Advising for new certificate students
Welcome to Concordia University and the Faculty of Arts and Science!
After accepting your offer of admission and paying the confirmation fee, you will gain access to course registration.
Please review our FAQs for Certificate students.
Certificate in Science Foundations
Students in the Certificate in Science Foundations program typically plan to apply to a Bachelor's in Science after completing at least 50% of the program or completion of the certificate.
If you're using the certificate to transfer into a BSc (excluding Math or Physics programs), follow this sample schedule:
If you need MATH 201:
- Fall: BIOL 201, CHEM 205, MATH 201, + elective (if full-time)
- Winter: MATH 203, PHYS 204, PHYS 224, CHEM 206, + elective (if full-time)
If you're exempt from MATH 201:
- Fall: BIOL 201, MATH 203, PHYS 204, PHYS 224, CHEM 205
- Winter: MATH 205, PHYS 205, PHYS 225, CHEM 206, + elective (if full-time)
If you're academically strong and admitted into your BSc, you’ll finish the remaining courses in that program.
If you're planning to graduate from the certificate, schedule an appointment with an advisor to review your potential exemptions and/or potential transfer credits for effective semester planning.
You must complete and pass MATH 201 before taking MATH 203. If you believe your previous studies meet the requirement but weren’t assessed during admission, contact your admission officer (listed on page 2 of your admission letter) to request an exemption.
Priority is given to students in the Biology program; however, please contact the department directly for assistance with course registration for BIOL 201.
If you're planning to enter a Math or Physics program, you must take MATH 204.
Yes, if you're doing well and have completed at least 50% of the prerequisites.
No. Fall grades won’t be available in time. You should complete at least one full year before applying.
No, exemptions cannot be removed unless the course was taken over 10 years ago. You may, however, submit a student request to retake it without credit. The grade will appear on your transcript and count in your assessment GPA (AGPA), but not in your cumulative GPA (CGPA). Please note that the credits earned will not count toward your total credit requirement, and an EREM notation will appear on your transcript.
Certificate in Arts and Science
Students in the Certificate in Arts and Science typically plan to apply to a Bachelor of Arts or Education after completing 12–18 credits or upon finishing the certificate.
If you're completing the certificate
You must take at least 24 credits from no more than 3 departments in the Faculty of Arts and Science. The remaining credits can come from any department or faculty. The samples below show how you can structure your certificate.
- 3 courses (9 credits) in WSDB, 3 courses in MATH (9 credits), 2 courses (6 credits) in BIOL, plus 1 course in MARK (3 credits) and 1 course (3 credits) in MANA from JMSB.
- 4 SOCI courses (12 credits), 4 AHSC courses (12 credits) and 2 FFAR courses (6 credits).
If you're upgrading your academics (GPA)
You may take any course you’re interested in, from any department or faculty. Students typically choose courses related to the program they plan to enter.
Use the Undergraduate Calendar to explore available courses in different departments. You can also refer to the elective course list for options open to all Concordia students.
General FAQ's
Your academic advisor is a faculty advisor in Student Academic Servies (SAS) within the Faculty of Arts and Science.
You need to submit a new application for admission. There's no need to upload your Concordia unofficial transcript—Admissions already has access to your file.
You still need to submit a new application through the standard process.
If you don’t achieve the required grades or complete the necessary prerequisites, you won’t be admitted to the program. However, you may choose to repeat courses to improve your GPA. When a course is repeated, the most recent grade is used in the admission decision—even if it’s lower than the original. Make sure to consult with an academic advisor before repeating courses to understand how it may impact your academic record. We encourage you to book an appointment with a faculty advisor to create a strategy for getting into your desired program.
The faculty advisor can guide you on academic planning and course selection to enter into an Arts and Science program of study. For guidance on courses needed to enter a degree outside the Faculty of Arts and Science, it's best to consult directly with the faculty offering that program, it's your responsibility to review the admission requirements and ensure you meet them.
Any course with a grade of C- or above will transfer to a bachelor's degree.
No, you must contact the department advisor. Each department manages its own course registration. Priority is given to students enrolled in that department’s program.
No, you can take the required science profile courses in either certificate if you're planning to use it as a stepping stone to a BSc program. Just make sure you meet all the specific requirements for the program you're aiming for.
A full-time courseload is 12 to 15 credits per semester. Part-time status is 9 credits or less. While you are not required to be full-time, certain circumstances (e.g., immigration status, OPUS card, financial aid) may require you to maintain full-time enrollment.
It's up to you—if you believe your grades would improve as a part-time student, this might be the right approach for you.
Register for a Certificate advising session
You can review our Certificate information for more details.
We recommend that you register for and attend FAS Touchstone – a one-hour virtual advising session – to learn about the Faculty.
If you're unable to attend an advising session, please email us at sas.fas@concordia.ca with your specific questions. Be sure to include your Student ID number in all correspondence.
