Course Information and Regulations

The University reserves the right to make changes without prior notice to the information contained in this publication, including the revision or cancellation of particular courses or programs. Students preparing to register are advised to consult the Minerva Class Schedule for the most up-to-date information on courses to be offered.

Not all courses listed are offered every year.

Course Numbering

Each McGill course is assigned a unique seven-character course code. For pre-2002 course numbers, please refer to the Student Records Transcript Key site.

The first four characters (subject code) refer to the unit offering the course or discipline of study covered by the course.

The three numbers following the subject code refer to the course number, with the first of these indicating the level of the course.

• Courses numbered at the 100, 200, 300, and 400 levels are intended for undergraduate students. In most programs, courses at the 300 and 400 levels are normally taken in your last two years.
• Courses at the 500 level are intended for qualified senior undergraduate students but are also open to graduate students.
• Courses at the 600 and 700 levels are intended for graduate students only.

Two additional characters (D1, D2, N1, N2, J1, J2, J3) at the end of the seven-character course number identify multi-term courses.

Multi-Term Courses

Most courses at McGill are single-term (Fall or Winter or Summer) courses with final grades issued and any credits earned recorded at the end of that term. Single-term courses are identified by a seven-character course number.

A unit may, however, decide that the material to be presented cannot be covered in a single term, or that it is preferable that the work to be done is carried out over two or three terms. Under such circumstances, courses are identified by a two-character suffix.

In some cases, the same course may be offered in various ways: as a single term and/or in one or more multi-term versions. The course content and credit weight are equivalent in all modes; the only difference is the scheduling. You cannot obtain credit for more than one version of the same course.

Courses with numbers ending in D1 and D2 are taught in two consecutive terms. You must register for the same section of both the D1 and D2 components. When registering for a Fall term D1 course on Minerva, you will automatically be registered in the same section of the Winter term D2 portion. No credit will be given unless the same section of both components (D1 and D2) are successfully completed in consecutive terms.

Courses with numbers ending in N1 and N2 are taught in two non-consecutive terms (ex.: Winter and Fall). You must register for the same section of both the N1 and N2 components. No credit will be given unless the same section of both components (N1 and N2) are successfully completed within a twelve (12) month period.

Courses with numbers ending in J1, J2, and J3 are taught over three consecutive terms. You must register for the same section of all three components (J1, J2, J3). No credit will be given unless the same section of all three components are successfully completed in consecutive terms.

Important Conditions for Multi-Term Courses

1. You must be registered for each component of the multi-term course. You must ensure that you are registered in the same section number in each term of the multi-term course.
2. You must successfully complete each component in sequence as set out in the multi-term course. Credit is granted only at the end of the multi-term course; no partial credit is given, i.e., for completing only one component of a D1/D2 or N1/N2 course, or one to two components of a J1/J2/J3 course.

Course Terminology

Prerequisite: Course A is prerequisite to course B if a satisfactory pass in course A is required for enrollment in course B.

Corequisite: Course A is corequisite to course B if course A must be taken concurrently with (or may have been taken prior to) course B.

Credits: The credit weight of each course is indicated in parentheses beside the course title. For further information, refer to the Credit System page.

Course Nomenclature in Program Descriptions

Required Courses: Mandatory courses that must be completed to fulfil the requirements of a program (major, minor, etc. at the undergraduate level or specific courses at the graduate level), unless the student receives exemptions. Students have no choices among required courses.

Complementary Courses: Courses selected from a restricted list, a particular subject area, or a discipline. In some programs, students must include a number of these to meet program requirements. Complementary courses are not electives.

Elective Courses: Courses, in some cases, taken outside of a student’s program of study that do not count toward the fulfilment of specific program requirements. Some restrictions may apply, but students have the most choice in selecting elective courses. Some faculties also permit students to take elective courses using the Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) Option. Undergraduate students should consult their Faculty regulations concerning electives; graduate students require the approval of their Program Director and Enrolment Services.

Auditing of Courses

McGill does not permit auditing of courses.

Course Load

It is your responsibility to follow the Faculty regulations listed below. When registering in Minerva, you must not exceed the maximum credits permitted by your faculty. For information on course load requirements for entrance scholarship renewal and in-course awards, see Entrance Awards for McGill Students.

The normal course load in most undergraduate faculties is 15 credits per term. If you carry fewer than 12 credits per term, you are considered to be a part-time student in that term.

Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

• The normal course load is 15 to 18 credits per term.
• Students in Probationary Standing may take up to 14 credits.

Faculties of Arts and Science (including B.A. & Sc.)

• Newly admitted students may take up to 17 credits per term.
• Continuing students in Satisfactory Standing may take up to 17 credits per term.
• Continuing students whose CGPA is above 3.50 may take more than 17 credits per term. Requests to exceed 17 credits per term are made to Enrolment Services via Minerva; it is important that you also see a faculty advisor in Dawson Hall to talk about your options, and the effects that your request may have on your studies.
• Students in Probationary Standing may take up to 14 credits.

Faculty of Education

• Newly admitted students may take up to 17 credits per term.
• Continuing students in Satisfactory Standing may take up to 17 credits per term.
• Students in Probationary Standing may take up to 12 credits.

Faculty of Engineering

• The normal course load is 15 to 18 credits per term.
• If you want to register for more than 18 credits in a term, you must obtain permission from your departmental/school advisor.
• If you have deferred exams (grade of L on your unofficial transcript), you cannot register for more than 18 credits or write more than six exams per term, whichever is greater.
• You must register for enough credits to satisfy visa, financial aid, and/or scholarship requirements.
• The average number of hours per week of course activities is indicated in the course listing in a note underneath the course description. For example, (3-1-5) indicates a course consisting of three lecture hours per week, one hour of tutorial or labs, and five hours of personal study per week.
• Students in Probationary Standing may take 13 credits maximum, including repeated courses

Faculty of Law

• The normal course load is 15 to 18 credits per term.
• Students in Probationary Standing may take up to 12 credits.

Desautels Faculty of Management

• Newly admitted students may take up to 17 credits per term.
• Continuing students in Satisfactory Standing may take up to 17 credits per term.
• Students in Probationary Standing may take 12 credits maximum of new material

Health Sciences 

• Nursing students in Probationary Standing may take up to 14 credits.
• For more information, you should refer to your Faculty/School section in this publication.

Note for Medicine: M.D.,C.M. students, please refer to the Undergraduate Medical Education site.

Schulich School of Music

• The normal course load is 15 to 18 credits per term.
• Continuing students in Satisfactory Standing who wish to register for more than 18 credits must obtain permission from the academic advisor or area coordinator.
• Students in Probationary Standing may take up to 14 credits.

Courses Taken under the Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) Option

The principle of the Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) option is to encourage you to take courses outside your area of specialization with the view of acquiring knowledge and skills in a variety of fields.

Where permitted by Faculty and program regulations, you may take one elective course per term to be graded under the Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) option, to a maximum of 10% of your credits taken at McGill to fulfil the degree requirements. You are responsible for selecting the S/U option appropriately, and that your selected course is eligible for the option per faculty and program regulations. For more information, refer to your Faculty note below.

If you decide to have an elective course graded as Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U), you must apply the option before the course change deadline in the Minerva Student Menu > Registration Menu > Quick Add or Drop Course Sections Menu.

Once the option is selected, and the course change deadline has passed, you may still remove the option up until the withdrawal (without refund) deadline.

When adding or removing the S/U option to a course, you are encouraged to return to the "course grade mode" drop down menu to ensure that the S/U option has been selected or removed appropriately. You are responsible for confirming that the S/U option has been correctly applied or removed.

The instructor will report grades in the normal fashion.

• Grades of A through C are converted to “Satisfactory” (S)
• Grades of D, F, and J are converted to “Unsatisfactory” (U)

The courses taken under the S/U option will be excluded from grade point average (GPA) calculations, but they will be included in your total attempted credits. Credits for courses with a final grade of S will be included in the number of credits earned.

For further information, contact your departmental advisor or Student Affairs Office, as appropriate.

Important Notes:

• Multi-term courses: You must select the S/U option by the course change deadline of the first part of the course. Once selected, you may remove the S/U option until the "withdrawal without refund" deadline for the course in question. For multi-term courses, the "withdrawal without refund" deadline normally coincides with the add/drop deadline of the term in which the second part of the course is held.
• Awards and Scholarships: To be considered for in-course awards, including Dean's Honour List designations, and/or the renewal of entrance scholarships, you must complete at least 27 graded credits in the regular academic session (unless otherwise stated by your faculty), not including courses completed under the S/U option.
• Visiting, Exchange, and IUT Students: The S/U option is not available via Minerva to Visiting, Exchange, or Quebec Inter-University Transfer Agreement (IUT) students. These students must first contact their home university to ensure that a course taken under the S/U option is acceptable to their home university and that the credits are transferable. After receiving approval from their home university and before McGill's course change deadline, they must then consult their McGill Faculty Student Affairs Office for approval.
• Special Students: Not eligible to select the S/U option.
• Foundation Year Students (U0):  Foundation Year students in Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Arts, B.A. & Sc., and Science are not eligible to select the S/U option.

Faculty-Specific Notes:

Engineering:

• B.Eng. students may use the S/U option for Complementary Studies courses (i.e., Group A Impact of Technology on Society and Group B Humanities and Social Sciences, Management Studies and Law), Natural Science Complementary Courses (for Computer Engineering students from CEGEP and all Software Engineering students), and Elective Courses (for Mechanical Engineering students from CEGEP). You cannot use the S/U option for courses in any other category of the Engineering programs. If you choose not to use the S/U option, a grade of D is acceptable as a pass for these Complementary Studies courses.
• B.Sc.(Arch.) students may use the S/U option for elective courses taken outside the School of Architecture. You cannot use the S/U option for courses in any other category of the Architecture program. If you choose not to use the S/U option, a grade of D is acceptable as a pass for these elective courses.
• You cannot use the S/U option for courses that are taken to satisfy a minor.

 Law:

• The S/U option is available for Law and non-Law electives and Law complementary courses within the BCL/JD program.
• The S/U option is limited to one course in the BCL/JD program for a maximum of 4 credits.
• Students are not permitted to choose the S/U option for required courses.
• The S/U option is not permitted for courses that are taken to satisfy a minor.

Management: The S/U option is not available in Minerva for Management students. Requests for the S/U option can only be made during the official add/drop period. Please contact the BCom Office for details on the conditions that apply.

M.D.,C.M. program: The M.D.,C.M. program functions on a pass/fail system. Your final grade for each course is recorded on your university transcript as S satisfactory (pass) or U unsatisfactory (fail). Refer to The Faculty of Medicine's Assessment System for further details.

Schulich School of Music: Music students may use the S/U option for elective courses taken outside the Schulich School of Music (non-music courses). Please note that the S/U option is not permitted for courses that are taken to satisfy a major or a minor.

Nursing: The S/U option is not available to B.N.I. and B.Sc.(N.) students for required courses.

Physical and Occupational Therapy: The S/U option is not available to Physical and Occupational Therapy students.

First-Year Seminars

First-Year Seminars (FYS) are limited-enrolment credit courses offered by the Faculties of Arts and Science to students in their first year of undergraduate study at McGill, i.e., newly admitted students in U0 or U1. Students in any Faculty can enroll in an FYS, subject to the conditions and/or restrictions of the program in which they are registered. Students may take only one FYS.

FYS classes are limited to a maximum of 25 students and are designed to provide closer interaction with the professor and better working relations with peers than are available in large introductory courses. The seminars endeavour to teach the latest academic developments and expose participants to advanced research methods. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis.

For a listing of First-Year Seminars, refer to First-Year Seminars (Faculty of Arts) and First-Year Seminars (Faculty of Science).