FAQs

The Faculty of Science office is located in room 239 Machray Hall on the University of Manitoba’s Fort Garry campus. Please refer to our campus map if you need help finding our office!

If you would like to schedule an appointment with an Advisor, please call the Faculty of Science office at 204-474-8256 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. We book appointments two business days in advance, and spots fill up quickly, so it is best to call us at 8:30 a.m. two days prior to your preferred appointment time to pre-schedule an appointment. We also offer limited same-day appointments, which are booked on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 8:00 a.m. daily (subject to Advisor availability).

Yes. Everything from general inquiries to requests for graduation checks can be directed to our Science Advisor email account, Science_Advisor@umanitoba.ca. However, if your question requires an immediate response, please call the Faculty of Science office at 204-474-8256, or drop in at 239 Machray Hall. Additionally, do not email the Science Advisor account for information on deferred examinations or registration-related concerns, as these types of questions must be dealt with in a timely manner that email advising does not permit. Please note that Science Advisors attempt to respond to emails within three business days, and that the University of Manitoba’s email policy requires current U of M students to send emails using their “myumanitoba.ca” account only. Learn how to activate your U of M student account here.

If you are unable to attend an advising appointment in person, our Science Advisor email account is an alternative way to receive answers to non-urgent inquiries (see “Can I contact a Science Advisor via email?”). You can also call the Faculty of Science office at 204-474-8256 to schedule a phone appointment with a Science Advisor. These phone appointments operate within the regular advising appointment schedule (see “How do I schedule an appointment with a Science Advisor?”) and are an excellent option if you have multiple questions and prefer a more personal interaction. Skype appointments are also available, and may be booked by emailing sciadv@umanitoba.ca. Also available is our new online chat service, which can be accessed by navigating to the Faculty of Science homepage and clicking on the icon that appears. Online chat is available during a few select hours each week, and the schedule can be viewed here.

The Faculty of Science encompasses several different departments, including:

• Biological Sciences
• Chemistry
• Computer Science
• Mathematics
• Microbiology
• Physics & Astronomy
• Statistics

Other departments outside of the Faculty of Science also offer B.Sc. Major and/or Honours degrees through Science (for example, Actuarial Studies and Psychology). Additionally, the Faculty of Science offers many joint programs that include courses offered by more than one department; for example, Genetics, Biochemistry, Mathematics-Economics, Statistics-Actuarial, Applied Mathematics-Computer Science, and more!

The Faculty of Science offers three main degree types that students can pursue:

• BSc Major – 120 credit hour (four-year) program
• BSc Honours – 120 credit hour (four-year) program
• BSc General – 90 credit hour (three-year) program

Additionally, many of our Major and Honours degree programs offer co-op options. For more information regarding Faculty of Science degree options, and for a full list of our programs, please refer to the Academic Calendar.

If you’re unsure which courses you need to take for your degree, you should begin by exploring our new UM Achieve degree auditing system. This program, which is accessible through your University of Manitoba JUMP account, will help you to determine which courses you still require to complete your degree. For helpful video tutorials on how to use UM Achieve, please click here. If your desired Science program is not yet available for degree auditing in UM Achieve, you can refer to the Academic Calendar, which outlines the requirements for each of our degree programs in detail. If you still have questions about your degree requirements after exploring the options above, or if you’re confused about your degree audit results, our Academic Advisors are available to assist you with your program plan (see “How do I schedule an appointment with a Science Advisor?”).

No. Minors are completely optional in the Faculty of Science, and are completed by fulfilling 18 credit hours of approved courses. If you would like to pursue a minor, you should consult with an Academic Advisor about how to incorporate those 18 credit hours into your degree program. Please note that students cannot complete a minor in the General degree.

Depending on which type of applicant you are (Direct Entry from high school or Advanced Entry), admission requirements will vary. Please refer to the Undergraduate Admissions homepage for more information, and to view our Applicant Information Bulletins. Information on admission requirements can also be found by visiting the Faculty of Science website here.

Registration times vary by term. If you would like to find out your registration date, you should log into your Aurora account. Your registration date will be listed under “Registration Time and Status” in the “Registration and Exams” section prior to the registration period each term. Please review the Important Dates and Deadlines page for term-specific information on registration times.

During the Fall and Winter term registration period, registration dates for returning students are determined by GPA. During the Summer term registration period, initial access registration dates are determined by student number.

It is important that you make every effort to register on your registration date, as this will give you your best access to class space. However, if you cannot register on your registration date, you can still register for courses until the end of the registration revision period for that term. Please review the Important Dates and Deadlines page for term-specific information on registration deadlines.

If your friend/family member has general inquiries about course registration, they are welcome to contact us for assistance. However, please be advised that we are not permitted to release any of your personal information, or make any changes to your course registration, unless you have submitted a signed Authorization to Release Information Form to the Faculty of Science office. If you want to ensure that your friend/family member has full access to act on your behalf during the registration period, you must make those arrangements ahead of time.

Course registration for the University of Manitoba is completed using Aurora, our online registration system. For more information on how to use Aurora, please refer to our helpful video tutorials. If you are having trouble registering for a course, please contact the Faculty of Science office for assistance.

The University of Manitoba does not require students to take a particular number of courses each semester. However, many students may be required to maintain full-time student status (a minimum of three courses, or nine credit hours, per term) due to study permit, financial aid, scholarship, or program requirements. If you’re unsure how many courses you should register for, please contact the Faculty of Science office for guidance.

This will depend on the type of permission you require. Limited Access overrides are provided by the Faculty of Science office, and can be requested using our Limited Access Override Form.  Lab exemptions, prerequisite/corequisite waivers, special approval overrides, major/program overrides, and some other types of permission may only be granted by the department that teaches the course. If you’re unsure where to go for permission to register for a particular course, please contact the Faculty of Science office for assistance.

There are multiple reasons why your account may have been placed on hold. Account holds may be applied due to outstanding tuition fees, academic penalties, or for various other reasons. You can view your holds in Aurora under “Student Records.” If you’re unsure what to do about a hold on your account, or if you need to withdraw from a course while your account is on hold, please contact the Faculty of Science office for assistance.

Many courses at the University of Manitoba now offer waitlists. For information on identifying courses with waitlists, how to register for waitlists, and more, please visit the Registrar’s Office website here. If the course you want to register for is full and does not have a waitlist, you may be able to ask the department for a space/capacity override. However, please be advised that these overrides are not always possible, and you may be required to check Aurora regularly until a space becomes available.

Yes. If you would like to take a course at another institution for transfer credit at the University of Manitoba, you will need to apply for a Letter of Permission. The Letter of Permission process ensures that the course you are planning to take will be acceptable for credit in your degree program. Please note that you must apply for your Letter of Permission early enough to allow for between four and six weeks of processing time, as you cannot register at another institution without an approved Letter of Permission. For more information on Letters of Permission, please visit the Registrar’s Office website here. To find out which courses have been evaluated for transfer credit at your desired institution, please refer to the Transfer Credit Equivalencies Database.

Course revision and voluntary withdrawal deadlines vary by term. Please review the Important Dates and Deadlines page for term-specific information on these deadlines.

Limited Access is a registration rule that allows students who have never before completed or voluntarily withdrawn from a course (or its equivalent) the opportunity to register for the course before students who are repeating it. Limited Access applies for three consecutive terms following when you last completed or withdrew from the specific course. For more information on the Limited Access policy, please visit the Registrar’s Office website here.

As of September 2016, when a University of Manitoba student wishes to repeat a course, the grades from all course completions will be used in the calculation of the CGPA. In other words, both the original grade and the repeated course grade will now be factored into the student’s CGPA. For more information on the Repeated Course Policy (2016), please refer to the academic policy changes.

There are many resources available on campus to help students succeed in their studies. The Science Students’ Association offers complimentary peer tutoring for many Faculty of Science courses each semester. Please visit the SSA website here for more information on their tutoring program. Alternatively, the Academic Learning Centre offers resources such as writing and study skills tutors, supplemental instruction, academic workshops, and more. For more information, and to review the full list of Academic Learning Centre services, please visit the ALC website here.

Lockers in the Science complex are rented via the Science Students’ Association. To rent a locker, please visit the SSA office in 209E Armes Building, or contact them by email at ssastudentservices@gmail.com. For more information on locker rentals, please visit the SSA website here.

All questions concerning study permits and international student status should be directed to the University of Manitoba’s International Centre. You can visit the International Centre website here for answers to many commonly asked questions, but you can also reach them by phone at 204-474-8501, or stop by their office in 541 University Centre for assistance.

Yes. If you need a document to confirm that you are currently a student at the University of Manitoba, an Advising Assistant can write you a letter detailing your student status on a walk-in basis. However, if you require a letter that states your expected date of graduation (usually required for study permit renewals) you will need to schedule an appointment with an Academic Advisor so that they can complete a graduation check prior to writing your letter. For more information on status letters, or to book an advising appointment, please contact the Faculty of Science office.

Final exam dates vary by term, and can sometimes be scheduled outside of the regular exam schedule. To find out when your exams are scheduled, you should log into your Aurora account. Your final exam schedule can be found under “My Exams” in the “Registration and Exams” section. Please note that it is crucial that you do not schedule travel plans during any part of the exam period, as exam dates are subject to change. If you have questions about your exam schedule, please contact your course instructor for more information.

If you miss (or are planning to miss) a final exam, you must contact your home faculty in order to apply for a deferred exam. If the Faculty of Science is your home faculty, you will need to alert us within two business days of the missed exam in order to have your deferral request reviewed. Therefore, your first step should be to contact our office as soon as possible to set up an appointment with an Advisor (see “How do I schedule an appointment with a Science Advisor?”). If you missed your exam due to a medical reason, you will be required to obtain medical documentation that covers you for the date of the missed exam and bring it with you to your advising appointment. If you missed your exam due to a compassionate reason (ie. the passing of a loved one), you will be required to provide documentation such as an obituary, funeral program, or death certificate. For all other deferred exam requests (ex. religious observance, participation in specific scholastic and athletic events, etc.), you will be required to provide documentation and/or a written statement explaining why you missed (or will be missing) your final exam. Please be advised that deferring a final exam is a privilege that may not always be approved, and you may be required to provide further documentation upon the request of your Advisor. For more information on deferred exams, please contact the Faculty of Science office.

Congratulations! If you would like to confirm that you will meet the requirements to graduate on your chosen date, you should schedule an appointment with an Academic Advisor to do a graduation check. Alternatively, if your program is currently available in UM Achieve, you can complete a degree audit to find out your graduation requirements (see “How do I know which courses I need to take to meet my degree requirements?”). The next thing you will need to do is declare your graduation date. This can be done in Aurora by selecting “Declare Graduation Date” under the “Declarations” section. For all other inquiries related to graduation declaration and degree requirements, please contact the Faculty of Science office.