Planning Your Degree Pathway

SFU NOW offers courses through the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and the Faculty of Communication, Art, and Technology. With SFU NOW courses, you can complete your Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree or supplement another academic program. Since your needs and circumstances may be different from those of other SFU NOW students, here are some important things to remember:

6 Tips for Success as You Head Back to School

Choose the right courses

To earn a Bachelor of Arts degree, you must complete 120 credits. The specific courses you need to take will depend on which major and/or minor you are pursuing. If you decide to pursue an undergraduate honours degree, you must complete 132 credits.

Undergraduate courses range in level from 100 to 400. Lower-division courses are first- and second-year courses (levels 100 and 200). Upper-division courses are third- and fourth-year courses (levels 300 and 400).

For more information on what courses are required for your major, look at the SFU Calendar.

Complete all prerequisites and WQB requirements

Keep in mind that many SFU courses have prerequisites, or courses you must complete before enrolling. Lower-level courses are often prerequisites for higher-level courses. Some courses require you to complete a minimum number of credit hours first. Other offerings are restricted to specific groups of students, such as those who have already declared their major or minor in a particular discipline

As of September 2006, all students completing an undergraduate degree at SFU must take a minimum number of courses designated to meet writing (W), quantitative (Q) and breadth (B) requirements. You must achieve a grade of C- (GPA of 1.67) or better to meet SFU’s curriculum requirements.

Take advantage of priority registration in SFU NOW courses

SFU NOW students get priority enrolment in SFU NOW courses for the first three weeks of the enrolment period. If there are still seats available after this three-week period, enrolment will open to all SFU students, and SFU NOW students will no longer have priority.

Access other SFU courses

In addition to SFU NOW courses, you are eligible to enrol in any SFU course at any SFU campus, provided you meet the course and/or program prerequisites. If you have a flexible schedule, you may be able to attend some daytime classes. To study from home, you can enrol in a distance or online class through the Centre for Online and Distance Education, which offers about 100 courses each semester.

Transfer credits from other institutions

Adult students applying or reapplying to SFU often have completed credits at another university or college, including international institutions. These credits may or may not be transferable to SFU.

Transferability typically depends on whether there is a parallel or similar course offered through SFU. If a course is transferable, you can receive credit at SFU only if you have achieved a passing grade (D or 50 percent). Usually, we cannot give credit for something SFU doesn’t already offer. However, general transfer credit may be available for some programs.

Please note that transfer credit evaluation is part of SFU’s application and admission process. It is an efficient and accurate assessment of whether and how your previously completed coursework transfers to SFU.

Use the BC Transfer Guide to find out how the post-secondary courses you’ve taken in BC will transfer to SFU, or contact us with your transfer credit questions.

Once you are an SFU NOW student, we will assign you an undergraduate advisor to help you with transfer credit.