Registration in first year can be stressful – but it doesn’t have to be. We have developed resources to provide you with all the information you’ll need to successfully register for your courses at Queen’s. Need support? We have a team of dedicated academic and peer advisors who are here to help you every step of the way.
Please note: SOLUS has recently been updated to provide a more user-friendly experience for students. Updated screenshots and tutorials reflecting these changes will be provided prior to the registration period.
Step 1: Review Recommended Courses by Plan
Most Arts and Science first-year students are admitted to a Degree Program that doesn’t yet have a Plan specified. While you indicated a major of interest in your application, you do not have to stick that that plan and are encouraged to explore all your interests. After first year, you will be required to select a Plan that will shape your Degree completion, and there are hundreds of potential options for you to aim for. We have compiled a list that allows you to choose what courses to take in first year so you can maximize your Plan selection options, and you’ll have confidence that you’ve got the courses you need for the Plans you’re considering.
If you are in a direct entry Program, you will hear from your Department or School on course enrolment for your Plan. Skip to step 2.
Pick the Right Courses For Your Plan
Step 2: Rounding out your schedule with Electives
If you still have room in your course load once you’ve chosen courses that leave all your preferred doors open for Plan options, review our Courses for First Year Students webpage in the Academic Calendar to determine what electives you want to fill your schedule with. However, it is important to know that any courses that will not be used to fill requirements for your major after first year, will be counted toward your elective credits.
Step 3: Course Enrolment
Load your courses onto your Shopping Cart on SOLUS and complete your enrolment during the registration period. For more information on how to enrol, review our FAQ dropdown below.
These program-specific sessions will walk you through the steps to register, how to build a timetable, how to choose and add classes in SOLUS. It will also provide some information on the academic cycle, what happens in first year and when (December exams, mid-year grades, final grades, Plan selection, other important dates), next steps, future years, and where to go for information and advice as a first-year student.
NOTE: Registration webinars for this year will be uploaded in July.
Not sure which Math, Physics, or Computing course to choose? We've developed a guide with descriptions of each course and who should take them, to help make your course selection as simple as possible.
Check out some example timetables for Arts, Science or Computing students:
Meet Jake. Jake wants to be a History Major.
Choosing Jake’s courses:
Jake loves history and has a goal of being a History Major. After reviewing our Recommended Course by Plan, Jake knows he needs to take first year History courses so that this Major option will be open to him. He also wants to keep the possibility of a Plan in English open – potentially an English Minor to complement the History Major.
Down the road, applying to the Faculty of Education to get his BEd after he graduates with his BAH is an option Jake wants to keep open. He has been told that introductory Psychology is a requirement tor applying to teacher’s college. Jake is also interested in sports and healthy living, and after speaking to a few people at SOAR about possible courses, he decides to take Health Studies. Finally, as his last choice, Jake decides to take Art History.
Here are Jake’s course choices:
Building Jake’s timetable:
Jake finds his courses in the Arts and Science course timetable and downloads our timetable template.
He checks for any courses that only have one option available for the course’s lecture section. Courses with only one lecture section should be set in the timetable first to minimize conflicts that can lead to backtracking and re-sorting the whole schedule.
Next, he adds in lecture section options for courses that have multiple lecture sections in different time slots, finding some that can be scheduled to work around his other courses.
Jake looks to see which courses also have tutorial sections and adds these to his timetable as well.
On SOLUS, he adds all his courses to his Shopping Cart, and clicks the "Validate" button to confirm that all course requirements and prerequisites have been met. Once his enrolment appointment arrives, he can complete his enrolment in the courses he has chosen.
Meet Lydia. Lydia wants to go to Med School.
Choosing Lydia’s courses:
Lydia is interested in medical school or pursuing research in the sciences. Her favourite subject in high school was Biology – because of this she is considering a major in Biology.
She looks at the Recommended Courses by Plan resource to see what courses will keep her on track with Biology Major Plan requirements and set herself up for placement in that Plan at the end of her first year.
Based on this, she knows she will take:
She notices that although a Physics course is not required for Biology, it would be a required if Lydia were to choose a Plan in Chemistry instead of Biology, so she decides to take PHYS 115/3.0 in the Fall and PHYS 116/3.0 in the Winter to keep these options open.
For her final 6.0 units, Lydia refers to the Courses for First Year Students webpage and decides to take PSYC 100/6.0 as her elective. She sees that this also keeps the door open for a Psychology Major, and she’s glad that she has a good variety of Plan options with her course choices.
Building Lydia’s timetable:
Lydia knows that she will need to choose lectures, labs, and tutorials that all fit together, and that are located closely enough on campus that she can get from class to class in good time.
Lydia is worried about back-to-back classes and labs, and she isn’t sure if this is a scheduling conflict. But as she reads through the FAQ section for first-year students, she learns that all classes end with 10 minutes allotted before the next class starts, so a lecture from 1:30-2:30 will end at 2:20, in time for her to get to a 2:30 lab.
Lydia uses the Science Planner to help her determine which sections for lectures, labs, and tutorials will work well together with her course choices, and she adds everything to her Shopping Cart on SOLUS. She clicks the "Validate" button to confirm that all course requirements and prerequisites have been met.
Once her Enrolment Appointment arrives, she can complete her enrolment in her classes, and she feels confident in her course choices.
Meet Sam. Sam has computing experience.
Choosing Sam’s courses:
Sam is interested in software development and artificial intelligence. He has taken computing courses in high school and do have previous experience coding. After looking at the Recommended Courses by Plan, he sees the Degree Plans for Computing. Sam is relieved to see that he doesn’t have to decide right now which of those two streams within Computing he wishes to end up in. He sees that these courses are key first-year Computing Plan requirements:
Sam refers to the Courses For First-Year Students webpage, reads through some course descriptions, and decides to take these additional courses to keep other Plan options open and to serve as electives:
Since Sam has previous computing/coding experience, he doesn’t need to take the beginning-level course, CISC 101/3.0.
Meet Parshati. Parshati has no computing experience.
Choosing Parshati’s courses:
Sam’s friend Parshati is going into her first year of Computing as well, but she has not taken a computing course in high school, so she is taking CISC 101/3.0 in the Fall and then CISC 121/3.0 in the Winter. She’s planning to take CISC 124/3.0 in the Summer term after her first year, so that she’ll be fully caught up with the Computing Plan requirements when second year begins.
Parshati is interested in keeping options open for other Plans in Arts and Science in case she decides that Computing is not for her. She is interested in Political Studies, as well as Film and Media Studies, so she decides to take these courses in first year:
Building Sam and Parshati’s timetables:
Sam and Parshati find their courses in the Arts and Science course timetable and grab a sheet of paper to draft their weekly timetable.
They check for any courses that only have one option available for the course’s lecture section. (Courses with only one lecture section should be set in the timetable first to minimize conflicts that can lead to backtracking and re-sorting the whole schedule.)
Next, they pencil in lecture section options for courses that have multiple lecture sections in different time slots, finding some that can be scheduled to work around other courses.
Parshati and Sam look to see which courses also have tutorial or laboratory sections and add these to their timetables as well.
On SOLUS, they add all their courses to their Shopping Carts, and click the "Validate" button to confirm that all course requirements and prerequisites have been met. Once their enrolment appointments arrive, they can complete their enrolment in the courses they’ve chosen.
During registration, every resource we have in the Faculty Office is dedicated to providing you with the support you’ll need to ensure successful registration.
Here are all the ways to get in touch with us during registration, to assist you with the process:
The SOLUS Student Centre is designed to provide you with the tools to manage all of your academic, financial, contact, and admission details during - and after - your academic career at Queen's.
Important: SOLUS has recently been updated to provide a more user-friendly experience for students. Updated screenshots and tutorials reflecting these changes will be provided prior to registration.
What is a Program?
You have been admitted to the Faculty of Arts and Science to one of the following Degree Programs:
Bachelor of Science (Honours) - BSCH
Bachelor of Arts (Honours) - BAH
Bachelor of Science (Honours) Specialization in Kinesiology – BSCH KINE
Bachelor of Science (Honours) Major in Life Science – BSCH LISC
Bachelor of Music (Honours) - BMUS
Bachelor of Computing (Honours) - BCMPH
Bachelor of Fine Art (Honours) - BFAH
What is a Term?
There are three terms: Fall (September-December), Winter (January-April), Summer (May-August). Summer is an optional term.
What is a Unit?
Each course has a unit weighting. Most Arts and Science courses are either 3.0 units (single-term) or 6.0 units (Fall and Winter terms).
How many units do I take if I’m a full-time student?
A full-time student normally takes five courses in the Fall term and Winter term, to a total of 30.0 units per year but there is no requirement to take 30 units. Students in the Bachelor of Music and Concurrent Education programs usually take more than 30.0 units per year to fit their additional requirements in.
What is a Plan?
A Plan is the main academic concentration(s) in your Degree Program. A Plan can be a major, major/minor combination, joint honours (similar to a “double major”), or specialization. Most students will request their Plan as soon as their first year is finished.
Choose your course choices for first year to keep multiple options open for Plan Selection, as many students find that over the course of their first year, they change their ideas about what they’d like to study.
What are Electives?
Electives are the free-choice courses in your Degree Program, and are courses that do not form part of your Plan. The number of electives you need for your Degree depends on the Plan you choose.
I have been admitted to Arts and want to take Science courses (or vice versa); can I do this?
Yes! One of the great advantages of being in a Faculty of Arts and Science is that students may choose from a wide variety of courses. Course options in Arts and Science range from humanities to social sciences, from languages to physical and natural sciences, and even interdisciplinary courses that cross over the “traditional” academic categories. The majority of courses offered by Arts and Science are open to any student in the Faculty, as long as the student has any academic prerequisite required by the course.
However, the Faculty also must ensure that all students have priority access to the courses that they need for their Degree or Plan. For this reason, we reserve seats in some classes during the first part of registration. BAH/BFAH/BMUS students receive priority access to Arts courses, and BSCH/BCMPH students receive priority access to Science and Computing courses. Beginning at 12:00 pm (noon) EST on July 22, reserves on first year courses will be removed.
I’m planning on taking lots of Science courses – are there specific sections of each course I need to take?
Yes, it is very important for students to who are taking 3-4 of BIOL 102/103, PHYS 115/116, CHEM 112, MATH 121 to take morning lectures at Duncan MacArthur Hall and labs in the afternoons on main campus. This will ensure that there are no timing conflicts to get from one area of campus to another between classes, as well that you are in the correct math course for science students.
Who do I talk to about transfer credits? Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), A-Level, Cambridge Pre-U or French Baccalaureate credits?
If the course was taken before you became a Queen's student, you may apply for the transfer credit on SOLUS. This includes AP, IB, A-Level, Cambridge Pre-U, French Baccalaureate courses completed in high school.
I want to get into a class but it is full – What can I do?
We know how disappointing it can be when this happens, but here are a couple of suggestions. If the class is full, you can opt to go on the wait list. If the class you want doesn’t have a wait list, or the wait list is full, keep trying. Students make lots of class changes throughout the registration period, and it could happen that someone drops the class you want to add. Keep checking for openings - perseverance pays off!
It’s wise to prepare some backup course choices, especially for elective courses. Review the courses available to first-year students, browse the department websites, or look through the Academic Calendar to see all courses offered by Queen’s.
What about if my classes are scheduled back to back?
Classes end 10 minutes earlier than they are scheduled so you will have time to make it to your next class. Be aware though that some first year classes are held at Duncan McArthur Hall. This building is about a 15 minute walk to main campus so do not schedule a class that is in Duncan McArthur back to back with one in another building.
What can I study?
It's really up to you! As a first-year student you are not yet in a specific Plan or major (unless you were admitted to a Direct Entry program) so this year is all about exploring different areas of study to find out what your true interests are. You are encouraged to take a variety of courses from different disciplines and to explore the range of subjects available to you.
How do I know I picked the right courses?
Before picking your first-year courses for Fall term and Winter term, it’s a good idea to review your list and ask yourself these questions below. If you have chosen courses that lead to many possible Plans, and you have the required courses you need to be on track for second year then you have indeed picked the right courses.
Have I left myself many options for choosing a Major/Plan at the end of first year?
It’s important to choose courses that could lead to a potential Plan in that subject – that way at the end of first year you will have lots to choose from. Make sure you read through our Recommended Courses by Plan and take the courses that are labelled [GATEWAY] – those highlighted courses are the ones required to request a Major/Minor/Joint Honours/Specialization in that concentration. Even if you have a firm idea of what you would like to major in now, many students change their minds at the end of first year so it’s always wise to have a solid back-up plan in place.
Have I added too many elective courses?
The courses listed as “Elective Courses” on the Courses for First Year Students webpage are all great and we do want you to take them, but remember you have plenty of time! These courses do not provide a pathway for a future Plan in that subject so it’s best to keep the number of elective courses you take in first year to a minimum.
