Conditions for obtaining your degree

To get a bachelor’s degree (90 or 120 units), you must maintain a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of at least 4.00 and complete the total number of units required in your program.

Academic Regulation B-8.1.

To receive an honours bachelor’s degree, you must maintain a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of at least 5.00 and complete the total number of units required in your program.

Academic Regulation B-8.2.

To receive a certificate, your cumulative grade point average (CGPA) must be at least 3.50.

Students who receive a certificate are presented at Convocation.

Certificate holders who wish to enrol in a degree program may receive advanced standing towards the degree, subject to Senate and Faculty regulations.

Academic Regulation B-8.4.

To earn an undergraduate Doctor of Pharmacy degree, you must have a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of at least 5.0, in addition to completing the total number of units required in this program and achieving the expected level of cross-curricular competencies.

Academic Regulation B-8.3.

If you hold a first bachelor’s of any kind, you can receive a second bachelor’s if you meet the requirements for it, which includes completing at least 30 units beyond the normal requirements of your first degree. For more information, contact your Faculty’s Undergraduate Studies Office.

Academic Regulation B-8.5.

It’s possible. To receive a certificate, you must complete at least 50% of the units required for the certificate, in addition to the requirements for your bachelor’s degree.

If you hold one certificate, you can receive a second one, or a bachelor’s degree, as long as

• you meet the requirements for the second diploma
• you complete at least 50% of the units required for the second diploma beyond the requirements for your first program
• you completed at least 50% of the additional units that you took as part of the second program at the University of Ottawa.

Academic Regulation B-8.5.

If you have completed the Indigenous Teacher Education Certificate Program (ITEP) and submit proof of an undergraduate degree, including 15 full courses or the equivalent, within ten years of receiving your certificate, you will also receive a Bachelor of Education degree.

If you have completed the Certificate in Education, Technological Education Program, and submit proof of an undergraduate degree, including 15 full courses or the equivalent, within eight years of receiving your certificate, you will also receive a Bachelor of Education degree.

Academic Regulation B-8.3.

The number of units a student must complete at the University of Ottawa is determined by the Faculty concerned, taking into account the advanced standing granted.

For bachelor's programs involving the equivalent of three or four years of full-time study, including the Honours Bachelor in Translation (2 years) and the Bachelor of Science in Nursing for Registered Nurses, Faculties must require that at least 50 percent of the units be completed at the University regardless of specific requirements, except in the case of formal Senate-approved agreements between the University of Ottawa and other institutions.

For programs involving the equivalent of one or two years of full-time study (B.Ed. and certificates), Faculties must also require that 50 percent of the bachelor’s or certificate program be completed at the University of Ottawa.

Academic Regulation B-8.6.

For bachelor’s programs, if you haven’t received your degree after eight years of studies, your Faculty can require you to take additional courses to meet your program requirements.

For undergraduate programs in the Faculty of Law (Common Law and Civil Law), you must complete your studies within six years of when you first enrol.

In some programs, these requirements may be subject to rules governing professional accreditation.

For the MD Program or the PharmD Program, you must meet all degree requirements within seven years of when you first enrol. A student who fails to complete all degree requirements within the prescribed timeframe will be withdrawn from the program. A student who wishes to re-enter the program will be required to reapply for admission and will be subject to the requirements in effect at the time of application.

For students in the Faculty of Education, the conditions are the following:

• Formation à l’enseignement program and Teacher Education Program: for full-time students, the maximum duration of studies is four years from the initial enrolment date.
  • For the Indigenous Teacher Education Program, the maximum duration is six years.
• Part-time programs offered in French (B.Éd en mode alternatif and Éducation technologique): the maximum duration is six (6) years from the initial enrolment date.
• Formation à l’enseignement (B.Éd) program blended with a program from another Faculty: when students have not obtained a degree after eight (8) years of study, the Faculties in question may require them to take additional courses in order to fulfill their program requirements.

Academic Regulation B-8.7.

If you are about to graduate (i.e. you expect to soon complete all your degree requirements), you must register in order to receive your degree, whether or not you are attending your Convocation ceremony.

All final grades needed to complete the degree requirements must be received by the faculty before:

• September 15 if you aim to graduate after completing your degree requirements in the spring-summer term.
• May 15 if you aim to graduate after completing your degree requirements in the fall or winter term.

You are responsible for ensuring that you meet all your degree requirements. Once you’ve registered, your Faculty will analyze your file in greater depth to confirm that you meet your program requirements. Once you’ve successfully completed them, your name is submitted to the Senate to be confirmed for graduation.

If for some reason your degree is not granted at this time, you must resubmit the form to register for the next Convocation.

Registration to graduate happens online. There are several registration periods every year and they may vary depending on your faculty. You can see the current dates on the Students about to graduate page.

If you are expected to graduate, an email will be sent to your @uOttawa.ca address when online registration opens.

Academic Regulation B-8.8.

See also Obtain your degree.

If you are enrolled in a graduate diploma program, the normal length of full-time enrolment is one to three terms. However, you have up to three years following the date of initial enrolment in the diploma program to complete all requirements, unless otherwise specified in the regulations for your program.

If you’re enrolled in a master’s program, the normal length of full-time enrolment is two to six terms. However, you have up to four years following the date of initial enrolment in the program to complete all requirements, unless specified in the regulations for your program.

If you are enrolled in a PhD program, the normal length of full-time enrolment is four to five years. However, you have up to six years following the date of initial enrolment in the program to complete your doctoral degree requirements and submit your thesis for defence, unless specified in the regulations for your program.

If you were enrolled in a master’s program and transferred to a doctoral program, you must complete all your doctoral degree requirements and submit your thesis for defence within seven years of your initial enrolment in the master’s program, unless otherwise specified in the regulations for your program.

Academic Regulation C-6.

If you are about to graduate (i.e. you expect to soon complete all your degree requirements), you must register in order to receive your degree, whether or not you are attending your Convocation ceremony.

All final grades needed to complete the degree requirements must be received by the faculty before:

• September 15 if you aim to graduate after completing your degree requirements in the spring-summer term.
• May 15 if you aim to graduate after completing your degree requirements in the fall or winter term.

You are responsible for ensuring that you meet all your degree requirements. Once you’ve registered, your Faculty will analyze your file in greater depth to confirm that you meet your program requirements. Once you’ve successfully completed them, your name is submitted to the Senate to be confirmed for graduation.

If for some reason your degree is not granted at this time, you must resubmit the form to register for the next Convocation.

Registration to graduate happens online. There are several registration periods every year. You can see the current dates on the Students about to graduate page.

If you are expected to graduate, an email will be sent to your @uOttawa.ca address when online registration opens.

Note: If you’re a master’s or PhD student enrolled in a program with thesis, you must, when registering to graduate, meet the deadline for submitting the final version of your thesis to uO Research, in order to be included in the convocation ceremony. This is required irrespective of whether you intend to attend the ceremony. Please make sure you are also aware of the rules concerning theses: Academic Regulation C-7 – Thesis.

Academic Regulation C-9.

See also Obtain your degree.