School of Business section of this Calendar.  

With the Faculty of Education

BSc (General Mathematics in Education) and BEd (Master of Teaching Program)

For program details, please see the Department of Mathematics and Statistics section in Section 5 (Program Details).

BSc (Natural Sciences) and BEd (Master of Teaching Program)

For program details, please see the Natural Sciences section in Section 5 (Program Details).

The course requirements for the Minor Programs are listed in Section 5 (Program Details) under the appropriate Department. Students are cautioned to check the Calendar descriptions of the courses required for the Minor and to include the necessary prerequisites for these courses in their programs.

For a Minor, passing grades must be obtained in at least five FCE in the minor field of which at least three FCE must be numbered 300 or above. For certain major/minor combinations there will be considerable overlap between fields. The degree of permissible overlap must be discussed with the Associate Dean (Undergraduate Advising) before proceeding. The GPA over all courses counting towards the Minor must be at least 2.00 and only one FCE "D" grade will be allowed.