On this page:
All students are responsible for being aware of all regulations and deadlines as published in the eCalendar.
- Minerva does not necessarily prevent students from registering for courses that they should not take. Therefore, it is your responsibility to be aware of prerequisites, corequisites, restrictions, and faculty regulations that apply to the courses in which you register.
- Register for both the Fall and Winter semesters as soon as registration opens. Do not hesitate to contact the isa.education [at] mcgill.ca (Internships & Student Affairs) office (for registration problems) or your departmental academic advisor (for course choice), if you need any assistance.
Registration Information
- Students should register for their courses as soon as possible--space may be limited. Close attention should be paid to the information on the Class Schedule comments and in the Calendar regarding restrictions, spanned courses, linked sections, and specially scheduled courses.
- All currently registered students who expect to return to McGill for the next Fall term are strongly encouraged to see their departmental advisor(s) and to register for courses before leaving for the summer. As space in courses is limited, you may not be able to register for the course(s) of your choice if you postpone registration until August.
- Late registration fees are charged as of mid-August, make sure you register in at least one course prior to the specific date at www.mcgill.ca/importantdates to avoid late registration fees.
- Advisors are available to assist students with their program planning; however, students are ultimately responsible for their academic record.
- Students should also refer to the University's Student Records Information website for information and assistance.
Course Loads
- Bachelor of Education programs leading to teacher certification can only be followed on a full time basis. Part-time study is not normally permitted. For exceptions, see the next heading below, "Request for Part Time Study."
- Students are required to take a minimum of 12 credits per semester, unless permission has been granted by the Internships & Student Affairs Director.
- 12 credits or more per term is considered "full-time". Full-time status is required for eligibility for student visas, loans and bursaries, and awards and scholarships.
- The normal course load is 15 credits per term.
- Students in probationary standing are permitted a maximum of 12 credits per term.
- For newly admitted students and students whose standing is Satisfactory or Interim Satisfactory, a maximum of 17 credits per term are permitted.
- Students may apply for a credit overload by completing the request form (see below).
- A minimum of 27 graded (non-S/U) credits taken at McGill per academic year (both the Fall and Winter terms) is required to be considered for renewal of entrance scholarships or for in-course McGill scholarships or awards, including Dean's Honour List; at least 27 graded credits that fulfill the degree requirements to be considered for Faculty scholarships; 30 graded credits per year to maintain some Canadian scholarships.
Request for Overload
- Students must read the policy and complete the form here.
- Approval is automatic for students with a minimum CGPA of 3.0 or above to take up to 18 credits if the request is not for a major Field Experience term.
- Students wishing to register for more than five courses, who do not have a minimum GPA of 3.0 or above, will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
- Students in Probationary or Interim Unsatisfactory standing will not be permitted to exceed 12 credits.
- Overloads are not generally permitted while students are participating in a major Field Experience (FE 3 or FE 4); an explanation of extenuating circumstances is required.
- Students who encounter problems regarding course add/drop should contact the isa.education [at] mcgill.ca (Internships & Student Affairs Office) immediately.
Course Change
- There is a Course Change (Add/Drop) Period during both the Fall and Winter terms during which you may attend as many courses as your schedule will permit. View the Course Change deadlines.
- To add/drop courses, you will need to access Minerva before the Course Change (add/drop) deadlines.
- Minerva provides step-by-step instructions on how to add/drop courses. All courses are limited by enrolment therefore, do not wait until the last minute to register.
- Courses dropped during the Course Change Period are deleted from your record. Your record will show only the courses in which you are registered after the Course Change Period.
- If you drop a course within the deadlines for the Course Change Period, you will get a refund for the course; if you add a course during this period, you will be charged for the course.
- Courses which are cancelled by the University are not automatically deleted from your record; you must access Minerva and delete the course(s).
- If you find after the Course Change period that you neglected to add a course, you will be required to make a written appeal requesting that the course(s) be added to your record. Please see the next item "Errors in Registration" information below.
Errors in Registration
- All students must use Minerva to check their course registration before the end of the course change period for each term and ensure that they are correctly registered in all courses they wish to complete.
- Students who notice registration errors after deadlines have passed may request that the error be corrected. The procedure for requesting a correction is outlined below.
- Normally only one request for correction is permitted per student during his/her academic career. Any exceptional additional requests for corrections are referred to the ISA Director.
- To request the correction of a registration error an appeal letter must be written by the student. In addition, a form must be completed by the student and the course instructor(s), and there is a $50.00 charge for each change that is made to a student record.
- A request to correct a registration error may be refused.
- Requests must be made within one month of term end; requests made after this period may be refused despite a valid explanation and proper approval(s) from professor(s).
-
Complete the appropriate online form to:
• add a course (after add/drop deadline) or
• withdraw from a course (after Withdrawal no refund deadline) - On the form, explain clearly and concisely why you are making this request. Include the following information:
- When you started and/or stopped attending the class,
- Whether (and when) you attempted to make these registration corrections yourself.
- Instructors are asked to indicate whether the student has been attending the course and, in the case of the addition of the course to a student record, whether the student will be permitted to register late.
- Students will be notified via their McGill email of the final decision.
Note: Courses are not removed from the student's record when a registration error is corrected. Instead a withdrawal from the course is granted (grade of 'W').
Holds Preventing Registration
Minerva may notify you that you have a hold on your record. You may be refused access to registration for several reasons. The most common include unpaid fees, missing immigration documents, and/or missing admissions transcripts. To resolve the hold, click on the description for your specific hold and contact the appropriate service at McGill. Please note that it's your responsibility to have the hold removed in enough time to register by any published deadlines.
Notes Section/Restrictions
Read the 'Notes' line for each course section; there may be important information about who is permitted to register for this section.
Error Messages
Section is full (capacity) or Reserved Closed
- A "C" symbol will appear at the left of the course listing instead of an open check-box
- Reserved Closed means the remaining available seats are reserved for students in another program of study.
Possible solutions
A. Select a different course section that still has available seats for your program.
B. Wait and try again later; space in your preferred section may become available if other students drop the course, particularly during the add/drop period. Note that Faculty of Education courses do not use the waitlist function at this time.
C. Request a capacity override permit from the offering department. These will be assessed by departments and may require approval from the course instructor (often via email to the dept). Valid reasons include:
- You require the course to graduate within the current academic year (Fall/Winter).
- Section times with available seats conflict with another course you require to graduate within the current academic year.
- The course is co-requisite to a field experience (EDFE) course.
Please note that space is not guaranteed even for these valid reasons or other extenuating circumstances.
Pre-req Test Score
- For some (but not all) courses, Minerva prevents you from registering if you haven't taken a pre-requisite course, or if you are not registering simultaneously for a co-requisite course.
- You must register simultaneously for any Field Experience course (EDFE) in the B.Ed. program along with their co-requisite courses (professional seminar, etc.) using the "Quick Add/Drop" menu option. Enter all CRNs for the courses and click 'Enter'. Be sure that you are registering for sections of the co-requisite courses that still have available seats.
- Contact the offering department if you feel that you may be eligible for an exemption from a pre-requisite course based on previous studies.
Departmental Approval Required
Contact the offering department to request permission.
Include your name, McGill ID, program and year of study, the course name, number & CRN requested, and an explanation of why you wish to take the course.
- EDFE: contact the placements.education [at] mcgill.ca (Student Teaching Placement Coordinator) for your program
- EDKP: contact the studentaffairs.kpe [at] mcgill.ca (Dept. of Kinesiology and Physical Education)
- EDP_: contact the ecpinfo.education [at] mcgill.ca (Dept. of Educational Counselling Psychology)
- All other ED__ courses: contact the info.dise [at] mcgill.ca (Dept. of Integrated Studies in Education)
Don't see the courses you need/expected to see when searching Minerva?
A. Double check that you have selected the correct term (Fall, Winter, Summer); not all courses are offered in every term.
B. Many courses in the B.Ed., B.Sc. Kinesiology, and B.A. Education in Global Contexts programs are offered by other Faculties - only courses beginning with "ED__" are offered by Faculty of Education departments. Repeat your search and choose the Faculty of Arts or Faculty of Science, for example.
Course Withdrawals
- After the Course Change (Add/Drop) period each term, there is still a period of time when you may still withdraw from courses on Minerva without academic penalty. You may withdraw from your course(s) in any given term using Minerva up to the course withdrawal deadlines.
- Non-attendance at classes does not constitute a withdrawal. It will result in a grade of J (failure due to absence). A "J" grade is equivalent to a zero in the calculation for your GPA. "J" grade(s) are a permanent part of your record; you will not be able to erase them. You could go into probationary or unsatisfactory standing as a result of "J" grade(s).
- Permission to withdraw from a course after the withdrawal deadline may be granted only under exceptional circumstances. Permission will not be granted because you are doing unsatisfactory work in a course. You will be asked to submit your appeal in writing and to attach appropriate supporting documentation to your request, to the Internships and Student Affairs Office. See the Forms page.
- Please note: only requests made before the end of the term in which the course is being taken will be considered.
- A Withdrawal 'W' is not calculated into your GPA and CGPA. A 'W' indicates that you withdrew from a course for whatever reason, not necessarily because you were failing the course.
- One or two grades of 'W' will not be the determining factor when your application for further studies after your Bachelor's degree is being reviewed. However, when there are numerous grades of 'W' on your record, some explanation is advisable and may be requested.
- Note: B.Ed. programs can only be followed on a full-time basis. Students are required to take a minimum of 12 credits per semester. Students should always consult with their program advisors before dropping a required course.
- For information regarding withdrawal from a B.Ed. program Field Experience, please review the Student Teaching e-Handbook.
Regulations Concerning Withdrawals
- A course withdrawal means you have chosen to discontinue one or more courses.
- A University withdrawal means you have chosen to discontinue your entire term or year of studies. Withdrawing from your last course in a given term constitutes a University withdrawal.
- Students who drop their last Fall or Winter course by the end of the add/drop period of that term are considered withdrawn from the University. They must follow the procedures for readmission.
- If you want your money refunded, you must withdraw by the withdrawal with refund deadline. See withdrawal deadlines for more information.
- You alone are responsible for your academic record. If you are thinking about withdrawing and don't take action, you will experience potentially serious problems. Be proactive, assess your situation, inform yourself of deadlines and rules, seek advice and help in decision making. There are resources available to help you through Student Services.
- Note that withdrawing from one or more courses during the semester may – where applicable – affect your government financial aid and/or McGill work-study eligibility. For international students, it may also impact your immigration status and/or permission to work in Canada. Please ensure that you are aware of any consequences related to this course withdrawal request: consult with the Scholarships & Student Aid Office and/or International Student Services, where relevant.
- View the eCalendar for more detailed information.
For further information or assistance, students should immediately contact the Internships & Student Affairs Office.