Science

About the Faculty of Science

For people who like to ask questions, science leads to answers. What makes Science at McGill special is the potent combination of internationally renowned professor-researchers and bright and accomplished students. McGill Science professors work closely with all levels of students, including undergraduates, to advance the frontiers of knowledge. We give you the opportunity to participate in your professors' work, not just learn about it.

Science at McGill addresses areas from cognitive science to galactic cosmology, and everything in between. Fifteen departments, large and small, offer programs leading to the Bachelor of Science degree. Working at redefining our understanding of the universe, they share a commitment to combining theory and practice, giving you plenty of opportunities for fieldwork, research-based projects, internships, and cross-disciplinary studies. We make sure you get the best education possible at the undergraduate level. In the field and in the lab, McGill students break new ground. We are eager to share this adventure of learning through discovery with you.

McGill's Faculty of Science

• McGill’s second-largest faculty: comprises nine schools and departments focused on teaching, research, and outreach, along with five affiliated departments, multi-department programs, and more than a dozen research centres and institutes.
• Students: more than 5,000 undergraduate and over 1,000 graduate students.
• Over 260 faculty members, including tenured and tenure-track professors.
• Includes ten Nobel laureates in its history: seven alumni and three who were faculty or staff. 
• Canadian leader in astrophysics and cosmology, climate change and extreme weather, green chemistry, life sciences (developmental biology), earth systems science, biodiversity and conservation, nanoscience, social neuroscience, sustainability science, and artificial intelligence.
• Offers students a variety of Field Study opportunities, which take students out of the traditional classroom environment and into a world of strong interdisciplinary, international, and research-based education. Students have opportunities to work with local and Indigenous communities, governmental agencies, and NGOs in a wide range of places, including East Africa, Barbados, and Panama.
• Offers the Fessenden Professorships and Prizes in Science Innovation, the first such endowed program in Canada, to encourage and support the commercialization of research in science conducted by world-class scholars.
• State-of-the-art facilities including the $120 million McGill Life Sciences Research Complex, consisting of the Francesco Bellini Building and Cancer Research Building, which are physically linked to the McIntyre Medical and Stewart Biology Buildings.
• Established Canada’s first comprehensive Earth System Science Program, to study and research new forms of energy and gain a better understanding of climate change and natural hazards.
• The Office of Science Education pioneers new approaches to educational development by working with students, staff, and faculty to increase the use of evidence-based pedagogy in the Faculty of Science.
• The Science Undergraduate Research Awards encourage top students to pursue research projects during their degree program.

Programs and Teaching in Science

The Faculty of Science is committed to providing outstanding teaching and research facilities. The Faculty draws on its involvement in cutting-edge research to ensure teaching excellence at the undergraduate level. Professors who spearhead projects that change people's understanding of the world teach regularly at the undergraduate level. Furthermore, research-based independent study courses offer you the opportunity to contribute to your professors' work, rather than just learn about it.

In an effort to supplement classroom learning with real life experience, the Faculty of Science has increased opportunities for undergraduate students to participate in fieldwork. All B.Sc. programs can include an internship component. This is on top of the many undergraduate students the Faculty hires for Work Study projects and other research programs. As a McGill Science student, you have an opportunity to get involved in the structuring of your own education.

The Faculty of Science offers programs leading to the degree of Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.). Admission is selective; fulfilment of the minimum requirements does not guarantee acceptance. Admission criteria are described in the Undergraduate Admissions Guide.

There are also two Diploma programs offered in Science. The Diploma in Environment, Environment (Dip.) (30 credits), is a 30-credit program available to holders of a B.Sc. or B.A. or equivalent. The Diploma in Meteorology is a one-year program available to holders of a degree in Mathematics, Engineering, Physics, and other appropriate disciplines who wish to qualify for a professional career in Meteorology; see Meteorology (Dip.) (30 credits). All credits for these diplomas must be completed at McGill.

Finally, the Faculties of Arts and Science jointly offer the Bachelor of Arts and Science (B.A. & Sc.) degree, which is described in the Bachelor of Arts & Science section of the Course Catalogue.

Academic Units

Explore the list below for the academic units offering programs and courses available to students in the Bachelor of Science degree.

For details on how to structure your degree, including how to combine programs and courses within different degree structures (such as Liberal, Major, Honours, or Joint Program), please refer to the Program Requirements page.

Note: not all units listed below are part of or administered by the Faculty of Science. Example: Pathology is a Department in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, but they offer  courses that B.Sc. students may take.

Location

Dawson Hall
853 Sherbrooke Street West
Montreal QC H3A 0G5
Faculty website: mcgill.ca/science
Instagram: @mcgillscience
Science Office for Undergraduate Student Advising (SOUSA): mcgill.ca/science/undergraduate/academic-advising/science-office-undergraduate-student-advising-sousa

The Science Office for Undergraduate Student Advising (SOUSA) is located in Dawson Hall, room 405. SOUSA serves students in the B.Sc. and B.A. & Sc. degrees.