Majors and Minors

Majors

There are 22 different majors (2025/26 Undergraduate Calendar) to choose from in the Honours B.Sc. program divided into three groups: Biological Science, Physical Science and Additional Science. Students receive support from B.Sc. Academic Advisors [1] and B.Sc. Faculty Advisors [2].

For students in the Biological Science major, please see the BIOS Course Planning Support [3] page for further course planing assistance.

Students looking to change their major within the B.Sc. degree OR change between the General B.Sc. Degree (BSCG) and the Honours B.Sc.degree (BSCH) can do so by completing the following form:

Schedule of Studies Change Request Form [4]

Suspended Majors:

Biodiversity (BIOD) [43]- suspended
Environmental Biology (ENVB) [44] - suspended
Environmental Geomatics (EG), [45] EG co-op [46] - suspended
Mathematical Science (MSCI) [47] - Effective 2024-25 academic year, the Mathematical Science major will be replaced with the new B.Math. degree [48]
Nanoscience (NANO) [49], NANO co-op [50] - suspended

Switching Majors Within B.Sc.

Switching to a different major within the Honours B.Sc. program (excluding Bio-Medical Sciences, Animal Biology and Human Kinetics) is straightforward. If you want to change your major, please follow these steps:

1. Review the program requirements of the B.Sc. Major you wish to switch into (see links above)

2. Complete the online Undergraduate Schedule of Studies Change Request Form [51]

Note that your major and minor calendar years do not need to match but cannot be earlier than the year you started your B.Sc. program. If you are unsure, it is best to request to stay with your current calendar year (e.g. 2024-25 if you started in Fall 2024).

After submitting the form, you will receive a confirmation email from Enrolment Services acknowledging receipt of your request. Your form will then be reviewed, which may take several business days.

Animal Biology (ABIO), Bio-Medical Sciences (BIOM), & Human Kinetics (HK)

Switching within B.S.c. into competitive majors such as ABIO, BIOM, and HK involves a different process compared to other B.Sc. majors. Requests to switch into ABIO, BIOM and HK are reviewed by the appropriate Admission Committee (usually only once per year, after the end of the Winter semester).

The application processes for these majors are managed by the corresponding academic departments:

Biomedical Sciences (BIOM): Biomedical Sciences Department

Human Kinetics (HK): Human Health Sciences Department

Animal Biology (ABIO): Animal Biosciences Department

Please note the following:

All decisions are usually made by the end of June each year.

These majors have competitive admission and/or specific entry requirements. To learn more, consult consult the Undergraduate Calendar for entry requirements (ABIO [52], BIOM [53] or HK [10]).

You can reach out to the appropriate Faculty Advisor [2] for questions

To apply, please complete the online Undergraduate Schedule of Studies Change Request [4] form by the last class day of the Winter semester.

Your form will be directed to the appropriate departmental Admissions Committee.

Co-op Major Changes

If you wish to apply to a co-op major, please see the information and instructions on the Co-operative Education & Career Services Website [54].

There is a separate process for current co-op students who wish to:

Remain in the co-op program and change their major
Withdraw from the co-op program and change their major
Withdraw from the co-op program entirely

Students must first contact Co-operative Education [54] to determine whether they are eligible to re-apply to co-op within the new major of interest. After confirming eligibility, students should complete the appropriate Co-operative Education Status Form. [55]

First-year students who are interested in applying to the co-op stream of their current major must also contact the Co-operative Education Office directly and complete the relevant Co-operative Education Status Form [55].

Minors

Minors typically consist of 5.0 credits (or less) and are available to further specialize within your degree. A minor may include additional pre-requisite courses not included in the minor, so it is best to consult the Faculty Advisor [56] with any questions. For most minors, only the signature of an Academic Advisor (via the Schedule of Studies Change Request [51]form) is required to declare a minor.

Note: If the minor is in a non-science area, then the number of science credits required for the Honours B.Sc. degree is reduced from 16.0 to 14.0 credits. Only 2.5 credits may overlap (double count) between a major and minor. Please make an appointment with an Academic Advisor if you have questions.

You may only declare a minor if you are in the Honours B.Sc. program.

Biological sciences:

Biochemistry [6]
Biology [57]
Biotechnology [58]
Microbiology [59]
Molecular Biology & Genetics [60]
Neuroscience [61]
Nutritional & Nutraceutical Sciences [62]
Plant Science [63]
Zoology [64]
- List of Additional Acceptable Electives [65] (1.0 credits) for the Zoology minor.

Mathematical sciences:

Physical sciences:

Chemistry [70]
Physics [71]

Environmental sciences:

Applied Geomatics [72]
Ecology [73]

Non-science:

Accounting [74]
Anthropology [75]
Art History [76]
Black Canadian Studies [77]
Business [78]
Business Data Analytics [79]
Business Economics [80]
Classical Studies [81]
Creative Writing [82]
Culture & Technology Studies [83]
Economics [84]
English [85]
Entrepreneurship [86]
European Cultures [87]
Family & Child Studies [88]
French Studies [89]
Geography [90]
German [91]
History [92]
Human Resources [93]
International Business [94]
International Development Studies [95]
Italian [96]
Linguistics [97]
Marketing [98]
Media & Cinema Studies [99]
Museum Studies [100]
Music [101]
Philosophy [102]
Political Science [103]
Project Management [104]
Psychology [105]
Restaurant & Beverage Management [106]
Sexualities, Genders & Social Change [107]
Sociology [108]
Spanish & Hispanic Studies [109]
Sport & Event Management [110]
Sustainable Business [111]
Theatre Studies [112]

Additional minors:

Agriculture [113]
One Health [114]

Changing Degree Programs

The University of Guelph offers many different undergraduate Degree Programs. [115] Switching between degree programs is based on your high school transcript as well as the marks achieved in specific University of Guelph courses. If you are considering transferring degree programs, you should consult with Academic Advisor for the degree program [116] to which you want to transfer. To transfer degree programs, you will need to apply for an Internal Transfer through Undergraduate Admissions [117]. Please note that admission to another degree program is not guaranteed.

There are 3 different science degrees:

1. Bachelor of Science [B.Sc.] [118]

2. Bachelor of Science in Agriculture [B.Sc.(Agr.)] [119]

3. Bachelor of Science in Environmental Sciences [B.Sc.(Env.)] [120]

Note: If you are considering switching degree programs before the start of your first semester, please contact admission@uoguelph.ca.