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Academic Advising

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Info. Sessions - NWC & DLC

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Mar 22, 4:30 rm: 2214 NWC
Mar 29, 4:30 rm: A1130 DLC

Check out current transfer admission GPA's. Entrance GPA's.

Introduction

The Academic Advisors at Douglas College are available to assist you with all aspects of your academic career - from the initial Application for Admission, to program selection and course planning, and finally the Application for Graduation.

Students who plan to transfer to university are responsible for checking their university program requirements in that institutions academic calendar. Academic Advisors at Douglas College are able to assist students with transfer information but the responsibility remains with the student to select the appropriate courses.

Information Sessions

Information Sessions introduce you to the Career and University Transfer programs and courses offered at Douglas College. New and prospective students are advised to attend an Information Session for their program of interest. Sessions are free; pre-registration is not necessary.

Information Sessions are provided for all students and are one-to-two hours in length. The dates, times and locations of Information Sessions are posted on the website or are available from the Registrar's Office by calling 604-527-5478.

Individual Booked Appointments

Individual appointments with an Academic Advisor are available if you require assistance with course and program planning. These appointments are 30 minutes in length and must be booked in advance.

Appointments may be booked with the Registrar's Office in New Westminster or Coquitlam at 604-527-5478.

If you have a "quick question" for an Academic Advisor, "Drop-in" and telephone advising services are also available.

Online Academic Advising

Need Academic Advising but no time to phone or visit the college? Try our new online Advising Service.

Online Chat is a versatile remote service, where you can chat with an Academic Advisor over the internet in a virtual classroom. There may also be specific lessons on registration, university transfer and other advising services.

Online Advising Services are available Tuesday 11-12pm and Thursday 2-3pm

Mar 16 11am - 12noon-Click to accessOnline Advising
Mar 18   2pm -  3pm - Click to access Online Advising
Mar 23 11am - 12noon-Click to access Online Advising
Mar 25   2pm -  3pm - Click to access Online Advising
Mar 30 11am - 12noon-Click to access Online Advising
Apr   6 11am - 12noon-Click to access Online Advising
Apr   8   2pm -  3pm - Click to access Online Advising
Apr 13 11am - 12noon-Click to access Online Advising
Apr 15   2pm -  3pm - Click to access Online Advising

Drop-In Advising

Drop-in appointments are 10 - 15 minutes in length and are designed to provide assistance for a few, brief questions. These appointments are on a first-come, first-served basis, so no advanced booking is required. Please come to the Registrar's Office approximately 15 minutes prior to the start of the drop-in period.

Drop-in academic advising at the New Westminster Campus: Room 2700

Standard Schedule
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday	10am - 12noon
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday	130pm - 330pm
Changes

Drop-in academic advising at the Coquitlam Campus: Room A1450

Standard Schedule
Monday and Wednesday	2pm - 4pm
Tuesday and Friday	10am - 12noon
Changes
Monday, Mar. 8 2pm - 4pm	cancelled

Academic Advising by Telephone

Academic Advising by telephone is designed to answer quick questions and is available at 604-527-5550 on Monday and Wednesday 11am-12noon, and on Friday from 2pm-3pm.

Phone service cancelled:
Wed. Mar. 3 2pm - 3pm
Monday Mar. 8th 11am - 12noon

Advising FAQ's

How can I obtain more information about Douglas College programs, course requirements and transfer information?
Reasons you may want to contact an Academic Advisor
How do I best prepare when I come to see an Academic Advisor?
How do I figure out what to take at Douglas College if I want to transfer to university?
How do I calculate my GPA for my Douglas College courses?
How will Universities Colleges calculate my GPA for entrance?
What is the current GPA entrance requirement for Universities and University Colleges if I am taking courses at Douglas College?
What are the requirements for an Associate of Arts Degree or an Associate of Science degree?
What is considered an Arts course?
What is considered a Science course?
What is considered a Statistics course?
What is a "lab science" course?
What is a first year course?
What is a second year course?

1. How can I obtain more information about Douglas College programs, course requirements and transfer information?

Douglas College Online Calendar
Douglas College Program Information Sessions
These sessions are free and there is no need to pre-book.
Individual Booked Appointments
Academic Advising Drop-ins
Academic Advising by Telephone

2. Reasons you may want to contact an Academic Advisor:

Academic Advisors are available by appointment for prospective, new and returning students. Prospective and new students are encouraged to attend an information session about their program before making an appointment with an Academic Advisor. Returning students who have not seen an Academic Advisor are encouraged to make an appointment with an Academic Advisor as soon as possible or in the case of university transfer students, before selecting their 2nd year university transferable courses. Most students will see an Academic Advisor more than once during their studies. Academic Advisors will provide detailed information to answer your academic questions on subjects including:

Application procedures
Admission requirements
Tuition fee information
Transfer credit information
General course and program planning information
Information on credentials such as citations, certificates, diplomas, Associate of Arts or Science Degrees and Douglas College degrees
Information about how close you are to graduating with your credential and what courses you still need to take to satisfy the requirements for a credential
How you might upgrade your skills in order to meet the admission requirements for our programs
Information about transferring to university and appropriate course selection at Douglas College in order to transfer to your desired faculty and department.
To which university or university college your credential will transfer

If you need assistance on deciding your career path, please contact our Career Counsellors.

3. How do I best prepare when I come to see an Academic Advisor?

Read the Douglas College Calendar
Do some research on your program of choice
Prepare a list of questions.

Your time with an advisor is limited so being prepared with a list of well thought out questions will help maximize on the quality and quantity of information the advisor is able to provide.

4. How do I figure out what to take at Douglas College if I want to transfer to university?

To determine which Douglas College university-transfer courses to select and register into, students are advised to use the following reference guides:

The University Calendar to find the first and/or second-year courses required for your degree program. (University calendars are available for use at the Douglas College Libraries and Career Resource Centres or on-line at the university's Web site.)
The BC Transfer Guide to determine what the equivalent university-transfer courses are at Douglas College.
The Douglas College Calendar to check the prerequisite requirements for the university-transfer course.

Students use the resources listed above to select courses to meet the three academic components of a university degree program:

1. Faculty requirements
2. Major or Minor requirements
3. Electives

5. How do I calculate my GPA for my Douglas College courses?

Grade Points Average (GPA) Calculator

This useful calculator will help you determine what your grades are. You are able to put in expected course grades to project a possible GPA for your semester.

GPA Calculator (This file requires the ability to open Microsoft Excel)

Or create your own spreadsheet using the following steps

Step # 1 - Write down your courses and grades

Course:	Grade:
PSYC 1100	A-
MATH 1101	B+
ANTH 1100	B-
BIOL 1110	UN

Step #2 - Assign the points earned for each course, according to the grade. For a complete list of points earned for each grade, check out Grading in the College Calendar.

Step #3 - Record the number of credits for each course. Then multiply the number of points times the number of credits.

Course:	Grade:	Points:	Credits:	Total Points:
PSYC 1100	A-	3.67	3	11.01
MATH 1101	B+	3.33	3	9.99
ANTH 1100	B-	2.67	3	8.01
BIOL 1110	UN	0.00	5	0.00

Step #4 - Total the number of credits and the total points: 14 credits, 29.01 points

Step #5 - Divide the total number of points by the total number of credits: 29.01 ÷ 14 = 2.07

This student's GPA is 2.07, or approximately a "C".

If you do this calculation for one semester of courses and grades, this is the Semester Grade Point Average. If you calculate the total points and credits for all of your courses, this is your Cumulative Grade Point Average. A course or grade may not be deleted from the permanent record. However, if the student repeats a course, Douglas College uses the highest grade in the calculation for total cumulative Grade Point Average.

Consult your on-line transcript at registrar.douglas.bc.ca to view your semester or overall GPA. At grade entry time GPA's may not be updated immediately.

6. How will Universities and Colleges calculate my GPA for entrance?

Students who intend to transfer to another educational institution must realize that this institution may re-compute the grade point average in accordance with its own policies. Some universities average all transferable courses including those that are repeated, while others will use the highest or most recent mark of a course that is repeated. Please make an appointment with an academic advisor for details.

You may use this GPA Calculator to determine your current GPA (requires Microsoft Excel)

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7. What is the current GPA entrance requirement for Universities and Colleges if I am taking courses at Douglas College?

Entrance GPA's vary between Universities and Colleges because there is usually fluctuation in the demand for admission. Generally, Universities and Colleges publish minimum GPA requirements in their calendars. However, demand fluctuation will cause the entrance GPA to rise above the minimum. If you call a university and ask about its entrance GPA for a future semester, they will say they cannot predict what the entrance GPA will be. Douglas College Academic Advisors have historical information about entrance GPA's. For details, please see an Academic Advisor in a Drop-in or contact the University or College.

Current Admission GPA's for 2010:
UBC
UVIC
UFV
SFU
SFU most recent:
Arts & Sosc: 2.5
Applied Science: 2.4
Busn: 3.5
Science: 2.25

9. What is considered an Arts course?

All of the following are considered Arts courses. There are three categories of Arts courses: English, Social Sciences and Humanities.

English:
Communications (courses must transfer as English)
Creative Writing
English
Print Futures (courses must transfer as English)

Social Sciences:
Anthropology
Criminology

All Geography courses except those considered a "lab science" (GEOG 1110, 1120, 2210, 2220, 2230, and 2321) are considered Arts courses.

Psychology
Social Science
Sociology
Interdisciplinary Studies
Womens studies

Humanities:
History
Modern Languages
Philosophy
Humanities
Performing Arts
Political Science
Music
Theatre
Stagecraft
Womens Studies

10. What is considered a Science course?

Courses in Biology, Chemistry, Computing Science (CSIS), Geography 1110, 1120, 2210, 2220, 2230, 2321, Geology, Math, Physics, Science, Sport Science (must transfer to Kinesiology at SFU (see http://www.bccat.bc.ca/).

11. What is considered a Statistics course?

Math 1160
Psychology 2300
Business 2429, 3431

12. What is a "lab science" course?

A laboratory science is one in which a substantial component of student instruction involves the study of natural phenomena, either in the laboratory or in the field. Each institution granting the Associate Degree will determine which of its courses satisfies this requirement.

Douglas College has determined that a lab science is one of the following courses:

ASTR 1105

BIOL 1103, 1105, 1109, 1110, 1203, 1205, 1209, 1210, 2300, 2302, 2304, 2320, 2321, 2322, 2421

CHEM 1104, 1108, 1110, 1210, 2303, 2310, 2321, 2410, 2420, 2421

GEOG 1110, 1120, 2210, 2220, 2230, 2321

GEOL 1120, 1121, 1130, 1150, 1200, 2201, 2300, 2320, 2410, 2420, 2421

PHYS 1104, 1107, 1110, 1207, 1210

SCIE 1106, 1107

These courses can also be used as sciences.

** Please note that some courses are restricted to certain programs or have prerequisites or are no longer offered. Please check the Douglas College Calendar for details.**

13. What is a first year course?

A first year course is defined as a course that has an assigned or unassigned transfer credit at the 100-level at SFU or UBC or UNBC or UVic. Students can check course transferability by going to the on-line transfer guide for British Columbia at www.bctransferguide.ca

14. What is a second year course?

A second year course is defined as a course that has an assigned or unassigned transfer credit at the 200-level or higher level at SFU or UBC or UNBC or UVic. Students can check course transferability by going to the on-line transfer guide for British Columbia.