Registration in first year can be stressful – but it doesn’t have to be. We have developed resources to provide you with all the information you’ll need to successfully register for your courses at Queen’s. Need support? We have a team of dedicated academic and peer advisors who are here to help you every step of the way.
What is a Program?
You have been admitted to the Faculty of Arts and Science to one of the following degree programs:
Bachelor of Science (Honours) - BSCH
Bachelor of Arts (Honours) - BAH
Bachelor of Science (Honours) Specialization in Kinesiology – BSCH KINE
Bachelor of Science (Honours), Life Sciences and Biochemistry – BSCH LISC BCHM
Concurrent Education, Bachelor of Arts (Honours), French Studies
Bachelor of Music (Honours) - BMUS
Bachelor of Computing (Honours) - BCMPH
What is a Plan?
Whether it's a major, a major/minor combination, or a specialization, your plan will be the main academic focus in your degree program. Most students will request their plan once their first year of studies at Queen's is finished.
If you were admitted to one of these programs, you already have a plan:
Otherwise, you will choose your plan during Plan Selection at the end of your first year.
Even if you feel pretty sure before your first year begins that you know what plan you'd prefer, you should choose your courses to keep multiple options or "gateways" open for Plan Selection. Many students find that over the course of their first year, they change their ideas about what plan options would be ideal for them.
In the Faculty of Arts and Science, we believe a degree is unique as you are, so we have what we call modular degrees. This means that you can combine majors, minors, and specializations so you can study multiple interests.
Here’s a graphic of the ways you can combine majors, minors, and specializations within our degrees:
What Program/Plan am I in right now?
There are a few ways to check what your current program and/or plan is. You could:
You will see that most students in the Faculty of Arts and Science start their first year without any specific plans. For example, someone could start their first year in General Arts, and then select a Specialization in Psychology during Plan Selection after their first year.
What is a Term?
There are three terms: Fall (September-December), Winter (January-April), Summer (May-August). Summer is an optional term.
What is a Unit?
Each course has a unit weighting, which indicates how many units it is contributing towards your degree. Overall, Honours degrees require 120.0 units in total. Most Arts and Science courses are either 3.0 units or 6.0 units. Usually a single-term course is 3.0 units and a full-year course that spans both the Fall and Winter terms is 6.0 units.
How many units do I take if I’m a full-time student?
A full-time student normally takes five courses in the Fall term and in the Winter term, to a total of 30.0 units.
Students who are in a Concurrent Bachelor of Education degree along with their Arts and Science Honours degree will take five courses each term (30.0 units) for their Arts and Science degree, plus the EXLR and PROF courses for their Education degree.
If you have questions about choosing a reduced course load and what that would mean, please contact an Academic Advisor to consider your options. You can find information on how to connect in the How to Get Help section below.
What are Electives?
Electives are free-choice courses in your degree program, which are necessary for your degree completion overall, but are not part of your plan requirements.
The number of electives you need for your degree depends on the plans you choose.
There are some courses open to first year students which are called "terminal courses," because they do not provide any gateway options for potential plan eligibility. These courses are fine as electives, but we strongly encourage you to limit the number of terminal courses that you take in first year, so that your range of plan options will be maximized.
For more information on the best courses for you, check the section in this guide called Choosing Your Courses. If you have questions about whether your course selections are leaving plenty of plan options open for you or not, please contact us for help.
What are Prerequisites, Co-requisites and Exclusions?
Prerequisite - A prerequisite is a requirement that must be met prior to enrolment in a course.
Co-requisite - A co-requisite is a required course that must be taken before or at the same time as another course.
Exclusion - An exclusion is a course that will prevent enrolment if taken with or before another course.
What if my classes are scheduled back to back? Isn't that a conflict?
Classes, labs, and tutorials will all end 10 minutes earlier than you see on the schedule - e.g., a class that is scheduled from 1:30-2:30 pm will actually end at 2:20. That 10 minute window will give you plenty of time to make it from any one building on main campus to another.
The exception to watch for is if a class located at Duncan McArthur Hall is scheduled back-to-back with a class at a building on main campus. Duncan McArthur Hall is on west campus, which is about a 15-20 minute walk from main campus. At least a half-hour gap should be scheduled between classes on west campus and classes on main campus.
Who do I talk to about transfer credits? Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), A-Level, Cambridge Pre-U or French Baccalaureate credits?
If the course was taken before you became a Queen's student, you may apply for the transfer credit through Undergraduate AdŃýĽ§Ö±˛Ąs. This includes AP, IB, A-Level, Cambridge Pre-U, French Baccalaureate courses completed in high school.
These program-specific sessions will walk you through the steps to register, how to build a timetable, how to choose and add classes in SOLUS. It will also provide some information on the academic cycle, what happens in first year and when (December exams, mid-year grades, final grades, Plan Selection, other important dates), next steps, future years, and where to go for information and advice as a first-year student.
Find all these webinar recordings at the Student Experience Office’s website:
The will be your hub for everything related to your Course Registration. This is where you can view your enrolment appointment time, select your courses, and view your timetable. For more information on everything you need to know about SOLUS, watch the video below:
Step 1: Review Recommended Courses by Plan
Most Arts and Science first-year students are admitted to a degree program that doesn’t yet have a plan specified. While you indicated a major of interest in your application, you do not have to stick that that plan and are encouraged to explore all your interests. After first year, you will be required to select a plan that will shape your degree completion, and there are hundreds of potential options for you to aim for. We have compiled a list that allows you to choose what courses to take in first year so you can maximize your plan selection options, and you’ll have confidence that you’ve got the courses you need for the plans you’re considering.
If you are in a direct entry program, you will hear from your department or school regarding course enrolment for your plan. You may want to also choose some courses that leave doors open for adding an extra minor later on, using the list below. If not, skip to step 2.
PICK THE RIGHT COURSES FOR YOUR PLAN
Step 2: Rounding out your schedule with electives
If you still have room in your course load once you’ve chosen courses that leave all your preferred doors open for plan options, review our Courses for First-Year Arts and Science Students webpage to determine what electives you want to fill your schedule with. It is important to know that any courses that will not be used to fill requirements for your plan after first year, will be counted toward your elective credits.
Step 3: Course Enrolment
Load your courses into your Shopping Cart in SOLUS and complete your enrolment during the registration period. For more information on how to enrol, review the tabs below.
Not sure which Math, Physics, or Computing course to choose? We've developed a guide with descriptions of each course and who should take them, to help make your course selection as simple as possible.
| Course Code | Description | Requirements |
| MATH 110 Linear Algebra | Intended for students who plan to pursue a major plan in Mathematics or Statistics. Provides a thorough introduction to linear algebra up to and including eigenvalues and eigenvectors | Prerequisites
Exclusions
Recommended
|
| MATH 112 Introduction to Linear Algebra | A brief introduction to matrix algebra, linear algebra, and applications. Topics include systems of linear equations, matric algebra, determinants, the vector spaces Rn and their subspaces, bases, co-ordinates, orthogonalization, linear transformations, eigenvectors, diagonalization of symmetric matrices, quadratic forms. | Prerequisites
Exclusions
Recommended
|
| MATH 120 Differential and Integral Calculus | This course is intended for students who plan to pursue a major plan in Mathematics, Statistics, or Physics. A thorough discussion of calculus, including limits, continuity, differentiation, integration, multivariable differential calculus, and sequences and series. | Prerequisites
Exclusions
Recommended
|
| MATH 121 Differential and Integral Calculus | Intended for students pursuing a plan in a subject other than Mathematics or Statistics. Differentiation and integration with applications to biology, physics, chemistry, economics, and social sciences; differential equations; multivariable differential calculus. | Prerequisites
Exclusions
Recommended
|
| MATH 126 Differential and Integral Calculus | Primarily intended for students in the BAH program. Differentiation and integration of the elementary functions with applications to the social sciences and economics; Taylor polynomials, multivariable differential calculus. | Prerequisites
Exclusions
|
| Course Code | Description | Requirements |
| PHYS 104 Fundamental Physics | Mechanics, including systems of particles and rigid body motion; gravitation; fluids; electricity and magnetism; oscillatory motion and waves; topics in modern physics. The material is presented at a more fundamental level appropriate for students who are seeking a deeper appreciation of Physics, and who may be considering a plan in Physics. | Prerequisites
Exclusions
Corequisites
Recommended
|
| PHYS 106 General Physics | Mechanics, including systems of particles and rigid body motion; fluids; electricity and magnetism; oscillatory motion and waves; heat, light and sound; topics in modern physics. Aspects of physics useful for further work in other sciences will be emphasized. | Prerequisites
Exclusions
Corequisites
Recommended
|
| PHYS 115 Introduction to Physics I | An algebra-based course dealing with basic physics concepts, including dynamics, fluids, and basic thermodynamics. | Prerequisites
Exclusions
|
| PHYS 116 Introduction to Physics II | An algebra-based course dealing with basic physics concepts, including waves, electromagnetism, and basic optics. | Prerequisites
Exclusions
|
| Course Code | Description | Requirements |
| CISC 101 Introduction to Computer Programming | Introduction to algorithms: their definition, design, coding, and execution on computers. Intended for students who have no programming experience. | Prerequisites
Exclusions
|
| CISC 102 Discrete Structures I | Introduction to mathematical discourse and proof methods with a focus on discrete structures. Sets, sequences, and relations, properties of the integers, induction. Counting with permutations and combinations, pigeonhole principle, principle of inclusion-exclusion. Introduction to graphs and graph terminology. | Prerequisites
|
| CISC 121 Introduction to Computing Science I | Introduction to design, analysis, and implementation of algorithms. Recursion, backtracking, and exits. Linear data structures (stacks and queues). Elementary searching and sorting. Order-of-magnitude complexity. Documentation, iterative program development, translating natural language to code, testing and debugging. | Prerequisites
Exclusions
Corequisites
Recommended
|
| CISC 124 Introduction to Computing Science II | Introduction to software design and development with the object-oriented paradigm, and its effect on abstraction and component re-use. Working in groups using incremental development and version management. Test driven development. Numerical computation. | Prerequisites
Corequisites
|
| CISC 151 Elements of Computing with Data Analytics | Introduction to algorithms: their definition, design, coding, and execution on computers, with applications drawn from data analytics, including simple prediction and clustering. Intended for students who have no programming experience. Typically taken by students in the Bachelor of Science (Honours), Life Sciences and Biochemistry | Prerequisites
Exclusions
|
Check out some example timetables for Arts, Science or Computing students:
Meet Jake.
Choosing Jake’s courses:
Jake is interested in the humanities and social sciences, but is not quite sure yet what he wants to Major and Minor in. After reviewing the Recommended Courses by Plan page, Jake knows he needs to make sure that he prioritizes registering in “gateway courses”. This will give him a range of options for different plan combinations to consider during his first year before he makes his plan selection next May. Jake has a look at the course descriptions, makes a list of his favourites, and then checks them in the Recommended Courses by Plan page.
Some areas, like English and History, have a list of course options to choose from that satisfy the gateway requirements, and Jake is pleased to be able to choose the types of course contents that look especially interesting to him.
Here are Jake’s course choices:
Building Jake’s timetable:
Jake finds his courses in the Arts and Science course timetable on SOLUS, and downloads our timetable template to use as a worksheet.
He checks for any courses that only have one option available for the course’s lecture section. Courses with only one lecture section should be set in the timetable first – this helps to minimize conflicts that can lead to backtracking and rearranging the whole schedule.
Some courses just have a lecture, but for those that have a tutorial as well, SOLUS shows him all the lecture/tutorial combinations that are available for him to choose, so he knows when he adds a course he will automatically be placed in all the course components that he needs. Course by course, Jake builds a timetable where all the necessary pieces of each course he wants to take fit together well – both for Fall term and for Winter term.
On SOLUS, he adds all his courses to his Shopping Cart, and clicks the “Validate” button to confirm that all course requirements and prerequisites have been met. Once his enrolment appointment arrives, he can complete his enrolment in the courses he has chosen.
Based on his course selection, here are some of the plan options could be open to Jake after first year:
Major options
Specialization options
Minor options
For more information on how these different plans could be combined to make Jake’s ideal degree, visit the Modular Degree Framework section of the Plan Selection page.
Meet Lydia.
Choosing Lydia's courses:
Lydia is interested in a career in medicine or maybe research in the sciences. Her favourite subject in high school was biology – because of this she is considering a Major in Biology or maybe a Specialization in Environmental Life Sciences. She knows if she does a Major that she has to pair it with a Minor, but she’s not sure what that would be. She decides to jump into some course planning and see what Minor “gateways” her course choices might keep open for her, and if she has more elective room to work with.
She looks at the Recommended Courses by Plan page to find the courses that will keep her on track with Biology Major and the Environmental Life Sciences plan requirements, so she knows she’ll be well-positioned for placement in whichever plan she decides on at the end of her first year.
She notices that although a Physics course is not required for Biology, it is part of the Environmental Life Sciences plan, so she decides to take PHYS 115/3.0 and PHYS 116/3.0. She’s also seen that many medical schools do want students to have a Physics course or two in their undergraduate studies, so she’s pleased that taking this course can end up being helpful in the long run, whether it ends up as an elective or not in her undergraduate degree.
Based on this, she decides she will take:
Building Lydia’s timetable:
Lydia knows that she will need to choose lectures, labs, and tutorials that all fit together.
Lydia is worried about back-to-back classes and labs, and she isn’t sure if this is a scheduling conflict. But as she reads through the FAQ section for first-year students, she learns that all classes end with 10 minutes allotted before the next class starts, so a lecture from 1:30-2:30 will end at 2:20, giving her plenty of time for to get to a 2:30 lab on the same campus.
However, she also learns that Main Campus is about a 20-minute walk from West Campus, so she keeps in mind that back-to-back course components have to be on the same campus, so that she can get from class to class in good time.
Lydia uses the Science Planner to help her determine which sections for lectures, labs, and tutorials will work well together with her course choices, and she adds everything to her Shopping Cart on SOLUS for both Fall and Winter term. She clicks the "Validate" button to confirm that all course requirements and prerequisites have been met.
Once her enrolment appointment arrives, she can complete her enrolment in her classes, and she feels confident in her course choices.
Based on her course selection, here are some of the plan options that could be open to Lydia after first year:
Major options
Specialization options
Minor options
For more information on how these different plans could be combined to make Lydia’s ideal degree, visit the Modular Degree Framework section of the Plan Selection page.
Meet Sam.
Choosing Sam’s courses:
Sam was admitted to a BCMPH degree, and they have taken computing courses in high school. Sam wants to do a Major in Computing, and is really interested in the sub-plan in artificial intelligence. After looking at the Recommended Courses by Plan, they see the degree plans for Computing. Sam hears from the School of Computing that they don’t have to decide right now between the sub-plan options within the Computing Major – that will happen after first year. They see that these courses are key first-year Computing Plan requirements:
Sam also learns that since they’re planning on a Computing Major, they’re going to need to pair that with another Plan in Arts and Science – a Minor, a second Major, or even two Minors. They refer to the Courses For First-Year Students webpage, read through some course descriptions, and decides to take these additional courses to keep other plan options open or to serve as electives:
Since Sam has previous computing/coding experience, he doesn’t need to take the beginning-level course, CISC 101/3.0.
Building Sam's timetable:
Sam finds their courses in the Arts and Science course timetable and grabs a sheet of paper to draft a weekly timetable.
They check for any courses that only have one option available for the course’s lecture section. Courses with only one lecture section should be set in the timetable first – this helps to minimize conflicts that can lead to backtracking and rearranging the whole schedule.
Some courses just have a lecture, but for those that have a tutorial or a lab as well, SOLUS shows them all the lecture/tutorial/lab combinations that are available for them to choose, so they know when they add a course they will automatically be placed in all the course components that they need. Course by course, Sam builds a timetable where all the necessary pieces of each course they want to take fit together well – both for Fall term and for Winter term.
On SOLUS, they add all their courses to their Shopping Carts, and click the “Validate” button to confirm that all course requirements and prerequisites have been met. Once their enrolment appointment arrives, they can complete their enrolment in the courses they’ve chosen.
Before Registration begins
During Registration (July 21 - August 1)
SOLUS Tutorials
The SOLUS Student Centre is designed to provide you with the tools to manage all of your academic, financial, contact, and adŃýĽ§Ö±˛Ą details during - and after - your academic career at Queen's. Tutorials can be found here.
What is a Learning Outcome?
Learning outcomes are direct statements that describe the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that students are expected to demonstrate in successfully completing a course or program. You can find the learning outcomes for a course in its description in the Academic Calendar.
I have been admitted to Arts and want to take Science courses (or vice versa); can I do this?
Yes! One of the great advantages of being in a Faculty of Arts and Science is that students may choose from a wide variety of courses. Course options in Arts and Science range from humanities to social sciences, from languages to physical and natural sciences, and even interdisciplinary courses that cross over the “traditional” academic categories. The majority of courses offered by Arts and Science are open to any student in the Faculty, as long as the student has any academic prerequisite required by the course.
However, the Faculty also must ensure that all students have priority access to the courses that they need for their degree or plan. For this reason, we reserve seats in some classes during the first part of registration. BAH/BMUS students receive priority access to Arts courses, and BSCH/BCMPH students receive priority access to Science and Computing courses.
I’m planning on taking lots of Science courses – are there specific sections of each course I need to take?
Yes, it is very important for students to who are taking 3-4 of BIOL 102/103, PHYS 115/116, CHEM 112, MATH 121 to take morning lectures at Duncan MacArthur Hall and labs in the afternoons on main campus. This will ensure that there are no timing conflicts to get from one area of campus to another between classes.
I want to get into a class but it is full – What can I do?
We know how disappointing it can be when this happens, but here are a couple of suggestions. If the class is full, you can opt to go on the wait list. If the class you want doesn’t have a wait list, or the wait list is full, keep trying. Students make lots of class changes throughout the registration period, and it could happen that someone drops the class you want to add. Keep checking for openings - perseverance pays off!
It’s wise to prepare some backup course choices, especially for elective courses. Review the courses available to first-year students, browse the department websites, or look through the Academic Calendar to see all courses offered by Queen’s.
What can I study?
It's really up to you! As a first-year student, you are not yet in a specific plan (unless you were admitted to a direct entry program), so this year is all about exploring different areas of study to find out what your academic interests are.
4We encourage you to take a variety of courses from different disciplines, and to explore the range of subjects available to you. Please follow the advice above as well on ensuring that the courses you choose will give you a range of plan options to select from at the end of your first year, and that you don't take too many "terminal courses" that will limit those options.
Don't forget - even after this year, you'll still have more years of study! If you're keen to take a particular elective that you don't end up having room for this year, you'll have plenty of other opportunities to take it as an upper-year student.
How do I know I picked the right courses?
Before picking your first-year courses for Fall term and Winter term, it’s a good idea to review your list and ask yourself these questions below. If you have chosen courses that lead to many possible plans, and you have the required courses you need to be on track for second year, then you have indeed picked the right courses.
Have I left myself many options for choosing a Major/Plan at the end of first year?
It’s important to choose courses that could lead to a potential plan in that subject – that way at the end of first year you will have lots to choose from. Make sure you read through our Recommended Courses by Plan and take the courses that are labelled [GATEWAY] – those highlighted courses are the ones required to request a major, minor, or specialization in that area. Even if you have a firm idea of what plan you would like to choose, many students change their minds at the end of first year so it’s always wise to have a solid back-up in place.
Have I added too many elective courses?
All the courses on the Courses for First Year Students webpage are great, and we do want you to take them, but remember you have plenty of time! It’s best to keep the number of elective courses you take in first year to a minimum, in order to have many options for when you select a plan later on.
You can also take electives at a lower level, so you have plenty of time to take the electives you are interested in. For example, even if you are in fourth year, you can take 100-level courses as electives.
