Frequently asked questions

They are found under forms on the ECE advising page.

Other forms not directly related to the faculty are found at Office of the Registrar's Undergraduate Forms.

They are found under forms on the ECE advising page.

Yes! Requests are evaluated on a case by case basis.

For complementary studies, the course must meet Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB) requirement in that the course must deal with the central issues, methodologies and thought processes of the humanities and social sciences. Fill out the request for approval of a complementary studies form found under forms on the advising page.

For natural science, the course must meet CEAB requirement in that the course must include elements of physics and chemistry; elements of life sciences and earth sciences may also be included in this category. These subjects are intended to impart an understanding of natural phenomena and relationships through the use of analytical and/or experimental techniques. Fill out the request for approval of a natural science form found under forms on the advising page.

Fill out the appropriate request form and submit it to the ECE academic advisor (engradv2@uvic.ca). The request must include a detailed course description. If the department supports the request, it is forwarded to the monthly Students Programs Committee (SPC) for approval. The SPC usually meets at the beginning of the month. Therefore you should submit requests well in advance of the course commencement date.

The Faculty of Engineering allows only a few course substitutions as detailed in approved substitutions. No permission is required for these substitutions.

Substituting any other ECE/SENG core courses with other courses outside the faculty is not permitted unless the course is deemed equivalent by the department. Requests for course substitutions can be made to the academic advisor (engradv2@uvic.ca) usually by email.

Visit technical electives to see which courses are tentatively scheduled in the current year and schedule for the term in which they are usually offered. Please be aware that not all electives are offered every year and they may not be offered in the term specified in the schedule.

Bridge students must take at least 2 courses from the special bridge student's elective list.

See the information on program modification.

See the information on course transfers.

Check out the BC Transfer Guide to find an equivalent course at other BC institutions or see course transfers for a sampling of equivalent courses. For out of province institutions, please contact the ECE academic advisor (engradv2@uvic.ca) to look up the UVic's transfer credit system.

For many of the upper level ECE courses, both the BC Transfer Guide and the transfer credit system may not be very helpful because these courses are usually taken on campus. For an equivalent course to be found in either system, the course had to be evaluated as equivalent previously by the department. If there's a course at another institution that resemble an ECE course, you may request for an equivalency evaluation by contacting the ECE academic advisor. The onus is on the students to provide the academic advisor with all the course information such as the course outline and syllabus. Normally, courses from non-accredited programs will not be recognized.

The equivalency evaluation process usually takes several weeks. Once a course has been evaluated as equivalent, it will appear in the transfer credit system or the BC Transfer Guide as appropriate in due time.

You may request permission to take a course without meeting the prerequisites. Fill out the prerequisite waiver form found under forms on the advising page and submit it to the ECE academic advisor (engradv2@uvic.ca).

Prerequisites will normally be enforced unless a student has a GPA ≥ 6 (B+), and can document familiarity with the material. Student opinion about his or her knowledge is not considered documented familiarity. Scheduling convenience will not be considered a valid argument. Prerequisite waiver requests that are subject to the completion of a supplemental exam will not be accepted.

Requesting a leave of absence is a program modification that can be done by sending an email to the ECE Academic Advisor. See the information on program modification.

Requesting a leave of absence will stop the ticking clock so to speak on the maximum allowable time to complete your degree, see calendar on academic regulations. On returning from leave, reregistration may be required depending on the length of the leave, see reregistraion.

Declaration of specialization is not necessary since specializations are optional. The program requires completion of seven technical electives (10.5 units) to be chosen from the list of technical electives. Students who complete three courses (4.5 units) in one of the specialization areas can request a certificate from the electrical and computer engineering office; the specialization area will not be shown on the transcript.

Bridge students must take at least 2 courses from the special bridge student's elective list.

Students who complete three courses (4.5 units) in one of the specialization areas can request a Specialization Certificate from the department (contact engradv2@uvic.ca) at the completion of their degree requirements. The certificates are issued in the month of a convocation, and available for pick up from the ECE office (EOW 448), Monday to Friday, between 8:30 am - 4:30 pm.

If you prefer to have your specialization certificate mailed to you, please include your mailing address in your request.

Undergraduates must maintain a sessional GPA of at least 2.0 (or equivalent if a UVic student takes courses elsewhere for credit towards a UVic program). Students whose sessional GPA is 1.00 to 1.99 (regardless of registered course load) are considered to have unsatisfactory standing and will be placed on academic probation for the next session attended. Failure to pass probation will result in required withdrawal from the faculty and university. Please see complete description of probationary status in the calendar.

Contact the ECE undergraduate academic advisor (engradv2@uvic.ca) for advice.

See the proceedures for dealing with student requests.