Associate of Science

Overview

This guide has been prepared with the information you need to successfully register for your first year at UFV. Please review the information provided on this page thoroughly before contacting your academic advisor with questions.

The Associate of Science (ASc) degree is a 2-year credential that provides a broad foundation of knowledge. The ASc may serve as an educational goal in itself, as qualification for those who wish to pursue further education at UFV or another institution, or as stepping stone into employment.

Initially, the ASc was designed as a credential to transfer to other institutions. Don’t worry, you don’t need to transfer, but you do need to check that each course you take towards the ASc does.

You can check the transferability of your courses using an online tool called the BC Transfer Guide. As long as each course you select transfers to one of the four main research institutions (UBC, UBC-O, SFU, UNBC, or UVIC) then you can use the course(s) in your Associate of Science.

Program structure and requirements

An Associate of Science (ASc) degree requires the completion of a minimum of 60-75 credits. This is approximately 18 courses.

If you want to complete this program in two years, you will need to complete 30+ credits or 9 courses each year. Not all science courses are offered every semester. it is important that students carefully plan their courses in a sequential manner, paying particular attention to course prerequisites.

Workload

Given that 3 classes correspond to approximately 20+ hours/week of school work both in and out of the classroom, it is very important that you consider your workload capacity carefully.

Many first year science and math courses are 4 to 5 credits and include a lab component. Anticipate that more time will be required in courses with labs or additional credits.

Ultimately, the number of courses you take each semester is up to you, but here is what we recommend for first-year students:

Suggested course plan (first and second year)

Take the courses that interest you or that could lead on to a bachelor's degree with a major and/or minor in your area(s) of interest. For your sciences you have a choice between biology, chemistry, computing sciences, mathematics/statistics, physical geography, and physics.

Note 1: 100-level science courses should be applicable to the Bachelor of Science. Selection should be made based on the student's area of interest and in consultation with an Academic Advisor. Applicable courses: BIO 111, BIO 112, CHEM 113, CHEM 114, COMP 125, (COMP 150 or COMP 152), COMP 155, GEOG 101, GEOG 102, GEOG 103, GEOG 116, MATH 125, PHYS 111, PHYS 112, STAT 104, and STAT 106.

Note 2: 200-level science courses should be applicable to the Bachelor of Science and cover two or more subjects. Selection should be made based on the student's area of interest and in consultation with an Academic Advisor. Applicable courses: BIO 201, BIO 202, BIO 210, BIO 220, CHEM 213, CHEM 214, CHEM 221, CHEM 224, CHEM 241, COMP 230, COMP 251, COMP 256, GEOG 201, GEOG 202, GEOG 211, GEOG 219, GEOG 250, GEOG 252, GEOG 253, GEOG 257, MATH 211, MATH 221, MATH 225, MATH 255, MATH 265, MATH 270, PHYS 221, PHYS 225, PHYS 231, PHYS 232, and STAT 270. Students must have a minimum of 36 lower-level science credits.

Note 3: The Arts electives must be in a subject other than English and Communications and excludes mathematics and laboratory-based science courses. Arts electives can be either Humanities or Social Sciences (see the Table of Subject Areas).

Note 4: An eligible transferable course is defined as one that is part of a recognized BSc minor, major, or Honours program at one of the following five universities: UBC-V, UBC-O, SFU, UVic, or UNBC. Consult an Academic Advisor for specific courses.

Next steps