Arts, education, engineering, health sciences, law, management, medicine, science or social sciences— choosing a discipline is an important part of getting off on the right foot. In order to make a wise choice, you need to be aware of the various paths available in the program you’re interested in. Some of the paths take more time to complete and some require different grade average requirements. Depending on the path you choose, you may be able to combine disciplines, specialize in a particular area, do a CO-OP program or go on to do graduate studies. The table below will help you better understand each of the eleven academic paths available at the undergraduate level at the University of Ottawa.
List of programs by discipline
Suggested course sequences
Paths for CO-OP stream
French immersion
Graduate programs
What can I do with my studies?
Undergraduate academic paths
|
Honours bachelor's (minor or option cannot be added) Honours bachelor with possibility of adding a minor Honours bachelor degree with double major or major and minor Honours bachelor with possibility of adding an option Joint honours bachelor Concurrent honours bachelor program leading to two degrees Honours bachelor combined with college studies Undergraduate programs requiring previous university studies Bachelor's degree – 90 credits Bachelor's degree – 120 credits Certificate |
Results
| Academic paths |
| Description |
| Number of disciplines in this path |
| Choice of discipline |
| Examples of degrees |
| Faculties offering this path |
| Admission |
| Length (full time) |
| Number of credits |
| Number of courses |
| Minimum cumulative grade point average to be considered in good academic standing and to graduate |
| Optional or mandatory changes during program |
| CO-OP |
| French immersion (Arts, Health Sciences, Social Sciences, Telfer School of Management) Extended French (Engineering,Science) |
| Enables studies at master's level |
| Academic paths | Honours bachelor's (minor or option cannot be added) | Honours bachelor with possibility of adding a minor | Honours bachelor degree with double major or major and minor | Honours bachelor with possibility of adding an option | Joint honours bachelor | Concurrent honours bachelor program leading to two degrees | Honours bachelor combined with college studies | Undergraduate programs requiring previous university studies | Bachelor's degree – 90 credits | Bachelor's degree – 120 credits | Certificate |
| Description | Fixed path providing highly specialized training | Path allowing student to add a minor in a second discipline of their choice offered by their home faculty or another faculty | Path comprising two majors, or a major and a minor, in different disciplines. The first major must be one offered by the student's home faculty. The second major or the minor can be one offered by another faculty. | Path allowing students to go into greater depth in one aspect of their main discipline by adding an option in a related field | Path involving two pre-established complementary specializations | Path allowing student to complete requirements of two degrees simultaneously. Usually combination of an honours bachelor and a professional or graduate-level program. | Path with two options: - After obtaining a diploma from La Cité or Algonquin College, the student transfers to the University of Ottawa and is awarded a university degree upon completion of program. - After completing 75 university credits (25 courses), the student transfers to La Cité or Algonquin College. The student is awarded a degree from the University of Ottawa after completing both programs. |
Undergraduate path requiring successful completion of two to four years of prior university studies | Path providing a basic university education without specialization | Program open only to students who will not meet the degree requirements for an honours program | Path providing additional training to those with previous studies or to meet workplace or professional development requirements (comprises 10 to 12 courses in chosen field) |
| Number of disciplines in this path | 12 | 35 | 45 | 21 | 16 | 14 | 2 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| Choice of discipline | Discipline chosen at time of admission. No change required for duration of studies. | Main discipline is chosen at time of admission. Students can add a second discipline after completing a minimum of eight courses in their program (24 credits). | Main discipline is chosen at time of admission. Students add the second discipline after completing a minimum of eight courses in their program (24 credits). | Main discipline is chosen at time of admission. The point at which the option is chosen depends on the program. | Limited number of (pre-established) discipline combinations. Combination is chosen at time of admission. | Discipline combinations are pre-established | Discipline chosen at time of admission. No change required for duration of studies. | Discipline is chosen at time of admission. No change required for duration of studies. | Main discipline chosen at time of admission | Requires at least one discipline as a major or two disciplines as two minors | Discipline chosen at time of admission |
| Examples of degrees | BASc in Biomedical Mechanical Engineering Honours BSc in Physical Geography Honours BSocSc in International Studies and Modern Languages Bachelor of Science in Nursing Honours Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting |
Honours BA in Spanish Honours BSc in Human Kinetics Honours BSc in Statistics Honours BSocSc in Economics |
Honours BA with Major in Geography and Major in Mathematics Honours BA with Major in Theatre and Minor in Communication Honours BSocSc with Major in Sociology and Major in Statistics Honours BSc with Major in Biology and Major in Psychology |
Honours Bachelor of Commerce (Option in Accounting) Honours BSc in Biology (Cellular and Molecular option) BASc in Software Engineering, Engineering Management and Entrepreneurship Option |
BA spécialisé bidisciplinaire en communication et lettres françaises Joint Honours BSc in Computer Science and Mathematics Joint Honours BSocSc in Public Administration and Political Science |
Honours Bachelor of Commerce and Juris Doctor BASc in Chemical Engineering and BSc in Computing Technology Bachelor of Music/Honours Bachelor of Science with Major |
Honours Bachelor in Digital Journalism Honours Bachelor in Public Relations |
Bachelor of Science in Nursing – Second Entry Program Formation à l'enseignement Juris Doctor (JD) Licentiate in Law (LLL) Teacher Education Undergraduate Medical Education (MD Program) |
Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of Social Sciences with Minor in Sociology |
Bachelor of Arts with Major in Communication Bachelor of Social Sciences with Major in Criminology Bachelor of Science with Minor in Biology and Minor in Chemistry |
Certificate in Human Resource Management Certificate in Francophone Studies Certificat en rédaction professionnelle et édition Certificate in Piano Pedagogy |
| Faculties offering this path | Engineering Health Sciences Science Social Sciences Telfer School of Management |
Arts Health Sciences Science Social Sciences |
Arts Engineering Science Social Sciences |
Engineering Science Telfer School of Management |
Arts Science Social Sciences |
Arts Engineering Law Science Social Sciences Telfer School of Management |
Arts | Education Health Sciences Law Medicine |
Arts Science Social Sciences |
Arts Science Social Sciences |
Arts Civil Law Education Telfer School of Management |
| Admission | Directly from high school or after one year of CEGEP | Directly from high school or after one year of CEGEP | Directly from high school or after one year of CEGEP | Directly from high school or after one year of CEGEP | Directly from high school or after one year of CEGEP | Only one application for admission is required to apply to both programs. Admission directly from high school or after one year of CEGEP possible in some programs. | Directly from high school or after one year of CEGEP | Requires several years of prior university studies except for the civil law program (LLL), which accepts students directly from CEGEP | Directly from high school or after one year of CEGEP. Minor can be chosen at time of admission or later in the program. | Students cannot apply directly to this program. Automatic registration by faculties. | Some certificates require prior work experience |
| Length (full time) | 4 or more years | 4 years | 4 years | 4 years | 4 years | 4 or 5 years, or more | 4 years (2 at each institution) | 3 or more years | 3 years | 4 years | 1 year (often part time) 2 years for the Certificat en éducation technologique program |
| Number of credits | 120 credits | 120 credits | 120 credits | 120 credits | 120 credits | 129 to 189 credits | 120 credits | Varies | 90 credits | 120 credits | Between 30 and 36 credits 60 credits for the Certificat en éducation technologique program |
| Number of courses | 40 courses | 40 courses | 40 courses | 40 courses | 40 courses | 43 to 63 courses | 40 courses | Varies | 30 courses | 40 courses | Approximately 10 courses 20 courses for the Certificat en éducation technologique program |
| Minimum cumulative grade point average to be considered in good academic standing and to graduate | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | Varies | 4.0 | 4.0 | Varies |
| Optional or mandatory changes during program | Fixed path. No changes required for duration of studies. | Minor is optional | Second major or second minor is mandatory | Adding an option is not mandatory in most cases. See specific program requirements. | Fixed path. No changes required for duration of studies. | Fixed path. No changes required for duration of studies. | Fixed path. No changes required for duration of studies. | Fixed path. No changes required for duration of studies. | Minor offered by home faculty can be added but is not mandatory | Not applicable | Fixed path. No changes required for duration of studies. |
| CO-OP | In some disciplines | In some discipline (main discipline only) | In some disciplines (main discipline only) | In some disciplines | In some disciplines | In some disciplines | No | No (available in the civil law program only) | No | No | No |
| French immersion (Arts, Health Sciences, Social Sciences, Telfer School of Management) Extended French (Engineering, Science) |
In some disciplines of the English program | In some disciplines of the English program (main discipline only) | In some disciplines of the English program (main discipline only) | In some disciplines of the English program | In some disciplines of the English program | In some disciplines of the English program | No | No | No | No | No |
| Enables studies at master's level | Yes | Yes | If the major is main discipline of an honours bachelor program | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
Important information about the table
- The estimated length of time to complete a program is usually determined based on an academic year running from September to April. This information doesn’t apply to programs with a CO-OP option, because students do some of their study and work sessions in the summer months (May to August). Programs with a CO-OP element usually take one additional session to complete. For some examples of typical paths in each discipline, visit the CO-OP Programs website.
- Some paths, such as the honours bachelor with major, require you to add a second discipline once your studies are under way. In other paths, adding a second discipline is optional. See the line about optional or mandatory changes during program for more information on adding disciplines.
- Some programs offered in English allow you to take a number of your courses every year in French through one of two approaches to second language learning—French immersion, which is available in the faculties of Arts, Health Sciences, Social Sciences and the Telfer School of Management, and enriched French, which is available in the faculties of Engineering and Science. Visit the French immersion website for more information.
- The University of Ottawa uses cumulative grade point average (CGPA) to measure academic performance. Your CGPA is a number out of 10 and is based on the grades you’ve obtained in all courses since you began your studies and the number of credits obtained for each course.
Wondering if a particular path offers the discipline you’re interested in?
Visit the undergraduate programs site to find out about the programs offered in each discipline, the course options in each program and the degree requirements. As you can see in the above table, each path offers different types of programs and a variety of disciplines. If you were recently admitted to the University of Ottawa and haven’t had a chance to visit this page, please take a moment to do so.
Your career aspirations
You career goals can influence the path you choose. For example, you may need a second undergraduate degree, a master’s degree or even a PhD in your chosen field. Or you may want to gain work experience by doing CO-OP placements. Be sure to find out which paths offer these choices. Not sure if a degree in a particular discipline will lead to the career you want? Check out the online tool What can I do with my studies? to get information on potential career options, skills needed, education requirements and more.
Still have questions?
If you didn’t find all the answers and would like to talk to someone about your program to better understand the different requirements and options, get in touch with your home faculty to make an appointment with an academic advisor or academic assistant. They’d be happy to help you decide on the best option for you.