As you are receiving two degrees, you must take core courses at both Wilfred Laurier University and the University of Waterloo as part of your program requirements. It may seem overwhelming by just looking at the degree requirements so we have summarized the information and included some tips below.
Some info previously on this webpage has moved to the BBA/BCS Program page, notably:
On this page
Course codes
In the Laurier university calendar, Business course codes are abbreviated to "BU", whereas in the Waterloo calendar the same course will be referred to as "BUS ___W". As an example, BU111 and BUS 111W are the same course denoted differently by each university. The same applies to Economics ("EC"/"ECON") courses.
For brevity, we will refer to the Laurier course codes when referring to any courses taken at Laurier. Math Business has a Business courses at Wilfred Laurier page with a handy table of all Laurier BUS courses, their pre-requisites/anti-requisites, and the terms that they are offered.
The BU courses at WLU may sometimes be referred as your "business core courses" or "BU core". On the other hand, the MATH/CS courses at UW may sometimes be referred to as your "MATH core" or "CS core".
WLU courses - Business Core
In your first six academic terms, you must take the below 15 courses in "blocks" during the specified terms.
| 1A (Fall) | 1B (Winter) | 2A (Fall) | 2B (Spring) | 3A (Fall) | 3B (Spring) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BU111 EC120 |
BU121 EC140 |
BU127 BU283 BU288 |
BU231 BU247 |
BU352 BU354 BU393 |
BU362 BU375 BU398 |
Only in special circumstances (e.g. an extended illness) can an alternative plan may be taken, but this must be approved by the WLU BBA Advisors.
There are additional required core courses that are not listed above, i.e. they do not have to be taken during a specific term. Below are suggestions for when to take them:
BU 481 / BU 491
- BU 481 is typically completed in 4A
- BU 491 is typically completed in 4B
BU 415 / BU 486 / CS 490
Note that BBA/BCS students cannot take BU 415 or BU 486 as BUS electives since these courses are considered anti-requisites with CS 490.
Students pursuing a CA (Accounting) certification with their BBA must take BU 456 instead of CS 490. If you are pursuing this option, please contact the WLU BBA Advisors.
EC 250 and/or EC 260 (for students who started before Sept 2023)
Laurier recommends you complete one or both courses before 3A, but this is not a requirement.
EC 250/EC 260 can be taken any time. Many students complete EC 250/260 as an online course while on co-op.
For students who started Sept 2023 or later: EC 250 and EC 260 are no longer required courses for the BBA/BCS program. However many BU electives in finance require one or both of EC 250/EC 260 as prerequisites.
UW courses: CS/MATH Core
Generally, the arrangement of your CS/MATH core courses is much more flexible than the BU core. As long as course prerequisites are met, and as you meet your academic progression requirements with WLU, then your UW courses can be taken in any term.
The only exception is that CO 250 and STAT 231 must be completed before the BUS 3A block as they are incorporated into the BBA academic progression requirements. If you fail to meet this requirement, you may be removed from the DD BBA/BCS program.
Currently, almost all of your core/required CS/MATH courses are offered every term. The exceptions are CS 490 and CS 492 courses, which must be taken in either Winter or Spring terms.
Many upper year courses depend on CS 341 or CS 350. Depending on which CS electives you want to take, you may wish to take CS 350 before CS 341 (or vice-versa). Most student try to take CS 350 first as this course opens up more upper year courses than CS341.
Furthermore, your CS electives (CS3XX and CS4XX) might not be offered every term. Generally CS courses are offered in the same terms year-to-year, but there is no guarantee of availability until the term before.
For a chart of CS prerequisites and the terms that courses are typically offered, please see our prerequisite chart for CS courses. See the examples below on when to take which courses.
Overloading a term / Taking a sixth course
A typically full course load is five courses (excluding labs such as CS136L), but students are allowed to take 6 courses in what is known as an "overloaded term". At either institution, the tuition of an overloaded term is equal to that of a full-time course.
Students may decide to overload courses in a term to save on tuition or to “catch up” on courses. However, students should only choose to overload courses with extreme caution as many individuals can become overwhelmed with the amount of work a sixth course may bring, which may lead to their overall education suffering.
As such, your eligibility to overload courses is based on your cumulative average (CAV).
If your CAV ≥ 80%, you are eligible to take a sixth course in your 1B term or later. Contact the BBA/BCS advisor for an override if you can't automatically add a sixth course on Quest.
If your CAV is ≥ 70% and < 80% (i.e. between 70 and 79.99%),
- you are eligible to take a sixth course in your 1B term with your CAV ≥ 70% in 1A
- Exceptions for overloaded terms in a 2A term or higher can be made up to two times per student. Overload exceptions aare granted at the discretion of the BBA/BCS Academic Advisors.
- A WD in an overloaded term will still count as one of these two exceptions.
- Students who fail a course in one term are ineligible to overload the subsequent term.
If your CAV < 70%, you are not eligible to take a 6th course, regardless of term.
Taking a course during co-op/work terms
Unless you are employed in the Waterloo region and your employer allows flexible hours so that you can attend lectures, only online courses are encouraged during co-op terms.
- WLU-based students can enroll into two courses per co-op term. Talk to the WLU Coop Advisors for more details.
- UW-based students can enroll in one course per co-op term. UW students may be allowed to take a second course during a co-op term with their employer’s consent. Talk to the UW Coop Math Advisors to request a “load increase” override during a co-op term for more details.
Online course availability
Most courses are offered in-person only, but some UW courses maybe offered online through the Center for Extended Learning (CEL).
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For CS courses, only CS115 and CS116 are available online in some terms; otherwise, none of the required CS courses have an online option.
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Many MATH courses are available online (e.g., MATH13x, STAT23x, CO250), but are subject to availability. You can check when Math courses are available online through CEL.
With the exception of EC250/EC260, none of the BUS core courses can be taken online. However, it may be possible to repeat a BUS course online to improve your grade. Talk to the WLU BBA Advisors for more details.
When to take courses
This section includes various examples to help you understand how to schedule your terms until the beginning of your 4th year.
Your WLU courses are fixed unless you have approval from the WLU BBA Advisors. They are marked as follows
- * courses that must be completed in first year
- † courses that must be completed in second year
- ‡ courses that must be completed in third year
- § must complete your STAT231 and CO250 before 3A BUS block. Starting in your fourth year, your remaining BU courses are more flexible, along with coop.
Checklists
The University calendars can be confusing to read, so we've made a handy checklist to help outline the requirements for your BBA/BCS program. You can use the checklists to determine which courses you still need before you can graduate.
To choose the correct checklist below, select the checklist based on the academic year you've started in the BBA/BCS program. e.g. if you started school between September 1, 2023 and August 31, 2024, then your academic year is 2023/2024.
Questions?
If you can't find the information that you're looking for, make sure to try our Double Degree FAQ and its Course Specific questions section.
If you have a more personal question or think that something is incorrectly stated, feel free to contact a BBA/BCS advisor for support.