Course Equivalencies

If you plan to take a course at another university (either on a Letter of Permission or on an Exchange) or if you have transferred from another university, there are certain steps/processes you must follow.  The manner in which you will have the course(s) that you want to take/have taken is common for all students.

You must have the course(s) evaluated by a counselor in the department at Western offering courses in the same subject area to determine how the course(s) fit into your module/degree.  To evaluate a course properly, the departmental counselor will need as much of the following information as possible:

  • list/sequence of lecture topics
  • text or texts used
  • laboratory content (yes/no and # of lab hours)
  • method of assessment (tests, exams, assignments, labs)
  • course weight at other institution (full or half course)
  • level of course as it fits into the other institution's curriculum

Letter of Permission:

If you want to take a course at another university and are registered in either a BMSc or a BSc degree, you must see the Academic Counselling Team in the Dean’s Office, Faculty of Science (Western Science Centre, Rm 191) to request a Letter of Permission.  Check out the steps on the Faculty of Science website under Registration FAQs. 

Exchange:

Visit the International Student Services website for information about outgoing exchanges.

If you are registered in a BMSc degree and have been approved for an outgoing exchange, you should see the BMSUE Coordinator (Kathy Boon) before embarking on the Course Approval process.  Once your Course Approvals Form is filled out and approved by the various departmental counselors at Western, you must submit your form to the Associate Dean before the deadline assigned by the Exchange Office.

Transfer students to Western:

After receiving your acceptance to Western (admission decisions are made by the Admissions Office), you will need to see an academic counselor in the Dean’s Office, Faculty of Science (WSC 191) to begin the process of determining how your transfer credits fit into the module/degree you would like to pursue at Western.  Check out the information on the Faculty of Science website under Admission FAQs.

If you are interested in completing a BMSc degree, you may be referred to the BMSUE Program Office to discuss your eligibility for the BMSc program.  Please note that transfer students are not permitted to register in the BMSc program during their first year at Western.  Students must complete one year at Western before being considered for admission to the BMSc program.