Hi aska, I know lots of people are asking about the 12.0 distinct credits rule, but how would that apply to 1 major and 2 minors… None of my program credits overlap so I can assume I’m safe?

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hey there,

you are correct that this is a super common question, but it’s common because it’s one of the most confusing things at this school.

the 12 distinct credits rule does apply to 1 major and 2 minors, yes. since a minor is typically 4.0 credits and a major is typically around 7.0 credits, one major and two minors with no overlap should add up to around 15.0 distinct credits. since i don’t know what programs yours are, i can’t confirm this for you, but you can probably do the math yourself!

if in doubt, UTSC has put together a pretty solid 12 distinct credits worksheet that can be useful for more complicated program combinations with some degree of overlap. just throwin’ that out there in case you decide to change your program at some point, and need to figure things out again. you can also use it for your current program combo if you REALLY want to be sure.

but yeah, bottom line, i think you’re probably safe.

be Boundless,

aska

i’m thinking of double majoring, and some of the courses i can take for it are included as being able to count for both majors. (soc and wgs). if i take one of those courses that are in both lists, will it only count towards one of the majors, or both?

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hey there,

allow me to complicate your life and introduce you to the 12 distinct credits rule. it’s this weird lil u of t quirk designed to marginally ease the sufferin’ of students who are taking multiple related POSts.

to quote myself, because if my profs can do it so can i:

“a quick (but not foolproof!) way of calculating the number of credits that you can share between majors is to add together the number of credits that both majors require, and then subtract 12.0: the remainder is the number of credits which can be applied to both majors.”

so the answer to your question is that it depends. as long as you ensure you have 12.0 distinct credits, courses from both lists will count towards both degrees. in your case specifically, a wgs major requires 7.0 FCEs, as does a soc major. generally, what this means is that you can have 2.0 credits’ worth of overlap between the two– this equates to two full-year courses, four half-year courses, or a full-year course plus two half-year courses.

hope this helps!

be Boundless,

aska

does the 12 distinct credit rule apply to a minor program taken with 2 major programs?

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hey there,

it does not! as long as your 2 majors meet the 12 distinct credit requirement, any program you tack onto that (a third major? a minor?) can have whatever overlap you’d like. that is, within reason– i doubt you can tack a history minor on a history major.

hope this helped!

be Boundless,

aska

12 distinct credit: Does this rule apply to a Specialist and a Major? If yes then, does the first year courses count? Because if it does then I will have 6.5 overlapping credit. Applied Statistic Specialist and Actuarial Science Major if you need specifics.

Thank you.

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hey hey,

got a short but sweet answer for you– the 12 distinct credits rule seems to only apply to the double major/major and two minor combinations. seems like if you’re already completing a specialist, any program you tackle on top of that is allowed to have unlimited overlap. so i think you’re good, m’friend. 

over n out,

aska

I know that a double major should have 12 distinct credits, but is there any similar rule for combining a major and minor? For example, I’m currently doing a biochem major (& something else) and wanted to also add a biology minor. I’ve taken most of the courses in the biology minor for my biochem major already. Is this allowed?

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hey there,

well, one major and one minor is not one of the standard?combinations of subject POSts, so no, there is no similar rule for that particular combo. the basic rule of thumb is that the 12.0 distinct credits rule applies to either two majors, or a major and two minors.

which means that if the ‘something else’ you’re doing is another major, and then you’re adding a minor on top of two majors, you’ll be in the same situation as this person. in that case, the 12.0 distinct credits rule will apply to your two majors, but not to your minor. so no worries!

cheers,

aska

Hi Aska,

I am currently enrolled in a double major in? immunology and human biology: health and disease, and a minor in psychology. Does the 12 distinct credit rule still apply to a combination of a 2 majors and 1 minor? If so, is it calculated in the same way (make sure only 8 credits are able to count for?more than subject post)? Would a course be able to overlap for all 3 of the subject post? For example, BIO130 satisfies a requirement in both?majors and the minor. Would BIO130 count as 0.5 out of the 8 possible?overlapping courses?

Thanks for the help.

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hey there,

since you’re doing a kind of FUNKY combination of subject POSts that is out of the three standard ones required by the university (i.e. 1 specialist, 2 majors, or 1 major and 2 minors), the 12.0 distinct credits rule only kind of applies to you. and by that i mean: it applies to your two majors, but not to your minor.

as to how it’s calculated – that’s kinda confusing and tends to make students feel very panicky and worried, so i’ll try to break it down for you nice and simple.

if you’ve got two majors, what you need to do is make sure that you take 12.0 FCEs throughout your entire degree that only count for ONE MAJOR. all the rest can overlap. again: 12.0 of the credits you take have to count towards the requirements for one of your majors, but NOT?the other.

for example, if BIO130 counts towards BOTH your majors, then it is not a distinct credit, but an overlapping credit.

this is something that degree explorer tracks, by the way, so if you’re still feeling BEFUDDLED over all of this, feel free to log onto there and see how you’re doing. also, you can make an appointment with your registrar’s office to discuss this VERY THING, as part of an appointment called a ‘grad check.’

cheers,

aska

I’m planning on majoring in economics and minoring in math and statistics but that only comes up to 11.5 distinct courses… If I were to take an extra 300+ course in statistics or economics (which is not required) would it still count as a distinct course.

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hey there,

oh god, this rule again.

the 12.0 distinct rule states that you need to complete 12.0 FCE’s that are required in ONLY ONE of your subject POSts. if you take a course that does not satisfy any requirement for any of your POSts, then it is not a distinct credit. it’s just a random elective.

however, if that course can be used to satisfy either the requirements for a statistics OR economics minor – just one, not the other – or it is listed as an option for both POSts, then it DOES count as a distinct credit. even if it is designated “extra” (i’m not sure if that’s what you meant by “extra 300+” course, but just in case you did).

as always, since this is the most FINICKY and NEFARIOUS darned rule at this school, feel free to 1) track your progress on degree explorer 2) use that worksheet i linked to because it is actually very useful and 3) make an appointment with your college registrar in order to make sure that you’re? the requirements.

cheers,

aska

Does the 12.0 different fce have to be from outside the major or can I take extra credits from the major to have 12.0 different btw the programs as long as they don’t overlap?

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hey there,

that question is making my head spin and i’m not really sure what you’re asking, SO i’m just gonna explain the rule as clearly as i can.

if you’re still confused, just keep asking me until you get it. or go to your registrar’s office, ‘cuz eventually i’ll just get bored and go suntanning for the day.

if you are taking two majors, OR one major and two minors, then 12.0 credits out of the 20.0+ you take as part of your degree will have to be ‘distinct,’ i.e. count as a requirement for only one POSt. so if a credit is a requirement for one of your POSts, but none of your other ones, it’is a distinct credit. and how many of those do you need? that’s right. 12.0.

so the 12.0 are not “in the major” or “outside the major” or whatever. they’re just credits that are only requirements for a single subject POSt. the rest of the credits you take during your degree can overlap for one, two, or all of of POSts, or count for none at all. capice?

cool. now let’s split and go to the pool.

cheers,

aska

I am doing a major and 2 minors which means i can overlap 3 FCE’s, that can go towards my 12.0 different FCE courses. By the end of this year, I will have the 12.0 done counting the 3 FCE overlapping so does it matter if I overlap more courses among the programs to complete the 6 min 3/4 level?

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hey there,

the 12.0 distinct credits rule is one of the trickiest to follow at this university, but as long as you complete 12.0 FCEs during your degree that apply to only one subject POSt each, you’re safe. if you’re unsure about whether you’re meeting this requirement, Degree Explorer does a pretty good job of tracking it for you.

if you’re not averse to meeting with real human people to discuss this, i’d also recommend going to the registrar’s office to make sure everything is fine and dandy. they’re not that scary. promise.

cheers,

aska

whats the rule on courses that qualify for both your majors? do they count for both?

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hey there,

the rule is called the ‘12 distinct credits‘ rule. a quick (but not foolproof!) way of calculating the number of credits that you can share between majors is to add together the number of credits that both majors require, and then subtract 12.0: the remainder is the number of credits which can be applied to both majors.

however, it can be pretty tricky to keep track of this yourself, so feel free to check with your registrar’s office to make sure you’re following this rule properly. degree explorer also does a good job of monitoring it as well.

cheers,

aska