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This publication contains the regulations about your undergraduate academic career at McGill. It includes regulations concerning when to register, when to add, drop, or withdraw from courses, the consequences of missing deadlines, how grading appears on your transcript, and other important information.

McGill has 11 faculties, and every student belongs to one of them. When you are admitted to McGill, your offer letter indicates the faculty, degree, and program to which you have been accepted, and the number of credits you need to complete for your degree.

You should consult the appropriate faculty section in this publication for information pertinent to your degree and program, and for faculty-specific regulations. For some degrees, such as the Bachelor of Arts and Science (B.A. & Sc.), you belong to two faculties and will need to consult the section on the Bachelor of Arts and Science, as well as the sections on each faculty.

You are registered in a degree, but for many degrees there are associated programs (a major, minor, major concentration, etc.). For some degrees, such as Bachelor of Engineering, you will typically follow one program (such as Computer Engineering). For others, such as Bachelor of Arts, you will typically follow more than one program (such as a major concentration in English, with a minor concentration in History).

A typical undergraduate degree at McGill is 120–140 credits (four years of full-time study).

• Quebec CEGEP students typically receive 30 credits of Advanced Standing, so they will usually only have a further 90–110 credits (three years of full-time study) to complete. This varies by faculty, so consult your faculty section. In your first year, you will be placed in U1 (undergraduate year 1).
• Most other students typically have 120–140 credits to complete. This varies by faculty, so consult your faculty section. In your first year, you will be placed in U0 (undergraduate year 0), which is often referred to in this publication and elsewhere as your freshman year.
• Many students at McGill come with other forms of Advanced Standing (International Baccalaureate, French Baccalaureate, advanced placement exams, or students admitted from other universities as transfer students). If this is your case, you will receive information during the admissions process.

You will find program requirements in your faculty section or in departmental sections within a faculty. In some cases, you may pursue one of your programs in a department outside your faculty. For example, if you are enrolled in a Bachelor of Commerce, but are pursuing a minor concentration in Italian Civilization, you would consult the Desautels Faculty of Management section for the B.Com. requirements, and the Italian Studies department section, under the Faculty of Arts, for the Italian Civilization program requirements.

• The number of credits needed to complete your degree. Typically, three credits correspond to a one-term course, but there are many variations.
• Required courses: Courses that you must complete to fulfil the requirements of a major, minor, etc., unless you receive exemptions. You have no choices among required courses.
• Complementary courses: Alternative courses that you can take to fulfil the requirements of a major, minor, etc. You choose a specified number of these courses.
• Elective courses: Courses that do not count toward the fulfilment of the requirements of your major, minor, etc. Students often select these courses from outside their program of study. Some restrictions may apply, but you have the most choice in selecting elective courses. Some faculties also permit you to take elective courses using the Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory option (see Courses Taken under the Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) Option). You should consult your faculty section concerning elective courses.
• Often, your department will also provide you with a recommended list of courses (or streams), so that you know the typical term-by-term course pattern.

For more assistance in understanding program requirements, and for a list of advisers on both Downtown and Macdonald campuses, see Undergraduate Advising.