Faculty of Mathematics

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. 

Some basic terms used in the Faculty of Mathematics that students should be aware of are defined below as well as on the Degree Requirements page.

• Calculus 1 courses: MATH 116, MATH 117, MATH 127, MATH 137, MATH 147.
• Calculus 2 courses: MATH 118, MATH 119, MATH 128, MATH 138, MATH 148.
• Linear Algebra 1 courses: MATH 106, MATH 114, MATH 115, MATH 136, MATH 146.

Academic Enrolment Blocks (Holds)

In some instances a student will be blocked from enrolling in courses. 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 Undergraduate Communication 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 academic standing within the Faculty. The average types are:

• Cumulative Average (CAV): The average grade of all courses taken by a student that meet the following criteria:
• were taken while the student was enrolled at the University of Waterloo,
• are not a specifically excluded course,
• are eligible for credit toward 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 toward their particular academic plan (e.g., CS 330 would not be included in a computer science student's major 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 academic plans have a special major average. A SMAV is a kind of MAV. The specific courses in a SMAV are defined in the table below.

Notes

1. Courses taken in fall 2013 or later cannot be excluded.
2. 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

Academic Standing Within the Faculty

The rules that determine a student’s academic standing are specified below. A student’s standing determines whether a student is able to proceed in the Faculty or in their chosen academic plan, how many courses they are able to take in the next term, etc.

Academic Standing Table

Academic Standing Implications Table

The following table describes the implications of the academic standings listed in the Academic Standing Table.

Repeat Rule

Students registered in the Faculty of Mathematics are limited to a maximum of three attempts per course. A course attempt is defined in Table 1.

Notes

1. For clarity, a cross-listed course is a single course listed under two academic units (and therefore having two different subject codes). The use of the two subject codes does not gain a student additional attempts.
2. Attempts at distinct courses listed as antirequisites may be considered to constitute attempts at the same course, at the discretion of the Faculty.
3. Some sets of courses offered by the Faculty of Mathematics are designed as antirequisities at different levels of mathematical sophistication (e.g., MATH 127 / MATH 137 / MATH 147). A student who has attempted the same course (or the course and its anitrequisites) three times without success will be considered ineligible to enrol in a more advanced antirequisite course. However, they will normally be permitted to attempt a less advanced version.
4. In certain cases a third unsuccessful attempt may result in required withdrawal from the Faculty, for lack of progress.

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 cumulative average 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 academic 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 an academic 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 submit a petition should consult their academic advisor.

Exceptions

For students near graduation, any student who has:

• exceeded the limit for failed or excluded units in Table 1, 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 academic 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 the formal lecture period, 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 academic unit 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:

Students making this kind of switch will normally only be graded based on course elements from the regular level course. Any grades from the advanced level course will be disregarded. Students are responsible for making up any material in the regular level course that they may have missed, and are required to discuss their situation with the regular level 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).