Welcome to a resource-filled solution to many common questions and concerns for undergraduate students in the Chemistry and Biochemistry program or courses at 91亚色. Use the expanding categories below to obtain information for questions that you may have.
Academic Honesty鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
For details, see Senate Policy鈥��&苍产蝉辫;
Advanced Standing鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
see: Transfer Credit鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
Cognate Course鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
A cognate course is one required by a degree program from outside the discipline, such as PHYS, MATH, BCHM or BIOL courses required by Chemistry degrees. These may or may not be pre-requisite courses.鈥��&苍产蝉辫;
Course Credit Exclusion鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
Courses鈥痗an be鈥痮ffered under two different course rubrics to enable students to take the course for credit of one kind while other students can take the same course for credit of another kind. For instance, CHEM 3071 is鈥�crosslisted鈥痶o BIOL 3071 to enable students to take the course for Biology credit, even though it is offered by the Department of Chemistry. Cross-listings are only established when courses overlap two or more disciplines.鈥��&苍产蝉辫;
Course numbers鈥痗an鈥痑lso鈥痵ometimes change鈥痮ver time;鈥痟ere,鈥疌ourse Credit Exclusions are specified to prevent students taking the same course twice under different course numbers.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
Deferred Standing Agreement鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
An agreement between a student and a Course Director that accords a student Deferred Standing. This allows a student to write a deferred final examination in a prompt manner, when the student misses the final exam (there is no equivalent formal mechanism for tests or other term鈥痺ork items) and avoids the delay of a formal Petition for Deferred Standing.鈥��&苍产蝉辫;
There is a鈥�痜or both student and Course Director to complete and sign, and the student must submit the form to the Registrar's Office鈥�within one week鈥�following the regularly scheduled examination or the last day to submit term鈥痺ork.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
Elective Course鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
An elective course is one鈥�蝉别濒别肠迟别诲鈥�from a more or less broad set of choices. For instance, all Chemistry and Biochemistry degrees specify fewer than 120 credits worth of courses, yet you must accumulate 120 credits to graduate. Subject to any restrictions that are pointed out in the鈥�Program Requirements, the choice is yours on the remaining, unspecified credits.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
Lab Exemption鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
A lab exemption is鈥痝enerally鈥痑warded when a student repeats a course with a lab component. At the discretion of the Course Director, it is an exemption from the need to retake the lab component of the鈥痗ourse, and鈥痠s awarded if the student completed all of the lab experiments successfully and obtained a satisfactory overall mark for the lab component of the course.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
LDP鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
LOP鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
Pass/Fail Grading
The grade in the course in this grading system will be a pass or a fail, with no numerical or letter grade, and therefore does not enter into the calculation of the鈥痝pa. Full details are provided on鈥�.
Petition
鈥疉 petition is a request to be exempted from an academic regulation, to be given special consideration with respect to a regulation owing to circumstances beyond your control. Virtually any regulation can be the subject of a petition but, frequently, these concern Deferred Standing on medical grounds, dropping a course after the drop deadline or taking a course a third time. Details of the鈥�, the time limits and what can be petitioned are given on the Registrar's Office website. Petitions are examined and ruled upon by a committee in each Faculty, and there is a鈥�prescribed appeals procedure.鈥��&苍产蝉辫;
Prerequisite vs. Corequisite鈥疌ourses鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
Courses鈥痜requently specify pre- and/or corequisite courses.鈥��&苍产蝉辫;
A prerequisite course is one that must be successfully completed鈥�产别蹿辞谤别鈥�the course specifying the prerequisite.鈥��&苍产蝉辫;
A corequisite course is one that can be taken at the same time as the course specifying the corequisite. A course specified as pre-鈥�辞谤鈥�corequisite is one that can be taken 产别蹿辞谤别鈥�辞谤鈥�at the same time as the鈥痵pecifying course, with no requirement for successful completion.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
Restricted vs. Unrestricted Elective鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
A restricted elective is a choice of courses with one or more limitations imposed. For instance, you may be asked to take '9 credits of 4000-level CHEM courses' 鈥� you have a choice among courses to take, but within the limitation. Similarly, the General Education requirement offers choice among possible courses to take but the choices must be eligible for General Education credit.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
An unrestricted elective is a completely free choice, of any course offered by the university in any field by any department in any Faculty.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
SAS鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
Science Academic Services鈥�撯��础肠补诲别尘颈肠鈥疉诲惫颈蝉颈苍驳鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
Transfer Credit鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
Credit鈥痝iven for courses taken at other institutions鈥�(also known as Advanced Standing)鈥�撯���&苍产蝉辫;
UPD鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
Undergraduate Program Director鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
Tracking the completion of your program 鈥� Degree Checklist鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
础鈥�Degree Checklist鈥痠s an authoritative document that specifies the requirements for your degree program, which you can use to assess your鈥痯rogress,鈥痑nd which will be used to determine if you are eligible to graduate. The degree checklist refers to the requirements in place when you entered a program, and these may differ from current requirements. Degree checklists are available from the office of 鈥�Science Academic Services.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
How do I change my Major or Degree Program?鈥��&苍产蝉辫;
You can request a鈥�痮nline and you can use this online tool to manage your request and check the status. You鈥痟ave鈥痶o鈥痵ubmit your request between June 30 and the 10th day of the fall term for it to be made effective for the fall/winter session.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
Since some programs have limited enrollment, not all program transfers will be approved. Acting early is best. As well, there are minimum GPA scores required for some programs.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
What do I do if my鈥痝pa鈥痙rops below the鈥痬inimum?鈥��&苍产蝉辫;
The situation depends on your鈥�degree program, and on how low your鈥痝pa鈥痙rops. A notation to take action will appear on your transcript, and you will have certain options in view of the minimum gpa requirements for or 鈥�(see details under Program-Specific Degree Requirements tab) of the various programs.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
You should review your options and鈥痗onsider getting advice from your advisor.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
How can I get advice on course selection?鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
Students needing special help in choosing courses or plotting an academic plan can always get help through an鈥�advising session. In addition, the鈥�痗an help you keep track of your progress.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
How do I get permission to take a course?鈥��&苍产蝉辫;
If you do not have the prerequisites for a course, if the system does not recognize your prerequisites (if you have transfer credits, or if you are on LOP or an exchange program) or if spots are reserved for other categories of students, you can request鈥�.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
How do I obtain a lab exemption for a course?
A lab exemption is possible when a student repeats a course with a lab component. It is given at the discretion of the Course Director and means you do not retake the lab component of the course. Generally, this is done on the condition that the student completed all lab experiments and obtained marks to satisfy the requirements for this course component. You can request an exemption by .
I know I need to miss a lab, now what?
Lab schedules are established at the very start of the academic term and usually published in lab manuals and labs take place during lab hours.鈥疭tudents are expected to attend all lab sessions when these are scheduled, except when there arises a鈥�. In rare circumstances, a student knows in advance that he/she cannot avoid missing a lab, owing to an outside, non-religious obligation that cannot be altered, and which cannot have reasonably been avoided. In such instances, the student should contact the Lab Coordinator as early as possible to attempt to reschedule the lab or reach another reasonable accommodation.
How do I raise concerns about labs?
For any course that has a lab component, the Course Director is responsible for the conduct of the lab and that of the Teaching Assistants for the course. Teaching Assistants have very important responsibilities,鈥痭amely鈥痶o ensure the safety and expedient conduct of the lab exercises, to achieve their intended pedagogic results, and鈥痶o be of assistance to their students to achieve those results. As professionals, they are accorded considerable leeway in meeting their responsibilities and have access to resources, including their own experience as well as the experience of their fellow Teaching Assistants, the Lab鈥疌oordinat辞谤鈥痑nd the Course Director.
If you have safety concerns relating to an experiment, you should approach the Lab Coordinator.
If you have interpersonal conflicts in the laboratory you should contact your TA, the Lab Coordinator, or the Course Director, as appropriate, in order to resolve the issue or reach an accommodation. Keep in mind that experiences within any lab group cannot be guaranteed to be the same or different to others, as each group of people will have varied interpersonal dynamics.
If you have concerns over the feedback or grades received on a lab report, first speak with your TA to ascertain whether the issue warrants further attention. Should this be the case, the TA will help you contact the Lab Coordinator and/or the Course Director to address the matter.
How do I take a course at another university and have it count toward my 91亚色 degree?鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
Students sometimes want to take courses at another institution because the equivalent 91亚色 courses are not available or full.鈥疶o be able to apply a course taken elsewhere toward your 91亚色 degree, you need a鈥�Letter of Permission, in which the department offering the 91亚色 course signifies to the Registrar that the course you want is indeed equivalent, and you must achieve a minimum grade of "C" in that course for the credit to be granted.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
Start by identifying the course(s) you want to take at the other university. Choose them as to fit closest with 91亚色's offerings. Get a complete Course Description for each, from the offering department, from the Course Director, or from the university's website. This will include a brief description of the topics covered but鈥痬ust鈥痑lso include or indicate the course duration (one term or two), whether or not there is a laboratory component (as appropriate) and the number of lecture, laboratory and tutorial hours (per week or in total).鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
Next, fill out a鈥�痜rom the Registrar's Office website. Bring the completed form and the Course Description(s) to the Chemistry Undergraduate Assistant (124 CB), who will obtain an approval signature from the appropriate 91亚色 professor. Then you forward this form and the fee to鈥疪egistrars鈥疧ffice (Bennett Centre for Student Services).鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
What do I do if I have Transfer Credits from another institution?鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
Be sure to get an鈥�痑s early as possible in order to select the courses necessary for you to complete your 91亚色 degree in a timely manner.鈥疻hen you visit the Chemistry department for your advising appointment, bring with you a copy of all Advanced Standing documentation issued to you, so as to be able to determine the program requirements still outstanding in the completion of your degree.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
After you applied to transfer to 91亚色 from a college or from another university, the Admissions Office will have examined your transcript, with help from the institutionally issued course descriptions and from the 91亚色 departments concerned, in order to ascertain which, if any, of the coursework completed elsewhere can be credited toward a 91亚色 degree. The Admissions Office will have issued you its determination in a letter, in the form of Transfer Credits (also known as Advanced Standing) apportioned to one or more levels of study, and as Course Credit Exclusions in certain 91亚色 courses, if the previously taken courses are deemed substantially the same. Marks earned in courses taken at other institutions do not count toward your 91亚色 GPA and any transfer credits do not鈥痚nter into鈥痶he GPA calculation. You may not re-take the courses in which you have been awarded Course Credit Exclusion, as stipulated in the letter from Admissions. Courses in which you have Course Credit Exclusions can nevertheless serve as pre-requisites for 91亚色 courses. Any transfer credits that are not Course Credit Exclusions nevertheless count in all the appropriate credit totals required in your program (total credits in all courses, total credits in Science courses, total 1000-level Science credits, total upper-year Science credits, etc.). The Registrar's website gives answers to many鈥�痗oncerning Transfer Credits.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
If you were denied Course Credit Exclusion in a particular course taken elsewhere, it may be that the course was of insufficient depth or breadth to be considered equivalent to a 91亚色 course, granting equivalence may leave you at a significant disadvantage if attempting a successor course at 91亚色, the course lacked a lab component (if a lab component is part of the 91亚色 equivalent), it had too few lecture hours (and/or laboratory hours in courses with a lab component), or because the grade you earned was too low. Courses that have no 91亚色 equivalent but appear to be of appropriate level and depth, and in which the grade you earned was sufficiently high, may be granted transfer credit without Course Credit Exclusions.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
How do I drop a course after the drop deadline?鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
罢丑别鈥痠s late enough in the academic term to give you ample time to decide whether or not you should remain in a course. Before the drop deadline, you should have had the opportunity to earn marks worth 15% or more of your final grade, to provide you with feedback and to help you decide on鈥痺hether or not鈥痶o stay. After the deadline, you can only鈥�痓efore the last day of classes (earning a grade of "W") or drop a course by formal鈥�痶hrough the鈥疐Sc, and only if you can provide documented justification for not having been reasonably able to drop the course before the deadline.鈥��&苍产蝉辫;
How do I find out when tests/exams are scheduled and deal with any conflicts?鈥��&苍产蝉辫;
The Course Director sets the schedule for each course, including when tests and other grade items (such as assignment deadlines) are scheduled. No later than fourteen days ahead of a conflict between religious and academic obligations (except for final exams), students must notify the Course Director or Lab Coordinator of their conflict鈥痠n order to鈥痝ain accommodation.
Final exams are scheduled by the University, usually in October for Fall term (F) exams, in February for exams for Winter term (W) and full-year (Y) courses, and in May or June for summer-term exams (there are several summer terms). Although the University makes every effort to avoid鈥�, the first published schedule remains tentative until conflicts and other issues are identified and resolved as much as possible, then a final schedule is published shortly thereafter.鈥�痑ppear on the Registrar's website.鈥��&苍产蝉辫;
How can I petition a course?鈥��&苍产蝉辫;
In very special circumstances students may have grounds to petition to drop a course after the drop deadline or remove earlier course attempts from their transcripts. Help on鈥�痠s available through the Registrar鈥檚 website.
How can I鈥痝et my grade reappraised?鈥��&苍产蝉辫;
A request to reappraise a final grade, if sufficient academic grounds can be provided, can be made through the鈥�痮utlined by the Registrar鈥檚 office.鈥��&苍产蝉辫;
During the course, there is no petition mechanism for grades of individual assessments.鈥疭tudents should keep in mind what constitutes fair marking. You are entitled to an opportunity to reasonably challenge the marking on any grade item. Normally, term grade items are returned to students, with feedback, in a timely manner, and it is assumed that there has been ample opportunity for students to have their term grades reviewed during the course itself, if warranted, by the Teaching Assistant for lab marks, or by the Course Director for all other marks. Students have the right to see their final exams and determine that the marking was appropriate, usually by appointment with the Course Director. Only final grades are reviewed at the end of the course by the department and later by the鈥疐Sc鈥疌ommittee on Examinations and Academic Standards.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
If the processes outlined above were not followed, students should contact the鈥�Undergraduate Program Director鈥痺ith their concerns. However, Course Directors and Teaching Assistants have the right to not be continually鈥痟arassed for better grades, or to suffer pleas for special consideration.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
What is Academic Honesty?鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
Students studying and researching at 91亚色 are expected to maintain the highest levels of academic honesty as outlined in the鈥�Senate Policy. Academic honesty requires that one does not plagiarize, either through impersonation or claiming ones work as their own, attempt to gain an advantage in academic evaluations through cheating, or aid and abet others in committing an offence of academic dishonesty.鈥���&苍产蝉辫;
罢丑别鈥�痯rovide a detailed outline of possible offences, procedural information, and a summary of penalties for academic misconduct.鈥��&苍产蝉辫;
Course accommodations鈥痑nd students with disabilities鈥��&苍产蝉辫;
- All information about academic accommodation and support to students with disabilities can be found鈥痮n the鈥�痺ebsite.鈥��&苍产蝉辫;
Advice on course selection鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
- Students needing special help in choosing courses or plotting an academic plan can always get help through an鈥�advising session. In addition, the鈥�痗an help you keep track of your progress.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
Additional help with coursework鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
- Outside of lectures, tutorials, and office hours, here鈥痑re some options if you require鈥痑dditional鈥痟elp with your coursework:鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
- Peer-Assisted Study Sessions (PASS):鈥疊ethune College runs the鈥�, which鈥痮rganizes鈥痵tudy sessions and mock testing in the key first-year science subjects, as well as in CHEM 2020 and 2021.鈥��&苍产蝉辫;
- Study Groups:鈥�In addition to creating your own鈥�, the鈥�痗an help you connect with other students looking to form a study group 辞谤鈥痜ind鈥痶utors.鈥��&苍产蝉辫;
- 罢耻迟辞谤颈苍驳:鈥�Tutoring can help fill鈥痶he gaps in your coursework knowledge or your problem-solving skills.鈥疘f you are not financially capable of hiring a personal tutor,鈥�痮ffers free鈥�.鈥疭OS also offers鈥痬any other academic resources as well.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
- Learning Skills鈥疭ervices (LLS):鈥�Student Community & Leadership Development鈥痮ffers many workshops and online resources on鈥痳eading skills, note-taking, time management, exam preparation, stress management, relaxation,鈥痑nd memory.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
- Language Skills:鈥疶he Department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics offers鈥�痜or students experiencing language difficulties.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
- Technical Writing:鈥粘蟊疴��痮ffers instruction in academic and professional writing.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
Mental health and counselling resources鈥�(outside of academic help)鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
- 鈥痮ffers professional counselling and therapy in one-on-one鈥痮r group sessions.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
- 罢丑别鈥�痠s a student-run service for students, offering peer counselling, referrals,鈥痑nd resources for all kinds of issues facing students.鈥��&苍产蝉辫;
- 罢丑别鈥�痵ection of the Student Community & Leadership Development office has advice on safe sex, alcohol abuse, date rape, drug abuse, body image, eating disorders, stress management,鈥痑nd healthy eating.鈥��&苍产蝉辫;
- 罢丑别鈥�痮ffice offers academic鈥前�痯ersonal counselling, advocacy,鈥痑nd referrals f辞谤鈥疉boriginal students.鈥��&苍产蝉辫;
- 鈥痮ffers鈥痑 number of鈥痵ervices and programs intended to address the special problems faced by鈥痠nternational students.鈥��&苍产蝉辫;
- There are鈥痬any clubs and religious organizations on campus that you can join鈥痶o鈥痜ind a sense of community.鈥痀ou can find them through鈥�YUConnect, a hub for all co-curricular activity at 91亚色.鈥��&苍产蝉辫;
Career advice鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
- 罢丑别鈥�痗an provide鈥痑dvice on career choices and opportunities,鈥痑s well as providing on-line resources, techniques in job searching, techniques on鈥痳esume鈥痺riting and mock employer interviews.鈥��
- Bethune College's鈥�痠ncludes a series of career-related workshops aimed specifically at BSc graduates, medical school,鈥痑nd graduate school.鈥���&苍产蝉辫;
