Engineering students at Victoria are frustrated they are being charged 20 percent extra for courses co-taught with other students.

The fee disparity exists in COMP/SWEN 301 Software Engineering Principles. Students enrolled in a Computer Science major are charged fees of $610.50, while Software and Network Engineering majors in the same class are charged $726.00.

Third-year Engineering student Jared Armstrong believes the extra surcharge is unfair.

“For all intents and purposes are the exact same course, but we’re charged 20 percent more than the people sitting next to us,” he said.

The Bachelor of Engineering degree at Victoria is a relatively new addition to the curriculum, taking four years as opposed to the three years required for a Bachelor of Science majoring in Computer Science.

Head of the School of Engineering and Computer Science, Professor John Hine, believed the added status of an engineering degree outweighs the extra cost to students.

“As the engineering papers are accredited, students gain more credibility in the national and international job market,” he said.

While students currently completing the course would not be eligible for a refund, co-taught courses have undergone review and will continue as separated disciplines from 2010, according to Hine.

Amendments to 100- and 200-level papers will take at least another year to filter though to 300- and 400-level.
A group of unsatisfied Engineering students have contacted the Tertiary Education Commission and are currently waiting on a response.