Course registration information for new students

student and advisor meeting

We know you are excited to learn all about your courses and your class schedule for the fall. We have provided information about the process, and the information that is currently known. We will keep this page updated until it is time for action in June-July 2024.

Last updated: April 5, 2024

What do I need to know to get started?

A school year for students is usually two academic terms and most full-time students take five courses in a term.

Depending on your program (i.e., degree and major), you might be automatically registered into all or some of your fall term courses. If you have to choose at least one (1) course, you'll participate in the Course Selection Period. Continue reading to learn more.

Review all the basics of the multi-phase course registration process (including Course Selection Period and Drop/Add Period).
Learn our key terms as you try to choose your courses.
Know the various key dates and deadlines.
Review your next steps - i.e., what courses you'll be taking and how your class schedule will be built.

If you are a student transferring from a college or another university, see important details for you below.

Key terms

You may be familiar with the term "program" during your application stage. For some, you may still see program in references, for others, you'll need to get used to new terms, like major:

Entry program: An admission point of entry. Students may apply directly into an academic program from which they will graduate, or they may apply to an academic program where they will be required to select a major.
Academic program: A defined set of requirements (honours or general, regular or co-operative) common to a particular degree.
Major: An academic plan that is the primary area of study in a student's baccalaureate degree (e.g., Arts and Business, Biology, Chemical Engineering).

Required (or Core) course: A specified course that you must take in order to fulfil your program or major requirements.

Elective course: A course not specified as one that you must take for your program and/or major. For some programs or majors, you must choose your electives from a specific list; in others, you may choose from any courses offered that you’re qualified to take.

Blended class: Designated by a campus code of BLND, is a class normally scheduled with both an online and in-person activity (students must be available to come to campus).

For more helpful terms, see 1) Undergraduate Studies Academic Calendar for a complete Glossary of Terms and 2) Understanding course description listings for terms like "prereq" and "LEC".

What are the key dates I need to know as a first-year student?

Course Selection PeriodJuly 2 - 9, 2024

Applies only to some students (see below). Students in Arts and Mathematics follow a different process, which occurs in June.

View class schedule and Drop/Add Period appointment timeJuly 17, 2024

Drop/Add Period appointmentsJuly 18 - 23, 2024

Add Period begins (open enrolment)July 24, 2024

For all students, lasts until the last day to add classes in September.

Information for first-year students

Your course registration steps and course information

Select the name of the faculty that offers your program/major to see your specific next steps.

Faculty of Arts

Majors: Accounting and Financial Management, Sustainability and Financial Management

All your courses will automatically be added to your fall class schedule. For those who are interested in pursuing the data analytics stream, contact the School of Accounting and Finance advisor.

Entry programs: Honours Arts, Honours Arts and Business, Global Business and Digital Arts, Social Development Studies

The Faculty of Arts will email you in June about the next steps in registering for your fall courses. Visit the Faculty of Arts course selection website for more information.

Faculty of Engineering

Entry programs: All majors, including Software Engineering, and Architecture

All your courses will automatically be added to your fall class schedule. You can see your first-year schedule in the academic calendar:

All engineering entry programs (search for "honours engineering" in the Programs & Plans search bar)
Architecture

Faculty of Environment

Majors: All majors

All your required courses will automatically be added to your fall schedule.
Request your elective course(s) on Quest during the Course Selection Period for new students.
View information for your major under the "new student" section on the Faculty of Environment's course enrolment web page.

Faculty of Health

Majors: Health Sciences, Kinesiology, Recreation and Leisure Studies, Recreation and Sport Business, and Therapeutic Recreation

All your courses will automatically be added to your fall class schedule. Learn more about what your class schedule will look like on your major's departmental website:

Major: Public Health

All your required courses will be automatically added to your fall class schedule.
Request your two (2) elective courses on Quest during the Course Selection Period for new students.
Learn more on the Public Health course selection website.

Faculty of Mathematics

Majors: All majors, including Computer Science and Computing and Financial Management

The Faculty of Mathematics will email you in June about the next steps in registering for your fall courses. Visit the Faculty of Mathematics' course selection web page for details, instructions, and timing.

Faculty of Science

Entry programs: All

View your required courses on the Science website; these will automatically be added to your fall class schedule.
Your academic advisor will email you in June about your next steps, including what to do if you have electives.

List of courses that you might be able to choose

Fall 2024 - Winter 2025

For programs and majors that have room for students to choose courses (i.e., electives) in their first year, below is a list of courses that might be appropriate for new students. This list provides a sample and is thus subject to change up until July 2024.

To learn about the courses listed below, visit the Undergraduate Studies Academic Calendar. You can filter by the desired Subject Code to narrow your search, or you can also type in the exact course (subject code + number, e.g., ANTH 100) in the Search Calendar bar. Get familiar with the lists of terms in a course description to understand what is needed to register in the course.

Last updated: April 22, 2024

Subject	Fall Courses	Winter Courses	Notes
Accounting and Financial Management	AFM 101, AFM 123, AFM 131	AFM 101, AFM 102, AFM 123, AFM 131
American Sign Language	ASL 101R, ASL 102R	ASL 101R, ASL 102R
Anthropology	ANTH 100, ANTH 106	ANTH 100, ANTH 202, ANTH 204
Arabic	ARABIC 101R	ARABIC 101R, ARABIC 102R	Students seeking entry into Arabic courses who have not previously taken a course in Arabic at Renison must complete a Placement Application Form. Renison reserves the right to allocate students to the appropriate class based on this assessment. If you have prior knowledge in the language and want to take a course at an advanced level, contact your academic advisor for assistance.
Arts and Business	ARBUS 101	ARBUS 102, ARBUS 202	ARBUS courses are only available for Arts and Business students
Aviation	AVIA 100
Biology	BIOL 110, BIOL 130, BIOL 130L, BIOL 150, BIOL 225, BIOL 240, BIOL 240L	BIOL 130, BIOL 165, BIOL 211, BIOL 220, BIOL 240, BIOL 239	Online WHMIS required for any lab or lab embedded course (BIOL 110, 130L, 211, 220, and BIOL 240L); BIOL 225 won’t count toward first-year Biology requirements in Science plans.
Black Studies	BLKST 101	BLKST 102
Canadian Studies	CDNST 101
Chemistry	CHEM 120, CHEM 120L	CHEM 120, CHEM 123, CHEM 123L, CHEM 140	Online WHMIS required for labs.
Chinese	CHINA 101R, CHINA 102R, CHINA 120R	CHINA 101R, CHINA 102R, CHINA 120R	Students seeking entry into Chinese courses who have not previously taken a course in Chinese at Renison University College must complete a Placement Application Form. Renison reserves the right to allocate students to the appropriate class based on this assessment.
Classical Studies	CLAS 100, CLAS 103, CLAS 104	CLAS 103, CLAS 104, CLAS 105
Commerce	COMM 231	COMM 231
Communication Studies	COMMST 100, COMMST 101, COMMST 149	COMMST 100, COMMST 101, COMMST 112, COMMST 149
Computer Science	CS 100, CS 105, CS 115, CS 116, CS 135, CS 136	CS 100, CS 105, CS 106, CS 115, CS 116, CS 135, CS 136, CS 200
Croatian	CROAT 101		If you have prior knowledge in the language and want to take a course at an advanced level, contact the Germanic and Slavic Studies undergraduate office for assistance.
Cultural Identities	CI 100	CI 100, CI 200
Dutch	DUTCH 101	DUTCH 271	If you have prior knowledge in the language and want to take a course at an advanced level, contact the Germanic and Slavic Studies undergraduate office for assistance.
East Asian Studies	EASIA 100R, EASIA 101R	EASIA 100R
Earth Sciences	EARTH 121, EARTH 121L, EARTH 123	EARTH 122, EARTH 122L	EARTH 122, 122L can be taken before EARTH 121, 121L
Economics	ECON 101, ECON 102	ECON 101, ECON 102
English	ENGL 100A, ENGL 100B, ENGL 101A, ENGL 101B, ENGL 108A, ENGL 108D, ENGL 108E, ENGL 108G, ENGL 108P, ENGL 108T, ENGL 108X, ENGL 109, ENGL 132, ENGL 190	ENGL 100A, ENGL 101A, ENGL 101B, ENGL 101C, ENGL 104, ENGL 108A, ENGL 108B, ENGL 108D, ENGL 108G, ENGL 108P, ENGL 108T, ENGL 109, ENGL 119, ENGL 140R, ENGL 190
English for Multilingual Speakers	EMLS 101R, EMLS 102R, EMLS 103R, EMLS 129R	EMLS 101R, EMLS 102R, EMLS 103R, EMLS 104R, EMLS 129R
Environment	ENVS 178, ENVS 195	ENVS 131, ENVS 178, ENVS 195, ENVS 200, ENVS 220
Environment and Business	ENBUS 102	ENBUS 112
Environment, Resources, and Sustainability	ERS 100
Fine Arts	FINE 100, FINE 102, FINE 130, FINE 150	FINE 100, FINE 101, FINE 130, FINE 150
French	FR 101, FR 151, FR 152, FR 192A, FR 192B, FR 203, FR 250, FR 251, FR 252, FR 276, FR 296, FR 297	FR 101, FR 151, FR 152, FR 192A, FR 192B, FR 203, FR 250, FR 251, FR 252, FR 276, FR 296, FR 297	Students should consult the French Studies placement rules before requesting a French course for the first time.
Gender and Social Justice	GSJ 101	GSJ 102
Geography and Environmental Management	GEOG 101, GEOG 102, GEOG 181	GEOG 101, GEOG 102, GEOG 181
German	GER 101, GER 102, GER 201	GER 101, GER 102, GER 120, GER 201, GER 202	If you have prior knowledge in the language and want to take a course at an advanced level, contact the Germanic and Slavic Studies undergraduate office for assistance.
Greek	GRK 101	GRK 102
Health	HEALTH 105	HEALTH 100, HEALTH 150
Health Humanities		HHUM 101
History	HIST 101, HIST 103, HIST 110, HIST 113, HIST 115	HIST 105, HIST 111, HIST 112, HIST 113
Human Rights	HRTS 101	HRTS 101	Students planning to pursue a Double Degree in Human Rights and Law must take HRTS 101 in their 1A term.
Indigenous Studies	INDG 101	INDG 101
International Studies	INTST 101
Italian	ITAL 101	ITAL 101, ITAL 102	If you have prior knowledge in the language and want to take a course at an advanced level, contact your academic advisor for assistance.
Italian Studies	ITALST 100	ITALST 111
Japanese	JAPAN 101R, JAPAN 102R	JAPAN 101R, JAPAN 102R	If you have prior knowledge in the language and want to take a course at an advanced level, contact cls@uwaterloo.ca for an assessment.
Jewish Studies	JS 228, JS 233, JS 235	JS 215, JS 236
Kinesiology		KIN 100, KIN 100L, KIN 146
Knowledge Integration	INTEG 120	INTEG 121
Korean	KOREA 101R, KOREA 102R	KOREA 101R, KOREA 102R	If you have prior knowledge in the language and want to take a course at an advanced level, contact your academic advisor for assistance.
Latin	LAT 101	LAT 102
Legal Studies	LS 101	LS 101, LS 201, LS 202, LS 227	Note that SOC 101 is a prerequisite for many 200-level LS courses.
Management Studies	MGMT 171
Material and Nanosciences	MNS 101	MNS 102
Mathematics	MATH 103, MATH 104, MATH 106, MATH 114, MATH 127, MATH 128, MATH 137, MATH 138	MATH 103, MATH 104, MATH 106, MATH 114, MATH 127, MATH 128, MATH 137, MATH 138
Mathematics Electives	MTHEL 131	MTHEL 131
Medieval Studies	MEDVL 115	MEDVL 105
Mohawk	MOHAWK 101R	MOHAWK 101R
Music	MUSIC 100, MUSIC 110, MUSIC 111, MUSIC 116, MUSIC 140, MUSIC 226, MUSIC 246, MUSIC 270	MUSIC 100, MUSIC 110, MUSIC 111, MUSIC 116, MUSIC 117, MUSIC 140, MUSIC 226, MUSIC 227, MUSIC 240, MUSIC 246, MUSIC 270, MUSIC 271
Peace and Conflict Studies	PACS 101, PACS 201, PACS 202, PACS 203	PACS 202
Philosophy	PHIL 100J, PHIL 101, PHIL 110B, PHIL 118J, PHIL 121, PHIL 145	PHIL 100J, PHIL 101, PHIL 110A, PHIL 121, PHIL 125, PHIL 145
Physics	PHYS 111, PHYS 111L, PHYS 121 (with calculus corequisite), PHYS 121L	PHYS 111, PHYS 112, PHYS 112L, PHYS 122 (with calculus corequisite), PHYS 122L, PHYS 124 (with PHYS 112 or 122 corequisite), PHYS 175	PHYS 121 and 122 are required for astrophysics, biophysics, and physics minors; PHYS 175 has a calculus prerequisite.
Planning	PLAN 100, PLAN 102
Political Science	PSCI 100	PSCI 150
Psychology	PSYCH 101/PSYCH 101R	PSYCH 101, PSYCH 207, PSYCH 211, PSYCH 238, PSYCH 253/PSYCH 253R, PSYCH 257, PSYCH 261
Public Health Sciences	HLTH 101	HLTH 102
Recreation and Leisure Studies	REC 100, REC 101, REC 230	REC 100 (online), REC 151, REC 215, REC 251, REC 280
Religious Studies	RS 101, RS 110, RS 121, RS 235	RS 100, RS 102, RS 110, RS 121, RS 236
Russian and East European Studies		REES 120
Science	SCI 206, SCI 238, SCI 252	SCI 201, SCI 207, SCI 238, SCI 250, SCI 252	Note that SCI 252 is cross-listed with PHIL 252.
Sexuality, Marriage, and Family Studies	SMF 101, SMF 204	SMF 101, SMF 111, SMF 204, SMF 211
Social Development Studies	SDS 131R, SDS 150R	SDS 131R, SDS 150R
Social Work (for Social Development Studies)	SOCWK 120R	SOCWK 120R
Society, Technology and Values	STV 100	STV 100
Sociology	SOC 101/SOC 101R	SOC 227, SOC 229, SOC 248
Spanish	SPAN 101, SPAN 102, SPAN 150, SPAN 201A	SPAN 101, SPAN 102, SPAN 201B
Studies in Islam	SI 121R	SI 131R
Theatre and Performance	THPERF 102, THPERF 149	THPERF 100, THPERF 102, THPERF 112, THPERF 149
Visual Culture	VCULT 100	VCULT 101, VCULT 112

Information for other students

Bridge to Academic Success in English (BASE)

For Arts, Engineering, Environment, Health, Math, and Science: All your required courses will automatically be added to your fall class schedule.

Review what you'll be studying in BASE.

International exchange students (incoming)

Review your courses in the International Student Guide.

Transfer students

If you’re transferring from a college or another university, you’ll receive your transfer credit assessment from the Office of the Registrar.

Once you’ve received information about your transfer credits, use the links below or contact your academic advisor for help with planning and requesting your courses.

Faculty of Arts

Visit the Faculty of Arts' web page for new transfer students.

Faculty of Environment

Environment academic advisors are available to help you choose the proper courses to fit your unique academic record, taking both transfer credits and major requirements into consideration and ensuring the perfect start to your academic career in the Faculty of Environment.

Faculty of Health

Visit the Faculty of Health course selection page and select your major for instructions.

Faculty of Mathematics

Visit the Faculty of Mathematics' web page for new transfer students.

Faculty of Science

Visit the Faculty of Science's web page for new transfer students.