Graduating with Multiple Credentials

Do you plan on graduating with multiple majors, or minors, or options?

In the Faculty of Mathematics, it is possible to combine credentials like majors and minors. When combining credentials upon degree completion, a student receives one piece of parchment listing all their credentials.

Be confident that you are following the rules!

Download the Academic Plan Tracker Template and the Instructions below to help you count your courses properly.

The Counting rule: Courses counted toward a major, minor, option, specialization, or diploma can only be used to satisfy a maximum of two credentials. Source: Counting of Courses

In other words, you can only count one course twice; not three or more times. For example, a course that is counted for an Actuarial Science major and a Statistics minor cannot then be counted for Mathematical Finance. 

Important Definitions:

• Credential: An earned degree, major, joint, minor, option, diploma, specialization*, or certificate appearing on a student's transcript.
• An academic plan: a set of requirements for obtaining a credential, such as a list of required courses.

In the Faculty of Mathematics, it is possible to combine credentials like majors and minors. When combining credentials upon degree completion, a student receives one piece of parchment listing all their credentials.

There are many possible combinations in the Faculty of Mathematics for you to consider, but also some limitations covered below. It can be difficult to understand how your courses contribute to the requirements of your credential(s), especially if you are following many academic plans at once. 

The purpose of this page is to summarize the rules for fulfilling course requirements and to help you better understand how these rules are applied.

* One exception is when a requirement is listed for both a major and its associated specialization. In that case, the course is treated as only having satisfied requirements for one credential.

Disclaimer: Students are responsible for their academic progress through to graduation. They must follow all requirements of their academic plan(s) (including co-operative education requirements, if applicable). Source: Student Responsibility for Degree Requirements

Credential Combinations

As a rule, you may not enrol in two credentials that significantly overlap in content. See the Invalid Credential Combinations in the undergraduate calendar for more specific incompatibilities and exceptions.

This page is only meant to provide information about plan combinations within the Faculty of Mathematics. For other plan combinations, see an academic advisor.

To confirm valid plan combinations via email or virtual appointments, find an academic advisor for the credential you are thinking about.

To add credentials, you will need approval from the advisor of each credential. Follow these steps:

1. Complete a plan modification form.  
2. Confirm valid plan combinations with an academic advisor via email or virtual appointment. 
3. Get a signature for each of the credentials you want to declare from the credential-specific advisor.
4. Submit the form to The Centre for processing via askthecentre@uwaterloo.ca. 

Exception

List A courses can be used any number of times. For example, MATH 137 can be counted for more than two credentials (Actuarial Science, Statistics and Mathematical Finance). MATH 237 (or MATH 247) and MATH 239 (or MATH 249) are not included in this exception. In the case that you are looking to use MATH 237 and MATH 239 to satisfy more than two credentials, consult an academic advisor. The number of times these courses can be used varies depending on which requirements they are fulfilling. The spreadsheet above may be used to check if any courses you are taking are being used to satisfy too many requirements.