All students are required to register for the English Exam for Teacher Certification (EDEC 215) in the Fall term of their first year (U1 year) in the program. Please refer to the English Language Requirement section of the Internships & Student Affairs website for details.
Registration plans are provided because of the tight nature of the program - to ensure timely completion of your program, you are advised to follow the sequence of courses as outlined above.
The Four Year Overview is for most students, and it allocates space for completing all of the requirements in your Secondary Science and Technology B.Ed. degree. Please note, students needing to complete a Foundation year will be starting in Year 0, thus, will be following a five year study plan. Please see below for further details.
The Two Year Overview is designed for students who have significant advanced standing, (typically students with transfer credits from other universities) and does not include room in your schedule for completing the subject area and elective course portions of the Secondary Science and Technology program.
A complete list of courses, course descriptions and prerequisites can be found below.
The Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) - Secondary Science and Technology program requires 120 credits and leads to teacher certification. Students who have not completed Quebec CEGEP, French Baccalaureate, International Baccalaureate, or at least one year of university studies prior to commencing the B.Ed. must also complete a minimum of 30 credits of Freshman courses (in addition to the 120 credits for the program) for a total of 150 credits.
The aim of the B.Ed. Secondary Education program is to prepare strong beginning teachers for the secondary school level. This integrated program consists of courses in Education (including field experiences) and courses in the subject area of the teaching specialization. Students also take 6 credits of free electives. For all teacher education programs, course sequencing is highly structured. For this reason, the advising information in this eCalendar section must be used in conjunction with the summary companion document (Program Overview) found at http://www.mcgill.ca/dise/progs/secscitech.
The Secondary Science and Technology program provides students with the subject matter expertise in the Living World, Earth and Space, the Material World, and the Technological World needed to teach the secondary science curriculum in Quebec schools.
Please note that graduates of teacher education programs are recommended by the University to the Quebec Ministry of Education for Quebec teacher certification. For more information about teacher certification in Quebec, please refer to the Faculty of Education section under "Overview of Faculty Programs," "Undergraduate Education Programs," and "Quebec Teacher Certification."
Note: Students entering this program from CEGEP or with Advanced Standing should have completed two biology courses, two chemistry courses, two math courses and two physics courses at the CEGEP level. Students entering from CEGEP without having completed these prerequisites (or their equivalents) will be required to make up any deficiencies in these courses over and above the degree requirements.
Freshmen in the Science and Technology program must complete the 29 to 30 credits of Basic Science courses listed below in their first year of studies.
Fall term: BIOL 111, CHEM 110, MATH 139 or MATH 140 or MATH 150, PHYS 101 or PHYS 131
Winter term: BIOL 112, CHEM 120, MATH 141 or MATH 151, PHYS 102 or PHYS 142
Students should consult a program adviser for guidance on which Fall and Winter term Math and Physics courses should be taken. Course choices depend on a student's background in science and plans for upper-level Physics courses.
Biology (Sci): An introduction to the phylogeny, structure, function and adaptation of unicellular organisms, plants and animals in the biosphere.
Offered by: Biology
Biology (Sci): The cell: ultrastructure, division, chemical constituents and reactions. Bioenergetics: photosynthesis and respiration. Principles of genetics, the molecular basis of inheritance and biotechnology.
Offered by: Biology
Chemistry: A study of the fundamental principles of atomic structure, radiation and nuclear chemistry, valence theory, coordination chemistry, and the periodic table.
Offered by: Chemistry
Chemistry: A study of the fundamental principles of physical chemistry.
Offered by: Chemistry
Mathematics & Statistics (Sci): Review of trigonometry and other Precalculus topics. Limits, continuity, derivative. Differentiation of elementary functions. Antidifferentiation. Applications.
Offered by: Mathematics and Statistics
Mathematics & Statistics (Sci): Review of functions and graphs. Limits, continuity, derivative. Differentiation of elementary functions. Antidifferentiation. Applications.
Offered by: Mathematics and Statistics
Mathematics & Statistics (Sci): The definite integral. Techniques of integration. Applications. Introduction to sequences and series.
Offered by: Mathematics and Statistics
Mathematics & Statistics (Sci): Functions, limits and continuity, differentiation, L'Hospital's rule, applications, Taylor polynomials, parametric curves, functions of several variables.
Offered by: Mathematics and Statistics
Mathematics & Statistics (Sci): Integration, methods and applications, infinite sequences and series, power series, arc length and curvature, multiple integration.
Offered by: Mathematics and Statistics
Physics: An introductory course in physics without calculus, covering mechanics (kinematics, dynamics, energy, and rotational motion), oscillations and waves, sound, light, and wave optics.
Offered by: Physics
Physics: Electric field and potential. D.C. circuits and measurements. Capacitance. Magnetic field and induction. Electromagnetic waves and geometrical optics.
Offered by: Physics
Physics: The basic laws and principles of Newtonian mechanics; oscillations, waves, and wave optics.
Offered by: Physics
Physics: The basic laws of electricity and magnetism; geometrical optics.
Offered by: Physics
For Freshman students with Advanced Standing in one or more of the basic sciences, the Faculty also recommends some of the courses listed below. French Second Language (FRSL) courses require a placement test to determine the course level.
Admin & Policy Studies in Ed: An introduction to contemporary issues in education in local, national and international contexts, including a critical perspective on educational issues by drawing on a variety of analytical frameworks.
Offered by: Integrated Studies in Ed
French as a Second Language: A comprehensive introduction to basic vocabulary, grammatical structures and speech patterns of written and oral French for students in any degree program having no previous knowledge of French. Learning to communicate at a functional level in a French-speaking environment. Short essays, cultural readings, mandatory lab practice.
Offered by: French Language Centre
French as a Second Language: A comprehensive introduction to basic vocabulary, grammatical structures and speech patterns of written and oral French for students in any degree program having no previous knowledge of French. Learning to communicate at a functional level in a French-speaking environment. Short essays, cultural readings, mandatory lab practice.
Offered by: French Language Centre
French as a Second Language: This two-term course uses a task-based approach to provide students with authentic materials related to Canadian culture and prepares them for real life communication. Therefore, class time will be mostly dedicated to the completion of communicative tasks which often rely on the use of technology (mobile apps, blogs and other online tools). This course tackles different topics that students can relate to in their personal, social and academic life, and provides a review and further training in elementary language structures to develop their communication skills and digital literacy in French.
Offered by: French Language Centre
French as a Second Language: See FRSL 207D1 for course description.
Offered by: French Language Centre
French as a Second Language: Language lab attendance required. Grammar review, comprehension, vocabulary development, selected readings and group discussions.
Offered by: French Language Centre
French as a Second Language: See FRSL 211D1 for course description.
Offered by: French Language Centre
Written and Oral Communication: Academic research-based writing across the disciplines. Article summary, critical analysis, rhetorical strategies, citation and paraphrase of academic sources, and editing for cohesion and clarity.
Offered by: McGill Writing Centre
Curriculum and Instruction: Orientation to the culture and community of school and to teaching as a profession. Focus on the general functioning of schools and complexity of the teacher role. Competencies and working professional portfolios will be addressed.
Offered by: Integrated Studies in Ed
Curriculum and Instruction: The English Exam for Teacher Certification (EETC) is a Quebec Ministry of Education-required component of the B.Ed. degree. The exam is coordinated by an independent organization, the Centre for the English Exam for Teacher Certification (CEETC). Consists of a 2-hour exam designed to assess teacher candidates' competency in the language of instruction. Must be completed before the 3rd Field Experience. Students must register for EDEC 215 and register for the EETC on the CEETC website. Students who do not pass after four attempts require permission from the Internships & Student Affairs Office to re-take the exam.
Offered by: Integrated Studies in Ed
Curriculum and Instruction: An exploration of Indigenous knowledge and pedagogy, primarily in Canada but also world-wide. Consideration of the diverse social, cultural, linguistic, political, and pedagogical histories of Indigenous communities. Examines how a teacher's professional identity and practice can be influenced by an understanding of Indigenous knowledge and worldviews.
Offered by: Integrated Studies in Ed
Curriculum and Instruction: The organization of Quebec education, including Indigenous education, from historical, political, social, cultural and legal perspectives. The implications and contributions of policy decisions to schools, students, and families.
Offered by: Integrated Studies in Ed
Curriculum and Instruction: Preparation for the second field experience through development of basic practices in planning and teaching in secondary school classrooms. Competencies and professional portfolio will be addressed.
Offered by: Integrated Studies in Ed
Curriculum and Instruction: Ideas essential for the development of a coherent educational theory and sound professional practice. Reflections on: the nature of the person, of reality, of knowledge, and of value; the aims of education, the nature of the school and the curriculum, the roles and responsibilities of professional educators.
Offered by: Integrated Studies in Ed
Curriculum and Instruction: Orientation to the equipment and systems of educational technology. Examination of theories of educational technology, media education and technology education and the exploration and development of possible applications in school settings.
Offered by: Integrated Studies in Ed
Curriculum and Instruction: Professional portfolios and competencies will be addressed. Preparation for the third field experience through engaging in the full spectrum of unit/lesson planning, critical analysis and self-reflection. Professional portfolios and competencies will be addressed.
Offered by: Integrated Studies in Ed
Curriculum and Instruction: Preparation for the final field experience and entry into the teaching profession. Emphasis will be placed on developing the ability to demonstrate ethical and responsible professional behaviour in the performance of duties across all professional competencies. Final transition to showcase working professional portfolios will be addressed.
Offered by: Integrated Studies in Ed
Secondary Education: A survey of the philosophy and curriculum principles behind modern high school courses in the physical and life sciences, especially related to the Quebec context. An examination of teaching methods for junior and senior high school science.
Offered by: Integrated Studies in Ed
Secondary Education: Competency-based discipline skills and methods of classroom management, emphasizing the relationship between theory and practice; the rationale for various approaches to classroom management; strategies for developing instruction that focus attention and reduce off-task behaviour.
Offered by: Integrated Studies in Ed
Secondary Education: Principles and procedures for implementation of the general science curriculum in the secondary schools of Québec. A survey of teaching methods and laboratory management appropriate to the junior and senior high school level.
Offered by: Integrated Studies in Ed
Student Teaching: Students are assigned to a school for a "participant observer" field experience. Students are expected to apprise themselves of Field Experience dates, duration and responsibilities as outlined on the Internships & Student Affairs website at http://www.mcgill.ca/isa.
Offered by: Education - Dean's Office
Student Teaching: Supervised student teaching. Students are expected to apprise themselves of Field Experience dates, duration and responsibilities as outlined on the Internships and Student Affairs website at www.mcgill.ca/isa.
Offered by: Education - Dean's Office
Student Teaching: Supervised student teaching in a school. Students are expected to apprise themselves of Field Experience, dates, duration and responsibilities as outlined on the Internships & Student Affairs Office website http://www.mcgill.ca/isa.
Offered by: Education - Dean's Office
Student Teaching: Supervised student teaching in a school. Students will be expected to assume a much increased responsibility for student learning, classroom management, and evaluation. Students are expected to apprise themselves of Field Experience dates, duration and responsibilities as outlined on the Internships and Student Affairs website at www.mcgill.ca/isa.
Offered by: Education - Dean's Office
Ed Psych & Couns (Psychology): Selected theories, models, and concepts relevant to planning and reflecting upon educational practice and improvement. Overview of development, learning, thinking, motivation, individual difference, etc. In relation to applications in classroom teaching and learning, the complementary role of counsellors and psychologists, educational computing and technology. The Youth Protection Act.
Offered by: Educational&Counselling Psych
Ed Psych & Couns (Psychology): The purposes of examinations. Causes of complaints about examinations. Equalizing means and dispersions in distribution of marks. Standardized scores. The percentile system. Essay and objective-type examinations. Taxonomies of educational objectives. Validity and reliability: item analysis.
Offered by: Educational&Counselling Psych
Ed Psych & Couns (Inclusive): Inclusion debates; review of the evolution of the history of inclusive education; models of development ( eco-systemic models); characteristics, teaching practices; teachers' roles in inclusive classrooms. Overview of characteristics, causes, needs, and teaching strategies for diverse and exceptional students, teaching and learning for differences in intellectual, emotional, behavioural, sensory, physical and learning domains found in effective inclusive classrooms. Working with families.
Offered by: Educational&Counselling Psych
Ed Psych & Couns (Inclusive): Developing, planning, implementing and evaluating effective learning programs for diverse learners, and consideration of their more general applicability. Adapting curriculum and instruction for learners with varying abilities, learning styles, and needs. Collaboration with students, families, and other educators (or stakeholders) in the instructional process. Application of adaptations at the classroom and school level for all students in inclusive schools.
Offered by: Educational&Counselling Psych
3 credits selected as described below:
3 credits from:
Curriculum and Instruction: Introduction to and exploration of contemporary issues and theories about equity in education and society in Quebec/Canada from a range of perspectives, including the historical, political, social, and economic. Provides learning opportunities for future educators to critically reflect upon and engage with equity issues and concerns in relation to schooling, including the exploration of classroom resources and activities that foster anti-racism, anti-oppression and intercultural approaches.
Offered by: Integrated Studies in Ed
Curriculum and Instruction: A cross-curricular, interdisciplinary approach to teaching/creating learning experiences for students. It will foster critical thinking and nurture lifelong global understanding, active engagement and participation in relation to questions of social, economic, and environmental justice, by infusing these issues in the classroom.
Offered by: Integrated Studies in Ed
51 credits in designated science courses selected to provide subject matter expertise in the four areas of:
the Material World
- Earth and Space
- the Living World
- the Technological World
All students need to plan their course selections with attention to the prerequisites.
3 credits of Statistics:
Mathematics & Statistics (Sci): Examples of statistical data and the use of graphical means to summarize the data. Basic distributions arising in the natural and behavioural sciences. The logical meaning of a test of significance and a confidence interval. Tests of significance and confidence intervals in the one and two sample setting (means, variances and proportions).
Offered by: Mathematics and Statistics
3 credits of History of Science:
Education Teaching & Learning: A variety of perspectives on construction of knowledge in mathematics and science and how the products of scientific and mathematical practices are shaped by broader social, cultural, and political forces.
Offered by: Integrated Studies in Ed
3 credits of the Material World:
Chemistry: Basic concepts of electronic structure and molecular bonding will be developed and applied to the understanding of common materials. Acid-base chemistry. Survey of the chemistry of the main group elements. Introduction to coordination and organometallic chemistry.
Offered by: Chemistry
3 credits of the Living World:
Biology (Sci): Introduction to modern methods used in organismal biology, including ecological sampling, experimental methods and statistics. Particular emphasis is on ways of thinking about the design of sampling programs and the analyses of data to test hypotheses using observational or experimental data.
Offered by: Biology
3 credits of the Technological World:
Education Teaching & Learning: This course will build prospective teachersâ•Ž pedagogical knowledge and practices to teach principles of engineering and technical design, analysis of technical objects, and problem-based learning approaches to solve developmentally appropriate problems. Application of scientific concepts to technological solutions will also be emphasized to effectively integrate science and technology education.
Offered by: Integrated Studies in Ed
The Living World
3 credits from:
Biology (Sci): The physical and chemical properties of the cell and its components in relation to their structure and function. Topics include: protein structure, enzymes and enzyme kinetics; nucleic acid replication, transcription and translation; the genetic code, mutation, recombination, and regulation of gene expression.
Offered by: Biology
Life Sciences: Organization and function of intracellular organelles in eukaryotic cells. Mechanisms of membrane transport. Protein sorting and vesicular transport. Cytoskeleton. DNA and chromosome structure. DNA replication. Mechanisms of RNA and protein synthesis. Control of gene expression. Cell cycle and the control of cell division. Mechanisms of cell communication and signal transduction. Apoptosis. Neuronal signaling.
Offered by: Parasitology
The Material World
3 credits from:
Chemistry: The fundamentals of thermodynamics and chemical kinetics with applications to biomolecular systems. Thermodynamic and kinetic control of biological processes.
Offered by: Chemistry
Chemistry: Thermodynamics. Topics include gas laws, kinetic theory of collisions, heat capacity, enthalpy, thermochemistry, bond energies, the entropy and free energy functions, absolute entropies, Maxwell relations and chemical and thermodynamic equilibrium states, phase rule and phase diagrams, ideal solutions, colligative properties, solubility, electrochemistry, Debye-Hückel Theory.
Offered by: Chemistry
4 credits from:
Chemistry: A survey of reactions of aliphatic and aromatic compounds including modern concepts of bonding, mechanisms, conformational analysis, and stereochemistry.
Offered by: Chemistry
Chemistry: A consideration of basic principals of the atom including body imaging techniques followed by a general summary of organic chemistry, its application to biological processes and everyday life, including principles of bonding, structure and stereochemistry. Some physical chemistry will be given as it relates to the properties of air and breathing.
Offered by: Chemistry
At least 9 of the 26 credits must be taken at the 300 level or above, distributed as follows:
- 3 to 15 credits from the Living World complementary list;
- 3 to 18 credits from Earth and Space complementary list;
- 3 to 18 credits from Earth and Space - Environment complementary list;
- 0 to 15 credits from the Material World complementary list;
- 3 to 12 credits from the Technological World complementary list.
Living World
Students select a minimum of 3 credits to a maximum of 15 credits from the following lists:
Cell and Molecular Biology
Biology (Sci): This course introduces the student to our modern understanding of cells and how they work. Major topics to be covered include: photosynthesis, energy metabolism and metabolic integration; plasma membrane including secretion, endocytosis and contact mediated interactions between cells; cytoskeleton including cell and organelle movement; the nervous system; hormone signaling; the cell cycle.
Offered by: Biology
Biology (Sci): Introduction to basic principles, and to modern advances, problems and applications in the genetics of higher and lower organisms with examples representative of the biological sciences.
Offered by: Biology
Biology (Sci): A survey of current knowledge and approaches in the area of regulation of gene expression, post-transcriptional control of gene expression, and signal transduction.
Offered by: Biology
Biology (Sci): An introduction to biology research and communication with a focus on cell and molecular biology. Through conducting a series of project-based experiments and writing a final report, molecular and synthetic biology techniques such as gene cloning, manipulation, protein isolation and characterization and how research is conducted, analyzed and communicated will be addressed. In addition, an introduction to bioinformatics methods and their role in analysis will be provided.
Offered by: Biology
Biology (Sci): In-depth examination of the structure and function of eukaryotic cells, with an emphasis on experimental design and interpretation. Examination of the molecular mechanisms of various cellular processes, including protein homeostasis, intracellular transport, cytoskeletal dynamics, multicellular organization and cell proliferation.
Offered by: Biology
Human and Organismal Biology
Biology (Sci): Unified view of form and function in animals and plants. Focus on how the laws of chemistry and physics illuminate biological processes relating to the acquisition of energy and materials and their use in movement, growth, development, reproduction and responses to environmental stress.
Offered by: Biology
Kinesiology&Physical Education: This course will examine the role of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals and water in a balanced diet. Students will be introduced to the affects of nutrition on exercise, sport performance and wellness. The validity of claims concerning nutrient supplements will be studied.
Offered by: Kinesiology and Physical Ed
Kinesiology&Physical Education: Examination of the physiological responses of the neuromuscular, metabolic, endocrine, and circulatory and respiratory systems to acute and chronic exercise.
Offered by: Kinesiology and Physical Ed
Nutrition and Dietetics: Provides students who have a basic biology/chemistry background with the fundamental information on how macronutrients, vitamins and minerals are metabolized in the body, followed by application to evaluate current issues of maximizing health and disease prevention at different stages of the lifecycle.
Offered by: Human Nutrition
Nutrition and Dietetics: This course looks at the importance of nutrition from the molecular to the organismal levels in human health and disease. The focus will be on the significance of nutrients in regulating metabolism, and impact of genotype in the metabolism of nutrients.
Offered by: Human Nutrition
Physiology: Physiology of body fluids, blood, body defense mechanisms, muscle, peripheral, central, and autonomic nervous systems.
Offered by: Physiology
Physiology: Physiology of cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, endocrine and renal systems.
Offered by: Physiology
Populations, Ecosystems, and Evolution
Biology (Sci): An introduction to the fundamental processes of ecology and evolution that bear on the nature and diversity of organisms and the processes that govern their assembly into ecological communities and their roles in ecosystem function.
Offered by: Biology
Biology (Sci): Field studies of ferns, fern allies, conifers and flowering plants; the use of keys for plant identification.
Offered by: Biology
Biology (Sci): A comprehensive introduction to evolutionary biology. It covers both short-term and long-term evolutionary processes. Topics include the history of life, the origin of species, adaptation, natural selection and sexual selection.
Offered by: Biology
Biology (Sci): The characteristics of the major groups of animals, their ancestry, history and relationship to one another. The processes of speciation, adaptive radiation and extinction responsible for diversity. Methods for constructing of phylogenies, for comparing phenotypes, and for estimating and analyzing diversity.
Offered by: Biology
Biology (Sci): Principles of population, community, and ecosystem dynamics: population growth and regulation, species interactions, dynamics of competitive interactions and of predator/prey systems; evolutionary dynamics.
Offered by: Biology
Biology (Sci): Ecological bases of the natural causes and consequences of current global environmental changes, including how biodiversity and ecosystem processes are defined and measured, how they vary in space and time, how they are affected by physical and biological factors, and how they affect each other and human societies.
Offered by: Biology
Biology (Sci): Methods of sampling natural populations. Testing hypotheses in nature.
Offered by: Biology
Biology (Sci): Using dinosaurs as exemplars, this course teaches aspects of comparative, functional, and developmental morphology, macroevolution, macroecology, and phylogenetic systematics. Lab dissections will explore vertebrate anatomy.
Offered by: Biology
Environmental Biology: Interactions between organisms and their environment; historical and current perspectives in applied and theoretical population and community ecology. Principles of population dynamics, feedback loops, and population regulation. Development and structure of communities; competition, predation and food web dynamics. Biodiversity science in theory and practice.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
Earth & Planetary Sciences: Preservation of fossils; the fossil record of invertebrates; use of fossils in stratigraphy and paleoecology; fossils in evolutionary studies. Fossils of invertebrates are studied in the laboratory.
Offered by: Earth & Planetary Sciences
Earth and Space
Students select a minimum of 3 credits to a maximum of 18 credits from the following list:
Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences: An introduction to key physical processes operating in the atmosphere, designed for students in science and engineering. Topics typically include: composition of the atmosphere; vertical structure; heat transfer; solar and terrestrial radiation and Earth's energy balance; seasonal and daily temperature changes; humidity and the formation of clouds and precipitation; stability of tropospheric air layers; applications of adiabatic charts.
Offered by: Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences
Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences: Laws of motion, geostrophic wind, gradient wind. General circulation of the atmosphere and oceans, local circulation features. Air-sea interaction, including hurricanes and sea-ice formation, extra-tropical weather systems and fronts, role of the atmosphere and oceans in climate.
Offered by: Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences
Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences: An introduction to the basic topics in atmospheric chemistry. The fundamentals of the chemical composition of the atmosphere and its chemical reactions. Selected topics such as smog chamber, acid rain, and ozone hole will be examined.
Offered by: Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences
Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences: Basic notions of radiative transfer and applications of satellite and radar data to mesoscale and synoptic-scale systems are discussed. Emphasis will be put on the contribution of remote sensing to atmospheric and oceanic sciences.
Offered by: Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences
Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences: Buoyancy, stability, and vertical oscillations. Dry and moist adiabatic processes. Resulting dry and precipitating convective circulations from the small scale to the global scale. Mesoscale precipitation systems from the cell to convective complexes. Severe convection, downbursts, mesocyclones.
Offered by: Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences
Environment: Formation of the Earth and the evolution of life. How geological and biological change are the consequence of history, chance, and necessity acting over different scales of space and time. General principles governing the formation of modern landscapes and biotas. Effects of human activities on natural systems.
Offered by: Bieler School of Environment
Earth & Planetary Sciences: Learn about Earth's origin, its place in the solar system, its internal structure, rocks and minerals, the formation of metal and fossil fuel deposits, and the extinction of dinosaurs. Discover the impact of the volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and mountain chains on Earth's past, present and future. Explore 125 million-year-old Mount Royal.
Offered by: Earth & Planetary Sciences
Earth & Planetary Sciences: Elementary crystallography, chemistry and identification of the principal rock-forming and ore minerals, in hand specimens and using optical microscopy. Demonstrations of other techniques applied to the identification of minerals and to the analysis of their composition and structure. Optional 2-day field trip.
Offered by: Earth & Planetary Sciences
Earth & Planetary Sciences: A survey of igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks and the processes responsible for their formation. The laboratory will emphasize the recognition of rocks in both hand-specimen and thin section using optical microscopes.
Offered by: Earth & Planetary Sciences
Earth & Planetary Sciences: Basic concepts in geochemistry and the application of geochemical principles of chemistry to geological subdisciplines. Particular emphasis on origin of elements, controls on their distribution in Earth and cosmos, isotopes, organic geochemistry and water chemistry. Application of phase diagrams to geology.
Offered by: Earth & Planetary Sciences
Earth & Planetary Sciences: An introductory course in physical geology designed for majors in civil and mining engineering. Properties of rocks and minerals, major geological processes, together with natural hazards and their effects on engineered structures are emphasized. The laboratory is an integral part of the course which includes rock and mineral identification, basic techniques of airphoto and geological map interpretation, and structural geology.
Offered by: Earth & Planetary Sciences
Earth & Planetary Sciences: Survey of the physical and chemical properties of the main mineral groups. Discussion of their relationships to the chemical composition and structure of minerals. The practical exercises emphasize the physical and chemical properties that relate to industrial uses and environmental issues, and the identification of hand specimens.
Offered by: Earth & Planetary Sciences
Earth & Planetary Sciences: Interpretation of stratified rocks; history of Earth with special emphasis on the regions of North America; outline of the history of life recorded in fossils.
Offered by: Earth & Planetary Sciences
Earth & Planetary Sciences: Primary igneous and sedimentary structures, attitudes of planes and lines, stress and strain, fracturing of rocks, faulting, homogeneous strain, description and classification of folds, foliation and lineation, orthographic and stereographic projections.
Offered by: Earth & Planetary Sciences
Earth & Planetary Sciences: Physical properties of Earth and the processes associated with its existence as inferred from astronomy, geodesy, seismology, geology, terrestrial magnetism and thermal evolution.
Offered by: Earth & Planetary Sciences
Earth & Planetary Sciences: Rheology of the Earth, mechanics of the crust and mantle and core, convection in the mantle, evolution and kinematics and deformations of the oceanic and continental plates, thermal evolution of the Earth, the unifying theory of plate tectonics.
Offered by: Earth & Planetary Sciences
Earth System Science: Topics related to climate change, biogeochemical cycles and natural resources are evaluated from an Earth System perspective. Exploration of the scientific literature in targeted areas of Earth system science with a focus on human-Earth interactions. Emphasis is on complex global issues that cross traditional disciplines, and interpreting and communicating academic knowledge derived from Earth system research.
Offered by: Earth & Planetary Sciences
Earth System Science: An applied introduction to programming and statistical image processing tools used in Earth system science, typically covering linear regression, statistical significance, Fourier analysis, empirical orthogonal function analysis. Use of global remote-sensing and in-situ observations.
Offered by: Earth & Planetary Sciences
Earth System Science: Introduction o principle concepts of systems modelling related to Earth system science and environmental science, including simple numerical models, conservation laws of mass, energy, and momentum, discretization of governing differential equations, the stability of numerical schemes, and exploration of the ideas of equilibria, feedbacks, and complexity.
Offered by: Earth & Planetary Sciences
Geography: Introduction to the study of landforms as products of geomorphic and geologic systems acting at and near the Earth's surface. The process geomorphology approach will be used to demonstrate how landforms of different geomorphic settings represent a dynamic balance between forces acting in the environment and the physical properties of materials present.
Offered by: Geography
Geography: The earth-atmosphere system, radiation and energy balances. Surface-atmosphere exchange of energy, mass and momentum and related atmospheric processes on a local and regional scale. Introduction to measurement theory and practice in micrometeorology.
Offered by: Geography
Physics: A survey of astrophysics ranging from stars and planets, to compact objects, galaxies, and the large-scale evolution of the Universe. A calculusbased course, with a focus on simple mathematical derivations that capture the essential physics.
Offered by: Physics
Earth and Space - Environment
Students select a minimum of 3 credits to a maximum of 18 credits from the following list:
Environment: A systems approach to study the different components of the environment involved in global climate change: the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere. The interactions among these components. Their role in global climate change. The human dimension to global change.
Offered by: Bieler School of Environment
Environment: This course deals with how scientific-technological, socio-economic, political-institutional and behavioural factors mediate society-environment interactions. Issues discussed include population and resources; consumption, impacts and institutions; integrating environmental values in societal decision-making; and the challenges associated with, and strategies for, promoting sustainability. Case studies in various sectors and contexts are used.
Offered by: Bieler School of Environment
Environment: Introduction to cultural perspectives on the environment: the influence of culture and cognition on perceptions of the natural world; conflicts in orders of knowledge (models, taxonomies, paradigms, theories, cosmologies), ethics (moral values, frameworks, dilemmas), and law (formal and customary, rights and obligations) regarding political dimensions of critical environments, resource use, and technologies.
Offered by: Bieler School of Environment
Environment: Techniques used in design and completion of environmental research projects. Problem definition, data sources and use of appropriate strategies and methodologies. Principles underlying research design are emphasized, including critical thinking, recognizing causal relationships, ideologies and bias in research, and when and where to seek expertise.
Offered by: Bieler School of Environment
Geography: Introduction to geography as the study of nature and human beings in a spatial context. An integrated approach to environmental systems and the human organization of them from the viewpoint of spatial relationships and processes. Special attention to environmental problems as a constraint upon Third World development.
Offered by: Geography
Geography: An introduction to system-level interactions among climate, hydrology, soils and vegetation at the scale of drainage basins, including the study of the global geographical variability in these land-surface systems. The knowledge acquired is used to study the impact on the environment of various human activities such as deforestation and urbanisation.
Offered by: Geography
Geography: An examination of global change, from the Quaternary Period to the present day involving changes in the physical geography of specific areas. Issues such as climatic change and land degradation will be discussed, with speculations on future environments.
Offered by: Geography
Geography: This course introduced physical and social environments as factors in human health, with emphasis on the physical properties of the atmospheric environment as they interact with diverse human populations in urban settings.
Offered by: Geography
The Material World
Students select a maximum of 15 credits from the following list:
Note: Students who plan to teach Grade 11 Chemistry or Physics should select the maximum 15 credits from this list:
Chemistry: Modern spectroscopic techniques for structure determination. The chemistry of alcohols, ethers, carbonyl compounds, and amines, with special attention to mechanistic aspects. Special topics.
Offered by: Chemistry
Chemistry: Qualitative and quantitative analysis. A survey of methods of analysis including theory and practice of semimicro qualitative analysis and representative gravimetric, volumetric and instrumental methods. The laboratory component includes introductory experiments in analytical chemistry emphasizing classical and instrumental methods of quantitative analysis.
Offered by: Chemistry
Chemistry: Kinetics: Transition State Theory, complex reactions, free-radical reactions, chain reactions, catalysis, reactions at surfaces, ionic effects of reactions in solution, photochemistry. Methods: physical chemistry laboratory, differential equations and linear algebra applied to physical chemistry, computation methods for data analysis and modeling
Offered by: Chemistry
Chemistry: Topics covered may include the following: Aromatic compounds, heterocyclic chemistry, sulfur and phosphorus chemistry, organosulfur and organophosphorus compounds, and biomolecules such as lipids, carbohydrates, amino acids, polypeptides, DNA and RNA.
Offered by: Chemistry
Chemistry: Introduction to transition metal chemistry, coordination numbers and geometry, and nomenclature will be followed by a discussion of crystal field theory and its applications to problems in spectroscopy, magnetochemistry, thermodynamics and kinetics. Several aspects related to applications of organometallic compounds in catalysis and bioinorganic systems will be discussed.
Offered by: Chemistry
Chemistry: Experiments related to the theoretical principles, synthetic techniques and instrumental methods used in modern experimental chemistry, including aspects of green chemistry and nanochemistry.
Offered by: Chemistry
Chemistry: Energy consumption and human development; green house gases; primary and secondary sources of energy, fuels vs. electricity; energy transport and storage; fossil fuels; nuclear energy; fusion and fission; bioenergetics, natural and artificial photosynthesis; novel materials; nanocomposites; photochemistry; electrochemistry; photovoltaics and batteries; fuel cells; catalysis and biomass.
Offered by: Chemistry
Mathematics & Statistics (Sci): Taylor series, Taylor's theorem in one and several variables. Review of vector geometry. Partial differentiation, directional derivative. Extreme of functions of 2 or 3 variables. Parametric curves and arc length. Polar and spherical coordinates. Multiple integrals.
Offered by: Mathematics and Statistics
Physics: An introduction to the physics of music. Properties of sound and their perception as pitch, loudness, and timbre. Dissonance, consonance, and musical intervals and tuning. Physics of sound propagation and reflection. Resonance. Acoustic properties of pipes, strings, bars, and membranes, and sound production in wind, string, and percussion instruments. The human voice. Room reverberation and acoustics. Directional characteristics of sound sources.
Offered by: Physics
Physics: Translational motion under Newton's laws; forces, momentum, work/energy theorem. Special relativity; Lorentz transforms, relativistic mechanics, mass/energy equivalence. Topics in rotational dynamics. Noninertial frames.
Offered by: Physics
Physics: The laws of thermodynamics and their consequences. Thermodynamics of P-V-T systems and simple heat engines. Free, driven, and damped harmonic oscillators. Coupled systems and normal modes. Fourier methods. Wave motion and dispersion. The wave equation.
Offered by: Physics
Physics: Linear circuit elements, resonance, network theorems, diodes, transistors, amplifiers, feedback, integrated circuits.
Offered by: Physics
Physics: Properties of electromagnetic fields, dipole and quadropole fields and their interactions, chemical binding of molecules, electromagnetic properties of materials, Maxwell's equations and properties of electromagnetic waves, propagation of waves in media.
Offered by: Physics
Physics: Introductory laboratory work and data analysis as related to mechanics, optics and thermodynamics. Introduction to computers as they are employed for laboratory work, for data analysis and for numerical computation. Previous experience with computers is an asset, but is not required.
Offered by: Physics
Physics: Advanced laboratory work and data analysis as related to mechanics, optics and thermodynamics. Computers will be employed routinely for data analysis and for numerical computation, and, particularly, to facilitate the use of Fourier methods.
Offered by: Physics
Physics: The observed properties of atoms and radiation from atoms. Electron waves. The Schroedinger Equation in one dimension. Quantum mechanics of the hydrogen atom. Angular momentum and spin. Quantum mechanics of many electron systems. Basic ideas of electrons in solids and solid state physics.
Offered by: Physics
Physics: Semiconductor devices, basic transistor circuits, operational amplifiers, combinatorial and sequential logic, integrated circuits, analogue to digital converters. The laboratory component covers design, construction and testing of basic electronic circuits.
Offered by: Physics
Physics: Forced and damped oscillators, Newtonian mechanics in three dimensions, rotational motion, Lagrangian and Hamiltonian mechanics, small vibrations, normal modes. Nonlinear dynamics and chaos.
Offered by: Physics
Physics: Introductory equilibrium statistical mechanics. Quantum states, probabilities, ensemble averages. Entropy, temperature, Boltzmann factor, chemical potential. Photons and phonons. Fermi-Dirac and Bose-Einstein distributions; applications.
Offered by: Physics
Physics: Introduction to modern techniques of measurement. The use of computers in performing and analysing experiments. Data reduction, statistical methods, report writing. Extensive use of computers is made in this laboratory; therefore some familiarity with computers and computing is an advantage.
Offered by: Physics
Physics: The electrostatic field and scalar potential. Dielectric properties of matter. Energy in the electrostatic field. Methods for solving problems in electrostatics. The magnetic field. Induction and inductance. Energy in the magnetic field. Magnetic properties of matter. Maxwell's equations. The dipole approximation.
Offered by: Physics
Physics: Maxwell's equations. The wave equation. The electromagnetic wave, reflection, refraction, polarization. Guided waves. Transmission lines and wave guides. Vector potential. Radiation. The elemental dipole; the half-wave dipole; vertical dipole; folded dipoles; Yagi antennas. Accelerating charged particles.
Offered by: Physics
Physics: De Broglie waves, Bohr atom. Schroedinger equation, wave functions, observables. One dimensional potentials. Schroedinger equation in three dimensions. Angular momentum, hydrogen atom. Spin, experimental consequences.
Offered by: Physics
Physics: The physical properties of fluids. The kinematics and dynamics of flow. The effects of viscosity and turbulence. Applications of fluid mechanics in biophysics, geophysics and engineering.
Offered by: Physics
Physics: Fundamental concepts of optics, including applications and modern developments. Light propagation in media; geometric optics and optical instruments; polarization and coherence properties of light; interference and interferometry; diffraction theory and applications in spectrometry and imaging; Gaussian beams, Fourier optics and photonic band structure. A laboratory component provides hands-on experience in optical setup design, construction and testing of concepts introduced in lectures.
Offered by: Physics
Physics: One electron atoms, radiation, multielectron atoms, molecular bonds. Selected topics from condensed matter, nuclear and elementary particle physics.
Offered by: Physics
The Technological World
Students select a minimum of 3 credits to a maximum of 12 credits from the following list:
Computer Science (Sci): A course for students with no previous knowledge of computer science. The impact of computers on society. Web design and dynamic content. The inner workings of computers (hardware). Networking principles. Algorithm design and programming. A look at how computers store data (image, sound, and video). Software distribution policies and mechanisms.
Offered by: Computer Science
Computer Science (Sci): Introduction to computer programming in a high level language: variables, expressions, primitive types, methods, conditionals, loops. Introduction to algorithms, data structures (arrays, strings), modular software design, libraries, file input/output, debugging, exception handling. Selected topics.
Offered by: Computer Science
Computer Science (Sci): Comprehensive overview of programming in C, use of system calls and libraries, debugging and testing of code; use of developmental tools like make, version control systems.
Offered by: Computer Science
Computer Science (Sci): A history of early mathematical computation. Symbolic logic and computation. Modern computer systems and networks. The rise of the internet.
Offered by: Computer Science
Computer Science (Sci): Concepts and tools for programmatic storage, retrieval, searching, numerical analysis, and visualization of large biological data sets.
Offered by: Computer Science
Mathematics & Statistics (Sci): The concept of degrees of freedom and the analysis of variability. Planning of experiments. Experimental designs. Polynomial and multiple regressions. Statistical computer packages (no previous computing experience is needed). General statistical procedures requiring few assumptions about the probability model.
Offered by: Mathematics and Statistics
* Note: Students may take either COMP 102 or COMP 280, but not both.
** Note: Credit will not be given for COMP 102 if it is taken concurrently with or after COMP 202.
Orientation gives you the opportunity to meet your Student Advisor and your peers in-person, ask questions about your program and gain knowledge about supports that are designed to help you succeed at McGill!
Orientation Dates for August 2024: TBA
Please note, attendance is mandatory.
Students whose highest level of education is high school (normally out of province) are admitted into Year 0 (U0) to complete the Foundation Program.
The Foundation Program consists of 30 credits of the students’ choice, verified by an advisor. There are no required courses in the Foundation Program, but students in the Secondary Science and Technology program have prerequisite courses they must take in their Year 0 in order to complete the program. As such, Year 0 students in Secondary Science and Technology typically complete the following courses for their Foundation program:
Fall Semester
Biology (Sci): An introduction to the phylogeny, structure, function and adaptation of unicellular organisms, plants and animals in the biosphere.
Offered by: Biology
Chemistry: A study of the fundamental principles of atomic structure, radiation and nuclear chemistry, valence theory, coordination chemistry, and the periodic table.
Offered by: Chemistry
Mathematics & Statistics (Sci): Review of trigonometry and other Precalculus topics. Limits, continuity, derivative. Differentiation of elementary functions. Antidifferentiation. Applications.
Offered by: Mathematics and Statistics
Mathematics & Statistics (Sci): Review of functions and graphs. Limits, continuity, derivative. Differentiation of elementary functions. Antidifferentiation. Applications.
Offered by: Mathematics and Statistics
Physics: An introductory course in physics without calculus, covering mechanics (kinematics, dynamics, energy, and rotational motion), oscillations and waves, sound, light, and wave optics.
Offered by: Physics
Physics: The basic laws and principles of Newtonian mechanics; oscillations, waves, and wave optics.
Offered by: Physics
Winter Semester
Biology (Sci): The cell: ultrastructure, division, chemical constituents and reactions. Bioenergetics: photosynthesis and respiration. Principles of genetics, the molecular basis of inheritance and biotechnology.
Offered by: Biology
Chemistry: A study of the fundamental principles of physical chemistry.
Offered by: Chemistry
Mathematics & Statistics (Sci): The definite integral. Techniques of integration. Applications. Introduction to sequences and series.
Offered by: Mathematics and Statistics
Physics: Electric field and potential. D.C. circuits and measurements. Capacitance. Magnetic field and induction. Electromagnetic waves and geometrical optics.
Offered by: Physics
Physics: The basic laws of electricity and magnetism; geometrical optics.
Offered by: Physics
If you are admitted into McGill with advanced standing (International Baccalaureate, Advanced Placement, etc.), you may have some of these courses complete and can use your advanced standing credits to fulfill some or all of your Foundation requirements.
The department also recommends the following courses, if they fit into the above schedule:
Admin & Policy Studies in Ed: An introduction to contemporary issues in education in local, national and international contexts, including a critical perspective on educational issues by drawing on a variety of analytical frameworks.
Offered by: Integrated Studies in Ed
Written and Oral Communication: Academic research-based writing across the disciplines. Article summary, critical analysis, rhetorical strategies, citation and paraphrase of academic sources, and editing for cohesion and clarity.
Offered by: McGill Writing Centre
Foundation Course Verification
All Foundation students must have their Fall and Winter course selections verified prior to the start of classes. This can be done by email or by attending the group advising session in late August. To verify your course selection by email, send a message to advisedise.education [at] mcgill.ca with the subject “Foundation Course Selection” and your student ID number in the body.
Students who attended University prior to coming to McGill may be eligible for transfer credit. Please verify the credits already awarded to you by Admissions on your Minerva Unofficial Transcript. If you believe that you are entitled to additional credits, please review the Advanced Standing Guidelines and speak with your advisor. Please use the following Request for Transfer Credit Form to keep track of your equivalencies.
Tabitha Beedle, Academic Advisor
Susie Vodopivec, Academic Advisor
Grace Wong- McAllister, Academic Advisor
Step by step instructions and a tutorial video can be found on this website. In addition, the Internships & Student Affairs office is available to help you with registration difficulties.
“U0” or “Foundation Program Student” is the term used to define students who have been admitted without advanced standing. Generally, this refers to students who are admitted to McGill from outside Quebec. Admitted students who have completed CEGEP are considered U1 students. Refer to the section titled “Foundation Program Advising” for further information.
See the overviews above to find the semesters in which you should complete your field experiences. In addition, the start and end dates for all field experiences each year can be found on the Internships & Student Affairs website.
EDFE 200 and EDEC 201 must be registered for simultaneously. To do this, make note of the CRNs of both courses (first column on left when you search for courses) and enter them both into the "Quick Add" feature on Minerva (step 2 on the registration menu).
Yes, the provincial governement requires that all students in teacher education programs demonstrate their proficiency in the language of instruction. More information can be found on the Internships & Student Affairs website.
Registration for courses for newly admitted students begins in June and ends a couple weeks after classes in the semester begin. A complete list of registration start and end dates can be found here.
If you are getting an error such as 'program restriction' or 'reserve closed' when attempting to register for a course, first ensure that you are selecting the section designated for your program (if applicable: see the notes under the course in class schedule search on Minerva). If you are still having trouble, contact the department offering the course (Educational and Counselling Psychology for EDPE and EDPI courses, Linguistics for LING courses, English for ENGL courses, etc.). The calendar entry for the course will indicate the offering department.
Information about French courses and the French Placement Test can be found on the French Language Centre website.
In the Faculty of Education, students are eligible to receive advanced standing only for courses that are applicable to their programs. The admissions office makes decisions on advanced standing for all incoming students over the summer. Your advanced standing may not appear on your transcript immediately.
Until the admissions office has entered your advanced standing on your transcript, you are advised to attempt to get a sense of the transfer credits you might receive by looking at the program requirements on the program checklist (above). Students typically receive advanced standing for subject area courses rather than required education courses (unless their previous university education was in a teacher training program). Additional advice for self-assessing your transfer credits can be found on the Internships & Student Affairs website.
When the admissions office has assessed your advanced standing, you should review it, and if you feel that you might be eligible for additional courses, contact your advisor.
Program information is organized for three distinct groups:
Prospective Students Newly Admitted Currently Registered
