Please note:
To view the Fall 2024 Academic Calendar, go to www.sfu.ca/students/calendar/2024/fall.html.
Definitions
The following are the most commonly used terms that new students may find confusing.
Students
Simon Fraser University does not classify students as either full time or part time although there are varying course load requirements for many types of financial aid.
Student means a person who is presently enrolled in a credit course or who is designated by resolution of the senate as a student.
Continuing Students
- Undergraduate
- A person who is enrolled for one or more of the last three terms and who is eligible to continue.
- Graduate
- A person who is enrolled in the current term and is eligible to continue.
- On leave is a person who is not enrolled in the current term but is eligible to enroll when their approved leave ends.
Former Student
A person who had enrolled at the institution, and is not currently eligible to continue (eg. graduated, required to withdraw, discontinued).
Special Audit Student
A person who is not admissible to the university through the normal admission process.
Visiting and Exchange Student
A person whose “home” institution is not SFU but has been admitted to SFU for the purpose of taking courses to transfer to their home institution or to take part in an approved research term.
Non-Credit Student
A person who is enrolled in only non-credit courses and/or programs.
Levels
Undergraduates in Canada are traditionally classified as first year (freshman), second year (sophomore), third year (junior), or fourth year (senior) students. Since ‘year’ does not apply to the trimester system, the student’s progression is expressed in levels. ‘Level’ refers to the status of a student’s program. Each level normally equals one term’s work with a full course load; a typical four year bachelor’s degree program consists of eight levels. The first four (i.e., the first 60 units) are lower divisions. Levels 5 and above are upper divisions. The term ‘level’ is not used for graduate programs. Usually students in levels 1 and 2 complete 100 series courses; those in levels 3 and 4 complete 200 series courses; those beyond level 4 complete 300 and 400 series courses.
Four Year General Degree Program |
|||
|
Level |
Units |
Traditional Terms |
Lower Levels |
1 |
0-14 |
first year or freshman |
2 |
15-29 |
||
3 |
30-44 |
second year or sophomore |
|
4 |
45-59 |
||
Upper Levels |
5 |
60-74 |
third year or junior |
6 |
75-89 |
||
7 |
90-104 |
fourth year or senior |
|
8 |
>104 |
||
Total: 120 units |
|||
Four Year Honours Degree Program |
|||
|
Level |
Units |
Traditional Terms |
Lower Levels |
1 |
0-14 |
first year or freshman |
2 |
15-29 |
||
3 |
30-44 |
second year or sophomore |
|
4 |
45-59 |
||
Upper Levels |
5 |
60-74 |
third year or junior |
6 |
75-89 |
||
7 |
90-104 |
fourth year or senior |
|
8 |
>104 |
||
Total: a minimum of 120 units |
|||
Term
The calendar year is divided into three academic terms (formerly called semesters) of 16 weeks each. Each term has its own enrollment and final examinations. All academic courses are one term long, or a shorter session such as intersession or summer session. Students may enter at the beginning of any term and attend one, two or three terms in a year. By attending continuously, a student who entered from BC high school grade 12 (or equivalent) in the Fall 2022 term could graduate with a bachelor’s degree at the end of the Spring 2025 term. The following illustrates an academic year.
| Fall Term | September – December |
| Spring Term | January – April |
| Summer Term |
May – August |
| Intersession Term |
May – June |
| Summer Session |
July – August |
To increase the accessibility of the summer program (May-August) to teachers and others, the summer term is enriched by two, two-month sessions called intersession (May-June) and summer session (July-August). These programs are offered in addition to the regular four month summer term.
Term Codes
The university’s student information system uses numeric codes for terms. Students will often encounter these codes when using https://go.sfu.ca, the on-line student services portal. Here are the term codes for the upcoming year:
| 1247 | Fall 2024 |
| 1251 | Spring 2025 |
| 1254 | Summer 2025 |
| 1257 | Fall 2025 |
The codes can be interpreted as follows:
- 1 represents the 21st century
- 24 = year (e.g. 2024)
- the final digit is the term: 1 for spring, 4 for summer and 7 for fall.
Courses
Additive Credit
In courses deemed to have additive credit, the units do not count towards the total units required for a degree. Co-operative Education practicum courses typically have additive credit.
Blended Courses
Blended courses at SFU have at least one quarter and no more than three quarters of student learning integral to the course occuring in the online environment, replacing in-person instruction.
Corequisite
A corequisite is a requirement which must be satisfied before, or while taking a course.
Course Numbering
Each subject is divided into courses usually offered in term length units. Each course is identified by a subject name followed by a course number, the number of units, and course title, e.g. ENGL 103-3 Introduction to Drama. The first course number digit represents the division of the course; the fourth digit indicates the units. For example, ENGL 103-3 is a first division course offering three units.
Credit Courses
These courses carry units and count toward the total required for a degree, certificate or diploma, subject to the regulations governing the credential.
Credit-Free Courses
These courses carry no credit and do not count toward a degree, certificate or diploma. At times, they are termed 'non-credit courses'.
Credit Hours
See “Units” below.
Distance Education Courses
Many courses are available as distance education courses. The majority of these are print-based. Some may also have audio and/or video support. Increasingly, educational technologies (e.g. computer conferencing) are being incorporated as courses are developed and revised. The program parallels the campus term system of the university, with the same 16 week period for course completion.
Division
Division relates to undergraduate courses: those numbered 001 to 299 inclusive are lower division courses; those numbered 300 to 499 are upper division courses. Graduate courses are numbered in the 500 to 999 series. In certain instances, upper division courses may be completed in the lower levels and lower division courses in the upper levels. Refer to specific regulations pertaining to requirements for degrees, certificates or diplomas.
Elective
Any undergraduate course not used to satisfy the program requirements as specified in the Calendar. Normally, an elective will also be a course outside the subject area of a declared program of study; or any undergraduate course designated as Writing (W), Quantitative (Q) or Breadth (B-Humanities, B-Social Sciences, B-Science) that is not required to fulfil program requirements.
Lectures, Tutorials and Laboratories
Although there are variations among departments, instruction in lower division courses combines a large lecture section with small tutorial groups. The large lecture enables as many students as possible to hear the very best teachers. The small tutorial groups provide more personal instruction and an opportunity for discussion of readings and lecture material. A typical course consists of two lectures and one tutorial a week. Notable exceptions are the sciences and languages, where a laboratory may be involved.
Prerequisite
A prerequisite is a requirement which must be satisfied before taking a course.
Program Requirements
The courses used to satisfy the program subject or field requirements (e.g., major, joint major, honours, minor, double minor, certificates, or any combination thereof) as specified in the Calendar.
Subject
A subject (or 'discipline') is a body of knowledge with arbitrary boundary lines, e.g. philosophy, chemistry or psychology. For convenience, professors of a subject are usually grouped together in a department.
Units
Units (formerly known as credits) are assigned to each course and should reflect student workload, including both time in classes (or synchronous online activities), and other aspects of academic effort. Requirements for credentials (e.g., degrees, diplomas and certificates) are partially expressed as units.
Each unit would generally comprise 2-3 hours of the combination of in-class and self-study time per week on average, such that a 3-unit course would generally comprise 6-9 hours per week on average, or approximately 78-117 hours over 13 weeks*.
Courses with laboratories or a significant experiential learning component may require additional student work and should be expected to require some additional time. It must be recognized that learners vary in the self-study time needed for their courses.
*courses that do not follow typical term dates complete the same number of hours in fewer weeks.
Course Loads
The following maximum course loads apply to all students, but certain students may be granted permission by their respective faculties to enroll in course overloads (see below).
Intersession or Summer Session Only
Students enrolling for the intersession or summer session only may not enroll in programs having a total value in excess of nine units, except where course combinations may require enrollment in a program of 10 units; however, no student will be permitted to undertake a program of more than 10 units of work.
Regular Session
The maximum course load for all students who are not enrolled for summer session courses only, or intersession courses only and who are not entering their graduating term is as follows:
| Applied Sciences |
18 units |
| Arts and Social Sciences | 18 units |
| Business Administration | 18 units |
| Communication, Art and Technology |
18 units |
| Education |
18 units (PDP and PLP students have a maximum load of 20 units) |
| Engineering Science |
22 units |
| Environment |
18 units |
| Health Science |
18 units |
| Science | 18 units |
Summer Term, Intersession, Summer Session Combinations
Normal course load limits apply to students who enroll in combinations of the above. For course load values only, in the regular summer term the course load value corresponds to the course’s units. In the intersession or summer session, the course load value is twice the units because, in the shorter session, classes must meet twice as often or for longer periods to equal the regular term. Therefore, when calculating course load value, note the following example. This does not apply to the regulations for assessment of financial aid and awards.
Course |
Units |
|
Course Load Credit |
ARCH 3XX-5 |
5 |
equals |
5 |
ARCH 4XX-5 |
5 |
equals |
10 |
Total Course Load |
10 |
equals |
15 |