Academic Resources

Certificate:
Program consisting of a minimum of 30 credit hours of undergraduate-level coursework, 30 credit hours of vocational-level coursework, or 30 credit hours of preparatory-level coursework.

Diploma:
Program consisting of a minimum of 60 credit hours of undergraduate-level coursework, 60 credit hours of vocational-level coursework, or 60 credit hours of preparatory-level coursework.

Associate Degree:
Program consisting of a minimum of 60 credit hours of undergraduate-level coursework that complies with the Provincially defined requirements for arts or science programs.

Baccalaureate Degree / Bachelor’s Degree:
Program consisting of a minimum of 120 credit hours of undergraduate-level coursework with a minimum of 45 credit hours from courses numbered 3000 or higher.

Baccalaureate Honours Degree:
Program consisting of a minimum of 120 credit hours of undergraduate-level coursework. In addition to meeting the requirements of a major, a baccalaureate honours degree requires the completion of a designated honours thesis or project.

This is an academic program designed for those who already have an undergraduate  degree or the equivalent. This is a focused addition to an undergraduate degree, to help enhance employment opportunities or prepare for graduate-level work. They are more advanced than a bachelor's degree and consist of a minimum of 30 credit hours of post-baccalaureate coursework.

The University’s official publication of academic programs, courses, and regulations. It includes all the academic programs at KPU, the requirements for admission, the curricular requirements for graduation, the dates of the academic terms, the fees, and University rules and regulations. It is published annually by the University Registrar and found online at: calendar.kpu.ca

The period from September 1 through the following August 31. The Academic Year begins with the Fall Semester from September through December, followed by the Spring Semester from January through April, and lastly the Summer Semester from May through August.

An elective is a course which is freely selected by a student to fulfill degree requirements. All degree programs include some required classes and some electives. Electives may or may not be transferable to the chosen institution.

A major is a primary area of specialization and a first level of differentiation in a baccalaureate degree. It requires the completion of a minimum of 45 credit hours from courses numbered 3000 or higher, including a minimum of 24 credit hours in a specific academic discipline or defined cross-disciplinary area. A double-major consists of the completion of the requirements of each of two specific majors within a single baccalaureate degree.

A minor is a secondary area of specialization outside of the major in a baccalaureate degree. It requires the completion of a minimum of 24 credit hours, including a minimum of 12 credit hours from courses numbered 3000 or higher in a specific academic discipline or defined cross-disciplinary area. A double-minor consists of the completion of the requirements of each of two specific minors within a single baccalaureate degree.

A pre-requisite is a course that must be successfully completed previous to registering in a given course. For example, a student must successfully complete ENGL 1100 before registering in ENGL 2300. A prerequisite course must be completed with a minimum grade of C unless otherwise stated. Pre-requisite requirements can be found in the Course Description section of the University Calendar.

A co-requisite is a course that must be taken at the same time, or previous to, a currently registered course (If taken previously, a minimum final grade of C is required to fulfill a co-requisite.)

In some cases, you may be able to substitute a course required for your program for another course with the same learning outcomes. We recommend that you consult with an advisor prior to submitting the course Substitution Request form.

A specific numerical value assigned to a course, generally corresponding to either the number of contact hours per week throughout the semester or to some other metric of student engagement. Most courses at KPU are 3 credits. Credit values for courses are used in the calculation of GPA and fees, as well as in the evaluation of credits required for a credential. 

Lower division courses are often referred to as the 1st and 2nd year requirements and the course numbers are usually 1100 and 2000.  Whereas, the upper division courses are referred to as the 3rd and 4th year requirements and the course numbers are usually 3000 and 4000. 

KPU students must maintain an Institutional CGPA of at least 2.0 (C average) in order to stay in Good Academic Standing. Students who fall below 2.0 CGPA may be placed on Academic Warning and then Academic Probation before being “Required to Withdraw”.
Academic Standing will also impact the assignment of a student's registration date and time. For further details, please refer to the Priority and Scheduling of Registration Procedure Policies.

A weighted average calculated by multiplying the grade points for a course by the number of semester credit hours assigned to that course, adding those values for a set of courses, and dividing the result by the total number of semester credit hours for those courses. Separate GPA calculations are made for each academic level.

• Institutional Cumulative Grade Point Average (Institutional CGPA) The GPA calculated for all courses taken at KPU.
• Program Grade Point Average (Program GPA) The GPA calculated for all courses applicable towards graduation with a specific credential.
• Term Grade Point Average (Term GPA) The GPA calculated for all courses taken at KPU in a specific term.
• Transfer Grade Point Average (Transfer GPA) The GPA calculated for all transfer and PLA courses.
• Overall Grade Point Average (Overall GPA) The GPA calculated for all courses.

The minimum passing grade for a course in which letter grades are assigned is a D grade. However, you will need a C or higher to be able to use the course as a prerequisite.

It is to formally remove oneself from a class via the online registration system. If this is done prior to the posted deadline, a 'W' will be shown on the transcript, and the course will not be used in the calculation of the grade point average (GPA).  For the withdrawal deadline, please see kpu.ca/registration/dates

You may repeat a course once and would need permission to register a third time. Please refer to the Request to Repeat a Course form for further instructions. We normally recommend students to submit this request form 2 weeks prior to your registration time so the request can be processed in time when it's your turn to register. The deadline to submit this request is the last Friday before classes start.

If the section of a course you wish to register is full and waitlisting is available, you will then be given the option to add the status of “Waitlist/waitlisted”. You can click here for detailed information.

Seat notifications are sent out as soon as a seat becomes available. They are sent out based on the priority of the students on the waitlist. Each student will be given 24 hours to register. If you do not respond, you will be removed from the waitlist and the seat will be given to the next student on the priority list. It is critical that you check your KPU email account on a consistent basis in order to ensure that you do not miss an email notification.

For more information, please visit this website.

At KPU, a student who is enrolled in nine (9) or more credit hours in a semester is considered to be a full-time student. Whereas, students registered in less than nine (9) credit hours in a semester are considered to be part-time. Please refer to our Enrolment Status section on how withdrawing from your courses or an ‘NA’ grade can impact your enrolment status.

The maximum course load is normally restricted to 17.5 credits per semester; however, a student's average course load is typically 3 – 5 courses per semester (9-15 credits). Some programs may require a specific course load.

A student has only one opportunity to transfer the same course to KPU. When a student has completed courses at multiple institutions and the courses articulate to the same KPU course, KPU will grant transfer credit only to the first course transferred.
For more information, please refer to Policy AC6.

This is a process used to grant credits towards a certificate, diploma, or degree in recognition of learning gained through previous work, training, or informal experience.

For more information, visit the Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition webpage.

KPU offers both English and Math tests to evaluate your skills and place you into appropriate upgrading courses. To view the type of tests offered, visit KPU’s Assessment & Testing Services webpage.

KPU’s Learning Centres are available in all four campuses. Students can find individualized learning assistance and assessments to help boost their academic performance. The Learning Centers help students with study skills and learning strategies. It also provides free one-on-one and small group tutoring in a range of subject areas. English language tutoring is the most popular subject area among international students.

There are over 100 peer tutors and academic coaches ready to assist students transitioning to university life. For more information, check out the Learning Centres website.

The Learning Centre provides a number of writing support services!

1. You can meet with a writing peer tutor. Writing tutors can help you understand your assignment instructions, generate ideas, create an essay outline, organize your paragraphs, and much more. Writing tutors can support you in writing assignments for any class you are taking. While writing tutors do not edit or proofread your work, they will give you strategies for improving your writing and conquering common mistakes. To book an appointment, go to tlc.kpu.ca (search for Writing as the subject).

2. You can also work with an online writing tutor! In online writing tutoring, you upload your assignment, and in about two days, you will receive feedback from a writing tutor that indicates the strength of your writing, and 2-3 key areas to guide you in improving your draft. There are two online services available to KPU students:

• AskUp: go to tlc.kpu.ca and select Upload an Assignment for Review
• Submit a paper to Write Away. Visit writeaway.ca

3. Attend a writing-focused Academic Skills Workshop. In these workshops, you will work with a Learning Strategist and a small group of students to address common writing concerns. Topics include:

• University Essays: First Steps
• Quote, Paraphrase, and Summarize
• Self-Editing Strategies

Visit Learning Centers Workshops.ca for a current workshop schedule.

4. Attend a First-Year English Writing Lab. The Writing Lab sessions are for students currently registered in first year English courses, and are organized by the English department every semester. For additional information, and to register for a session, visit here.

This is the graduation ceremony where students are awarded and conferred credentials by the Chancellor of the University.  For more info, please visit KPU’s Convocation webpage.

As per KPU’s Student Academic Integrity Policy (ST2), plagiarism means “presenting the ideas, words, images, and/or other materials or work of others as one’s own without giving proper credit to the original sources.”

Some examples of plagiarism include, but are not limited to:

• not citing the sources you used
• not identifying direct quotes properly
• paraphrasing or summarizing information from a source without acknowledgment
• patchwriting
• submitting a paper as your own that was done entirely or partially by someone else
• paying someone to write your paper

All KPU students are encouraged to complete the Academic Integrity & Plagiarism tutorial. Students may also refer to KPU’s Academic Integrity webpage to learn more about what constitutes academic integrity and how to avoid it. 

The consequences for plagiarism are outlined in KPU's Procedures for Dealing with Academic Integrity Violations.