The WQB graduation requirements affect all students doing an undergraduate degree program who enter SFU in the fall of 2006 or after. Students doing certificates, post-baccalaureate diplomas, PDP without the Bachelor of Education degree, or graduate work are not affected by the WQB graduation requirements.

Listed below are descriptions of circumstances where undergraduate students may not need to fulfill all of the WQB graduation requirements.

Joint or Double Majors/Honors, Extended/Double Minors

Students completing joint or double majors and honours, two extended minors or a double minor will not be required to take double W, Q and B requirements. W, Q and B designated courses in either one or both disciplines of the majors or honors or double minor programs may be used to satisfy the writing, quantitative and breadth requirements. For example, a student taking a double major in English and Physics may count:

• B-Science designated Physics courses for B-Sci credit (unlike straight Physics majors, who cannot count Physics B-Sci courses towards their B graduation requirements)
• B-Humanities designated English courses for B-Hum credit (unlike straight English majors, who cannot count English B-Hum courses towards their B graduation requirements)
• W designated English for the lower and upper division W requirement
• Q designated Physics courses toward the Q requirement

Students in double minor programs should select an upper division W from one of the two discipline areas in which they are taking their double minors.

Second Degrees

Students admitted to second degrees are exempt from all of the Breadth requirements, the lower-division W course, and one Q course. The remaining W and Q courses must be a minimum of 3 credits each; the W course must be upper-division and within the major, while the Q course may be upper- or lower-division. Second degree students must meet the FAL and FAN prerequisites in order to enrol in W and Q courses. Second degree students who have met WQB requirements in a first degree at Simon Fraser University are still required to meet this UD W and Q requirement for the second degree.

Courses with Multiple WQB Designations

Students who take courses that have multiple designations (e.g. MATH 160-W, Q, B-Sci) will be able to "double" or "triple" count a single course for their WQB credits. Students will still only receive 3 credit hours for such a course, but all of the designations will be granted, provided the B is outside the student's major. Therefore, such students will be able to complete their WQB graduation requirements in fewer than the 36 required WQB credit hours. For example, a Biology major would be granted both W and B-Hum credit by taking ENGL 104, thereby completing two designations by taking only one course.

This rule does not apply to courses with multiple B-type designations. For example, if an English major takes ARCH 131 (B-Soc, B-Sci), the student must select which B-type credit they want applied to their graduation record. It is important that students stay aware of the types of B courses they take, and whether those course are inside or outside of their programs. No B course within a student's major will count toward their B credits.

Faculty or Program Exceptions or Exemptions

Some Faculties or programs have adjusted their breadth requirements to better harmonize with the B requirement (e.g. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences), or applied for specific breadth exemptions due to tight program demands (e.g. Engineering Science). Advisors should check with their respective departments or Faculties to determine if there are any breadth changes beyond the WQB graduation requirements.