Understanding Your Options: The Degree Structure

The University of Western Ontario offers three undergraduate degrees:

  1. Honors Bachelor Degree (Four-Year; 20.0 courses)
  2. Bachelor Degree (Four-Year; 20.0 courses)
  3. Bachelor Degree (Three-Year; 15.0 courses)

There are four possible modules of study that may be combined in the three different degrees:

A module is structured set of courses specified by a Department, Faculty or Affiliated University College to fulfill the requirements of an Honors Specialization, Specialization, Major or Minor.

 

  1. Honors Specialization
    The Honors Specialization is available only within the Honors Bachelor Degree and requires that a student complete 9.0 or more courses as specified by the academic unit offering that module.
     
  2. Specialization
    The Specialization is available only with the Bachelor Degree (Four-Year) and requires that a student complete 9.0 or more courses as specified by the academic unit offering that module.  Not available in FIMS.
     
  3. Major
    The Major is available with all three degrees and requires that student take 6.0 to 7.0 courses as specified by the academic unit offering that module.
     
  4. Minor
    The Minor is available with all three degrees and requires that a student take 4.0 to 5.0 courses as specified by the academic unit offering that module. A Minor must be combined with one or more modules in a degree.  Not available in FIMS.

Module Combinations

The possible combinations of modules depend on the degree in which you are enrolled.  The following chart outlines the approved combinations of modules in the three different types of degrees (Honors Bachelor degree, 4-year Bachelor degree, 3-year Bachelor degree).

Please note that academic units (e.g., Departments, Schools, Faculties) may offer some or all of the modules, and enrolment in some modules may be limited.

DEGREE TYPE HONORS
SPECIALIZATION
MODULE		 SPECIALIZATION
MODULE		 MAJOR
MODULE		 MAJOR
MODULE		 MINOR
MODULE		 MINOR
MODULE
Honors Bachelor E          
Honors Bachelor E   A      
Honors Bachelor E       A  
Honors Bachelor     E

E

    
Bachelor 4 Year   E        
Bachelor 4 Year   E A      
Bachelor 4 Year   E     A  
Bachelor 4 Year     E A    
Bachelor 4 Year     E      
Bachelor 4 Year     E   A  
Bachelor 4 Year     E   A A
Bachelor 3 Year     E      
Bachelor 3 Year     E   A  
Bachelor 3 Year         E

E

E = Essential Module     A = Additional Module


How to Read the Chart

An essential module is a required module for the degree and represents the "main" focus of your degree, while an additional module is a secondary area of study.

For example, the first four rows of the chart indicate that you can complete an honors bachelor degree in four different combinations:

  1. An Honors Specialization in one subject (E)
  2. An Honors Specialization in one subject (E) with a Major in another subject (A)
  3. An Honors Specialization in one subject (E) with a Minor in another subject (A)
  4. A Major in one subject (E) with a Major in another subject (E)  (aka a "double major")

For More Information

For more information about degrees and modules at Western, see The Degree Structure in the Academic Calendar.


Reviewed 2012/03/30