Overview
The Communication Requirement helps prepare students for academic and professional success. In study and work terms, communication skills and strategies are crucial to success. This page outlines the communication requirements for students, depending on their entry year to the Faculty of Science.
New students will be taking ENGL 193/COMMST 193: Communication in the Sciences. Students will need to pass (grade of 50 or higher) in order to satisfy the Communication Requirement for their BSc degree.
The classes are capped at 25 because of the course objectives, which are found in the next section below. Smaller class sizes provide the opportunity for students to regularly receive feedback on their work and, to meet and engage with classmates. The course does not have a final exam.
Course objectives
- Design, draft, and persuasively deliver scientific communications to expert and non-expert audiences;
- Justify decisions about the language, content, and genre used when communicating scientific information;
- Practice collaboration and peer review in support of iterative communication design processes, including revision;
- Practice research processes to find, assess, document, incorporate, and cite research resources and communicate research findings;
- Describe and appraise the purposes and ethical concerns of science communication.
Scheduling of ENGL/COMMST 193
Students starting at the 1A term-level take ENGL/COMMST 193 following a schedule based on their program. Students transferring into a Science program from another post-secondary institution at a term level above 1A, will be enrolled into ENGL/COMMST 193 in a term determined by their academic advisor.
| Fall term | Winter term |
|---|---|
| Biochemistry (including Biotechnology Specialization) | Biology |
| Biological and Medical Physics** |
Biomedical Sciences |
| Biotechnology/Chartered Professional Accounting | Earth Sciences (all specializations) |
| Chemistry (including Computational Specialization) | Environmental Sciences (all specializations) |
| Medicinal Chemistry | Honours Science |
| Mathematical Physics** | Materials and Nanosciences |
| Physics and Astronomy | Psychology (Life Sciences) |
| Physics | Science and Aviation |
| Science and Business (all specializations) | |
| **new for fall 2025 (previously a winter term course) | |
Enrolment restrictions
Students cannot add or swap sections of ENGL/COMMST 193 themselves on Quest. Students who should be taking ENGL/COMMST 193 and are not enrolled should follow-up with science.advisor@uwaterloo.ca for instructions. The course is a degree requirement, with finite space and scheduling constraints, so it cannot be dropped.
ENGL 193/COMMST 193 Section Change Request Webform
The request form for changing your COMMST/ENGL 193 section is currently closed and will reopen on Monday, January 5, 2026, the first day of lectures. Until then, we’re unable to process new or updated requests. Requests that have already been submitted will continue to be reviewed.
When the form reopens, please note that swaps are not guaranteed, as class sizes and availability may have changed. Other courses are still open for section swaps where space allows.
The hold on this course helps keep class sizes balanced and ensures everyone can complete their communication requirement in first year.
In the meantime, we kindly ask that you don’t email English, Communication Arts, or the Registrar’s Office about overrides—we’re already looking after your request.
Previous Requirements
Fall 2023
SPCOM193 is relabeled as COMMST 193, to be used together with ENGL 193, starting fall 2023, and moving forward.
Fall 2019 to Spring 2023
SPCOM 193 was used, in addition to ENGL 193, during this time period.
Fall 2018 to Spring 2019
The Faculty of Science developed a communication-intensive course that was incorporated into each Bachelor of Science program as a degree requirement. Successful completion of SCCOM 100 fulfils the Communication Requirement.
Past – 2017
Students enrolled in Faculty of Science programs before September 2018 should consult the English Language Proficiency Requirement described in the Undergraduate Calendar of their entry year.
Please note that the Undergraduate calendar will list writing the English Language Proficiency Examination (ELPE) as an option to obtain your English Language Proficiency Requirement. As of April 2019, the ELPE was no longer offered as an option.