Registration and Courses

To determine which courses you should register in, follow the program plan in the University of Alberta Calendar for the year you entered your degree.

Course and Program Planning

You should enrol in courses based on your overall program requirements listed in the calendar,  while periodically reviewing your personalized Academic Requirements Report in Bear Tracks (under the Manage Classes tile - instructions can be found here) as a guide to what remains for your degree completion. 

Additional resources to help you plan:

  • Review our Degree planning page
  • Access your program worksheets and common course requirements sheet
    BSc Major worksheets BSc Honors (new) worksheets
    BS Double Major worksheets Common Course Requirements BSc Minors worksheet

After you’ve reviewed your report and are familiar with your program requirements below, you can always meet with an Academic Advisor to confirm your course planning will have you on track to graduate in the time frame you expect. 

Planning your course load

Our Science programs (with the exception of the BSc/BEd combined degrees) do not have course load requirements.  You may enrol in up to 5 courses per semester. 

*When choosing your course load take into consideration any requirements you are obligated to meet related to loans, scholarships, awards, work permits or study permits.

Taking a lighter course load

The BSc/BEd combined degrees program is designed to be a five-year program. Students enrolled in this program should take a full course load of 30 units in each Fall/Winter of the program, in order to complete on time.

For all other degrees, students may choose to attend part time- less than 3 courses per semester, or full time.

Taking more 5 courses in a term

Faculty of Science Students can request an increase of one course per term to a maximum enrollment of *18 units in a Fall or Winter term or *9 units in a Spring or Summer term, if they have achieved a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a course load of *30 units in the most recent Fall/Winter year. To apply, log in to SciForms and submit the “Non-Standard Course Load (Course Overload)” form.

Program and Subject Changes

There are some important registration implications to consider when you are changing your program. When planning your registration, keep in mind that changing your program will temporarily change you to a Year 1 student until your transfer credit assessment is completed. Depending on your course selection, there may be enrolment restrictions in place that would not allow a Year 1 student to remain registered. In these instances, it may be best to not change your program until after the date these courses would become available to Year 1 students. 

FAQ

The class schedule will be published in Beartracks on April 20, and registration access begins in late-April. Your individual enrolment appointment date will be visible in Bear Tracks via “My Schedule Builder” and “Manage Classes” tiles. Please see the Registrar’s website on Course Registration for more detailed information. Note: It is recommended that Manage Classes be used for course registration on your enrolment date. Students have reported that it results in fewer technical glitches compared with enrolling directly from My Schedule Builder.

If a course is full, you can add any sections that fit into your schedule to your watchlist to be notified if a seat opens up. If you are applying to graduate after the upcoming Fall or Winter term and need a specific course to graduate, reach out to the Department or come and speak to an Academic Advisor as soon as possible to discuss your options!

If there is an open seat but Beartracks is not letting you enroll in a course, please review the listed prerequisites and enrollment restrictions (for details, click the clipboard icon next to the course title in BearTracks under the “Manage Classes” tile) to identify what is preventing your enrollment.

If a course you want to enrol in indicates that “Department Consent is Required” through Bear Tracks or in the course description, please contact the appropriate Department that runs the course to request access.

Yes! Science degrees can accommodate up to 48 units of coursework from the Faculty of Arts or other outside Faculties. You may even be able to select a minor from Arts, ALES or Business. Available subject areas and room for non-Science units will vary according to your degree type and subject combinations.

You can find text and video guides, as well as tech support contact information, using the Bear Tracks Help website! If you're looking for additional support, please contact the Student Service Centre.

Year of study is determined by how many course units you’ve completed.Students in the Faculty of Science are considered to be in: Year 1 from 0 to 29 units; Year 2 between 30 and 59 units; Year 3 between 60 and 89 units; and Year 4 if they have completed at least 90 units.
UAlberta registration resources