McGill.CA / Agricultural and Environmental Sciences / Prospective Students

Undergraduate and Post-Baccalaureate Programs at Macdonald

Macdonald is a very diverse and international campus. Students are taught by outstanding professors who are among the top in their fields. The campus has excellent facilities for teaching and research, including well-equipped laboratories, experimental farm and field facilities, and the Morgan Arboretum. The campus is surrounded by the Ottawa and St. Lawrence rivers. Students can earn internationally-recognized degrees in the fields of agricultural sciences and applied biosciences; food and nutritional sciences; environmental sciences; and bioresource engineering. Students have the opportunity, in all programs, to study abroad in places such as Panama, Barbados, or Africa. Students may also have the opportunity to participate in internships.

The Macdonald campus is an exciting place to live, work, study, learn, and discover. Its very intimate collegial and residential setting allows for strong interaction between staff and students, and for enriched student activity and participation in extracurricular activities. A hallmark of our undergraduate programs is the ability to provide hands-on learning experiences in the field and labs, and the smaller class sizes.

Browse through the programs offered at Macdonald, or choose your degree, and find your inspiration!

All Undergraduate Programs

A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   L   M   N   P   R   S   W
 

A

Agribusiness (Specialization)
Agribusiness Entrepreneurship (Minor)
Agricultural Economics (Major, Minor)
Agricultural Production (Minor)
Agro-Environmental Sciences (Major, Honours)
Animal Biology (BEng Minor)
Animal Biology (Specialization)
Animal Health and Disease (BEng Minor)
Animal Health and Disease (Specialization)
Animal Production (Specialization)
Applied Ecology (Specialization, Minor)

B

Biodiversity and Conservation (Environment: Domain)
Bioresource Engineering (Major, Honours)
Bioresource Engineering (Professional Agrology option)

C

Commercial Cannabis (Post-Baccalaureate Diploma)

D

Dietetics (Major)

E

Ecological Agriculture (Specialization)
Ecological Agriculture (Post-Baccalaureate Certificate)
Ecological Determinants of Health (Environment: Domain)
Environment (Major)
Environmental Biology (Major, Honors)
Environmental Economics (Specialization)
Environmetrics (Environment: Domain)

F

Farm Management and Technology
Field Studies
Food Production and Environment
Food Science
Food Science (Food Chemistry Option)
Food Science (Food Science Option)
Food Science & Nutritional Science
Food Science (Post-Baccalaureate Certificate)
Freshman / Foundation Year Program

G

Global Food Security (Major, Honors)

H

Human Nutrition

I

International Agriculture (Specialization)

L

Land Surface Processes and Environmental Change (Environment: Domain)
Life Sciences (Biological and Agricultural) (Major, Honors)
Life Sciences (Multidisciplinary) (Specialization)

M

Microbiology and Molecular Biotechnology (Specialization)

N

Nutrition
Nutrition (Food Function and Safety concentration)
Nutrition (Global Nutrition concentration)
Nutrition (Sports Nutrition concentration)
Nutrition (Nutritional Biochemistry concentration)
Nutrition (Health and Disease concentration)

P

Plant Biology (Specialization)
Plant Production (Specialization)
Professional Agrology (Specialization)

R

Renewable Resource Management (Environment: Domain)

S

Soil and Water Resources (Specialization)

W

Water Environments and Ecosystems (Environment: Domain)
Wildlife Biology (Specialization)

Undergraduate Degrees

BSc (Agricultural and Environmental Sciences)

In this degree, you will have a number of majors to choose from, and each major will be paired with at least one specialization.

Not sure what specialization you want? Don’t worry, there is no need to rush. You will have plenty of time to discuss the choices with your Academic Advisor. If you are having trouble choosing between them, it’s not a problem. You can do two!

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BEng (Bioresource)

If you are interested in both biology and technology, Bioresource Engineering is the program for you. As world populations rise, so does the requirement for food, renewable fuels and biochemical products. This huge demand greatly increases the pressures on our environment. Bioresource Engineering uses both biology and technology to solve these problems.

As a Bioresource Engineering student, you may decide to add the experience of a summer internship to your program. Our students have worked for the United Nations Food Program, interned on an urban rooftop farm in Washington DC, and helped Engineers Without Borders find ways to improve the lives of people in rural Africa. They have also worked on research projects to develop new technology such as a soil moisture sensor, a revolutionary greenhouse system to help with food security in Northern Canada, and a new type of bee smoker.

Bioresource Engineering is a professional engineering program, fully accredited by Engineers Canada as satisfying the academic requirements for registration in the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec (OIQ) [Order of Engineers of Quebec], as well as Canadian, American and many international engineering associations. This is a very diverse program, and you will be able to specialize by choosing one of three optional streams.

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BSc (Food Science)

Would you like to understand why some foods taste so good? Or why coloured fruits and vegetables are good for your health? Or perhaps you would like to learn how to invent new foods such as an avocado-based tiramisu dessert, a new type of veggie burger, or a high-protein/high-energy snack with a longer shelf-life, all award-winning creations from McGill Food Science students. In the Food Science program you can do this and more. You will discover how to make the food we eat every day safer, taste better, look more appealing and last longer.

Food Scientists work on the discovery of new ingredients and how they can be incorporated into foods. They study how flavours and colours develop when food is baked, roasted or fried. They also develop and apply techniques to make sure that all new products are safely processed and packaged. Food Science is a chemistry-based program, but your studies will also introduce you to an array of disciplines such as microbiology, physics, biochemistry, sensory analysis and engineering.

Internships are also an option. Our students have participated in activities such as learning quality control in a Malaysian beverage factory; designing healthy meals in a Parisian bakery; and understanding the processes of manufacturing and food safety in a large food plant in Canada.

This program will provide you with the much needed skills and knowledge required for dealing with food development and safety in the modern world. Two options are available to Food Science students: Food Chemistry or Food Science.

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BSc (Nutritional Sciences)

McGill’s School of Human Nutrition is Canada’s longest established teaching and research institution in the field of human nutrition. Its main goal is to improve human health. It focuses on nutrients, health, environment and society. With a variety of areas of study for you to choose from, the School trains future leaders in areas such as dietetics, nutrition, food function, food security, global nutrition, and nutritional biochemistry in health.

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NUTRITION

DIETETICS

CONCURRENT*

Degree

BSc (NutrSc)

BSc (NutrSc)

BSc (FoodSc)/BSc (NutrSc)

Program Duration (yrs)**

3

3.5

4

Total Credits**

90

115

122

Integrated Internship

No

Yes

Yes

Leads to Professional Accreditation (OPDQ)

No

Yes

No

Specialization included

Yes

No

No

Concurrent BSc (Food Science/BSc (Nutritional Science))

Can’t decide between Food Science and Nutrition? Why not do both! This 4-year, dual degree program allows you to study both complementary disciplines at the same time, earning two degrees upon graduation. It is unique in North America and opens the door to a multitude of career paths.

In the Food Science part of the program, you will focus on the chemistry of food, and the scientific principles of food preservation, processing and packaging. You will also work on discovering new ingredients and how they can be incorporated into foods. The goal? To provide consumers with food that looks better, tastes better, lasts longer and, above all, is safe to eat.

The Nutritional Sciences part of the program will teach you all about the nutritional aspects of food and metabolism, and the role of nutrition in health and disease.

In this dual program, you will be able to combine what you have learned in both disciplines, creating better-tasting, longer-lasting, safer food, that also meets our nutritional requirements. You will have the chance to start applying what you have learned by doing a work placement (a stage) in your final year, either an Industrial Stage or a Nutrition Stage.

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Post-Baccalureate Certificates/Diplomas

Certificate in Ecological Agriculture

This 30-credit certificate program is very similar to the Minor program and is designed to focus on the principles underlying the practice of ecological agriculture. The certificate may be of special interest to professional agrologists who want further training, as well as formal recognition that they have completed a coherent program of courses beyond their B.Sc. studies.

Students holding a B.Sc. in agriculture or a related area are eligible to register for this program provided that they are otherwise acceptable for admission to the University. Students who have completed the Minor or specialization in Ecological Agriculture are not permitted to register for this program.

Certificate (Cert.) Ecological Agriculture (30 Credits)

Certificate in Food Science

This program is geared toward mature students, who have an undergraduate degree in a science-related discipline, to acquire the basic knowledge in the food science area to enter food-related industries or a food science graduate program. Students must complete a core course that introduces them to the basics of the field of food science and then choose complementary courses that allow a broad-based exposure in areas such as food chemistry/analysis, food microbiology/nutrition, quality assurance/safety, processing/engineering, communication skills, and ethics.

Certificate (Cert.) Food Science (30 Credits)

Diploma in Commercial Cannabis

The Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at McGill’s Macdonald Campus is pleased to launch the Diploma in Commercial Cannabis. The courses taught in the program will cover a wide range of topics, from plant cultivation, and plant pathology, to postharvest management, cannabinoid extraction, product development, regulations, and ethics.

The Diploma in Commercial Cannabis is a 30-credit full-time program with limited enrolment. It includes two academic terms and a 12-week industry internship.

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Diploma in Environment

The Diploma in Environment is designed for students with an undergraduate degree who wish to enrich or reorient their training, supplementing their specialization with additional undergraduate-level course work in Environment.

The diploma requires 30 credits of full-time or part-time studies at McGill; it may be started in either January or September. The diploma is a one-year program if taken full-time.

Students holding a B.Sc. or a B.A. degree or equivalent in good standing will be permitted to register for the diploma through the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, the Faculty of Arts, or the Faculty of Science, provided they are otherwise acceptable for admission to the University.

Diploma (Dip.) Environment (30 Credits)

Still need help deciding? Questions? Contact the Student Affairs Office by studentinfo.macdonald [at] mcgill.ca (email) or at 514-398-7925

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