Choosing courses
Course numbers and levels
Generally, courses at UBC are numbered as follows:
- 100: First-year
- 200: Second-year
- 300: Third-year
- 400: Fourth-year (final year of undergraduate degree)
- 500+: Graduate-level courses
Course-load requirements
At UBC, a full-time course load for undergraduate students varies depending on the faculty and degree program. The average UBC degree-student registers in 15 credits per term (100% of a full time course load), but some science and engineering students register in 18 to 20 credits per term.
We recommend that you register in 12 to 15 credits
Getting permission to take a restricted or full course
If you want to take a course that is full or restricted, you must first complete this Registration Form, have it signed and return it to Go Global.
Taking graduate-level courses
Undergraduate students wishing to take graduate-level courses are required to complete the Enrolment of Undergraduate Exchange Students in Graduate Courses form after arrival at UBC.
View more information about taking graduate-level courses under the Faculty of Graduate Studies section below.
Course and program restrictions
Many faculties, schools, and programs at UBC are available to visiting exchange students, however admission into some programs is limited. Further course information can be obtained on UBC's Course Schedule web page and on the faculty websites.
We can
Admission into the following programs is limited:
- Applied Science
- Architecture
- Commerce
- Creative Writing
- Education
Graduate Studies - Kinesiology
- Landscape Architecture/Environmental Design
- Law
- Music
Course registration in the following areas is restricted:
| Area of Study | Availability |
|---|---|
| Faculty of Applied Science (Engineering) | |
| All Engineering courses |
There is limited space for exchange students in the Faculty of Applied Science. Only those students applying to be admitted to the Faculty of Applied Science will be permitted to register in Applied Science courses. Also, only those students pursuing a degree in Applied Science at their home university will be admitted into this faculty for exchange. 500-level (graduate) courses only available to graduate students or senior undergraduate students who meet the requirements set by the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Students coming as undergraduate exchange students can only be enrolled upon arrival on campus (paper-based). Please be warned that 500-level courses are significantly more challenging and time-consuming than undergraduate courses.
|
| Chemical Engineering | CHBE 362, 364, 365, 366, 401 and 464 are not available. |
| Civil Engineering | CIVL 311, 315, 316, 445 and 446 are not available. |
| Clean Energy Engineering | Not open to exchange students |
| Mechanical Engineering | Mech 220, 221, 222, 223, 224, 225 – Mech 2 program is not available. Mech 366, 420, 421, 422, 423, 467 – Mechatronics courses are generally not available. Special permission may be granted in exceptional circumstances if all of these conditions are met: 1) the student is enrolled in a Mechatronics program at their home institution; 2) the home institution is specifically requesting these courses as they map to core requirements at the home institution; 3) the student has had an interview with the Mechatronics coordinator to ensure their background is appropriate and they are a suitable candidate for the course. Mech 356, 492 – These courses are controlled by Wood Science Mech 305, Mech 328, 457, 458, 459, 493 – students must have an interview with the instructor to determine if they are a suitable candidate for these courses before they can be registered. We reserve the right to refuse any student who may not have the appropriate background or language skills due to the team-based or client-based nature of these courses, or remove them from the course within the change of registration period if their background proves to be insufficient. All courses are subject to course availability at the time of enrollment – some sections are limited in size. |
| Pulp and Paper Engineering | Graduate-level only available. |
| School of Architecture & Landscape Architecture | |
| Architecture |
Graduate-level courses open to students with four years of architectural training prior to their exchange at UBC. |
| Environmental Design | Must be enrolled in a comparable undergraduate environmental design program. |
| Landscape Architecture | Graduate program with limited undergraduate courses. Must be enrolled in the second year (or higher) of a comparable undergraduate or graduate professional landscape architecture program. |
| Faculty of Arts | |
| Anthropology | Graduate courses (500-level) not available. |
| Chinese Language |
ALL incoming students who wish to take ANY CHIN-titled courses (or ASIA 389/399) are required to complete an “On-Line Placement Questionnaire” to obtain a placement approval for registration. Students without the approval will be removed from the class.
Students may not enroll in more than one level of Chinese Language in the same term. |
| Creative Writing | Most 200-level courses are available. As there is limited availability in 300- and 400-level courses, in order to apply students must submit a manuscript directly to the department as soon as possible. Indicate that you are applying as an exchange student on your manuscript cover letter. For manuscript guidelines, please download the non-majors application from the Creative Writing website or email Pat Rose at patrose@mail.ubc.ca. |
| Economics | ECON 490, 495 and 499 are not available. Graduate courses (500-level) not available. |
| English | First-year (100-level) courses not available. Limited availability in courses. |
| Film | Many courses – particularly production courses (FIPR) – are restricted. |
| History | Most courses last for the full year. |
| Italian | All ITST courses are conducted in English. |
| Political Science | Registration in Political Science is limited. Political Science or International Relations majors may register in a maximum of three 300-level courses/term. Non-Political majors may not have access to 300 level courses. All first- and second-year courses are open to exchange students. Fourth-year seminars not available (all 400-level courses are seminars except for POLI 465). Graduate courses are limited. |
| Psychology | Graduate courses not available. |
| Theatre | Many courses are restricted. |
| Visual Arts | Limited availability. A portfolio is required for students interested in studio art courses (except for 100-level courses, which are open to all students). |
| University Writing Centre Courses | WRIT 098 and WRIT 099 are open to exchange students but are not covered under your tuition waiver. You will need to pay tuition for these courses. |
| School of Audiology and Speech Sciences | |
| Audiology and Speech Sciences | Not available to exchange students. |
| Sauder School of Business | |
| Commerce | Please review the special guidelines for Commerce students. Commerce Commerce students admitted to exchange at the Sauder School of Business from all other partner universities are allowed a maximum of 6 credits of COMM/COHR per term. Additional credits may be considered if space is available. Students not admitted to exchange with the Sauder School of Business may request to take commerce courses but enrolment may be limited and is not guaranteed. COMM 202, COMM 466, graduate (400 and 500 level) and BUSI courses are not available. Enrolment in second-year courses (200-level) may be limited. The following are commerce courses for non-commerce majors: COMM 100 COMM 329 COMM 398 COMM 458 COMM 465 COMM 473 and COMM 493. |
| School of Community and Regional Planning | |
| Community and Regional Planning | Graduate-level courses only. Limited availability in some courses. Core courses (PLAN 502, 506, 515, 540A, |
| Faculty of Education | |
| Education | Students wishing to take education courses must be registered in an education degree program at their home institution and must have completed at least three years of studies. EDUC 310, 311, 316, and 420 not available. |
| Art Education | |
| Business Education | |
| Computing Studies Education | |
| Counselling Psychology | Limited availability. |
| Curriculum Studies | |
| Educational Administration | Courses available at the graduate level only. |
| Educational Psychology & Special Education | EPSE 306, 313, and 423 are not available. |
| Educational Studies | EDST 314 is not available. |
| Higher Education | Courses available at the graduate level only. |
| Home Economics Education | |
| Language and Literacy Education | LLED 301, 310, 312, 313, 314, 315, 318, 320, 324, 325, 336, and 478 are not available. |
| Mathematics and Science Education | |
| Music Education | |
| Physical Education–Teacher Education | |
| Science Education | |
| Social Studies Education | |
| Technology Studies Education | |
| Faculty of Graduate Studies | Before applying to graduate studies at UBC, please check the Faculty of Graduate Studies website to see if you meet their minimum requirements. Many departments also have higher TOEFL requirements for graduate students. Economics, psychology, and anthropology courses are not available to exchange students at the graduate level. Students who intend to conduct research while on exchange must have a UBC faculty member ready to supervise their time at UBC prior to completing their online application. Classification as a graduate student at your home university does not necessarily mean that you will be considered a graduate student at UBC. There is limited availability in graduate-level courses. Undergraduate students wishing to take graduate-level courses are required to complete the Enrolment of Undergraduate Students in Graduate Courses form after arrival at UBC. |
| School of Kinesiology | |
| Kinesiology | Many courses are restricted and have a limited class size, particularly KIN 230, 231, 261, and 284. |
| School of Journalism | |
| Journalism | Not available to exchange students. |
| Faculty of Law | |
| Law | Law courses are only open to students from universities that have a law exchange arrangement with UBC and have been nominated via that arrangement. Students applying to law must have completed at least one year of law studies with an average of 70% (or equivalent). Access to specific courses is not guaranteed. Students should plan to complete their core requirements at their home university. Space in seminar courses is typically limited. Graduate law courses are not available. |
| School of Library, Archival and Information Studies | |
| Library Studies | Courses available at the graduate level only. |
| Faculty of Medicine | |
| Medicine | Not available to exchange students. |
| Faculty of Dentistry | |
| Dentistry | Not available to exchange students. |
| School of Population & Public Health | |
| Public Health | SPPH courses are available at the graduate level only. All courses are subject to course availability at the time of enrolment and some courses are limited in size. Please follow the instructions for course requests as indicated on our website. Note that SPHA courses are not open to exchange students. |
| School of Music | |
| Music | Limited availability. Students must send in an audition CD and proposed course list. |
| School of Nursing | |
| Nursing | Not available to exchange students. |
| Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences | |
| Pharmacy | Not available to exchange students. |
| School of Rehabilitation Sciences | |
| Rehabilitation Sciences, Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy | Not available to exchange students. |
| Faculty of Science | |
|
Some courses in the Faculty of Science are similar enough to other courses in the faculty that students can only obtain credit from one. Review the Credit Exclusion List to determine which courses count towards the same credit. Please do not list more than one of these courses in your selections. Science courses with laboratory components may have restricted enrolment because they are requirements for UBC students. Consult the relevant department if you're interested in taking any of these courses. |
|
| Botany | Courses available at the graduate level only. |
| Marine Science | MRNE courses are taught at the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre (BMSC) located on Vancouver Island. Students wishing to attend these courses must submit a separate application to BMSC. Additional fees will apply. |
| Earth and Ocean Science | Courses in the Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences can only be accessed with permission from the appropriate departmental advisor at UBC. This includes all courses under the following subject codes: EOSC, ENVR, and ATSC. Students must demonstrate that they meet the prerequisite requirements for these courses when submitting their course request forms. For any questions concerning this restriction, please contact the Go Global office. |
| Zoology | Courses available at the graduate level only. |
