The Faculty of Mathematics section of this Calendar contains regulations and requirements that must be satisfied to obtain a credential offered by the Faculty. All undergraduate students are also responsible for following the University Policies, Guidelines, and Academic Regulations section of this Calendar.
Degree requirements and policies that apply to students enrolled in the Bachelor of Software Engineering (BSE) degree program are included in the Software Engineering program description. Also see Degree Requirements for definitions of the basic terms used in this section.
Academic Enrolment Blocks (Holds)
In some instances a student will be blocked from enrolling in classes. Any student with an enrolment block (hold) should speak to their academic advisor concerning their situation. A student will be blocked, regardless of their academic standing for the term, in the following circumstances:
- after the term in which a student reaches 1.5 failed or excluded units; or
- after the term in which a student enrolled in Mathematical Studies reaches 3.0 failed or excluded units; or
- after the first term in which a student reaches or exceeds 4.0 units of unusable course attempts; or
- when the "List 1: First Course" of the Communication Skills Requirement is not completed before enrolling in 2A.
Students may be blocked from enrolling in courses for reasons other than those listed here.
Averages for Math Students
The Faculty of Mathematics computes several averages that are used to determine a student’s “standing” within the Faculty. The averages are:
Cumulative Average (CAV): The average grade of all courses taken by a student that meet the following criteria:
- was taken while the student was enrolled at the University of Waterloo,
- is not a specifically excluded course,
- is eligible for credit towards the student’s degree (e.g., ECON 211 would not be included in the CAV because all Math students are barred from taking it) and towards their particular plan (e.g., CS 330 would not be included in a computer science major’s average because it is only for non-majors).
Term Average (TAV): The TAV is just like the CAV except that the courses included are limited to those taken in a specific term. A TAV is computed for each term in which a student is enrolled in the Faculty of Mathematics.
Major Average (MAV): Courses included in the MAV and average requirements are contained in the table below.
Special Major Average (SMAV): Some plans have a special major average, or SMAV. A SMAV is a kind of MAV. The specific courses in a SMAV are defined in the table below.
Notes
- Courses taken in fall 2013 or later cannot be excluded.
- Failing grades less than 32 and grades of DNW (did not write exam), FTC (failure to complete), NMR (no mark reported), and WF (withdraw/failure) are counted as 32 for average-calculation purposes.
Major Averages for Math Students
| Major/Plan |
Average(s) |
Relevant Courses |
Minimum Required Average |
Minimum Courses for MAV or SMAV |
| Actuarial Science |
SMAV |
ACTSC 231, 232, STAT 230 or 240, 231 or 241, and all 300/400-level math courses |
70% |
3 |
| Applied Mathematics, Combinatorics and Optimization, Mathematical Optimization, Mathematical Physics, Pure Mathematics, Statistics |
MAV
|
All math courses at any level |
65% |
3 |
| Computing and Financial Management |
MAV |
All math courses at any level |
60% |
3 |
| SMAV |
All courses from the Faculty of Arts |
70% |
3 |
| Computer Science |
MAV |
CS 136, 138, 146, all subsequent CS major courses, as well as CS courses numbered 600 and higher, CO 487, ECE 222, 429, SE 212, 240, 382, 463, 464, 465, and STAT 440
|
60% |
2 |
| Data Science (all plans) |
MAV |
As for "Computer Science" in this table
|
60% |
2
|
| SMAV |
As for "Statistics" in this table
|
65% |
3 |
| Information Technology Management |
MAV |
All math courses at any level |
60% |
3 |
| SMAV |
All BUS, COMM, MSCI, and STV courses |
60% |
3 |
| Mathematics/Business Administration |
MAV |
All math courses at any level |
60% |
3 |
| SMAV |
All AFM, BUS, COMM, ECON, HRM, MSCI, and MTHEL courses |
60% |
3 |
| Mathematics/Chartered Professional Accountancy |
MAV |
All math courses at any level |
60% |
3 |
| SMAV |
All AFM, COMM, ECON, and MSCI courses (this special major average is calculated after the 1B term and includes courses cross-listed with these labels) |
70% |
3
|
| Mathematical Economics |
MAV |
All math courses at any level |
60% |
3 |
| SMAV |
All ECON courses |
70% |
3 |
| Mathematical Finance |
MAV
|
All math courses at any level |
70% |
3 |
| Mathematics/Financial Analysis and Risk Management |
MAV |
All math courses at any level |
60% |
3 |
| SMAV |
All ACTSC, AFM, BUS, COMM, ECON, and MATBUS courses (including courses cross-listed with these labels) |
70% |
3 |
| All plans not listed above |
MAV |
All math courses at any level |
60% |
3 |
Academic Standing within the Faculty
This section specifies the rules that determine a student’s academic standing. A student’s standing determines whether a student is able to proceed in the Faculty or in their chosen plan, how many courses they are able to take in the next term, etc.
| Conditions |
Standing |
Any of the following:
- The student has more than 4.0 units of failed or excluded courses, or
- The student’s total unit value of unusable course attempts exceeds 5.0 units, or
- In the opinion of Standings & Promotion (S&P), the student is unlikely to profit from further study in the Faculty or is not making satisfactory progress toward fulfilling degree requirements.
|
Required to withdraw – may not continue in Faculty |
No standing above applies, and all of the following:
- The student’s cumulative average (CAV) is lower than 60%, and
- The student has more than 2.0 units and less than or equal to 4.0 units of failed or excluded courses.
|
Must change to Mathematical Studies; CAV low
|
No standing above applies, and all of the following:
- The student’s major average (MAV) is lower than 60%, and
- The student has more than 2.0 units and less than or equal to 4.0 units of failed or excluded courses.
|
Must change to Mathematical Studies; MAV low
|
No standing above applies, and all of the following:
- The student’s CAV is lower than 60%, and
- The MAV is between the required minimum and 5% lower than that, and
- The student has more than 2.0 units and less than or equal to 4.0 units of failed or excluded courses.
|
Must change to Mathematical Studies; CAV and MAV low
|
|
No standing above applies and the student has more than 2.0 units and less than or equal to 4.0 units of failed or excluded courses.
|
Must change to Mathematical Studies
|
No standing above applies, and any of the following:
- Standing from the previous full-time term or equivalent is Conditional or Probation/Conditional and any MAV is below the required minimum, or
- Any MAV is below the required minimum and the plan’s administrators do not give permission for the student to continue, or
- Any MAV is more than 5% lower than the required minimum, or
- The student is in an Actuarial Science plan and special major average (SMAV) is below the required minimum.
|
Must change academic plan - plan average(s) too low |
No standing above applies, and all of the following:
- The student’s CAV is lower than 60%, and
- At least one MAV is between the required minimum and 5% lower than that, and
- The plan’s administrators have given permission for the student to continue.
|
Probation/ Conditional - Must raise averages |
| No standing above applies, and the student’s CAV is lower than 60%. |
Probation - Must raise overall program average |
|
No standing above applies, at least one MAV is between the required minimum and 5% lower than that, and the plan’s administrators have given permission for the student to continue.
|
Conditional - Must raise plan average(s) |
| No standing above applies, and the student’s CAV is lower than 80%. |
Good |
| No standing above applies, and the student’s CAV is at least 80%. |
Excellent |
The following table describes the implications of the standings listed above.
| Standing |
Implications |
| Required to withdraw – may not continue in Faculty |
The student is no longer eligible to study as a Faculty of Mathematics student. This standing normally means that a student is no longer eligible for any subsequent degree studies in the Faculty of Mathematics. Students who are unable to satisfy the major average admission or continuation standard for any honours plan will be required to withdraw from the Math Faculty. However, a student may submit a petition to S&P to enrol in one final term of non degree studies. Such petitions are likely to be granted only if the student is requesting a non-degree term of courses selected to enhance the chances for admission to a program of study outside the Faculty, either at the University of Waterloo or at some other post-secondary institution. A student who is required to withdraw may graduate with a general degree under the Honours Fallback Provision if they meet the requirements when they are required to withdraw. |
Must change to Mathematical Studies; CAV low
|
The student is no longer eligible to continue in their current honours plan and their plan/major has been changed to Mathematical Studies. Also, the student is not currently meeting the Faculty’s CAV standards. If enrolled in a co-op plan, the student will normally be suspended from the Co-operative Education and Career Action (CECA) employment process during their next academic term. |
Must change to Mathematical Studies; MAV low
|
The student is no longer eligible to continue in their current honours plan and their plan/major has been changed to Mathematical Studies. Also, the student is not currently meeting the Faculty’s MAV standards. If enrolled in a co-op plan, the student will normally be suspended from the CECA employment process during their next academic term. |
Must change to Mathematical Studies; CAV/MAV low
|
The student is no longer eligible to continue in their current honours plan and their plan/major has been changed to Mathematical Studies. Also, the student is not currently meeting the Faculty’s CAV and MAV standards. If enrolled in a co-op plan, the student will normally be suspended from the CECA employment process during their next academic term. |
| Must change to Mathematical Studies |
The student is no longer eligible to continue in their current honours plan and their plan/major has been changed to Mathematical Studies. |
| Must change academic plan - plan average(s) too low |
The student must change to a different plan/major. |
| Probation/ Conditional - Must raise averages |
The implications of both probationary standing and conditional standing apply. |
| Probation - Must raise overall program average |
The student is not currently meeting the Faculty’s standards. If enrolled in a co-op plan, the student will normally be suspended from the CECA employment process during their next academic term. |
| Conditional - Must raise plan average(s) |
The student is not currently meeting their plan’s standards. If the student’s standing does not improve (e.g., by raising their MAV(s) to meet the minimum requirements), they will be required to change their plan. |
| Good |
The student may continue with their studies. |
| Excellent |
The student may continue with their studies, and their maximum course load is increased to 3.25 units. |
Repeat Rule
Students are limited to a maximum of three attempts per course. A course attempt is defined in Table 1.
Course Load
- The standard course load is five courses per term (2.5 units). A student may take up to 2.75 units without special permission.
- Students who have a cumulative average of 80% or more and are in Excellent standing have a maximum course load of 3.25 units. Honours co-op students should not enrol in six courses with a view to graduating in fewer than eight terms because co-op students must complete at least eight full-time terms to graduate with the co-op designation.
- If a student has courses with INC (incomplete course work) grades on their record, the total unit weight of those courses and the courses enrolled for the current term may not normally exceed 3.25 units. A student may obtain permission from an academic advisor to exceed this limit if an INC will not be completed in the current term because the course is not offered.
- If, during a student’s first 1A term in the Faculty of Mathematics, a student fails one or more courses and has a CAV of less than 65%, then the student’s course load for the following term will be reduced to 2.0 units. Students who will likely be required to withdraw and are also enrolled in the subsequent term may continue in a non-degree term enrolled in a maximum of 2.5 units. Exceptions may be brought to the associate dean by plan/program advisors, and will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.
Discretion in the Application of Policies
The Faculty may, in extenuating circumstances, make exceptions to its policies. For example, students who experience difficulties beyond their control, such as serious illness, may be allowed to continue in a plan when a strict interpretation of policy would force them out.
Students should consult their academic advisor to determine whether their circumstances are appropriate to warrant asking for an exception.
Normally, the S&P Committee considers petitions for exceptions to Faculty or University policies and regulations. Students wishing to petition S&P should consult their academic advisor.
Exceptions
For students near graduation, any student who has:
- exceeded the limit for failed or excluded units in Table I, or
- accumulated more than 5.0 units of unusable course attempts, and
- has no more than 0.5 units remaining to satisfy degree requirements, may enrol in one additional term. The student will still qualify for an Honours degree if, at the end of that term, they:
- satisfied all degree requirements other than the failure or attempt limit,
- have credit for at least 1.5 units in the additional term, and
- have no failed or excluded courses, WDs (withdrew, no credit granted), or CLCs (no credit granted, in average) in that term.
No student may take advantage of this provision more than once.
Other Course Rules
Courses on Letter of Permission
Students in Good or Excellent standing are normally permitted to take non-math courses at other universities on a part-time basis during terms off campus, provided that the courses are not explicitly required for their particular plan. A Letter of Permission may not be used for any Faculty of Mathematics course. Students wishing to take courses at other universities must complete a Letter of Permission Application. The S&P Committee will not approve courses taken elsewhere for degree credit after the fact.
Courses taken on a Letter of Permission will be recorded on a student's academic record as transfer credits (CR - credit granted) or transfer failures (TF - transfer failure) as appropriate. A grade of 60 or higher will be recorded as a credit and a grade of less than 50 will be recorded as a failure. Grades of 50-59 will result in the course not being recorded on a student’s record.
It will be the student's responsibility to ensure that an official transcript from the host institution is sent to the University of Waterloo within two months of the completion of the course. Otherwise, a transfer failure will be automatically recorded. Any changes a student wishes to make to an authorized Letter of Permission must be approved in advance by the S&P Committee.
Course Prerequisites
At any time prior to the completion of lectures, if the Faculty discovers that a student has enrolled in a course offered by the Faculty without the appropriate prerequisites and without being granted an override of those prerequisites, the Faculty may purge the student’s registration in the course. Such purging may be done at the request of the instructor, the department offering the course, or the Faculty, but not without the consent of the instructor.
Policy for Late Switches from Advanced MATH Courses to the Regular Equivalents
At any time before the end of the “Drop with WD Period”, students may switch from an advanced section CO, MATH, and STAT course to the equivalent course at the regular honours level:
| Advanced Section |
Regular Section |
| CO 255 |
CO 250 |
| MATH 145
|
MATH 135
|
| MATH 146 |
MATH 136 |
| MATH 147 |
MATH 137 |
| MATH 148 |
MATH 138 |
| MATH 245 |
MATH 235 |
| MATH 247 |
MATH 237 |
| MATH 249 |
MATH 239 |
| STAT 240 |
STAT 230 |
| STAT 241 |
STAT 231 |
Students making this kind of switch will normally only be graded based on course elements from the regular section course. Any grades from the advanced section course will be disregarded. Students are responsible for making up any material in the regular section course that they may have missed, and are required to discuss their situation with the regular section instructor as soon as possible after making the switch.
Students in MATH 147 who have transfer credit for MATH 137 may elect instead to drop the class, retroactive to the first day of lectures. If such a student chooses to switch to MATH 137 instead, then they will forfeit any transfer credit for MATH 137.
Students in MATH 247 who have already gained credit for MATH 237 may elect instead to drop the class, retroactive to the first day of lectures.
The David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science has a special rule for any first-year student who has never been previously registered for full-time study at a degree-granting post-secondary institution (e.g., a university or college) and wishes to transfer from CS 135 to CS 115 (fall and winter terms) or from CS 145 to CS 135 (fall term).