Engineering Academic Services is here to support your academic journey at UBC. As your home Faculty advising office, we are here to help you register for courses, find campus resources, and answer your questions.
We know you have a lot of details to keep track of as you prepare to start first-year Engineering in September. We created this page to guide you through registration for your first-year Engineering courses. This webpage is intended to complement our First-Year Registration Checklist.
Log in to Workday
Workday is the academic system you will use to register for courses and track your grades. Workday is also used for a number of essential tasks such as updating your contact information, paying for your tuition fees, downloading important documents, and granting permission for another person to access your academic record (third party authorization). The Workday Tutorials will help you to navigate the different areas of the system.
It is important to keep your personal information up to date on your Workday record. The email which you used for your UBC application will be transferred to your Workday account, and will be used to email you about finances, course registration, and all important information related to your studies at UBC.
Before you log in to Workday, you need to create your CWL (Campus-wide Login). With your CWL, you can access all UBC’s websites using same username and password.
Using your CWL, log in to Workday at myworkday.ubc.ca.
Choose your Engineering Timetable
An Engineering Timetable is a pre-planned course schedule that contains most of your first-year courses organized into a pre-set timetable. All new first-year students will be registered into an Engineering timetable before your registration appointment opens. You will receive an email to confirm once you have been registered into your Engineering timetable. At your registration time, you will complete your registration by self-registering in a few additional courses individually: a first-year English communication course (WRDS 150 recommended), and your choice of humanities and social science elective.
You will receive an email at the beginning of May, asking you to select which Engineering timetable you would like to registered into. The majority of Engineering students register in the general first-year timetable. We have a few specialized timetables you may request depending on your interests, and your background. Before filling out the Engineering Timetable Request form, please ensure you have understood the information below about the various types of Engineering timetables available.
General First Year Timetable
The majority of Engineering students register in the general first-year timetable, which includes most of your core Engineering courses.
If you are registered in the general first-year Engineering timetable, you should self-register for a 3-credit Humanities and Social Science elective, and a 3-credit first-year English communication course (WRDS 150 or equivalent: ENGL 110 or ENGL 111).
First Year Courses
| Course | Credit | Title | Included in the timetable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| APSC 100 | 3 | Introduction to Engineering I | Yes |
| APSC 101 | 3 | Introduction to Engineering II | Yes |
| APSC 160 | 3 | Introduction to Computation in Engineering Design | Yes |
| CHEM 154 | 3 | Chemistry for Engineering | Yes |
| MATH 100 | 3 | Differential Calculus | Yes |
| MATH 101 | 3 | Integral Calculus | Yes |
| MATH 152 | 3 | Linear Systems | Yes |
| PHYS 157 | 3 | Introductory Physics for Engineers I | Yes |
| PHYS 158 | 3 | Introductory Physics for Engineers II | Yes |
| PHYS 159 | 1 | Introductory Physics Laboratory for Engineers | Yes |
| PHYS 170 | 3 | Mechanics 1 | Yes |
| WRDS 150* | 3 | Strategies for University Writing or Engineering Communication *WRDS 150 or equivalent (ENGL 100, 110, or 111) | No |
| Complementary Studies Electives | |||
| Humanities or Social Science Elective | 3 | One course totalling 3 credits of a humanities and social science elective. This is a non-scientific and non-technical course that is generally found in the Faculty of Arts. It is recommended that you select a 100-level course. If you are intending to pursue a minor in your third year, consider taking courses that might be applicable to the minor program. Please see Complementary Studies for further details and exceptions. | No |
The complete standard First Year Engineering curriculum consists of 37 credits. For information on course descriptions please log in to Workday |
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Pre-Biomedical Engineering Timetable (PBME)
Only students who applied and have been accepted into the Pre-Biomedical Timetable (PBME) will be registered into this timetable.
Students in a PBME timetable will need to self-register for a 3-credit first-year English communication course (WRDS 150 or equivalent: ENGL 110 or ENGL 111). You will not take a Humanities and Social Science elective in your first-year. Instead, your humanities elective will be included in the second-year Biomedical Engineering curriculum.
If you have questions about the PBME curriculum, please contact the School of Biomedical Engineering (SBME).
PBME Courses
| Course | Credit | Title | Included in STT? |
|---|---|---|---|
| APSC 100 | 3 | Introduction to Engineering I | Yes |
| APSC 160 | 3 | Introduction to Computation in Engineering Design | Yes |
| BMEG 101 | 3 | Introduction to Biomedical Engineering | Yes |
| BMEG 102 | 2 | Biomedical Engineering Lab | Yes |
| CHEM 121 | 4 | Structure and Bonding in Chemistry | Yes |
| CHEM 123 | 4 | Thermodynamics, Kinetics and Organic Chemistry | Yes |
| MATH 100 | 3 | Differential Calculus | Yes |
| MATH 101 | 3 | Integral Calculus | Yes |
| MATH 152 | 3 | Linear Systems | Yes |
| PHYS 157 | 3 | Introductory Physics for Engineers I | Yes |
| PHYS 158 | 3 | Introductory Physics for Engineers II | Yes |
| PHYS 170 | 3 | Mechanics 1 | Yes |
| WRDS 150B | 3 | Strategies for University Writing or Engineering Communication *WRDS 150 or equivalent (ENGL 100, 110, 111 or 112) | No |
I am Physics Grade 12 Deficient, how is my Pre-Biomedical Engineering Timetable modified?
If you have been pre-approved for Pre-Biomedical Engineering timetable and are deficient in Grade 12 Physics, your timetable will include PHYS 100 (Term 1) and PHYS 157 (Term 2). In the Summer session, you will need to self- register for PHYS 118 to complete your first-year physics courses. You may also delay your registration into an English course (WRDS 150) to the following Summer session, if you prefer. Please note, if you are wanting to be placed into Mechanical Engineering, being physics deficient will delay the start of MECH 2 (Please see Physics Deficient Timetable below).
I am Chemistry Grade 12 Deficient, how is my Pre-Biomedical Engineering Timetable modified?
If you have been pre-approved for a PBME Timetable and are deficient in Grade 12 Chemistry, you will be registered for CHEM 111 and 123. CHEM 111 will be completed in lieu of CHEM 121. You will need to self-register for 3-credit first-year English communication course (WRDS 150 or equivalent: ENGL 110 or ENGL 111).
Pre-Med Alternative Timetable
The Pre-Med alternative pathway offers an altered first-year timetable to include the Chemistry courses commonly needed for Medical School applications. As a Pre-Med student, you will take CHEM 121 and 123 in place of CHEM 154.
Please refer to Pre-Med Alternative Pathway for more information about this timetable and how to apply.
Honours Math Timetable: General First Year Timetable with Honours Math
A small number of students who enjoy spending extra time on complex math challenges may request the Honours Math timetable. This timetable includes MATH 120 (4) and MATH 121 (4) in place of MATH 100 (3) and MATH 101 (3) (see First Year Calculus Choices for details). This option is intended for students who have completed high-school calculus and attained a score of 95% or higher in BC Principles of Mathematics 12 or Pre-Calculus 12.
Students who choose the Honours Math option should budget extra time for their Math commitments and should be aware there is no special advantage to choosing Honours Math, other than the enjoyment of Math. For example, there is no special advantage for Engineering Program Placement. Honours Math students can expect to spend one extra hour in the MATH 120/121 classroom per week, plus additional prep time outside of class
If demand for Honours Math Timetable exceeds availability, seats will be allocated based on Calculus 12 grades. If students request the Honours Math timetable and later change their mind, they are no longer guaranteed seats in MATH 100 and MATH 101. These students will be required to self-register for an available section of MATH 100/101 that fits with their Engineering timetable.
If you are in the Honours Math timetable, you will need to self-register for a 3-credit Humanities and Social Science elective, and a 3-credit first-year English communication course (WRDS 150 or equivalent: ENGL 110 or ENGL 111)..
Modified Physics Timetable: Students deficient in Physics Grade 12 or equivalent
Physics Grade 12 or equivalent is a requirement (pre-requisite) to take the Physics courses in the first-year Engineering timetables. On your offer of admission, you will have a note on page 2 to tell you if you are Physics Grade 12 deficient. A common misconception is that AP Physics 1 is equivalent to Physics Grade 12, when it is only equivalent to Physics Grade 11
If you haven’t completed Physics Grade 12 or equivalent, you will have two choices:
- You can register in a Physics deficient timetable for September*
- You can complete Physics Grade 12 or equivalent before September.
If you haven’t completed Physics Grade 12 or equivalent by September, you will be registered in a modified general first-year timetable:
- PHYS 100 in Term 1 (this is equivalent to Physics 12)
- PHYS 157 and 159 in Term 2
- PHYS 118 (exempts you from PHYS 158) in the Summer session following first-year*
Completing Physics Grade 12 before starting in September
If you are interested in completing your Physics Grade 12 before you arrive in September, below is a list of Physics Grade 12 course options:
- AP Physics 2
- AP Physics C
- Thompson Rivers University – PHYS 0601: Senior Physics (online course)
- Ontario Virtual School – SPH4U Grade 12 Physics (online course)
You would need to complete Physics Grade 12 by the end of August, and submit your official transcript to UBC as early as possible. EAS will be in touch prior to the registration period to ensure you are registered in the correct engineering timetable.
*Physics Grade 12 Deficiency Effect on Placement in Mechanical Engineering
If you are wanting to pursue Mechanical Engineering, the delay in completing the first-year physics requirements will not satisfy the August 1 pre-requisite deadline for the Mechanical Engineering program (MECH-2). You can still be considered for placement into Mechanical Engineering, but must defer the start of MECH-2 courses until the following Winter Session. As a result, your program will be extended by an additional year.
Please refer to the Mechanical Engineering placement information on our Program Placement website.
Varsity Timetables
The Varsity engineering timetables are designed to help first year Engineering varsity athletes avoid common varsity practice and game times. Varsity athletes must be a confirmed member of one of UBC’s official Thunderbird Sport Clubs to be eligible for a varsity timetable.
Varsity Engineering timetables are specially designed General Engineering timetables, which are created to help first year Engineering varsity athletes avoid common varsity practice and game times. For more information, please see EAS’ Varsity Student Registration website.
Confirmed varsity athletes will receive a follow up email on May 19 with additional registration instructions.
I am Chemistry Grade 12 Deficient, what should I do?
Students who have been identified as Chemistry Grade 12 deficient will have a note on page 2 of their admission letter. This does not impact your timetable registration, and you will be allowed to register in CHEM 154, without the prerequisite of Chemistry Grade 12 or equivalent.
We recommend that you prepare for CHEM 154, by reviewing course material that is equivalent to Grade 12 Chemistry
Attend a Registration Workshop
Attend our virtual first year registration and advanced credit workshops to prepare for course registration, meet your academic advisors, ask your questions and get to know the Engineering community at UBC. (Please note: you only need to attend one session for each topic, as the same content will be repeated).
If you have missed one of our workshops, take a moment to watch one of the recordings to learn about registration and hear some top tips.
Prepare for Self-registration
By mid-June, you will be able to see your schedule of core Engineering course in Workday:
- Click the “Academics” tab in the “Your Top Apps” menu on the right side of the page.
- Click the “Registration & Courses” tab in the top menu.
- On the right of the page, click the “View My Courses” link in the “Registration” menu.
Please note the date, time and location for each of your courses. Attendance and participation is assessed throughout the term, so make sure you’re attending the correct course section!
We recommend reviewing the Course Registration page for tutorials on how to navigate Workday and how to prepare for registration.
Registration appointment
Registration appointments are staggered over the first-year registration period. You will be emailed with the specific date and time you were assigned (your registration appointment) approximately one week before your registration period opens. Your registration appointment is determined by your admission average and your class standing. All registration appointments are published in Pacific Daylight Time (PDT). It is important that you register as soon as your registration time slot opens – regardless of where you are in the world – for your best chance at securing your first-choice of courses. Setting up a reminder will ensure you don’t miss the time your registration period opens.
NOTE: Registration in Workday Student works best in a web-browser, not the mobile app
What courses do you need to self-register into?
1. You will be registered in the Engineering timetable you have chosen before your registration time opens (see Choose your Engineering Timetable above). Once we have registered you into your Engineering timetable, we will email you to let you know – this will be in mid- June.
2. Once you are registered in your core Engineering courses, you can start planning which humanities and social sciences elective and first year English course you want by creating a saved schedule.
Create Saved Schedules ahead of Registration
Prepare for registration by creating a saved schedule in Workday with your top choice section of WRDS 150 and your preferred humanities elective, to pre-plan your courses and register as quickly and seamlessly as possible. Courses fill up quickly during registration, and we recommend you create two or three saved schedules. Having multiple options saved and ready can help you register successfully.
Can I make changes to my schedule of pre-registered core Engineering courses?
Unfortunately, at the beginning of summer, we are unable to accommodate section switches for time-of-day preferences, instructor preferences, to make space for a humanities and social sciences elective:
- Section switches will be accommodated for extenuating circumstances only in the summer. During the summer you can swap sections of MATH 100, MATH 101, English and Humanities courses – if there are seats available and they do not conflict with your other engineering courses.
- Meet with an academic advisor if you would like to discuss reducing your course load
- Expecting AP/IB/A-level credits? Review this advanced credit information before making changes to your schedule
Self-register into an English and a Humanities Elective Course
To complete your registration you will need to self-register for a humanities and social sciences elective course and a first-year English communications course (WRDS 150 or ENGL 110 or 111).
If you have taken AP, IB or A-Levels, you may receive transfer credits you can apply to meet these two requirements. For more information, go to “Learn how your AP, IB and A-Level credits apply to the Engineering curriculum“
Courses fill up quickly during registration, and we recommend you create two or three saved schedules in advance. Having multiple options saved and ready can help you register successfully. If your desired course is full when your registration appointment opens, you can register for the waitlist (if available). If a waitlist is not available, choose another course and continue to monitor Workday to see if a seat becomes available for your preferred course. If it does, you can change your registration to your preferred course anytime prior to the add/drop deadline. To learn more about waitlists, please consult our Registration FAQ.
Choosing your Humanities and Social Science elective
You can choose almost any course within the Faculty of Arts (see exceptions). When choosing a humanities elective, you will need to choose a time that avoids any conflicts with your core Engineering courses. Here are instructions on how to find a humanities elective that fits your schedule.
Note: If you are registered in a Pre-Biomedical Timetable, you do not need to register in a Humanities elective in your first-year. You will take this course later in your Biomedical Engineering degree.
Choosing your English course
All Engineering students are required to complete a first year English communications course. You can choose one of the following courses:
- We recommend that you take WRDS 150
- Review the list of topics for each section of WRDS 150 to help you choose which section you want to register in.
- Alternative options: ENGL 110 or ENGL 111
- For more information, please review this overview of First Year ENGL courses
- Here is the list of ENGL course topics
When choosing an English course, you will need to choose a time that avoids any conflicts with your core Engineering courses.
Talk to an Engineering Academic Advisor
You may want to meet with an Engineering academic advisor to learn about options to modify your degree path.
Some students choose to to take Summer courses after their first-year to reduce their course load. Common summer courses taken are the humanities elective, WRDS 150 and/or APSC 160.
Some students reduce their course load even more and take their Engineering degree on a longer timeline. Book an advising appointment to explore your options.
Learn how your AP, IB or A-Level credits apply to the Engineering curriculum
About Advanced Credits
If you submit your official AP, IB or A-Level scores to UBC, you may be awarded UBC transfer credits (advanced credits), which may exempt you from taking some first-year Engineering courses. Review this advanced credit information before making changes to your schedule.
We recommend taking all first-year Math, Chemistry and Physics courses at UBC regardless of advanced credits to ensure a strong foundation for success in upper-level Engineering courses.
AP or IB credits are added to your Workday account in July. A-Level credits will be added to your Workday account at the end of August. To view your UBC transfer credit, you will navigate to the Transfer Credit tab, under the Academic section of your Workday account.
We recommend that you check your Workday account in mid-July to see if your transfer credits have been added. If you don’t see your advance credits on your Workday account, you will need to submit your official scores. Here are instructions for how to submit your AP, IB or A-Level scores to UBC.
Should I drop a UBC course and use my advanced credits?
The first-year Engineering program is designed to build a strong foundation for upper-level courses, and any missing or incomplete content from these courses may impact your success in upper-year courses. We recommend taking all first-year Math, Chemistry and Physics courses at UBC regardless of advanced credits to ensure a strong foundation for success in upper-level Engineering courses.
We highly encouraged to attend the first two weeks of classes and thoroughly review the course syllabi to ensure you have full knowledge of all course material before dropping a course.
If you complete a course at UBC (with a final grade), for which you have already received AP, IB, or A-Level credits, the UBC attempt will supersede the transfer credits. This means if you choose to take the course at UBC, you may forfeit your transfer credits.
Do not drop courses from your timetable until you see the credits on your Workday Student Transfer Credit page. You have until the add/drop deadline to drop courses without a Withdrawal (‘W’) standing on your academic record.
Please refer to the Currently Assessed Advanced Credits table on the Advanced Credit page for information on transfer credit equivalencies. Also important to note:
- Only 3 credits of language courses may be applied toward the humanities and social sciences elective requirements
- ENGL 1st (3) or WRCM 1st (3) will satisfy the first-year English Communication course (ie: WRDS 150 or equivalent)
- ENGL 1st (6) or WRCM 1st (3) + ENGL 1st (3) will satisfy the first-year English Communication course and 3 credits of humanities and social science requirements
- ECON 1st does not satisfy the pre-requisite for courses that require ECON 101 or ECON 102
- AP CPSC 1st (3) does not cover APSC 160
How do I get my transfer credits applied towards my degree requirements?
If you decide to drop a course from your timetable after having received UBC transfer credits from AP, IB, or A-Levels, you do not need to take further action. Your Academic Progress Report (APR) will be updated in the fall, and your advance credits will be applied towards your degree requirements on your student record.
Note: Your academic period average will only include courses taken at UBC, but your transfer credits will apply toward your degree requirements.
Get to know your Academic Progress Report (APR)
The Academic Progress Report (APR) on your Workday account tracks:
- your successfully completed courses
- your progress towards completing degree requirements
Take a moment to read about the Engineering APR, to understand how it functions and what each section means.
Note: You will notice that your APR only lists your first-year courses. Once you have been placed into an engineering program your APR will also list your upper-level courses.
Prepare to Study Engineering & Meet Other First-year Students
There are opportunities to meet your new classmates before you start in September:
- Join the UBC Engineering 2025-26 Discord
- Explore our Welcome to Engineering canvas course
- Register & take part in Jump Start
Get to know your future classmates by joining the conversation on Discord.
Prepare to study Engineering by exploring the Welcome to Engineering canvas course. New modules are released in June, July and August to deliver timely information you need for each stage of preparing to arrive on campus.
Attend Jump Start
Jump Start is UBC’s three-day orientation program for new first-year students. This year’s Jump Start will take place on August 27 – 29, 2025 and is designed to help you:
- Make friends
- Meet profs and peers
- Learn about UBC
Registration for Jump Start is open from Early May to July, 2025
More Questions? Come Talk to Us!
More registration information can be found in our FAQs
We recommend you orientate yourself with Workday and learn how to navigate the system during registration.
We look forward to you joining us in September, if you have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us to speak to one your Engineering Academic Advisors.