Introduction
First Year Engineering students with an average between 55% and 59.9% may delay Program Placement for one academic year and take common upper year courses with Undeclared Status.
Undeclared Status will allow students to register for select second-year courses from multiple Departments planned in consultation with a Faculty Advisor.
How Undeclared Status Works
Undeclared Status is available to First Year Engineering students who are eligible for Program Placement and achieve a Winter session average between 55% and 59.9%.
Students may remain on Undeclared Status for only one academic year and must submit a new program preference form at the end of the Winter session.
Undeclared Status will result in additional time to complete the Engineering degree, as not all courses completed during the Undeclared year may be applicable to a student’s eventual Program of study.
Students who opt for Undeclared Status are asked to complete an Academic Course Planning document and meet with a Faculty Advisor to approve the course plan.
Undeclared students will be expected to complete all First Year Engineering Program courses. Depending on pre-requisites, students may also register in select common upper year courses which are pre-approved for Undeclared students to take.
Timeline
Offers to participate are sent by email to eligible students in June, prior to registration for next Winter session courses.
Students will know their Program Placement results before making a decision about accepting Undeclared Status.
Students will have until the last day of Year 2 Registration to decide if they want to stay in their placed Program or opt for Undeclared Status.
Course Plan & Registration Guide
Undeclared Status students will work with a Faculty Advisor to plan their courses. When planning what courses to take with Undeclared Status, students should consider:
- Completing all First Year Engineering Program courses that they have not yet taken
- BASc complimentary study courses: humanities electives, Impact requirement or technical communication course
- Common upper year Engineering courses
Undeclared students will self-register for individual course sections. They will often need to register via the waitlist and may be added to their sections closer to the start of classes. For more information about waitlists, please visit our Waitlists Information and Updates website.
Questions
For general questions about Undeclared Status, please contact Engineering Academic Services.
If you’ve received an offer to participate in Undeclared Status, please refer to your email for contact information.
FAQ on Undeclared Status
Who is eligible for the Undeclared Status option?
Students who are eligible for placement in an engineering discipline and have a Winter Session average between 55.0 – 59.9% are eligible for Undeclared Status in the next Winter Session. Eligible students will receive an offer to participate by email in June.
Can I request Undeclared Status if I don’t meet the eligibility requirements?
No. Participation in Undeclared Status is limited to students who are eligible for placement in an engineering discipline and have a Winter Session average between 55.0 – 59.9%.
How long can students hold Undeclared Status?
Students may only hold the Undeclared Status for the Winter Session indicated in their offer. At the end of the Winter Session, students must submit a program preference form and be placed in a program in order to continue in the BASc program.
What are the potential benefits of Undeclared Status?
Students choosing a year of Undeclared Status:
- May improve their overall GPA
- May identify areas of strength by taking courses from different engineering programs
- Will have more time to consider their program preferences
What are the potential downfalls of Undeclared Status?
Students choosing a year of undeclared status:
- May end up extending their degree completion time beyond 4 years
- May take courses that are not required by their final program
- May not receive their first choice placement in the subsequent program placement
How will students choose which courses to register in for their Undeclared year?
Students will meet with a Faculty Advisor after completing the “Academic Planning” document. Together, students and the Faculty advisor will select appropriate courses to help the student return to good standing and are aligned with the students’ academic goals.
What courses would students take during their Undeclared year?
Students are expected to complete any outstanding course(s) for Year 1, and will be able to choose from a list of approved second-year courses that are common to many of the second-year programs. Students will not be able to take program specific course in the hopes of “getting ahead” and/or claiming a spot in that specific program. Due to class size limitations, some courses may have limited availability.
What is the minimum number of courses I would take as an Undeclared student?
Students are required to register for a minimum of 24 credits in their Winter (September – April) Session to be considered for Program placement the following May.
When I re-enter the placement process after an Undeclared year, will my marks from my first year be included as well, or only marks from the undeclared year?
After the completion of the Undeclared year, the most recent winter session average (minimum 24 credits) will be used to determine a student’s GPA for placement, including failures and repeated courses. Programs will be able to view the courses and grades from the previous session, but the initial rankings will be made with the most recent winter session average.
Which option gives me the best chance of eventually transferring in to my desired program: accepting an Undeclared year, or registering for my assigned program and then requesting an interdepartmental transfer at the end of year?
This depends on a number of factors, including the number of courses required from first-year and the year level and grades of the courses taken in the Undeclared year. For students who choose to accept their program placement, taking the required courses for their assigned program, as opposed to unrelated courses, will be viewed positively. For example, taking an assortment of arts and science courses that will not contribute to any BASc program will not be an effective strategy for attempting to transfer. With the undeclared status, we will try to organize as many courses that are broadly applicable as possible. However, we cannot be certain how many of the courses will count towards your eventual program.
Will having an undeclared status affect my Co-op application?
Students with undeclared status will not be eligible for co-op as the program is only open to students who have been placed in a discipline. Once they are placed in a discipline, students will be eligible to apply to the co-op program if they meet the requirements.