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Academic advising FAQ

Academic advising FAQs

1. How can I obtain more information about Douglas College programs, course requirements and transfer information?
2. Reasons you may want to contact an Academic Advisor
3. How do I best prepare when I come to see an Academic Advisor?
4. How do I figure out what to take at Douglas College if I want to transfer to university?
5. How do I calculate my GPA for my Douglas College courses?
6. How will Universities and Colleges calculate my GPA for entrance?
7. What is the current GPA entrance requirement for Universities and University Colleges if I am taking courses at Douglas College?
8. What is considered an Arts course?
9. What is considered a Science course?
10. What is considered a Statistics course?
11. What is a "lab science" course?
12. What is a first year course?
13. What is a second year course?

1. How can I obtain more information about Douglas College programs, course requirements and transfer information?
   • Douglas College calendar
   • Douglas College program information sessions
     These sessions are free and there is no need to pre-book.
   • Individual booked appointments
   • Academic advising drop-ins
   • Academic advising by telephone
2. Reasons you may want to contact an academic advisor:

   Academic advisors are available by appointment for prospective, new and returning students.

   Prospective and new students are encouraged to attend an information session about their program before making an appointment with an academic advisor.

   Returning students who have not seen an academic advisor are encouraged to make an appointment with an academic advisor as soon as possible or in the case of university transfer students, before selecting their 2nd year university transferable courses.

   Most students will see an academic advisor more than once during their studies. academic advisors will provide detailed information to answer your academic questions on subjects including:

   • Application procedures
   • Admission requirements
   • Tuition fee information
   • Transfer credit information
   • General course and program planning information
   • Information on credentials such as citations, certificates, diplomas, Associate of Arts or Science Degrees and Douglas College degrees
   • Information about how close you are to graduating with your credential and what courses you still need to take to satisfy the requirements for a credential
   • How you might upgrade your skills in order to meet the admission requirements for our programs
   • Information about transferring to university and appropriate course selection at Douglas College in order to transfer to your desired faculty and department.
   • To which university or university college your credential will transfer
   • If you need assistance on deciding your career path, please contact our Career Counsellors
3. How do I best prepare when I come to see an academic advisor?
   • Read the Douglas College calendar
   • Do some research on your program of choice
   • Prepare a list of questions.
     Your time with an advisor is limited so being prepared with a list of well thought out questions will help maximize the quality and quantity of information the advisor is able to provide.
4. How do I figure out what to take at Douglas College if I want to transfer to university?

   To determine which Douglas College university-transfer courses to select and register into, students are advised to use the following reference guides:

   1. The University Calendar to find the first and/or second-year courses required for your degree program. University calendars are available for use at the Douglas College libraries and Career Resource Centres or on-line at the university's Web site
   2. The BC Transfer Guide to determine what the equivalent university-transfer courses are at Douglas College.
   3. The Douglas College calendar to check the prerequisite requirements for the university-transfer course.

   Students use the resources listed above to select courses to meet the three academic components of a university degree program:

   1. Faculty requirements
   2. Major or Minor requirements
   3. Electives
5. How do I calculate my GPA for my Douglas College courses?

   Grade Points Average (GPA) Calculator

   This useful calculator will help you determine what your grades are. You are able to put in expected course grades to project a possible GPA for your semester.

   GPA Calculator(This file requires the ability to open Microsoft Excel)

   Or create your own spreadsheet using the following steps

   Step # 1 - Write down your courses and grades

   Course:	Grade:
   PSYC 1100	A-
   MATH 1101	B+
   ANTH 1100	B-
   BIOL 1110	UN

   Step #2 - Assign the points earned for each course, according to the grade. For a complete list of points earned for each grade, check out "Grading" in the College Calendar.

   Step #3 - Record the number of credits for each course. Then multiply the number of points times the number of credits.

   Course:	Grade:	Points:	Credits:	Total Points:
   PSYC 1100	A-	3.67	3	11.01
   MATH 1101	B+	3.33	3	9.99
   ANTH 1100	B-	2.67	3	8.01
   BIOL 1110	UN	0.00	5	0.00

   Step #4 - Total the number of credits and the total points: 14 credits, 29.01 points

   Step #5 - Divide the total number of points by the total number of credits: 29.01 ÷ 14 = 2.07

   This student's GPA is 2.07, or approximately a "C".

   If you do this calculation for one semester of courses and grades, this is the Semester Grade Point Average. If you calculate the total points and credits for all of your courses, this is your Cumulative Grade Point Average. A course or grade may not be deleted from the permanent record. However, if the student repeats a course, Douglas College uses the highest grade in the calculation for total cumulative Grade Point Average.

   Consult your on-line transcript via the Application and Registration Services page to view your semester or overall GPA. At grade entry time GPA's may not be updated immediately.

6. How will Universities and Colleges calculate my GPA for entrance?

   Students who intend to transfer to another educational institution must realize that this institution may re-compute the grade point average in accordance with its own policies. Some universities average all transferable courses including those that are repeated, while others will use the highest or most recent mark of a course that is repeated. Please make an appointment with an academic advisor for details.

   You may use this GPA Calculator to determine your current GPA (requires Microsoft Excel)

7. What is the current GPA entrance requirement for Universities and Colleges if I am taking courses at Douglas College?

   Entrance GPAs vary between Universities and Colleges because there is usually fluctuation in the demand for admission. Generally, Universities and Colleges publish minimum GPA requirements in their calendars. However, demand fluctuation will cause the entrance GPA to rise above the minimum. If you call a university and ask about its entrance GPA for a future semester, they will say they cannot predict what the entrance GPA will be. Douglas College Academic Advisors have historical information about entrance GPAs. For details, please see an Academic Advisor in a Drop-in or contact the University or College.

   Current Admission GPA's for 2011:

   UBC
   UVIC
   UFV
   SFU
   SFU most recent: (* students with a completed Associate Degree in Arts/Science deduct .25 from GPA)
   Arts & Sosc: 2.60
   * for students with a completed Associate Degree in Arts: 2.35
   Applied Science: 2.60
   Education: 2.70
   Environment: 2.50
   Communication, Art & Tech.: 2.50
   Health Sciences: 2.70
   Busn: 3.50
   Science: 2.50
   * 2.25

8. What is considered an Arts course?

   All of the following are considered Arts courses. There are three categories of Arts courses: English, Social Sciences and Humanities.

   English:

   • Communications (courses must transfer as English)
   • Creative Writing
   • English
   • Print Futures (courses must transfer as English)

   Social Sciences:

   • Anthropology
   • Criminology
   • All Geography courses except those considered a "lab science" (GEOG 1110, 1120, 2210, 2220, 2230, and 2321) are considered Arts courses.
   • Psychology
   • Social Science
   • Sociology
   • Interdisciplinary Studies
   • Women's Studies

   Humanities:

   • History
   • Modern Languages
   • Philosophy
   • Humanities
   • Performing Arts
   • Political Science
   • Music
   • Theatre
   • Stagecraft
   • Women's Studies
9. What is considered a Science course?
   • Courses in Biology, Chemistry, Computing Science (CSIS), Geography 1110, 1120, 2210, 2220, 2230, 3311, Geology, Math, Physics, Science, Sport Science (must transfer to Kinesiology at SFU (see http://www.bccat.bc.ca/)
10. What is considered a Statistics course?
    • Math 1160, 2260
    • Psychology 2300
    • Business 2429, 3431
11. What is a "lab science" course?

    A laboratory science is one in which a substantial component of student instruction involves the study of natural phenomena, either in the laboratory or in the field. Each institution granting the Associate Degree will determine which of its courses satisfies this requirement.

    Douglas College has determined that a lab science is one of the following courses:

    • ASTR 1105
    • BIOL 1103, 1109, 1110, 1203, 1209, 1210, 2300, 2302, 2321, 2400, 2401, 2421, 3205, 3305, 3500, 3600
    • CHEM 1104, 1108, 1110, 1210, 2303, 2310, 2315, 2321, 2410, 2421
    • GEOG 1110, 1120, 2210, 2220, 2230, 3311
    • GEOL 1120, 1121, 1130, 1150, 1200, 2201, 2300, 2320, 2410, 2420
    • PHYS 1104, 1107, 1110, 1207, 1210
    • SCIE 1106, 1107, 2207, 2307

    These courses can also be used as sciences.

    ** Please note that some courses are restricted to certain programs or have prerequisites or are no longer offered. Please check the Douglas College Calendar for details.**

12. What is a first year course?

    A first year course is defined as a course that has an assigned or unassigned transfer credit at the 100-level at SFU or UBC or UNBC or UVic. Students can check course transferability by going to the BC Transfer Guide.

13. What is a second year course?

    A second year course is defined as a course that has an assigned or unassigned transfer credit at the 200-level or higher level at SFU or UBC or UNBC or UVic. Students can check course transferability by going to the BC Transfer Guide.