Frequently Asked Questions
Note: All information should be checked with the calendar or an Advisor before being taken as official.
1 .General Questions:
- What if I fail a course?
- What is a credit?
- I don't know how to build a timetable. Can anyone help me?
- What is an elective?
- Can I take High School courses at Camosun?
- Can I take courses other than 100–level in my first year?
- I'm in second year. Do I need to take only 200 level courses this year?
- Does Camosun offer distributed education / correspondence courses?
- Do you have night school here?
2. Questions about Credentials:
3. Questions about Transfer Credit:
- How do I know the courses I choose will transfer?
- What courses do I take to transfer to other Post Secondary institutions outside of B.C.?
- I've been accepted at Camosun but haven't received my transfer credit yet. How do I know which courses to register in?
- I am taking University Transfer or Associate Degree courses. How many transfer credits can I count towards my Associate/ Bachelor's degree?
- What is "level/unassigned" transfer credit?
- I took courses elsewhere some years ago. Can I still use my transfer credit?
- Can I get credit for work done elsewhere?
1. General Questions
Q. What if I fail a course?
A. You will need to see your Program Chair OR book and appointment with an advisor.
Q. What is a credit?
A. A credit is the numerical value assigned to a course based on the number of contact hours per week.
Q. I don't know how to build a timetable. Can anyone help me?
A. Building a timetable might sound and look confusing, but it's not that hard to accomplish by yourself.
- Timetables and Registration Instructions available on Camlink to help guide you through your timetable creation.
- Academic Advising also has Timetable Construction Tips available for students.
Q. What is an elective?
A. An elective is one or more courses from a specified list of courses that students may be required to take to fulfill program graduation requirements. Courses that carry University transfer credit are identified through www.bccat.bc.ca.
Q. Can I take High School courses at Camosun?
A. Yes, a listing of the Secondary School Equivalents is in the Course Description Section of the college calendar.
Q. Can I take courses other than 100–level in my first year?
A. Generally speaking, if you have the prerequisites (read the course description to find this information,) then you may register for the course.
Q. I'm in second year. Do I need to take only 200 level courses this year?
A. In any given year you can usually take courses at different levels depending upon the program you are taking.
Q. Does Camosun offer distributed education / correspondence courses?
A. Yes, we offer a variety of courses on line or through Village 900 radio. A listing of these courses appears in the Distributed Education section of the College Calendar or in the timetable booklet. To find out about other post secondary distributed education courses you may wish to visit: www.bccourses.com or www.bccampus.ca.
Q. Do you have night school here?
A. We offer some night sections of the credit courses check the current timetable.
2. Questions about Credentials
Q. What is a credential?
A. credential is a term used to describe the piece of paper students can receive after successfully finishing a specific program of courses. At Camosun College a credential can be a certificate, diploma or Associate Degree. If studying full time, students can usually complete a certificate program in one year, while a diploma or Associate Degree generally takes two to three years depending on co–op work terms, practicums and the number of courses taken each semester.
Q. What is a Bachelor’s Degree?
A. In B.C., students complete approximately 40 courses for an undergraduate or Bachelor’s degree at a university. 10 to 20 courses may be completed at another college or university prior to transferring to the University you wish to attend to complete your degree. Note that universities usually require that a student has completed a minimum of 50% of the course work (20 university level courses in Camosun College terms) at their institution. For a bachelor’s degree a student must complete specific courses in a given subject. This is described as the student’s major. For example a student can major in Biology or Psychology; there will be different course requirements for each area.
Q. What is a Graduate Degree?
A. In B.C., full–time students can complete another degree beyond the Bachelor’s degree. This is a graduate or Master’s Degree. Students who have majored in a subject during their undergraduate degree and have a high grade point average may go onto a Master’s program. This generally takes another two to five years. After a master’s degree, students may choose to continue their studies to obtain a Doctoral or post–graduate degree, also know as a PhD, doctor of philosophy. This is a further three to seven years.
3. Questions about Transfer Credit
Q. How do I know the courses I choose will transfer?
A. Transferring Courses in BC — Use the BC Transfer Guide to ensure that your chosen courses will transfer! When using the guide it’s important to check the academic year the courses were taken. Check out www.bccat.bc.ca
Q. What courses do I take to transfer to other Post Secondary institutions outside of B.C.?
A. Transferring Out of Province or Country — can be difficult because there are no transfer guides to assess credit for course work. Students will need to provide detailed course outlines to the institution they are planning to attend. Students are advised to retain a copy of the course outlines given out at the beginning of each course by the instructor.
Q. I've been accepted at Camosun but haven't received my transfer credit yet. How do I know which courses to register in?
A. This is a difficult situation. It is a good idea to start the process well before your registration date. If you have attended a B.C. College, you should look up your unofficial transfer credit in the B.C. Transfer Guide (on–line: http://www.bccat.bc.ca). If you have attended an institution out of province, or a B.C. College, the bottom line is "don’t register in anything that looks too familiar!!"
Q. I am taking University Transfer or Associate Degree courses. How many transfer credits can I count towards my Associate/ Bachelor's degree?
A. Normally, University Transfer/Associate Degree students can transfer up to 60 credits or 20 courses to the University where they are completing their Bachelor degree.
Associate Degree students can transfer up to 45 credits or 15 courses to the institutions where they are completing their Associate Degree.
Q. What is "level/unassigned" transfer credit?
A. "Level/unassigned" transfer credit is given when a course taken at another institution is not exactly the same in content as a specific course given at Camosun. For example, if you took an introductory psychology course from another college, which covered some of the same topics as Camosun PSYC 215 but not all of them, you would likely be given PSYC 200–level transfer credit.
Q. I took courses elsewhere some years ago. Can I still use my transfer credit?
A. Yes. It's a good idea to check with the Department if your transfer credit is more than a few years old in case the courses are no longer relevant to the program. If you have not yet submitted an official transcript of your studies elsewhere, you must send it as soon as possible to the Registrar’s Office and pay the Transfer Credit Evaluation Fee.
Q Can I get credit for work done elsewhere?
A. You may wish to check out the Prior Learning Assesment (pdf) process to see if you are eligible.