Ready to search for or submit a course equivalency decision?

Course Equivalency System

The Course Equivalency Database is designed to help you search and review course equivalency decisions made for courses offered at McGill and partner institutions.

What can you do with the course equivalency system?

  • Search the database for past course equivalency decisions

  • Submit new course equivalency requests for review

  • Request a reassessment of expired course equivalency decisions

  • Receive automated notifications on the status of their request

 




Submit a request

Before submitting a new course equivalency request: 1) Search the database to make sure that the course does not already have a prior decision rendered; 2) Have the course syllabus ready in PDF format. 

How to submit:

1. Go to www.mcgill.ca/course-equivalency 
2. Click on Login and sign in with your McGill Username and Password
3. Once signed in, click on Menu
4. Click on Submit a New Request
5. Follow the onscreen instructions

Once your request is submitted, you will be issued a request number, sent an email with your request details, and your request will be automatically sent to the appropriate reviewer.

Note: If you are participating in a study away or exchange semester, your application for study away/exchange must first have been approved before you submit a course equivalency request. 


Course Syllabus Checklist

A syllabus (also called the course outline) is a detailed overview for any given course taught at a college or university. The professor must provide the course syllabus to you by the first week of classes. In this essential document, you can expect to find the course description, potential learning outcomes, instructional methods, a list of the required reading materials, the schedule of class sessions, as well as any evaluation or grading details.

A sample course syllabus can be found here.

When requesting the evaluation of a course for equivalency at McGill, the course syllabus documentation must include information on the items below.

Institution Name

The full name of the prior university or other educational institution (an identifiable logo may provide the necessary identification in some cases.) Documentation obtained from a website must include the URL of the source.

Date of Course

The syllabus must show the date (term and year) the course was taken.

Lecture

Info Required Details
Number of Hours

One-term or two-term course?

Total number of hours (or hours/week plus number of weeks)

List of Topics Include the number of hours spent on each topic
Grading System Complete breakdown of course grade (midterms, final, oral, labs, tutorials, assignments, etc.) with percentage weight for each

Books and Materials

Complete list of books or materials used throughout the course

Number of Credits

Number of credits obtained upon the successful completion of the course, lab, and/or tutorial

Prerequisite(s) The course names and course numbers for any and all course prerequisites for the course.

Tutorial (if any)

Info Required Details
Mandatory or Optional Total number of mandatory hours

Laboratory (if any)

Info Required Details
Number of Hours Total number of hours in lab
List of Experiments

(preferably with a short description)

Are these "hands-on" lab experiments, demonstrations, exercises, or problem-solving sessions? Include number of hours in laboratory for each experiment

Performed singly, or in pairs or groups of what number?

Lab Grade Breakdown of Lab grade in terms of: technique, reports (how many), practical lab exam, quizzes

For Assessment of other courses (for newly admitted students)

Most other courses (those not covered in the previous section) are evaluated for exemption and/or credit by your Faculty Student Affairs Office or your department (after you accept the offer of admission, pay the confirmation deposit, and after official final results are received directly from your former university). The following information is required:

  • Student copy of transcript confirming completion of the course (usually with a grade of ‘C’ or better, or the equivalent)
  • The course outline and course syllabus (for advanced math and science courses, provide the same information as in the “List of requirements” above)
  • Faculty course approval form (available on your faculty website or from your Student Affairs Office)


Submitting Documentation 

Ensure the documentation indicated is completed and saved in single PDF file format. 

In order to submit a new course equivalency request, you must ensure that the course does not exist in the database and that you have the course syllabus ready in PDF format. See the FAQ section below for details on how to convert an online course syllabus to PDF.

Now that you are ready to submit a request:

1. Go to www.mcgill.ca/course-equivalency
2. Click on Login and sign in with your McGill Username and Password
3. Once signed in, click on Menu
4. Click on Submit a New Request
5. Follow the onscreen instructions

Once your request is submitted, you will be issued a request number, sent an email with your request details, and your request will be automatically sent to the appropriate reviewer.

 


FAQ

Search 

How can I use the information in the database?

The information found in the database indicates previous equivalency decisions made by academic advisors for students who have taken courses at partner institutions. The information can be used to help you with your academic planning when going on exchange or studying abroad. Please be advised that you must check with your program and faculty advisors to obtain approval in order to apply a particular equivalency towards your degree and program requirements.

How do I search the database?

You can search the database using one or more parameters. At a minimum, you must search by country or course information.
For optimal results, we recommend that you enter as many parameters as you can to narrow your search. If there are no results found, you can broaden your search by reducing or changing your search criteria.

How do I search for courses in a particular subject?

To search for all equivalencies in a particular subject, for example all Psychology courses at McGill, enter PSYC in the course number field and click on 'Search'. This search will display all PSYC course equivalencies at McGill reviewed against courses at other host institutions in different countries. To narrow those search results to a particular country, click on 'Refine Search' and select the country for which you wish to narrow results.

Should I include spaces or special characters when searching for courses?

No. You must omit special characters and blank spaces when entering the keywords. For example, when searching for ECO.12-13, you must enter ECO1213 in the course number field.

How do I interpret a course equivalency record when there is more than one course listed?

While searching the course equivalency database, you may come up with results similar to this:

Example 1:

In this example, a student must take the two host courses, GEM1ELM092 and GEM1ELM136, for them to be equivalent to BUSA462 at McGill University.

Example 2:

One Host Course to Many McGill Courses

In this example, taking the host course 6163 would be grant the student equivalency for the two McGill subjects MGPO434 and BUSA433.

Why can’t I find a university/college in the database?

Only universities and colleges that have course equivalency decision records are listed in the database.

Why can’t I find a course in the database?

Only courses that have a course equivalency decision (e.g. equivalent, not-equivalent) are stored in the database.

Also, make sure you are ticking off the Include Expired Decisions box, as the course you are searching for might have a prior equivalency decision that has since expired.

How do I view details and navigate the tool?

Once your search has yielded results, you can hover your mouse over a record to view additional information and click in the course equivalency to view the details (e.g. decision or comments if available). To view previous page results, click on the Back button.

For best results, use Chrome, Firefox, or Safari web browsers.

Submit

How do I submit a new course equivalency request?

In order to submit a new course equivalency request, you must ensure that the course does not exist in the database and that you have the course syllabus ready in PDF format. See below for details on how to convert an online course syllabus to PDF.

Now that you are ready to submit a request:

1. Go to www.mcgill.ca/course-equivalency 
2. Click on Login and sign in with your McGill Username and Password
3. Once signed in, click on Menu
4. Click on Submit a New Request
5. Follow the onscreen instructions

Once your request is submitted, you will be issued a request number, sent an email with your request details, and your request is automatically sent to the appropriate reviewer.

How do I convert an online course syllabus to PDF?

There are many ways to create a PDF document, including the use of third party software such as CutePDF or Bullzip and printing to PDF using Microsoft Office.

Using Microsoft Office (Windows)

1. Open the course syllabus and copy its content to a Word Document
2. In the Word document, click on File > Export or File > Save & Send
3. Click on Create PDF/XPS Document
4. Create PDF/XPS Document - make sure you select PDF as file format

Using CutePDF or Bullzip (Windows)

1. Open the course Syllabus in your preferred browser
2. In the same browser window, click on File > Print
3. Select your third party installed PDF Printer (Bullzip or CutePDF)
4. Click on Print

Using Mac OS/X

1. Open the course Syllabus in your preferred browser
2. In the same browser window, click on File > Print
3. Select PDF > Open PDF in Preview
4. Click on Save or Save As
5. Select Quartz Filter > Reduce File Size
6. Click on Save

How can I request a reassessment of an expired equivalency?

All course equivalencies expire after their designated time. Once the decision expires, the course must be re-evaluated again to determine whether it is equivalent or not.

To reassess an expired decision:

1. Go to www.mcgill.ca/course-equivalency
2. Click on Login and sign in with your McGill Username and Password
3. Search for the host course that you wish to be re-evaluated (make sure to check off 'Include expired decisions')
4. Click on the equivalency record to open the equivalency details page
5. Click on 'Request Reassessment'
6. Make any necessary changes and upload the new course syllabus
7. Once ready, click on Submit

Once your request is submitted, you will be issued a request number, sent an email with your request details, and your request is automatically sent to the appropriate reviewer.

I want to add to my Transfer Credits Assessment form a course whose equivalency decision expires this (current) term but it won't let me. What do I do?

If you are trying to add to your Transfer Credits Assessment form a course whose equivalency decision expires in the current term and it isn't working, send an email to ceqadmin [at] mcgill.ca (subject: Course%20Equivalency%20Extension%20Request) with:

1) name of the McGill course (e.g. POLI 222)
2) name of the external institution course (e.g. POLI 1515)
3) name of the external institution

How can I verify that my request for an equivalency was processed?

Your equivalency request will be evaluated by the appropriate reviewer. Once the reviewer records his/her decision and the decision is finalized, you will be sent an email automatically notifying you that a decision was made.

You will then need to search the database to verify whether the decision rendered indicates equivalent or otherwise, as well as what other conditions you might need to fulfill.

How can I apply for transfer credit after obtaining equivalency decisions?

At this stage, you have found a collection of one or more equivalent courses that you would like to take during your study abroad. You will need to check with your program and faculty advisors to see which of the courses could earn you transfer credit. To do so:

1. Login to Minerva and go to Student > Student Records Menu
2. Click on Exchange and Study Away Menu
3. Click on Request for Transfer Credit Assessment
4. Click on New Course Approvals if this is your first time
5. Search for the host courses you wish to take - only equivalent and not expired courses equivalencies can be added
6. Add the desired courses and enter all required information
7. Save your request when ready
8. Send an email to your program and faculty advisors to obtain approval for transfer credit

Everything Else

Whom should I contact if I encounter errors or the service is unavailable?

Please contact the IT Service Desk if you encounter errors with the Course Equivalency tool or if you are unable to access the tool.

Whom should I contact if I have questions on how to navigate the tool?

For students questions on how to navigate the tool, contact Service Point.

Whom do I contact to verify whether an equivalency can be taken for credits or as an exemption?

Credit and/or exemption will not be awarded until official final results are received and students obtain program and faculty approval. Students visiting McGill must obtain approval for any credit and/or exemption from their home institution. Please contact your program or faculty advisor for information. Consult the Advisor Directory.

 

Got a question regarding the course equivalency system or database not covered in the FAQ?
Email us at ceqadmin [at] mcgill.ca

What can you do with the course equivalency system?

  • Search the database for past course equivalency decisions

  • Submit new course equivalency requests for review

  • Request a reassessment of expired course equivalency decisions

  • Receive automated notifications on the status of their request

 

 

​​


 


FAQ

How do I view pending course equivalency or assessment confirmation requests?

The course equivalency management system has two reviewer roles: 1st Reviewer and 2nd Reviewer.

Reviewers must be defined by the faculty administrator. 1st Reviewer is the first role to see incoming equivalency requests, and they are able to render final decisions in cases where 2nd Reviewers are not defined. To view pending requests:

1. Go to www.mcgill.ca/course-equivalency
2. Click on Login and sign in with your McGill Username and Password
3. Click on Menu
4. Click on View Pending Assessment
5. Click on a course equivalency record

2nd Reviewer role receives equivalency requests only after a 1st Reviewer has rendered a preliminary decision. To view pending confirmations:

1. Go to www.mcgill.ca/course-equivalency
2. Click on Login and sign in with your McGill Username and Password
3. Click on Menu
4. Click on View Pending Confirmation
5. Click on a course equivalency record

Note: Depending on the faculty requirements, there may not be any 2nd reviewers for a particular McGill subject.

How do I process a request when there is not sufficient data to assess it?

There are occasions when an equivalency request may not have sufficient information to be able to determine whether the host course is equivalent or not (e.g. the attached course syllabus file is corrupted or the wrong course syllabus was attached).

In those cases, you can submit the request back to the requestor with information on how to correct the issue without recording a decision in the database. 
Depending on your role, click on 'View Pending Assessment' or View 'Pending Confirmation', then:

1. Click on the request you wish to send back to the requestor without recording a decision in the database
2. Verify that you are unable to make a decision with the information provided
3. Click on Incomplete
4. Provide the requestor with details as to why you are unable to render a decision and any recommendations (e.g. Wrong course syllabus. Please submit request again with proper syllabus.)
5. Click on Submit

How do I assess a course equivalency request?

Now that you have reviewed the request and you are ready to record a decision of Equivalent or Not Equivalent, you will need to record as a final decision or a preliminary decision in situations where there is a 2nd Reviewer. To do so, click on 'View Pending Assessment' or 'View Pending Confirmation', depending on your role, then:

1. Click on the request subject to the decision
2. Click on Assess
3. Make any necessary changes to the request. For example, correcting course title or selecting the appropriate course number (See Additional Steps)
4. Click on Equivalent if the host course is equivalent to the assigned McGill Subject or click on Not Equivalent if otherwise 
5. Select one or more justification matching the criteria on which you are basing your decision
6. Select a Decision Expiration Term if deemed necessary to change the default value
7. In the Comments field, enter any course specific comments that you would like to share with the public - note that any comment entered here is made public
8. Click on Submit when ready

Additional Steps: These steps must be followed when you deem necessary to have multiple courses taken to be equivalent to one course or vice versa.

You wish to add one or more host courses (Many – One) that must be taken to be equivalent to a single McGill course

1. Click on Add Course from the Host Institution table
2. Enter the Host Course Number, Title, and AUs if applicable
3. Repeat these steps as necessary
4. When finished, resume with the above steps

You wish to add one or more McGill courses (One – Many) that would be equivalent to a single host course

1. Click on Add Course from the McGill University table
2. Select a McGill Subject and Course Number
3. Repeat these steps as necessary
4. When finished, resume with the above steps

Tips: When assessing a request, try to ensure that you are recording positive (Equivalent) decisions when possible. If you are recording primarily negative decisions (Not Equivalent), requestors would not be able to request other equivalencies for the same subject

Example: You are assessing a request that Course BIOL2000 at Concordia University be Equivalent to BIOL402. After reviewing the request, you determined that the course can only be Equivalent to BIOL120. Instead of publishing your decision as BIOL2000 Not Equivalent to BIOL402, it is best to be published as BIOL2000 Equivalent to BIOL120.

How do I change a reassessment request from “Many - One” course equivalency or vice versa?

There are situations when a course at the host institution or at McGill has changed, thus changing the equivalency decision associated with it. In this example, we are assuming that the host courses were changed, as reflected in the newly submitted course syllabus, and what used to be many host courses equivalent to one McGill Course should not be one host course is equivalent to one McGill course:

From this:

To this:

To do so during the reassessment process:

1. Click on Assess
2. Click on Delete icon next the course you wish to remove from this equivalency request (e.g. Host Course 2MO430)
3. Make any other necessary changes
4. Click on Equivalent or Not Equivalent, depending the request, and resume processing the request as usual

When is a course equivalency decision published in the database?

Some faculties require a given subject to have a 2nd Reviewer. If this is the case, a course equivalency decision is published after the 2nd Reviewer has confirmed the 1st Reviewer’s decision or has submitted a different one.

In the event that there is only a 1st Reviewer role assigned to a subject, the decision made by the 1st Reviewer is automatically published after clicking on Submit.

Requests that are processed as “Incomplete” are not published in the Course Equivalency Database.

How can I correct course equivalency decision information after a decision is published?

You need to contact a System Administrator to alter a course equivalency decision after it is published. You can do so by sending an email to ceqadmin [at] mcgill.ca along with what you need changed (including course numbers for McGill and host institution) and why it needs to change.

 

 

Got a question regarding the course equivalency system or database not covered in the FAQ?
Email us at ceqadmin [at] mcgill.ca

What can you do with the course equivalency system?

  • Add/remove reviewers
  • Search the database for course equivalency requests by request number or requestor's email
  • View the list of Faculty Administrators 
  • Request the addition/removal of a Faculty Administrator 


 


FAQ

How do I add/remove/modify reviewers?

You must be assigned as a Faculty Administrator to be able to add/remove/modify reviewers.

1. Go to www.mcgill.ca/course-equivalency
2. Click on Login and sign in with your McGill Username and Password
3. Click on Menu
4. Click on Manage Reviewers
5. You may have to click on a Faculty from the list or click on a McGill subject that you wish to manage
6. Type the name or email address of the person you wish to add, then click Search - note that you cannot search by preferred name
7. Assign the appropriate role
8. To remove a reviewer, click on Delete
9. To change a reviewer's role, select the appropriate role
10. To disable a reviewer’s access temporarily without removing it, uncheck the appropriate role

Why are there no results found when searching to add a reviewer by email or name?

Make sure you search by official first and last name or the McGill email address. Resource accounts and preferred names are not searchable. You will only be able to search for current McGill staff.

Why am I getting an email about course equivalency requests?

It is possible that you receive an email notifying you that there are course equivalency requests pending. This only occurs if there are McGill subjects which you administer that do not have a 1st reviewer assigned to them. To stop those emails from being sent to you, assign a 1st Reviewer for each McGill subject for which you are responsible.

When should a 2nd reviewer be assigned?

A 2nd Reviewer is not needed to be able to assess and public course equivalency decisions. Some faculties or departments may require that a 2nd reviewer validate the decisions made by the 1st Reviewer and any accreditation requirements.

How do I view a list of all Faculty Administrators?

Double-click on the selected Faculty group - you will see the names of the people in the Faculty group.


 

Got a question regarding the course equivalency system or database not covered in the FAQ?
Email us at ceqadmin [at] mcgill.ca

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