What is a Program?
You have been admitted to the Faculty of Arts and Science to one of the following Degree Programs:
Bachelor of Science (Honours) - BSCH
Bachelor of Arts (Honours) - BAH
Bachelor of Science (Honours) Specialization in Kinesiology – BSCH KINE
Bachelor of Science (Honours) Major in Life Science and Biochemistry – BSCH LISC BCHM
Bachelor of Music (Honours) - BMUS
Bachelor of Computing (Honours) - BCMPH
What is a Term?
There are three terms: Fall (September-December), Winter (January-April), Summer (May-August). Summer is an optional term.
What is a Unit?
Each course has a unit weighting, which indicates how many units it is contributing towards your degree. Overall, Honours degrees require 120.0 units in total (except for BMUS, which requires 126.0). Most Arts and Science courses are either 3.0 units or 6.0 units. Usually a single-term course is 3.0 units and a full-year course that spans both the Fall and Winter terms is 6.0 units.
How many units do I take if I’m a full-time student?
A full-time student normally takes five courses in the Fall term and in the Winter term, to a total of 30.0 units.
Students in the Bachelor of Music program will usually take more than 36.0 units because of the unit weight of their ensemble participation.
Students who are in a Concurrent Bachelor of Education degree along with their Arts and Science Honours degree will take five courses each term (30.0 units) for their Arts and Science degree, plus the EXLR and PROF courses for their Education degree.
If you have questions about choosing a reduced course load and what that would mean, please contact an academic advisor to consider your options.
What is a Plan?
Whether it's a Major, a Major/Minor combination, Joint Honours (similar to a "double Major), or a Specialization, your Plan will be the main academic focus in your Degree program. Most students will request their Plan once their first year of studies at ľĹĐăÖ±˛Ą is finished.
Even if you feel pretty sure before your first year begins that you know what Plan you'd prefer, you should choose your courses to keep multiple options or "gateways" open for Plan Selection, as many students find that over the course of their first year, they change their ideas about what Plan options would be ideal for them.
What are Electives?
Electives are free-choice courses in your Degree program, which are necessary for your Degree completion overall, but are not part of your Plan requirements.
The number of electives you need for your Degree depends on the Plan you choose - for example, a student completing a Major in Political Studies will have more room in their Degree for electives than a student completing a Major in Political Studies with a Minor in Psychology.
There are some courses open to first year students which are called "terminal courses", because they do not provide any gateway options for potential Plan eligibility. These courses are fine as electives, but we strongly encourage you to limit the number of terminal courses that you take in first year, so that your range of Plan options will be maximized.
For more information on the best courses for you, check the section in this guide called Choosing Your Courses. If you have questions about whether your course selections are leaving plenty of Plan options open for you or not, please contact us for help.
What are Prerequisites, Co-requisites and Exclusions?
Prerequisite - A prerequisite is a requirement that must be met prior to enrolment in a course.
Co-requisite - A co-requisite is a required course that must be taken before or at the same time as another course.
Exclusion - An exclusion is a course that will prevent enrolment if taken with or before another course.
What is a Learning Outcome?
Intended learning outcomes are direct statements that describe the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that students are expected to demonstrate in successfully completing a course or program.
I have been admitted to Arts and want to take Science courses (or vice versa); can I do this?
Yes! One of the great advantages of being in a Faculty of Arts and Science is that students may choose from a wide variety of courses. Course options in Arts and Science range from humanities to social sciences, from languages to physical and natural sciences, and even interdisciplinary courses that cross over the “traditional” academic categories. The majority of courses offered by Arts and Science are open to any student in the Faculty, as long as the student has any academic prerequisite required by the course.
However, the Faculty also must ensure that all students have priority access to the courses that they need for their Degree or Plan. For this reason, we reserve seats in some classes during the first part of registration. BAH/BMUS students receive priority access to Arts courses, and BSCH/BCMPH students receive priority access to Science and Computing courses. Beginning at 12:00 pm (noon) EST on July 29, reserves on first year courses will be removed.
I’m planning on taking lots of Science courses – are there specific sections of each course I need to take? &˛Ô˛ú˛ő±č;
Yes, it is very important for students to who are taking 3-4 of BIOL 102/103, PHYS 115/116, CHEM 112, MATH 121 to take morning lectures at Duncan MacArthur Hall and labs in the afternoons on main campus. This will ensure that there are no timing conflicts to get from one area of campus to another between classes, as well that you are in the correct math course for science students.  &˛Ô˛ú˛ő±č;
Who do I talk to about transfer credits? Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), A-Level, Cambridge Pre-U or French Baccalaureate credits?
If the course was taken before you became a ľĹĐăÖ±˛Ą student, you may apply for the transfer credit on SOLUS. This includes AP, IB, A-Level, Cambridge Pre-U, French Baccalaureate courses completed in high school.
I want to get into a class but it is full – What can I do?
We know how disappointing it can be when this happens, but here are a couple of suggestions. If the class is full, you can opt to go on the wait list. If the class you want doesn’t have a wait list, or the wait list is full, keep trying. Students make lots of class changes throughout the registration period, and it could happen that someone drops the class you want to add. Keep checking for openings - perseverance pays off!
It’s wise to prepare some backup course choices, especially for elective courses. Review the courses available to first-year students, browse the department websites, or look through the Academic Calendar to see all courses offered by Queen’s.
What if my classes are scheduled back to back? Isn't that a conflict?
Classes, labs, and tutorials will all end 10 minutes earlier than you see on the schedule - e.g., a class that is scheduled from 1:30-2:30 pm will actually end at 2:20. That 10 minute window will give you plenty of time to make it from any one building on main campus to another.
The exception to watch for is if a class located at Duncan-McArthur Hall is scheduled back-to-back with a class at a building on main campus. Duncan-McArthur Hall is on west campus, which is about a 15-20 minute walk from main campus. At least a half-hour gap should be scheduled between classes on west campus and classes on main campus.
What can I study?
It's really up to you! As a first-year student, you are not yet in a specific Plan (unless you were admitted to a Direct Entry program), so this year is all about exploring different areas of study to find out what your academic interests are.
We encourage you to take a variety of courses from different disciplines, and to explore the range of subjects available to you. Please follow the advice above as well on ensuring that the courses you choose will give you a range of Plan options to select from at the end of your first year, and that you don't take too many "terminal courses" that will limit those options.
Don't forget - even after this year, you'll still have more years of study! If you're keen to take a particular elective that you don't end up having room for this year, you'll have plenty of other opportunities to take it as an upper-year student.
How do I know I picked the right courses?
Before picking your first-year courses for Fall term and Winter term, it’s a good idea to review your list and ask yourself these questions below. If you have chosen courses that lead to many possible Plans, and you have the required courses you need to be on track for second year then you have indeed picked the right courses.
Have I left myself many options for choosing a Major/Plan at the end of first year?
It’s important to choose courses that could lead to a potential Plan in that subject – that way at the end of first year you will have lots to choose from. Make sure you read through our Recommended Courses by Plan and take the courses that are labelled [GATEWAY] – those highlighted courses are the ones required to request a Major/Minor/Joint Honours/Specialization in that concentration. Even if you have a firm idea of what you would like to major in now, many students change their minds at the end of first year so it’s always wise to have a solid back-up plan in place.
Have I added too many elective courses?
The courses listed as “Elective Courses” on the Courses for First Year Students webpage are all great and we do want you to take them, but remember you have plenty of time! These courses do not provide a pathway for a future Plan in that subject so it’s best to keep the number of elective courses you take in first year to a minimum.
