Faculty of Science

There are two types of Joint Honours plans with Science which students from a University of Waterloo faculty outside of the Faculty of Science may elect to pursue:

1. Joint Honours Arts Major with Science, and
2. Joint Honours X with Science discipline Y, where X can be any non-Science Honours plan, and Y is one of the four Science disciplines (Biology, Chemistry, Earth Sciences, or Physics).

Students must meet all the requirements for both plans as stated in the Calendar, and should be aware that combining some honours plans usually requires additional academic terms of study to complete. Not all Joint Honours plans with Science may be permissible if there is an excessive amount of double counting of courses. Students are advised to consult with the appropriate advisors before enrolment in courses associated with the Joint Honours plan.

Approvals are needed to pursue a Joint Honours plans with Science, first by the appropriate advisor in the Science department, second by the appropriate advisor in the student's home department in the non-Science Faculty, and finally by the senior academic advisor in the Science Undergraduate Office. Approval is normally possible only after introductory Science and Math courses have been completed with necessary averages, therefore the earliest Joint Honours requests can be reviewed is in Year Two.

Joint Honours Plans with Science

Joint Honours Arts Major with Science

Continuing in this plan is contingent on maintaining a minimum cumulative average of 60% in all required Science and Mathematics courses, as well as meeting the requirements of the home Faculty academic plan. 

The successful completion of the Joint Honours X with Science plan requires the following: 

1. 9.0 lecture units distributed as follows:
   • 1.0 Mathematics unit chosen from ACTSC, AMATH, CO, CS, MATH, PMATH, or STAT, excluding MATH 103
   • 8.0 Science units chosen from: BIOL, CHEM, EARTH, MNS, PHYS or SCI courses, excluding SCI 237, with the following conditions:
     • 1.0 unit must complete one Year One sequence
     • 1.0 unit must complete a different Year One sequence
     • 4.0 units must be at 200-level or higher
     • 2.0 units must be at 300- or 400-level
2. All labs associated with Year One Science sequences.

Additional Program Conditions:

1. Year One sequences are chosen from:
   • Two 100- or 200-level BIOL courses with associated labs (excluding BIOL 101, BIOL 225, and BIOL 280)
   • CHEM 120/CHEM 120L and CHEM 123/CHEM 123L
   • EARTH 121/EARTH 121L and EARTH 122/EARTH 122L
   • PHYS 111/PHYS 111L and PHYS 112/PHYS 112L
2. SCI 250 does not count towards the Science units.
3. A maximum of 1.0 SCI unit counts towards the Science units.
4. CS 100, MTHEL, and COMM courses do not count towards the Mathematics unit.

Notes

1. Upper-year courses with separate labs do not require the completion of the labs, unless they are corequisites.
2. Students enrolled in this joint plan can earn a minor in any of the science subjects.

Joint Honours X with Biology

Admission into this plan requires an overall average of 65% in the student's home academic plan. Continuing in this plan is contingent upon maintaining an overall average of 60% in the required BIOL courses, as well as meeting the requirements of the home Faculty academic plan.

The successful completion of the Joint Honours X with Biology plan requires the following:

8.0 units distributed as follows:

• 1.5 CHEM units: CHEM 120, CHEM 120L, CHEM 123, CHEM 123L (or their equivalents)
• 2.5 BIOL lecture units, any level
• 4.0 BIOL lecture units, 300- or 400-level

Notes

1. If the home Faculty academic plan requires CHEM 120, CHEM 120L and CHEM 123, CHEM 123L, an additional 1.0 BIOL lecture unit must be taken.
2. CHEM 266/CHEM 266L and CHEM 237/CHEM 237L can substitute a 0.5 or 1.0 BIOL unit provided they are not requirements of the home Faculty academic plan.
3. BIOL units required for the home Faculty academic plan do not count towards this plan.
4. BIOL 101 does not count towards this Joint plan.

Joint Honours X with Chemistry

Admission into this plan requires an overall average of 65% in the student's home academic plan. Continuing in this plan is contingent upon maintaining an overall average of 60% in the required CHEM courses, as well as meeting the requirements of the home Faculty academic plan.

The successful completion of the Joint Honours X with Chemistry plan requires the following:

9.5 units distributed as follows:

• 2.0 CHEM units: CHEM 120, CHEM 120L, CHEM 123, CHEM 123L, and CHEM 140
• 0.5 CHEM unit chosen from: CHEM 220L, CHEM 250L, CHEM 265L, and CHEM 313L
• 4.5 CHEM units chosen from: CHEM 209, CHEM 212, CHEM 220, CHEM 220L, CHEM 221, CHEM 224L, CHEM 250L, CHEM 254, CHEM 264, CHEM 265, CHEM 265L, CHEM 310, CHEM 310L, CHEM 313, CHEM 313L, CHEM 323, CHEM 350, CHEM 350L, CHEM 356, CHEM 360, and CHEM 360L
• 2.5 CHEM units, 300- or 400-level

Joint Honours X with Earth Sciences

Admission into this plan requires an overall average of 65% in the student's home academic plan. Continuing in this plan is contingent upon maintaining an overall average of 60% in the required EARTH courses, as well as meeting the requirements of the home Faculty academic plan.

The successful completion of the Joint Honours X with Earth Sciences plan requires the following:

9.75 units distributed as follows:

• 1.5 EARTH units: EARTH 121, EARTH 121L, EARTH 122, and EARTH 122L
• 2.0 EARTH units chosen from: EARTH 123, EARTH 221, EARTH 231, EARTH 232, EARTH 235, EARTH 238, and EARTH 260
• 0.5 EARTH unit, 200-level or higher
• 2.5 EARTH units, 300-level or higher
• 0.75 PHYS unit: PHYS 111 and PHYS 111L or PHYS 121 and PHYS 121L
• 1.5 CHEM units: CHEM 120, CHEM 120L, CHEM 123, CHEM 123L (or equivalents)
• 0.5 MATH unit: MATH 127 (or equivalent)
• 0.5 STAT unit: STAT 202 (or equivalent)

Notes

1. EARTH units required for the home Faculty academic plan do not count toward this plan.
2. Non-EARTH courses required for the home Faculty require a substitute course, approved by the Earth Sciences advisor, for the joint plan.
3. This joint plan is not open to students enrolled in Geological Engineering.

Joint Honours X with Physics

Admission into this plan requires an overall average of 65% in the student's home academic plan. Continuing in this plan is contingent upon maintaining an overall average of 60% in the required PHYS courses, as well as meeting the requirements of the home Faculty academic plan.

The successful completion of the Joint Honours X with Physics plan requires the following:

13.75 units distributed as follows:

• 2.5 MATH units: MATH 114, MATH 127, MATH 128, MATH 227, MATH 228 (or equivalents)
• 9.5 PHYS units: PHYS 121, PHYS 131L, PHYS 122, PHYS 124, PHYS 132L, PHYS 232L, PHYS 234, PHYS 236, PHYS 242, PHYS 242L, PHYS 256, PHYS 256L, PHYS 260L, PHYS 263, PHYS 334, PHYS 342, PHYS 358, PHYS 359, PHYS 360A, PHYS 363, PHYS 364, and PHYS 365
• 1.5 PHYS lecture units, 400-level
• 0.25 PHYS lab unit, 300-level or higher

Note

This joint plan is not open to students enrolled in the Mathematical Physics or the Applied Mathematics/Physics Option plans offered by the Faculty of Mathematics.