Minors & Dual Degree

As a student in Engineering, you will enter an engineering specialization as your main academic focus while you are at UBC.  Students have the option to add a secondary academic focus, known as a minor.  A minor can be useful if you have multiple academic interests or want to pursue studies in an area that may complement your degree. If a student wishes to pursue two degrees at the same time, UBC offers a Dual Degree program in which students have the opportunity to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Bachelor of Applied Science degree concurrently. 

Applications are open annually from March 15th to May 15th.


Minors

General Information on Minors

As a student in Engineering, you will enter a Program (such as Mining, Mechanical, etc.) as your main academic focus while you are at UBC.  Some students add a secondary academic focus, known as a minor.  A minor can be useful if you have multiple academic interests or want to pursue studies in an area that may complement your degree.  While it is necessary to enter an Engineering Program as part of your degree, a minor is optional and can mean extending the length of your degree to complete all requirements.  The number of credits for a minor varies, but the typical range is from 18 to 30 credits.  A minor will appear on your UBC transcript, but will not appear on your diploma. 

It is a good idea to start your course planning for a minor early. Depending on the minor you want to complete, it is likely there will be pre-requisite courses that you need to complete in order to be eligible for all the upper-year credit requirements for the minor. 

Eligibility and Application

Engineering students must apply to be considered for a minor.  To be eligible:

  • You must be eligible for Third Year Standing.  Most students apply at the end of their second year, but for most minors, an application can be submitted in later years.
  • Students in the Environmental Engineering program (ENVE) between UBC and UNBC are not eligible to take a minor.  If you are still interested in taking courses in an area of a minor, please speak with an advisor in Engineering Academic Services
  • You must have a minimum overall average of 68% in your two most recent academic years at UBC. For example, if you are applying for a minor at the end of the 2021 Winter Session, grades will be used from the 2021 Winter Session, 2021 Summer (if you took courses), and the 2020 Winter Session.  All attempted courses will be used.  Grades from transferred credits will not be used in the average calculation.
  • With the exception of the Commerce Minor and the Entrepreneurship Minor, you will be admitted to the minor if you meet the minimum 68% overall average, assuming the other parts of your application, such as the Statement of Intent, are acceptable.  The Commerce and Entrepreneurship Minors are competitive, meaning that a 68% overall average does not guarantee admission.  Students who have completed COMM 280 will be given preference for admission into the Entrepreneurship Minor.  Students who have completed ECON 101 (or 310) and ECON 102 (or ECON 311) will be given preference for admission into the Commerce Minor.

Applications for Minor programs are accepted through an online form below, from March 15th to May 15th yearly. You will be notified of the outcome via email in early June.

Double Counting

Depending on the Engineering Program and the minor you are in, you may be permitted to “double count” some credits.  This means that you are allowed to use credits to fulfill both an Engineering requirement as well as a Minor requirement.  See the description of each minor below for more information on what can be double-counted for each minor.  

For Engineering Physics students in an Honours Math, Commerce, Entrepreneurship, or Science Minor, please note that the Engineering Physics program may permit waiving of requirements so that minor courses can be used in their place, rather than double counting.  To determine if minor courses can be used for requirements, please consult with the Engineering Physics Program Office

Minor in Arts

There are two options for Engineering students wanting to pursue a Minor in Arts – an 18-credit or a 30-credit minor.  For both options, you are responsible for proposing a plan of courses you want to take.  When determining what courses to take, many students reference the Major or Minor Program listed under each subject in the UBC Calendar for the Faculty of Arts.  All courses in your proposed plan must be courses an Arts student could use toward their Major in that subject. For example, if you are considering a Minor in German, you may want to consult the German section of the calendar, referencing the “Major in German” portion of the page to determine which courses to take. 

Additional information about the Minor in Arts for Engineering students is available in the UBC calendar.

A minor in Mathematics, Computer Systems, Cognitive Systems, or where there is significant overlap between the student’s engineering program and the proposed subject or field for the minor is not permitted. 

18 credit Minor in Arts

  • To complete an 18-credit Arts minor, you must take 18 upper-level credits (300+) in a single subject or field of specialization.
  • This may be a good option to consider the subject area you wish to pursue does not require many lower-level pre-requisites for their upper-year courses
  • If any of the courses have lower-level pre-requisites, you must take those courses in addition to the upper-level credits
  • “Minor in Arts” will appear on your transcript – it will not specify the area of study. Minors do not appear on UBC diplomas

30 credit Minor in Arts

  • To complete a 30-credit Arts minor, you must take 30 credits in a single subject or field of specialization; 18 of these credits must be upper-level (300+).
  • Minor will appear as “Minor in <subject>” on your transcript (ex. Minor in German or Minor in Psychology). Minors do not appear on UBC diplomas

Double Counting

  • If you are doing a Minor in Arts (18 credits or 30 credits), you can double count a maximum of 6 credits towards the minor and your Engineering elective requirements

To Apply

  • Ensure you meet the criteria in the eligibility section
  • Fill out the Minor in Arts Planning document with your proposed course list.
  • Meet with a Departmental Advisor in the Faculty of Arts to discuss your course plan, and receive approval. Most departments in the Faculty of Arts have departmental advisors (this is not the same as an academic advisor in Arts Academic Advising) and their names and contact information can typically be found on the Department’s website.
  • Once the Departmental Advisor in Arts approves your course plan, include this in your application to EAS, which will ask you to list the approved courses.  Engineering Academic Services will confirm with the Departmental Advisor that they have approved your course plan.
    • Note: You cannot submit an application for a Minor in Arts without completing the Minor in Arts planning document, and having it signed by the department advisor.
  • Apply through the online form below between March 15th – May 15th. You will be notified by EAS via email in early June of the outcome of your minor application

Minor in Science

To complete a Minor in Science you must complete at least 18 upper-level credits (300+) in a single subject area or area of specialization.  Any necessary pre-requisites do not count as part of the 18 credits, so it is likely that an 18-credit minor in Science will require that you take more than 18 credits total. 

When determining what courses to take, many students use the minor program outlined in the UBC calendar under the Faculty of Science Minor sections.  All courses in your proposed plan must be courses a Science student could use towards their studies in that subject.  For example, if you are considering a Minor in Astronomy, you may want to consult the Astronomy section of the calendar (under the “Minor” heading) to determine which courses to take.   There are some subject areas that may have additional constraints or requirements, such as the need to take specific courses as part of that minor, and are outlined on the Minor in Science page in the Applied section of the UBC calendar.  

Upon completion, “Minor in <subject>” such as “Minor in Astronomy” or “Minor in Physics” will appear on your transcript. Minors do not appear on UBC diplomas.

Double Counting

  • If you are doing a Minor in Science, you can double count a maximum of 6 upper-level credits for both the minor and the restricted elective requirements in your Engineering program
  • The Engineering Physics program may permit waiving of requirements, rather than double counting so that minor courses can be used in place of technical electives.  To determine if minor courses can be used for requirements, please consult with the Engineering Physics Program Office

To Apply

  • Ensure you meet the criteria in the eligibility section
  • Determine the courses you want to take as part of the minor
  • Engineering Academic Services will confirm with the Departmental Advisor that they have approved your course plan.
  • Apply through the online form below between March 15th – May 15th. You will be notified by EAS via email in early June of the outcome of your minor application
  • Students in Computer Engineering are not permitted to apply for the Minor in Computer Science because of the significant overlap in content

Minor in Honours Math

To complete a Minor in Honours Math, you must complete a minimum of the 33 credits outlined on the list in the UBC calendar. To complete this minor, there are two components you must complete, as outlined in the Calendar. You must obtain an average of 68% overall in each of the components to receive the minor. Upon completion, “Minor in Honours Math” will appear on your transcript. Minors do not appear on UBC diplomas.

Double Counting

  • If you are doing a Minor in Honours Math, you can double count MATH courses that are required for your program.  That is, you are allowed to use any MATH course that is core to your program (not electives in your program, including technical electives) towards both your degree requirements as well as towards the Honours Math minor  
  • The Engineering Physics program may permit waiving of requirements, rather than double counting so that minor courses can be used in place of technical electives.  To determine if minor courses can be used for requirements, please consult with the Engineering Physics Program Office

To Apply

  • Ensure you meet the criteria in the eligibility section
  • Review the list of required courses for the minor in the UBC calendar
  • Apply through the online form below between March 15th – May 15th. You will be notified by EAS via email in early June of the outcome of your minor application.

Minor in Commerce

To complete a Minor in Commerce, you must complete a minimum of the 18 credits of specific courses outlined on the list in the UBC calendar. Depending on the courses you take as part of the complementary studies requirement, you may be able to complete the Minor in Commerce with only 9 additional credits (Please refer to UBC Calendar for more information).  Upon completion, “Minor in Commerce” will appear on your transcript. Minors do not appear on UBC diplomas.

Double Counting

  • Students in the Commerce Minor may be able to complete the minor in as few as 6 additional credits (beyond your program requirements).  The following courses can be double-counted:
    • ECON 101 and ECON 102 can count towards Humanities/Social Sciences elective requirement and the Commerce minor requirement
    • Engineering Economics course can count towards your program requirements as well as the Commerce minor requirement.  Each program has a set Engineering Economics course you will have to take (some programs have a selection of options).
    • Technical elective – depending on your program, you may be able to double count one 3-credit Commerce course as a technical elective. Please refer to your program’s website to see if there are Commerce courses specified as an acceptable technical elective. For Electrical + Computer Engineering, you may be able to double count one 3-credit Commerce course as a free elective.  
  • The Engineering Physics program may permit waiving of requirements, rather than double counting so that minor courses can be used in place of technical electives.  To determine if minor courses can be used for requirements, please consult with the Engineering Physics Program Office

To Apply

  • Ensure you meet the criteria in the eligibility section. 
  • Note that the Commerce Minor is competitive, which means that an overall average of 68% does not guarantee admission.  Students who have completed ECON 101 (or ECON 310) and ECON 102 (ECON 311) will be given preference for admission
  • Review the list of required courses for the minor in the UBC calendar
  • Apply through the online form below between March 15th – May 15th. You will be notified by EAS via email in early June of the outcome of your minor application.

Minor in Entrepreneurship

To complete a Minor in Entrepreneurship, you must complete a minimum of 18 credits of specific courses outlined on the list in the UBC calendar.  Depending on your Program, you may be permitted to count courses in the minor towards electives or as a capstone in your program. Please consult with your program to determine whether you will be allowed to double count credits in this way. Upon completion, “Minor in Entrepreneurship” will appear on your transcript. Minors do not appear on UBC diplomas.

Double Counting

  • If you are doing a minor in Entrepreneurship, you may be able to double count courses towards your program if it is deemed that they meet an elective or a capstone requirement. If you want to determine if a course will double count, speak to your program advisor.

To Apply

  • Ensure you meet the criteria in the eligibility section.  Note that the Entrepreneurship Minor is competitive, which means that an overall average of 68% does not guarantee admission.  Students who have completed COMM 280 will be given preference for admission   
  • Review the list of required courses for the minor in the UBC calendar
  • Apply through the online form below between March 15th – May 15th. You will be notified by EAS via email in early June of the outcome of your minor application.

Dual Degree

Dual Degree in Arts and Applied Science

Through the dual degree program, you can earn a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Applied Science within a minimum of five years. The BA/BASc Dual Degree program is not open to students with a prior degree. You must be registered in either Faculty to seek admission to the program.

Please consult the UBC Calendar for more information.




Updates To Minor or Dual Degree

Updating Course List for your Minor

If you are currently registered in a Minor and would like to make an update to your approved course list or withdraw from the minor, please fill out the form below.

*If you are updating your course plan for a Minor in Arts (18- or 30-credit), you must fill out the Minor in Arts Planning Document, review with and have it signed by the Arts Department Advisor from your field of specialization.

Removal of Minor or Dual Degree

If you would like to withdraw from your minor or dual degree program, please fill out the form below.