Majors and Concentrations
If you have just completed U0 or if you are a new student entering U1 year from CEGEP (or with at least 24 credits of advanced standing from high school), then you need to choose a Major. All of the Environment degree programs (except for the BA&Sc Interfaculty Program) require that you also choose an area of specialization called a Concentration.
Students in the BA and BSc in the Faculty of Science can add their Concentration in Minerva. Even if you're not sure which Concentration you're planning to complete, enter the one you think you're most likely to follow and you can change this later, if needed.
Students in the BSc (AgEnvSc) must submit the form found on the SAO website to add/change their Concentration.
Suggested U1 Courses
As a U1 Bieler School of Environment student, you will take the four 200-level ENVR courses. If not already completed in U0/with an exemption from high school, students should complete the statistics requirement for their program in U1 as well. In addition to these courses, you should be taking required/complementary courses for your Environment program. The Concentration course lists do not represent sequences of courses; rather, they are lists of choices. For suggestions of courses to take in your first year (U1), consult the Student Handbook.
Two Campuses
When planning your schedule and registering for courses, pay close attention to the campus that your courses will be offered at. The ENVR courses (other than ENVR 401) are offered both downtown (Sec. 001) and at Mac (Sec. 051). Courses offered at Macdonald are shown on the Bieler School of Environment website with an (M) beside them. Regardless of which campus most of your courses are on, if you wish to take some courses on the other campus, the program is flexible enough to allow this. The ENVR courses are the easiest way to get to experience life on another campus, so students are highly encouraged to take some of their core courses at the opposite campus!
The two campuses are about 35 km apart. It takes about 40 minutes by shuttle bus or car (closer to 50 minutes in rush hour), and about 90 minutes by city bus and metro or by train. Students can use the free Shuttle Bus service which runs regularly between the campuses throughout the school year. (Don't forget your ID card!)
ENVR Courses
As noted above, the core ENVR courses can be taken on either campus. Be careful which Section you register in for the ENVR courses! The courses will vary slightly depending on the section, and you will not be able to write your EXAM if you are in the wrong section! Section 001 is Downtown, section 051 is at Macdonald. This applies only to ENVR courses.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Where can I access resources to support my academic success, and my physical and mental well-being?
The Student Wellness Hub is our students' place to go for their holistic health and wellness needs. It provides access to basic physical and mental health services, as well as health promotion and peer support programs, in convenient locations at both our Macdonald and downtown campuses. The Hub offers specialized programming related to stress, anxiety, depression, addictive behaviours, and sleep issues which can have a major impact on academic performance for broad segments of the student population. Our programming is geared towards helping students overcome these challenges and meet their academic objectives.
I need to talk to an Advisor in another department. Where do I find their name and contact information?
Faculty of Arts Advisors
Faculty of Science Advisors
Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Advisors
What is the S/U option? And can I use it?
The Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) option is explained in the e-Calendar. All Bieler School of Environment students may take advantage of the S/U option (according to the regulations), however students in the Faculty Program Environment (B.Arts degree), in particular, may wish to use this option to complete their program pre-/co-requisite science and numeracy requirements. If you have any questions about whether the S/U option makes sense for you to use, please contact the Program Advisor.
I am not sure which Concentration I want to follow, but I don't want to fall behind. What can I do?
You should start with the four 200-level core ENVR courses:
ENVR 200 - The Global Environment
ENVR 201 - Society,Environ&Sustainability
ENVR 202 - The Evolving Earth
ENVR 203 - Knowledge, Ethics&Environment
In addition, if you compare the Concentrations, you will notice courses that are common amongst most of them, for example:
BIOL 308 - Ecological Dynamics (Downtown Campus)
ENVB 305 - Population & Community Ecology (Macdonald Campus)
Statistics - GEOG 202 - Statistics & Spatial Analysis (Downtown Campus),
or MATH 203 - Principles of Statistics 1 (Downtown Campus),
or AEMA 310 - Statistical Methods 1 (Macdonald Campus);
(or equivalent statistics course)
Microeconomics - ECON 208 - Microeconomic Analysis&Applic (Downtown Campus),
or AGEC 200 - Principles of Microeconomics (Macdonald Campus)
Also, if you are in the BA Faculty Program Environment, you will need to complete the program pre-/co-requisites, regardless of which Concentration you choose to go into.
Taking Courses Outside your Faculty or on the "Other" Campus
There are some important rules regarding how many credits and which courses you can take outside the Faculty into which you are admitted. The rules for each Faculty are different - see below for the information that pertains to you.
*Please note that in all cases, the core ENVR courses count as courses in your home Faculty, regardless of which campus they are completed on.
Faculty of Arts
Faculty Program Environment students are restricted to a maximum of 30 credits outside the Faculties of Arts and Science. This includes courses counting towards your Environment program and any other program (e.g. Minor or Minor Concentration), as well as electives. It does not include ENVR courses, even if taken on the Macdonald campus. Normally, this restriction will not affect your course selections since the Faculty Program Environment Concentrations comprise mainly downtown courses. You will receive no warning if you register for too many credits outside Arts and Science. The course(s) will be "E-flagged" (course is excluded from credits, and excluded from the GPA). You do not want this to happen, so please refer to the Programs, Courses, and University Regulations e-Calendar for more detail, or speak with the Bieler School of Environment Program Advisor if you have questions.
Faculty of Science
There are science courses offered on both campuses; however, BSc students are in the Faculty of Science and must take most of their courses Downtown. Specifically, BSc Major Environment students are restricted to a maximum of 18 credits outside the Faculties of Arts and Science. This does not include the ENVR courses, even if taken on the Macdonald campus. Any credits over 18 credits must be complementary or required courses for your Environment program.
Faculty of Science students should be aware that they cannot take courses outside the Faculties of Arts or Science, unless they are Approved. Please refer to the List of Restricted Courses. Minerva will not warn you if you have registered for a restricted course. Once completed, the course will be "E-flagged" (course is excluded from credits, and excluded from the GPA). You do not want this to happen, so please check the List of Restricted Courses and contact the Bieler School of Environment Program Advisor if you have any doubts.
Bachelor of Arts & Science degree
BA&Sc students are restricted to a maximum of 30 credits outside Arts and Science (only 12 of which can be electives). This does not include ENVR courses, even if taken on the Macdonald campus. You will not receive a warning if you register for courses that cause you to exceed this limit. The course(s) will be "E-flagged" (course is excluded from credits and excluded from the GPA). For further information, please refer to the Programs, Courses, and University Regulations e-Calendar for more detail, or speak with the Bieler School of Environment Program Advisor for clarification.
Faculty of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences
There are science courses offered on both campuses, however, B.Sc.(Ag.Env.Sc.) students are in the Faculty of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences and must take most of their courses on the Macdonald campus. Specifically, Mac students must take 2/3 of their McGill credits from courses offered by the Faculty of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences. This does not include ENVR courses, even if taken on the Downtown campus. With careful planning, you can take the downtown courses you want and need, including the required and some complementary courses in your Concentration. Also, it does not preclude taking a Minor or Minor Concentration from one of the downtown Faculties. For more information, refer to the Programs, Courses, and University Regulations e-Calendar, or ask the Bieler School of Environment Program Advisor.
Statistics Course Overlap
There are a number of statistics courses offered at McGill which are similar enough to each other that you will not receive credit for more than one of them, even if taken by mistake. These courses are shown in the Programs, Courses, and University Regulations e-Calendar. Therefore, if you have taken, or are considering taking a statistics course other than one listed in your program, please consult the e-Calendar or the Bieler School of Environment Program Adviser to ensure there is no restriction. Minerva will not warn you if you register for an overlapping statistics course. Once completed, the course will be "E-flagged" (course is excluded from credits, and excluded from the GPA). You do not want this to happen, so please contact the Bieler School of Environment Program Advisor if you have any doubts.
Calculus
Are you in the Faculty Program Environment? Do you need Calculus 1 to satisfy your program pre-/co-requisite? See the Math Department website for information about the differences between MATH 139 and MATH 140.
Student Affairs Offices
Your Student Affairs Office can provide general academic information and advice about issues such as faculty and degree requirements, registration issues, inter-faculty transfer, exchange and study away, academic standing, and graduation. In addition to advising students about such issues, either by appointment or on a daily drop-in basis, Faculty Advisors offer a variety of information sessions each term, for example: degree planning workshops, study away workshops, and freshman information sessions.
For more information, consult the Student Affairs Office website of your Faculty:
* Faculty of Arts Students - Office of Advising and Student Information Services (OASIS)
* BA&Sc Students - Science Office for Undergraduate Student Advising (SOUSA)
* Faculty of Science Students - Science Office for Undergraduate Student Advising (SOUSA)
* Faculty of Agricultural & Environmental Science Students - Student Affairs Office