Foundation Program (B.Eng.(Bioresource)) (30 credits)
Offered by: Bioresource Engineering (Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences)
Degree: Bachelor of Engineering (Bioresource)
Program credit weight: 30
Program Description
If you are entering university for the first time from a high school system (outside of the Quebec CEGEP system) you will be required to complete a Freshman/Foundation year of at least 30 credits as listed below.
Normally, students registered in the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Freshman/Foundation Year program may take a maximum of 8 credits outside the Faculty offerings to meet the requirements of the program. Permission to exceed this limit must be received from the Associate Dean (Student Affairs) prior to registration.
Note: If you are not certain that you have adequate math and/or physics skills to commence the freshman/foundation year you may wish to take preparatory courses prior to the normal Fall semester. You are encouraged to discuss your potential need with your academic adviser. Mathematical skill level will be determined during the first week of classes. Your Freshman/Foundation Year adviser may recommend that you register for an additional weekly Pre-calculus Lab, of one credit, which may be applied towards the required credits of the degree program.
For information on academic advising, see: http://www.mcgill.ca/macdonald/studentinfo/advising
Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.
Required Courses - Fall (14.5 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AEBI 120 | General Biology. | 3 |
General Biology. Terms offered: Fall 2025 An introduction to core themes in biological sciences, including cell structure and function, cell replication, gene expression, genetic inheritance, biodiversity, evolution, and ecological interactions. | ||
| AECH 110 | General Chemistry 1. | 4 |
General Chemistry 1. Terms offered: Fall 2025 The course will be a study of the fundamental principles of atomic structure, valence theory and the periodic table. | ||
| AEMA 101 | Calculus 1 with Precalculus. | 4 |
Calculus 1 with Precalculus. Terms offered: Fall 2025 A review of precalculus: functions, graphs,polynomials and rational functions, exponentialand logarithmic functions, and trigonometry.Limits, continuity, and derivatives. Differentiationof elementary functions. Anti-differentiation. Applications. | ||
| AEPH 113 | Physics 1. | 4 |
Physics 1. Terms offered: Fall 2025 Kinematics in one and two dimensions. Newton's laws of motion. Circular motion and orbits. Rotation of a rigid body. Momentum. Work and energy, power. Conservation principles. Simple harmonic motion. Waves and sound. Includes calculus-based applications. | ||
| BREE 187 | Freshman Seminar 1. | 0.5 |
Freshman Seminar 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Members of the Faculty and/or Student Services will present seminars on resources available to help students develop the requisite skills to facilitate their transition into university life. | ||
Required Courses - Winter (15.5 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AECH 111 | General Chemistry 2. | 4 |
General Chemistry 2. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Thermodynamics, kinetics, equilibrium, aqueous solution chemistry including applications to acids, bases and buffers and selected topics in organic chemistry. | ||
| AEMA 102 | Calculus 2. | 4 |
Calculus 2. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Integration, the indefinite and definite integral. Trapezoidal and Simpson's Rule approximations for the integral. Applications to areas between curves, distance, volume, length of a curve, work, area of a surface of revolution, average values, moments, etc. Improper integrals and infinite series. | ||
| AEPH 115 | Physics 2. | 4 |
Physics 2. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Electric forces, electric fields, electric potential. Current. Electric circuits. Magnetic fields and forces. Electromagnetic induction. Electromagnetic waves. Geometrical and physical optics. Includes calculus-based applications. | ||
| BREE 103 | Linear Algebra. | 3 |
Linear Algebra. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Systems of linear equations, matrices, inverses, determinants, geometric vectors in three dimensions, dot and cross product, lines and planes; introduction to vector spaces, linear (in)dependence, bases. lntroduction to computer-based mathematical tools. | ||
| BREE 188 | Freshman Seminar 2. | 0.5 |
Freshman Seminar 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Members of the Faculty present seminars on topical issues about their area of research. | ||