Understanding the B.A. & Sc.
Students completing a Bachelor of Arts and Science degree at McGill University must successfully meet the requirements below in order to graduate. Carefully review this information, including the links to the official policies found in the eCalendar. In all cases, the eCalendar policy will prevail over any other interpretations.
B.A. & Sc. Degree Requirements
| In order to graduate from the B.A. & Sc., you must: | eCalendar Policy | Notes/Exceptions/Resources |
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| Complete 120 credits | Minimum Credit Requirement | More information in the section below for students admitted with advanced standing |
| Complete at least 60 credits at McGill | Residency Requirement | Excluding any courses completed as part of the math and science requirements of the B.A. & Sc. Freshman program |
| Complete at least two-thirds of all departmental program requirements at McGill | Residency Requirement | |
| Complete the B.A. & Sc. Foundation / Freshman Program | B.A. & Sc. Foundation / Freshman Program |
Exception: Students admitted with a CEGEP DEC in Science or Integrated Arts and Science. |
| Complete BASC 201 (mandatory students in the multi-track or joint honours programs) | BASC 201 Requirement | Exception: Students in an Interfaculty program or Honours program are not required to complete BASC 201 |
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Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00 (For Honours programs a minimum CGPA of 3.00 is required) |
Some Honours programs may require a higher CGPA (consult your program advisor). |
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If you were admitted with 24 or more credits (U1): Complete your degree within 8 semesters of full-time study If you were admitted with fewer than 24 credits (U0): Complete your degree within 10 semesters of full-time study |
Time and credit limit for the completion of your degree |
If you think that you will be exceeding this time limit (e.g. due to program changes, part-time study etc.), contact your degree advisor. If you were admitted with certain types advanced standing, you may be permitted to exceed this time and credit limit. |
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Complete TWO Departmental Programs. If you have any questions about your program requirements, speak to your program advisors. Both programs must be reflected accurately on your Minerva transcript in your final term of study. You cannot graduate with an incomplete program on your record in your final term. You will not graduate from a program if it is not listed in your final term. If you think you are in an Honours or Joint-Honours program, it should say so on your transcript. If it does not, consult your program adviser. |
Program advisors: Arts departments and Science departments (including Interfaculty Programs) DO NOT use the Degree Evaluation Tool in Minerva or MyProgress as they are not configured for the B.A. & Sc. and generate errors. |
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| Verify that all transfer credits are reflected accurately on your McGill Transcript. | Transfer Credits | If you completed an exchange/study away or were admitted with any type of advanced standing, you must ensure that the credits are recorded accurately on your McGill record. |
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Ensure you are meeting your Course Requirements: |
How can you tell if you are getting credit for a course? Once the grade is on your transcript, you may notice [A] [I] or [E] / [EXC] beside it:
[A] - included in CGPA but excluded from credit count [I] - included in CGPA and included in credit count [E] / [EXC] - excluded from both CGPA and credit count |
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Grading and CGPA | |
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Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) Option | Note that there were exceptional S/U policies in place in the Winter 2020, Summer 2020, Fall 2020 and Winter 2021 semesters. |
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Course overlap |
There are specific policies concerning statistics courses offered by different departments. Review the information in the eCalendar carefully before registering. If you are repeating a topics or research project course, be sure to contact your degree advisor to verify if you will get credit twice Watch your credit total, especially if you are repeating a course where you already earned a D grade. |
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Departmental Programs | |
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Courses outside Arts and Science | Exception: students in designated programs that include a number of required and complementary courses in other faculties are permitted a maximum of 30 credits outside the Faculties of Arts and of Science. The list of these programs is in eCalendar. |
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Exception: Students in the multi-track or joint-honours | |
Understanding your credit requirement:
To receive a Bachelor of Arts and Science, you must complete a minimum of 120 credits. Electives taken the semester after you reach 120 credits will be E-Flagged (i.e. not for credit, not included in the CGPA). Students who have been granted advanced standing for the International Baccalaureate, Advanced Placement examinations, GCE A-Levels, French Baccalaureate, and other qualifications, but who wish to complete a four-year undergraduate program at McGill, will be permitted to do so, with the appropriate limitations on the repetition of courses for which they have received exemptions. This gives students with Advanced Standing the option of completing 120 credits post admission. Interested students should discuss with their degree advisor.
How is your year of study determined?
U0 - Freshman Year 0 students - You have been admitted with less than 24 credits of advanced standing.
U1 – University Year 1 students - You have been admitted with 24 or more credits of advanced standing.*
U2 - University Year 2 students - You have been admitted with more than 48 credits of advanced standing/ have completed
U3 - University Year 3 students - Students who have completed 84 or more credits are typically U3. U3 is the last year level used in the B.A. & Sc. In order to apply for graduation, you must be a U3 student.
* If you were admitted to U1/U2 due to transfer credits/exemptions granted from an International Baccalaureate, a French Baccalaureate, a European Baccalaureate, A-levels, AP credits, university transfer credits or any other educational background except a Quebec CEGEP Diploma (D.E.C.) in Science or Integrated Arts & Science, you must fulfill the Arts and Science Freshman/Foundation program requirements, regardless of your U1 status. Your transfer credits and exemptions MAY contribute to the completion of some or all of the Freshman requirements.