Number of courses
Waterloo students must take the minimum number of courses as required by their host school. However, regardless of the number of courses you will actually take while on exchange, the Waterloo tuition you pay is the equivalent of five UW courses (i.e. 2.5 unit course load).
Using both the host school's website, make a list of courses you would want to take.
Then you will need to contact the appropriate advisor for course approval (see below).
If uncertain of which courses to take, you will need to discuss with your academic advisor(s) which courses work best for your degree progression.
Your course choices may change throughout the application process. Remember, we cannot guarantee course availability abroad. It is important to be flexible when selecting your courses. We also recommend that you select extra courses as changes may occur after arriving at the host school.
Course approval requests
Submit your course requests for approval by e-mailing the applicable department advisor listed under ‘Contacts’ below - (i.e. undergraduate advisor responsible for a course subject area)
Make sure to include the following details:
- Subject line: term abroad, host school and your last name ie: F18 Leeds Exchange - Smith
- Your full name with UW ID#
- Name of the host school (where the course is being offered)
- the course title with code/number
- the course description, and URL link and/or syllabus (if available). Please provide as much detail as possible.
- suggested UW course match, and/or any other information that you feel may help with the assessment
Please copy the Math Exchange Office on all your correspondence.
Math Faculty contacts
| Program/Course Code | Advisor contact |
|---|---|
| ACTSC | Emily Kozlowski |
| AMATH | Eduardo Martin-Martinez |
| BUS *(non-DD) | Keith Freeland |
| CO | David Jao |
| COMM | Peter Blake |
| CS | Nomair Naeem |
| MATBUS | Math Exchange Office |
| MATH | Math Exchange Office |
| PMATH | Stephen New |
| STAT | Riley Metzger |
Double Degree students:
- If you are requesting Laurier BUS courses, you should contact Bethany Ankucza at Laurier. This is for course approval AND if courses can count toward a concentration. NOTE: only Double Degree students wanting BUS courses should contact Bethany.
Non-math course approval requests
- Health: Julie-Anne Desrochers
- Arts: Please complete this form.
- Engineering: eng.ug.exchange.askus@uwaterloo.ca
- Environment: Dana Elrick
- Science: Please complete this form.
The next step – course approval process
The advisor will email you back if you have been approved for either:
- an exact equivalent, with the name of an existing UW course (i.e. ACTSC 446). This means that it has been determined that course content is close enough to the UW course content, or
- an unspecified equivalent (i.e. ACTSC 3xx/STAT 4xx/CS 2xx). The advisor has determined that the host school’s course is a course in that subject at that level but it does not have an exact equivalent match at UW. This can replace a general requirement but cannot replace a specifically required course, for example, STAT 3xx could count as a 300-level math course for a STAT major but it couldn't replace the STAT 330 degree requirement
In replying to you, the advisor should have copied Math Exchange inbox. If not, please forward your approval(s) to Math exchange office.
After you have arrived at your host school
If you need to make changes/additions to your courses after your arrival, please do so by submitting course requests as per the process above.
Advisors will work as quickly as possible to review your requests, however, please do not wait until the last minute. Please also be mindful of the time difference between your host school's location and Waterloo.
Once you've finalised your courses at your host school
Complete the transfer credit form. Please only complete the form once you're certain that these are your final courses. For example, after you arrive at the host school as things can change. Your transfer credits cannot be processed until the official transcript is received from the host school. Standard processing time for transfer credits once the official transcript is received is 2-4 weeks.
