Degree Requirements for students entering the program in 2020/2021 or later

These are the degree requirements for students entering the program in 2020/2021 or later.

Degree Requirements

To receive a B.Sc. degree, a student must earn at least 120 credits subject to the following:

• at least 78 of the 120 credits must be Science course credits;
• at least 42 of the 120 credits must be upper-level courses (numbered 300 or higher), of which at least 36 credits must be in Science; and,
• At least 30 of the 42 upper-level credits must be completed at UBC.

A minimum graduating grade average (GGA) of 60% is required to be eligible for graduation with the B.Sc. degree.

Designation of Science Courses

Courses with the prefixes ASTR_O, BIOC_O, BIOL_O, CHEM_O, COSC_O, DATA_O, EESC_O, FWSC_O, GISC_O, MATH_O, PHYS_O, and STAT_O are considered Science courses, unless otherwise noted in the course description.

For students registered in the B.Sc. program in Economics (Major, Double Major, or Honours) or the B.Sc. General Studies program with one of their concentrations Economics, all Economics (ECON_O) courses are considered Science courses. For all other B.Sc. programs, Economics (ECON_O) courses are considered non-science courses.

For students registered in the B.Sc. program in Psychology (Major, Double Major, or Honours) or the B.Sc. General Studies program with one of their concentrations in Psychology, all Psychology (PSYO_O) courses are considered Science courses. For all other B.Sc. programs, Psychology (PSYO_O) courses are considered non-science courses.

The following Geography courses are also designated as Science courses:

GEOG_O 108, 109, 200, 205, 207, 213, 222, 271, 272, 301, 304, 307, 310, 314, 317, 341, 356, 367, 377, 380, 381, 413, 414, 416, 422, 436, 437, and 466.

GEOG_O 491 and 498 may be taken as Science courses depending on the designated topic.

Credit Requirements

English

Six credits of English or Communications courses must be completed before promotion to fourth-year standing. Students who have not earned the 6 credits of required English or Communications coursework by the time they enter fourth year will not be permitted to enrol in any courses other than courses that satisfy the English or Communications requirement.

Science

Students must complete 9 first-year Science credits, including:

• MATH_O 100
• 3 credits of program-approved COSC_O, DATA_O, STAT_O, or additional MATH_O courses; and,
• At least 3 credits of experimental science in any BIOL_O, CHEM_O, EESC_O, or PHYS_O courses with labs.

Electives¹

Students must complete:

See individual Major program details or General Science degree program requirements.

Students are encouraged to take INDG_O 102 in addition to the 3 required credits of Indigenous content. 

¹Students who entered the B.Sc. prior to 2024 are required to complete 12 credits of non-science designated courses. These students are strongly encouraged to take INDG_O 100.

²This course can only be used to satisfy one requirement, either the requirement for Indigenous content or English/Communications. 

Progression Requirements