Welcome to Max Bell School! We are thrilled that you have chosen to undertake your Master of Public Policy (MPP) degree with us. You aren't just coming to the Max Bell School, you are coming to McGill, which has been a great university filled with lots of intellectual excitement for over two hundred years.
McGill has many services to support your academic studies and activities on campus to keep you busy. This outlines key information about the getting started at McGill, MPP program and what you need to know to succeed and complete your degree. The policies and procedures of the school are essential for all students to understand.
Welcome to Montreal!
Montreal is the cultural capital of Canada, and with four universities, the city has the largest per-capita student population in North America.
Montreal is a functionally bilingual community and you can manage with no French. But since you’re here, you might as well take advantage and learn a new language, which would not only help make new friends but also improve job prospects. Montreal – an amalgamation of different cultures and communities – is vibrant and exciting all year round.
Downtown Montreal is the hub of all cultural activity with art, music, and cultural festivals throughout the year. Summer is hot and it’s a season Montrealers enjoy to the fullest. You will find people having lunch in the park or next to the fountains at Place des Arts. The outdoor terraces are buzzing with activity all through the summer. The highlights of the season are the Montreal International Jazz Festival and the International Fireworks Competition. Winters are cold, so you will want to invest in a good warm jacket and boots. Layering yourself in warm clothes is the best way to enjoy Canadian winter activities that could include skiing or enjoying a meal at one of the region’s sugar shacks, our famous Nuit blanche or Igloofest.
Getting Around
Public Transit
Montreal is well served by public transportation. The OPUS card is a smart card providing access to the Montreal bus and metro network. For students under 25 years of age, the OPUS card is available at a discounted price and can be ordered from Minerva.
Bike
Montreal has more and more bike paths each year, and cyclists love to explore Montreal from April to October. You can buy a bike, or buy a BIXI pass to use Montreal’s public bike system.
Taxis
Taking a taxi in Montreal is safe and convenient.
Taxi Coop: 514-725-9885
Taxi Diamond: 514-273-6331
Car
International students with a study permit can drive in Canada using their foreign driver’s licence if it is in French or English. Otherwise, they will have to obtain an international licence from the SAAQ.
Inform yourself! Some rules are specific to Montreal and/or Quebec, and parking is difficult in the city, especially during the winter.
Car Sharing Services
Communauto offers different packages for round-trip or one-way travel. It is low cost and eco friendly.
Getting Set Up
Banking
To open a bank account, you will need to:
- Make an appointment
- Bring your passport and study permit
- Bring your letter of acceptance from the school and your Student ID
Most banks have student packages, e.g. no charge for the first 25 transactions.
Major banks near the downtown campus are:
- CIBC: Sherbrooke @ Metcalfe
- Royal Bank of Canada (RBC): Sherbrooke @ Peel
- Banque Nationale: Sherbrooke @ Stanley
- Bank of Montreal (BMO): Maisonneuve @ Peel
- TD Canada Trust: Meltcalfe @ Maisonneuve
- HSBC: Sherbrooke @ McGill College
- Scotia Bank: Sherbrooke @ Metcalfe
- Laurentian Bank of Canada: René-Lévesque @ Lucien-L'Allier
Phone and Internet
Each call you make AND those you receive are calculated as part of your airtime. There are several options and rate plans that include unlimited incoming calls to avoid paying for calls you receive.
Check before purchasing:
- Length of the contract and the fee for breaking your contract before it ends
- Billing for incoming text messages (SMS)
- Start time for night rates
- Monthly network access fees, voicemail, caller ID, 911, and taxes
List of companies providing phone services:
- Bell: 514-310-BELL
- Vidéotron: 1 877 512-0911
- Télus: 1-866-558-2273
- Virgin Mobile: 1-888-999-2321
- Fido: 1-888-481-FIDO
- Rogers: 1-877-ROGERS-1
- Fizz: fizz.ca
Internet services are available from Bell, Videotron, Distributel, Fizz, TekSavvy, Electronic Box, OXIO, and Acanac.
*Check the plans and make sure service is available in your apartment complex before purchasing. If service is not available, you may have to pay an installation fee.
New Students Checklist
- Have you submitted your proof of Canadian citizenship or permanent residency (Canadian citizens/PR) or your Study Permit, CAQ document (international students) to Enrollment Services?*
- Have you verified your fee information and updated your mailing address on Minerva?
- Have you picked up your Student ID card from Service Point?
- Have you activated your McGill email account?
- Have you completed the mandatory Academic Integrity Tutorial on Minerva?
For international students only:
- Have you accessed Minerva -> Student - > International Student Health Insurance Coverage Form to confirm your coverage?
*Please note that all students are considered international students until proof of permanent residency or citizenship is received.
Getting Started as a McGill Student
Getting Your Student Card
Your student ID card is proof that you are a registered student at McGill and gives you access to a full range of McGill services. You will need it to use most essential services on campus including the library and athletic facilities and to access certain study areas and classrooms during regular daytime hours as well as after hours.
Complete the form through Minerva. Learn more here: mcgill.ca/student-records/personal-information/id
Those students who have a McGill undergraduate ID card will need to replace it with a new graduate level ID card.
McGill Service Point
McGill’s Service Point provides you with a variety of administrative services and is located at 3415 McTavish Street, near the intersection with Sherbrooke.
Tel: 514-398-7878
Contact form: mcgill.ca/servicepoint/contact
International Students
International students must submit copies of their Certificat d’acceptation du Quebec (CAQ and Study Permit as soon as possible.
Learn more here: mcgill.ca/legaldocumentFor international students, there is a buddy program run by International Student Services (ISS). An incoming student can request a buddy from McGill here: mcgill.ca/internationalstudents/once-here/buddy
Buy Your Books and Computer Equipment
The McGill University Bookstore, Le James, is open year-round and carries new and used textbooks as well as reference and general books, stationery and office supplies, McGill merchandise, and snacks.
Le James Bookstore
680 Sherbrooke Street West Montreal, QC H3A 2M7Regular Hours: Monday-Friday: 10am – 5pm Saturday & Sunday: Closed
Visit the Bookstore online or in person to sign up for email reminders so you are the first to know about services such as a used textbook buy-back and other events.
Health and Insurance
Health and dental insurance for local students can be arranged through the Post Graduate Student Society (PGSS).
International Students
Health insurance is mandatory for most incoming international students and it is part of the tuition fee package.
The Health Insurance Card can be printed from Minerva and can be activated here: mcgill.ca/internationalstudents/health
Get Reimbursed
To get reimbursed on medicine, one can download Medavie app or use the web portal to file the claim. For quicker processing, one can visit the Medavie
Blue Cross office across from the McGill Downtown campus at 550 Sherbrooke West.
Registering for Courses
Student Number and Personal Identification Number
If you are attending McGill for the first time, your 9-digit student number will have been issued to you online upon submission of your application. If you have forgotten your PIN number or if it has been disabled for any reason, call the Minerva Help Line (514-398-7878) during McGill business hours to have it reset.
Minerva does not guide you to the courses you need and will not necessarily prevent you from registering for courses you are not entitled to take. You are responsible for making sure that you follow the regulations and deadlines outlined in the calendar.
Student Number and Personal Identification Number
While the School's staff and faculty will provide advice and guidance, you have ultimate responsibility for:
- The completeness and correctness of your course selection and registration;
- Compliance with the completion of program and degree requirements;
- Observance of regulations and deadlines as outlined in the University Calendar.
Registration Procedures
To register for courses, new students can access Minerva at: mcgill.ca/minerva-students
Mandatory Training
Academic Integrity Tutorial
All students are required to complete the Academic Integrity Tutorial in order to ensure that they know—and fully understand—what’s expected of them.
The Tutorial—which can be found in Minerva (mcgill.ca/minerva-students) under the Student Menu— must be completed by the end of their first term at McGill. Failure to complete the Tutorial will result in a registration block for the following term. The registration block is automatically released the moment the Tutorial is completed in Minerva.
Creating a Campus Community Free of Sexual Violence
It Takes All of Us: Creating a Campus Community Free of Sexual Violence is a learning program that strives to increase awareness of sexual violence, to ensure that our campus culture is based on respect and consent, and to help create a community free of sexual violence.
The training consists of four modules that use character-driven scenarios to teach important topics surrounding sexual violence and its impact. You can find this mandatory training on myCourses.
Signing into IT Services
McGill uses a universal login system of your @mail.mcgill.ca email and password. Use this login for myCourses, email, WiFi, IT Services, uPrint, Minerva, everything!
For some systems, like uPrint, you can use your McGill short username, which is the first letter of your first name + first 5 letters of your last name, usually followed by a number (e.g. jsmith5).
Find out your McGill username and short username and create/reset your McGill password in Minerva:
Log in with your McGill ID and Minerva PIN;
Go to Personal Menu > Password for McGill Username.
It Services Website
McGill’s IT Services website is your one- stop shop for all central IT services at McGill.
Tel: 514-398-3398 | mcgill.ca/it
Set Up Your Wifi
Connect to wpa.mcgill.ca
myCourses
Many of your courses will have online materials or activities including assignments and readings, lecture recordings, course syllabus, project guidelines, discussion forums, calendars, etc.
- Access myCourses: mycourses2.mcgill.ca
- Click on the title to access the course homepage;
- Your course contents are available from the start date of the course;
- Set up notifications to receive announcements and important dates on your smartphone/mobile
View the class list and interact with your instructor and classmates.
Watch videos and find support on myCourses at: mcgill.ca/mycourses
UPrint
UPrint is a cloud printing system that allows students to print to any machine on campus from McGill computers, personal laptops, home desktops, and mobile devices.
- Use one of the public computers on campus or email your print jobs to: //uprint.mono [at] mcgill.ca">uprint.mono [at] mcgill.ca or uprint.colour [at] mcgill.ca;
- Swipe your McGill ID card and enter your McGill password to log into the machine.
Copy and print charges are billed to your student account. Scanning to email is free.
Your McGill email address is the official email address that the university uses to communicate with you. Check it often!
Library
McGill has a world-class library and online database with over 2.5 million e-books, e- journals, and multimedia resources. These can be accessed with your McGill username and McGill password.
You must establish a Virtual Private Network (VPN) connection to access McGill restricted sites and resources if you connect to the Internet with an Internet Service Provider (ISP) other than McGill’s DAS.
You can find an explanatory article by McGill IT Services here: mcgill.ca/x/4QJ. EZproxy is a quick, convenient way to access restricted McGill library databases and other online, library-licensed resources from off-campus. For more information: mcgill.ca/x/4QU
IT Security Awareness Training
A series of comprehensive IT Security Awareness Training courses are available in order to raise awareness of IT security issues and identify key behaviours that create risks to our organization. mcgill.ca/it
Address
Remember to keep your contact information accurate and up-to-date on Minerva, where you can view and update your mailing, permanent and employer addresses. You can also update your phone number and make minor corrections to your name, such as changing upper/lower-case letters or adding accents. Be sure to also complete the “Emergency Contact” information. All students must have a valid permanent address. McGill will use this as the current mailing address if no other address is provided.
Free Software
Download free software from McGill’s Software Licensing Site: mcgill.ca/itsupport/software-list
Microsoft Office 365 ProPlus is available free to all registered students. Download: mcgill.ca/x/4Qw
The McGill Bookstore also sells software at educational institution prices. mcgill.onthehub.com
OneDrive Cloud File Storage
You get 1 terabyte of free file storage space for your personal use. Access your files from anywhere and share easily with friends and family. Visit the site to find out more: mcgill.ca/itsupport/onedrive
Academic Integrity & Regulations
Academic Integrity & Regulations
McGill places a great deal of importance on honest work, the art of scholarship, and the fair treatment of all members of the university community, and demands a rigid insistence on giving credit where credit is due. Offenses such as cheating and breaches of research ethnics undermine not only the value of our collective work, but also the academic integrity of the University and the value of a McGill degree.
Plagiarism
"Plagiarism" is the representation of another's work as one's own or assisting another in representing another's work, published or unpublished, as their own.
No student shall represent another person's work, published or unpublished, as their own in any writing, such as an essay, thesis, research report, project or assignment submitted in a course or a program of study, or represent as their own the work of another, whether the material so represented constitutes a part or the entirely of the work submitted.
No students shall contribute any work to another student with the knowledge that the latter may submit the work in part or whole as their own. Receipt of payment or other forms of compensation for work contributed shall be cause for presumption that the student had such knowledge.
To learn more about Academic Integrity and the Student Code of Conduct at McGill, refer to this page: mcgill.ca/students/srr/academicrights/integrity/cheating
You can find several important McGill Regulations online:
- University Examination Policies: mcgill.ca/exams/regulations
- Code of Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures: mcgill.ca/secretariat/files/secretariat/ code_of_student_conduct_and_ disciplinary_procedures.pdf
- University Student Assessment Policy: https://ssmu.ca/Accessibility-Policy-2021-01-28-to-2026-01-01
- Policy Concerning Rights of Students with Disabilities: https://www.mcgill.ca/secretariat/files/secretariat/rights-of-students-with-disabilities-policy-concerning-the_0.pd
- Regulations on Conflicts of Interest: https://www.mcgill.ca/students/srr/academicrights/conflicts
EDI Committee & Initiatives
EDI Committee & Initiatives
The Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Committee’s mandate is to further the School’s mission to bring together people from varied perspectives to participate in all aspects of the life of the School and to promote greater equity.
The EDI Committee identified five key priority areas and developed a plan to respond to each.
- Ensure resources are available to support EDI work.
- Diversify programs, events, and publications.
- Improve the diversity of the workforce and advisory boards.
- Establish mentoring and wellness initiatives for staff, instructors, and students.
- Improve accessibility for persons with disabilities and promote universal design for all.
Each year we form a new EDI committee, so please consider applying to be a new committee member! Learn more about getting involved at Orientation or by emailing leslie.fierro [at] mcgill.ca.
McGill EDI Initiatives and Resources
There are several EDI-related resources available through McGill: mcgill.ca/equity
This website includes information on everything from how to receive a consultation with the Office for Mediation and Reporting (OMR) or file a report related to harassment or discrimination, information on the Office for Sexual Violence Response, Support, and Education (OSVRSE), to McGill’s EDI Strategic Plan and Anti-Black Racism and Indigenous Initiatives.
EDI First Responders Program
In a continued effort to provide a safe space for students, faculty, and staff, Max Bell School staff and faculty engaged in a training delivered by OMR and OSVRSE on how to respond to disclosures of sexual violence, harassment and discrimination. Specific individuals within the school have been designated as First Responders but all staff and faculty are prepared to discuss EDI-related concerns.
mcgill.ca/maxbellschool/about/equity-diversity-inclusion/first-responders-support
Services and Information
Student Services
McGill Student Wellness Hub
The Student Wellness Hub has a renovated space, with increased staff numbers, clinicians and medical professionals, for any and all health and wellness needs that you may have. It is located on the third, fourth and fifth floors of the Brown Building. It has consolidated and expanded Health Services, Counselling and Psychiatric Services, so you won’t have to restart if or when you go between units.
Student Accessibility and Achievement
Academic accommodations are available for students with documented disabilities that may be permanent, temporary, or episodic. Other resources and programs supporting academic achievement are available to all McGill students, from on-demand resources and webinars and a tutor-matching program, to targeted programming focused on teaching academic strategies.
International Student Services
ISS offers a host of services to graduate degree students who opt in to pay McGill Student Services fees. A list of those services can be found on ISS’ website: mcgill.ca/internationalstudents
Scholarships and Student Aid
Find all the resources and advice you need to help pay for university, from step-by-step guides on how to apply for funding to information on how to budget effectively.
Drivesafe and Walksafe
Drivesafe and Walksafe are two great student services.
Drivesafe (514-398-8040, drivesafe.ssmu.ca) is a free transportation service operating on Friday-Saturday from 11 pm to 3 am that will drive students anywhere on the island of Montreal.
Walksafe (514-398-2498, walksafe.ssmu.ca) is a free walking companion service operating Sunday-Thursday 9 pm to 12 am and Friday-Saturday 9 pm to 3 am that will walk with you anywhere on the island of Montreal.
Learn more about all Student Services here: mcgill.ca/studentservices
The McGill App can be downloaded from Play Store/App Store and can be synced with myCourses to access all the important resources: mcgill.ca/app
Life Outside Your Classes
McGill's Post Graduate Student Society (PGSS)
The Post-Graduate Student Society organizes several events of a purely recreational nature. Field trips, parties and dinner events offer the chance to relax and mingle with fellow students outside the classroom setting. McGill’s Post-Graduate Student Society (PGSS) also boasts numerous student clubs and associations.
Thomson House
You can enjoy Montreal’s famous nightlife with fellow MPP students or attend Thursdays at Thomson House, McGill graduate students’ private club. You can look forward to many memorable experiences in the program, and to developing friendships that will endure long after graduation
Athletics and Recreation
Get active, stay fit and meet new people. McGill has almost fifty varsity and club teams as well as a thriving intramural program – and fresh faces are welcome. Work up a sweat in any one of over 100 fitness, recreation, aquatic and dance non- credit courses.
Play a game of basketball, tennis, squash, soccer, volleyball or badminton during drop-in recreation times. Do all of this and more at our indoor and outdoor tennis courts, squash courts, weight rooms, indoor and outdoor tracks, two outdoor playing fields with artificial turf, gymnasia, arena, swimming pool and fitness centre.
Work Permits
On Campus & Off Campus
As a full-time International McGill student, you can work both on-campus and off- campus without a work permit, but it's important to ensure that you have the right authorization and meet the eligibility criteria to do so legally. There are some restrictions surrounding the number of hours you are eligible to work. The authorization will be indicated on your study permit and will be valid for the period for which you hold a study permit at the institution and during which you are enrolled in full-time studies.
To learn if you meet the eligibility criteria visit: canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees- citizenship/services/study-canada/ work.html and McGill’s International Student Services mcgill.ca/ internationalstudents/work
You will need a Social Insurance Number (SIN, NAS in French) whether you want to work on campus or off campus in order to get paid. You will find all relevant information on the Service Canada website (bit.ly/2qn1FEr). Gather all the required documents and go to a Service Canada office – you will get your SIN in 10 minutes. It is an important identification document and you should not share the card information with anyone, except your employer and university.
Post-Graduation Work Permit
Following your studies, should you wish to remain in Canada, you may be eligible for the PGWP.
canada.ca/en/ immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/ study-canada/work/after-graduation.html
If you need any help or have any questions, you can contact the relevant government office or McGill International Student Services: mcgill.ca/internationalstudents
Tenant Insurance
Tenant insurance is not compulsory, but it is advisable. Check with a bank or insurance company for more details.
Healthcare
If you are not feeling well and want to see a doctor, you can go to the McGill Wellness Hub.
Brown Student Services Building, third floor 3600 McTavish Street West Montreal, Quebec H3A 0G3
Tel: 514-398-6017
Academic and Career Related Resources
Writing Centre’s Graphos
Graduate courses and workshops and work opportunities are offered.
Skillsets
Workshops for grad students on leadership, writing, study methods, etc.
MyInvolvement
Activities that go towards students’ Co-curricular Record.
McGill Tutoring Services
Looking for a tutor? Want to become a tutor? Register with Student Accessibility and Achievement.
Campus Life & Engagement (CL&E)
CL&E offers services touching almost everything that has to do with life at McGill as a student and has a newsletter for new grad students.
