Every term, students are enrolled in their core courses prior to their enrolment appointment. During their enrolment appointment they can enroll in electives (if they have elective openings) or they can submit an Override Form to be enrolled in an extra course. If a student misses their enrolment appointment they can still enroll in courses during open enrolment. This date generally begins about a month before the start of classes and ends the second week of classes (for Distance Education courses it ends the first week of classes).
Please see Important Dates on the Quest student information system for exact deadlines.
The Schedule of Classes will display course offerings for all departments.
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Enrolling in extra courses
Extra Course during an Academic Term
Degree requirements can be satisfied without taking any extra courses. You may want to take extra courses during an academic term or during a work term to clear failures, take required option or minor courses, or to take a course out of interest. The following guidelines apply when enrolling in extra courses during an academic term:
- You must have a 75% overall average* in order to take an extra course during a regular academic term
- Taking an extra does not mean that you can reduce your core course load during another regular academic term, although you may wish to use it to reduce your elective course load in a future term.
- You are not charged extra for an extra course during a regular academic term - it is part of your tuition
- You cannot register on Quest to take an extra course. A Course Override Form must be completed and submitted to the Undergraduate Coordinator. If any instructor overrides are required they must be obtained prior to submitting the form.
- The extra course must be coded so that it doesn't count in your average.
*Exceptions may be considered depending on the circumstances - contact the undergraduate coordinator for more information
Extra Course during a Work Term
You may want to take extra courses during a work term to clear failures, take required option or minor courses, or to take a course out of interest. If you wish to take an extra course during your work term, and are not in the area, you could either take an online course from UW or take a course at another University. To take a course at another University a Letter of Permission Form must be completed and submitted to the Undergraduate Coordinator. Ensure to include the detailed course outline of the course you wish to be enrolled in so that the Associate Undergraduate Chair can assign an equivalent UW course. The following guidelines apply when enrolling in extra courses during a work term:
- You must have a 75% overall average* in order to take an extra course during a work term
- Taking an extra does not mean that you can reduce your core course load during another regular academic term, although you may wish to use it to reduce your elective course load in a future term.
- You will be charged for an extra course taking during a work term
- You cannot register on Quest to take a course during your work term. A Course Override Form must be completed and submitted to the Undergraduate Coordinator. If any instructor overrides are required they must be obtained prior to submitting the form.
- The extra course must be coded so that it doesn't count in your average
Note: Your first priority is to your job. Remember that you are representing the University of Waterloo on your work term and proper consideration should be given if you are deciding to take a course. If it is through the day, you should check with your employer first to be sure that it is ok. If it is distance ed or in the evening, there are usually no direct conflicts.
*Exceptions may be considered depending on the circumstances - contact the undergraduate coordinator for more information
Coding Extra Courses
If you are taking courses above the required number of courses for an academic term or during a work term you must designate them appropriately. The extra course must be coded so that it doesn't count in your average.
There are two designations:
- DRNA: Degree Requirement, Not in Average will be used for courses that will count towards your degree e.g. complementary or technical elective; course taken to clear a failure; course taken for an option
- NRNA: Not a Degree Requirement, Not in Average will be used for courses that you are taking for interest
NOTE: Coding must be assigned one month before the examination period starts. If a student hasn't assigned a course to be coded before this date, the department will use their policy to assign a course to be coded out.
Instructor overrides
The approval of the instructor of the course you are attempting to enroll in is required when the course is full, you have not met the prerequisites, the course requires departmental consent or permission, or the course has a conflict with another course in which you are enrolled.
You can obtain the instructors approval by
- meeting the instructor in person
- acquiring an email from the Instructor that clearly grants you the override for the particular course
If you are missing prerequisites, your Course Override Form to the instructor should include why you want to take the course (e.g. to clear a fail or for an Option), any prerequisite, or equivalent courses you have taken, and why you feel that you will do well in the course. This information will allow the instructor to make a decision as to whether you are prepared for the course.
Plan-modification form
Completing the Plan Modification Form
You will need to complete a Plan Modification Form (PDF) if you want to:
- add or remove an option or minor
- take a non-degree term to clear failures or to take extra courses
- take a non-degree term to transfer out of Architectural Engineering to another department
Adding or removing options or minors
To add or remove an option or a minor you should complete a Plan Modification Form. Once you complete your personal information you can enter your “Current Academic Plan” (Architectural Engineering) and then your “Requested Academic Plan” (e.g. Architectural Engineering, Option in Management Sciences, MSCI). Sign the form and submit it to the Undergraduate Coordinator for processing.
NOTE: Options must be declared before starting your 2B term
Non-degree term
You can choose to take a non degree term rather than one of your work terms in order to take some extra courses, out of interest or towards options or minors. You could also choose to prolong your studies by opting to take some non degree terms. If you received an Academic Standing that requires you to repeat the term you may want to complete a non degree term during your term off (in this event you may want to contact the Undergraduate Coordinator to set you up with an appointment to speak with the Associate Undergraduate Chair).
During a non-degree term you can enroll in up to five courses. If you enroll in one or two courses you would be considered a part time student, if you enroll in three or more courses you would be considered a full-time student.
If you decide to take a non-degree term, you should complete a Plan Modification Form. Once you complete your personal information you can enter your “Current Academic Plan” (Architectural Engineering) and then your “Requested Academic Plan” (e.g. Architectural Engineering, Non-degree Term). Sign the form and submit it to the Undergraduate Coordinator for processing.
If you are taking a work term off, you must also complete a Sequence Change Form.
Non-degree term: transferring to another program
You are usually required to take a non-degree term if you are planning on transferring to another program. You may decide to transfer out because of interest or because you received a negative Academic Decision. A non-degree term allows you to take a number of courses in the Faculty you wish to transfer to, if you satisfy the conditions of the admitting department, you will be transferred to the new program.
On the first page of the Plan Modification Form you would complete your personal information and your “Current Academic Plan” (Architectural Engineering) and your “Requested Academic Plan” (e.g. Non-degree Term to Transfer to Arts). You then sign the form and take it to the department that you wish to transfer to. They will complete page 2, filling in the “Courses Required by the Admitting Department”. Once they have outlined their conditions (for example you may have to pass five courses and achieve an overall average of 70%) you bring both pages to your Undergraduate Coordinator so that you can be enrolled in your courses.