How Degrees are Constructed

At Western, degrees are built around the concept of the module. A module is a collection of courses that defines an area of study. The number of courses included in a module is defined by the amount of specialization in the topic.

There are four different types of modules:

The four different types of modules
Minor:
Major:
Specialization:
Honors Specialization:		 4.0-5.0 courses
6.0-7.0 courses
9.0 or more courses
9.0 or more courses

The specific courses that are included in a particular module are designated by the Department.

The modular degree structure gives you the opportunity to combine various subjects from different departments and faculties. The chart below shows how modules can be combined in the three different types of degrees offered: Honors Bachelor Degree, Bachelor Degree (4 yr), Bachelor Degree (3 yr). For instance, if you were planning to complete a 4-year Honors Bachelor Degree, you could do an Honors Specialization in Biology combined with a minor in a different Science or even a non-Science (Philosophy, for example). A very popular choice is an Honors Bachelor degree based on the double major – two different Major modules, either both in Science or one in Science plus a non-Science. At Western, there are literally thousands of possible combinations of modules.

Combining the modules to construct the three degree types

Modules can be combined in the three different degree types:
DEGREE TYPE MODULE COMBINATIONS
Honors Bachelor Degree
4 Years/ 20.0 courses
  • Honors Specialization
  • Honors Specialization-Major
  • Honors Specialization-Minor
  • Major-Major
Bachelor Degree
4 Years/ 20.0 courses
  • Specialization
  • Specialization-Major
  • Specialization-Minor
  • Major-Major
  • Major
  • Major-Minor
  • Major-Minor-Minor
Bachelor Degree
3 Years/ 15.0 courses
  • Major
  • Major-Minor
  • Minor-Minor