To make the most of your time at McGill, keep in mind that your active participation in the advising process is essential. You must be proactive about seeking meetings with various advisors, professors, and counselors to ensure that you receive the advice you need to plan your studies and meet your academic goals. Advisors are happy to give you guidance, but it is ultimately your responsibility to ensure that you have met your degree requirements.
On this page:
- Who should I talk to?听(Degree advisors, Program advisors and Service Point)听
- Who is my assigned Degree advisor?
- How do I听contact my Degree advisor or the Science Office of Undergraduate Student Advising (SOUSA)?
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Who should I talk to?
Academic advisors are here to assist you with your degree and program planning and to help you make informed academic choices by providing information about graduation requirements and University regulations. You will have access to two kinds of academic advisors: Degree advisors and Program advisors. All advising sessions are confidential and free.
Degree advisors & SOUSA
The Science Office for Undergraduate Student Advising (SOUSA) is the office that houses the Faculty's Degree advisors.听 Degree advisors are experts in University and Faculty regulations and the requirements of the B.Sc. and听B.A. & Sc. degrees.听 Every B.Sc. and B.A. & Sc. student has an assigned Degree advisor (see below, Who is my assigned Degree advisor?).
Program advisors
Program advisors are housed in their respective Departments/Units (e.g. the Biology Department or the Geography Department).听 They are specialists in the requirements of the specific courses and programs offered in their Department. There is a Program advisor for every major, minor, honours, and Interfaculty program available at McGill. Program advisors are not assigned.
Speak with SOUSA or your Degree advisor if you have questions about:
- Foundation Year (previously referred to as the Freshman Program)
- Degree planning
- Degree requirements
- University and Faculty regulations
- Study away/exchange
- Final exam issues (e.g. implications of deferring an exam)
- Interfaculty transfers
- Readmission
For contact info, see How do I contact my Degree advisor?
Speak with a Program advisor if you have questions about:
- Program requirements (majors, minors, etc.)
- Courses offered in their Department/Unit
- Course registration issues (e.g. requesting permission to register for a course that is full or has restrictions)
- Careers in a specific field of study
- Getting the most out of your program
- Graduate school in your field
- Research
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Though not an academic advising service, the Service Point team is a key resource.听 It is the student-facing arm of Enrolment Services and provides听assistance to students with the following administrative items: |
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| To contact Service Point, please consult the听. | |
Who is my assigned Degree advisor?
Degree advisors
- For B.Sc. students: your Degree advisor will normally be assigned to you around the 3rd week of June (after you have registered for courses).听 Your assigned Degree advisor will remain with you throughout your time as a B.Sc. student.听 Once the assignment process is complete, you will find the name of your advisor on your unofficial Minerva transcript. In Minerva, select the 鈥淪tudent鈥� tab on the top menu 鈫� select 鈥淪tudent Records Menu鈥� 鈫� select 鈥渧iew your unofficial transcript鈥�.
- For B.A. & Sc. student: all students in this degree are automatically assigned to the dedicated B.A. & Sc. advisor.
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Program Advisors
Program Advisors are not assigned.听 For questions about a program or course, you simply contact the Program Advisor in the Department/Unit offering that program or course (e.g. for questions about the Major in Math, you would contact the Program Advisor in the Department of Mathematics & Statistics). See the Contact List of Science Program advisors by Department/Unit.
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How do I contact my Degree advisor?
After registering for your first term/year of courses, you will receive a welcome email from your assigned Degree advisor, which includes their email and appointment booking details. If your advisor is away or has limited availability (due to peak periods like the start of term) and you have a time-sensitive issue, you are always welcome to email or drop in to the SOUSA Office for support. You will find contact information on the SOUSA contact page.
The SOUSA team is available to provide you with information and answer your questions.听We provide service all year, but handle a very high volume of inquiries during certain peak periods. Please note the following peak periods:
- First 2 weeks of the Fall and Winter terms ("Add/Drop" period): To address the high demand, Degree advisors are only available for online appointments at this time (this allows us to offer more appointments per day).
- Graduation period (May): Degree advisors have limited availability (and no appointments during certain weeks in May) as they are responsible for processing graduation approvals for the graduating class.听
When emailing SOUSA or your assigned Degree advisor, always:
- Include your name and student number in the subject line.
- Use your McGill email address, which should be activated as soon as you accept your offer of admission. Please read .
- Allow at least 3听business days for a response. Please do not send duplicate emails to other staff听at SOUSA or McGill - this will slow the advising process and result in longer delays.