Frequently asked questions

Effective January 1, 2019, students joining the Department of Computer Science must obtain (or have obtained) at least a ‘C’ grade in all Computer Science, Software Engineering, Mathematics, Statistics and English courses completed at UVic or elsewhere.  If a grade less than ‘C’ is earned, the course will not count towards degree completion and the student must re-take the course.

Once you have completed CSC 115 and MATH 122 (or equivalent) you can declare your program.  To declare in the Honours program see the Academic Calendar.  Complete the Declaration of Degree Program form and e-mail it to cscugforms@uvic.ca.

You can request a pre-requisite waiver by completing the "Pre-requisite waiver request" form available from the Computer Science Undergraduate Advising Office in ECS 512. You will need to explain, in writing, why you feel you do not need to have the pre-requisite to be successful in the course. This request has to be approved by the Computer Science Director of Undergraduate Studies.

Note: Pre-requisite waivers are only granted under extenuating circumstances.

Third and fourth year Computer Science and Software Engineering courses are restricted to students in a Computer Science (including Combined) or Engineering program.

It may be possible under extenuating circumstances to replace a required course in your major or option.  Complete the "Course substitution request" form and submit it to the Advising Officer in ECS 512.  All requests will be reviewed by the Undergraduate Studies Program Coordinator.

Start by talking to the instructor. All instructors have office hours specifically to discuss learning outcomes for the course. Consider seeking help through study groups or tutors. 

Consider dropping the class before the final academic drop date. If it is past this drop date and you do not continue in the class, you will receive a grade of N (incomplete) and this counts as 0.0 GPA. If you decide to write the exam and fail the course, you will receive an F grade, which is also a 0.0 GPA. Students are restricted from repeating a course more than three times.

If you are having a medical problem, have had an accident, or serious family affliction that is contributing to you failing the courses, consider the possibility of asking for an Academic Concession. 

You can also always seek guidance from the Computer Science Undergraduate Advisor for help with any of the situations mentioned above.

If you are having a medical problem, have had an accident, or serious family affliction, you may request an Academic Concession. If your documentation supports your request, you may be permitted to drop the course.

This must be done in a timely fashion as there are definite deadlines for taking action so that a failing mark does not appear on your transcript. Academic Concession forms can be obtained from Records, or from your Computer Science Undergraduate Advisor, in ECS 512. Please note, if you take the final exam and fail, you are NOT eligible to apply for an Academic Concession.

If you have completed a course but are unable to attempt the final exam due to medical or compassionate grounds, then you can request a deferred exam through the Academic Concession form.

A deferred exam may be granted to a student who has completed a course but is unable to attempt the final exam due to medical or compassionate grounds. Request a deferred exam through Records by completing an Academic Concession. You must provide appropriate documentation to establish the grounds for your request. Do this in a timely fashion as the deadline is 10 working days from the end of the exam period.

For most computer science courses, if the deferred exam is approved, you will write the deferred exam at the beginning of the proceeding term or during the exam period of the following term. You will be contacted with the date, time and location. The final exam mark is included with your previous marks to give you the final grade for the course.

In order to take a course elsewhere and have it brought back to UVic as transfer credit, you need to request a letter of permission. This should be done prior to undertaking the studies at another institution.  Complete a "Request to take courses elsewhere" form.

If the course is at a BC institution, it may have been evaluated for transfer credit to UVic. Look at the BC Transfer Guide. If the course is at another institution, it may need to be evaluated by the appropriate department at UVic for transfer credit, so allow plenty of time for this to be done. Not all courses taken elsewhere are granted transfer credit to UVic. For students in the Faculty of Engineering, only courses with a grade of C or above will be granted transfer credit to UVic.

The cost of a letter of permission is $10 per institution payable in cash to the main office, ECS 504, in the Department of Computer Science.

You should contact the Engineering and Computer Science/ Math Co-op Office on the 2nd Floor of the ECS Building for application forms. The deadlines for applying are September 15 and January 15.

Sheryl Thompson, Co-op Coordinator
Student #'s ending in 0-4
Office: ECS 216
250-472-5812
sthompson@uvic.ca

Mostafa Rahimpour, Co-op Coordinator
Student #'s ending in 5-9
Office: ECS 212
250-472-5822
mrahim@uvic.ca

Students registered in a work term are considered to be registered full time. If you wish to take a course during this time, you should consider the necessary time commitment of class contact hours, labs, tutorials as well as travel time and out of class time for study, all of which would be additional to working at a full time job.

If you decide that taking a course concurrently with a work term is something you want to pursue, you will require written permission from both your employer and the manager of the Engineering and Computer Science/ Math Co-op. This also applies to taking an on-line course. If you do not get this permission, the course may be dropped. Under no circumstances may you take more than one course during a work term.