Declaring your academic goals with a Degree Advisor is an important step in your degree planning and progression. It helps to:
- Ensure that your student record accurately reflects your intended academic goal(s).
- Inform your Degree Advisor about your specific interests so you can receive advising information tailored to your academic objectives, including program grids for different degree options, and assistance using the VIU Goal Planning System (GPS).
- Gain access to reserved seats that have been set aside for students with specific academic goals in some courses.
- Keep you informed (via email) about information relevant to your specific declared goals.
- Inform instructors of the goals of students in their classes.
Available goals
Your BSc degree will include one or more of the available science Honours, Majors or Minors. You can complete a single Honours or Major, a Double-Minor, a Double-Major, a Major-Minor, or some more elaborate combination. NOTE: A Minor cannot be completed on its own.
A Non-Science Minor can also be added to a science Honours, Major, or a Double-Minor (Arts and Social Science Minors, Management Minors).
Examples of BSc degrees that VIU students have completed and their required courses are available in program grid format.
Declaring your goals
Goals can be declared or changed at anytime, including before you start your degree or after you have started taking courses. You are encouraged to declare your goals as early as possible once you know your intended degree plan.
- Once you know the goals you would like to “declare” for your BSc, contact or meet your BSc Degree Advisor. If you are unsure about which goal(s) might be best for you, your Degree Advisor can help guide you through the various available options.
- For all science Honours, Majors or Minors, contact Eric Demers.
- For Major in Computing Science only, contact Huizhu Liu.
- See main page for contact information.
- Your Degree Advisor will update your student record with your declared goals and set up the Goal Planning System (GPS) with your declared goals.
- Your Degree Advisor can help answer questions about course equivalencies, transfer credits, Letters of Permission, and much more.
- Your Degree Advisor will track waivers or exceptions that may be applicable to you in GPS and/or your student record.
- You can contact your Degree Advisor at any time to discuss your degree progression or if you have questions about degree requirements.
IMPORTANT: Your academic goals are only officially declared if you contact your BSc Degree Advisor.