Registration

When to register

Registration opening dates for newly admitted students

Registration opening dates for returning students

Summer registration opening dates

Helpful registration advice:

• All new and returning students should register for courses as soon as registration opens in late May for fall and winter courses, and early March for summer courses.
• We strongly encourage students to register for courses for the full year (fall and winter semesters) as soon as registration opens.
• Tuition fees are billed on a semester basis. When a student registers for courses for both fall and winter semesters, they will only be billed for the fall courses on the August/September eBill. Winter course tuition will only be billed in December/January.
• Register for at least one course to avoid late registration fees.
• Register for at least one course before August 14 to avoid late registration fees. Courses can be changed without a penalty fee before the add/drop deadline. Visit McGill's Student Accounts website for more information on registration penalty fees.
• Many courses fill up quickly once registration opens, so register early to secure a spot in a class!

Course Withdrawals

Students may still elect to withdraw from a course after the add/drop deadline. You will have the option to withdraw from the course with or without a refund.

A grade of “W” will be reported for the course from which you withdraw. This grade does not affect your Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA).

See Key Academic Dates for the two deadlines related to a withdrawal with refund and a withdrawal without refund.

To withdraw from a course before the course withdrawal deadlines:

Sign in to Minerva > Student Menu > Registration Menu > Step 2: Quick Add or Drop Course Sections > Select “Web Withdraw” for the course from which you would like to withdraw > Submit Changes

We recommend scholarship recipients contact Music Student Awards (studentawards.music [at] mcgill.ca) if they are concerned about how a course withdrawal may affect their scholarship(s), or the Scholarships and Student Aid Office about their federal/provincial government aid.

Not attending classes does not constitute a withdrawal. It will result in a grade of "J" (failure due to unexcused absence).

How to register

Students use Minerva, an online registration tool, to add or to drop courses at McGill.

Minerva Registration How-To Video

The Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) is also a good tool students can use to build a weekly class schedule before adding courses on Minerva.

Useful tips for music course registration:

• MUHL 186: Western Musical Traditions
  This course has two components: lecture and tutorial. You must select both components at once when adding the course.
• MUTH 150: Theory and Analysis 1
  Students must take a placement exam before registering for any theory course. Students will be granted permission to add this course if they pass the theory placement exam.
  This course has three components: lecture, tutorial and laboratory. You must select all three components at once when adding the course.
• MUIN (practical instruction)
  Also known as private lessons for your instrument, including voice, these private lessons are designated by MUIN 180 & 181 in the first year if you are a U0 BMus student, or MUIN 280 & 281 if you are a U1 BMus student.
  You cannot add MUIN practical instruction courses on Minerva. You must submit a practical instruction request before mid-May to request a practical instruction course be added for both fall and winter semesters.
• MUIN (practical exams)
  This is a practical exam, such as a recital for your instrument/voice. You cannot add MUIN practical exams on Minerva. You must submit a practical exam request before the application deadline.

What to register for

Sample Study Plan

We strongly recommend students follow the sample study plans for their programs. Students may risk delaying graduation if they do not comply with the suggested course sequence.

Sample Study Plans for all Bachelor of Music programs are designed for four years, or three years for the Licentiate in Music. Depending on the number of transfer credits and course exemptions through placement exams, students may complete a Bachelor of Music within three years.

The sample study plans for the degree and licentiate programs are located under “Program Structure” on the program website.

For example,

Students should also review their Program Audit (PA) to determine which courses to register for depending on the number and type of transfer credits they receive from CEGEP, music conservatories, colleges, etc. or a placement exam.

Electives

All Bachelor of Music programs require students to complete non-music electives, music electives or free electives.

Refer to the Electives page for detailed explanations on your options and a list of electives for which you may register.

Ensembles

Ensembles are courses with MUEN prefixes.

Students in Bachelor of Music or Licentiate in Music are required to complete ensembles.

Most ensembles require students to pass an audition between late August and early September before registering.

Audition requirements and registration instructions are found at: Ensemble Policy for Undergraduate Programs.

Students should wait until they receive the ensemble assignments before registering for ensembles.

Several ensembles are offered with the same course number but a different section number, such as chamber music (MUEN 560), jazz combo (MUEN 570), choirs (MUEN 593), etc. Students must ensure they register for the right section number for their ensemble before the add/drop deadline.

Note: Students can risk having an incomplete failing grade if they register for the wrong ensemble section.

Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U)

Students in a Bachelor of Music program may take one non-music elective (3 credits) per semester that is graded as Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U), up to a maximum of 10% of earned credits towards their degree requirements.

The S/U option is not permitted for required music courses and music electives.

When you take a course under the S/U option, the course will be graded as follows:

• Grade of C or better (or 55% or higher) is deemed “Satisfactory” (S)
• Grades of D, F and J are deemed “Unsatisfactory” (U)

Note: S/U courses are NOT considered for in-course scholarships. To be considered for in-course scholarships, you must complete a minimum of 27 graded credits in the regular academic session, excluding S/U and summer courses. See the full details on scholarship criteria.

When and how to add or remove the S/U option for a non-music elective

Maximum course load

Bachelor of Music students are allowed to register for up to 18 credits each semester (or 12 credits for the summer term).

Licentiate in Music students are allowed to register for up to 23 credits each semester (or 12 credits for the summer term).

Minerva registration error messages: What to do?

Waitlist

Students may add themselves to a waitlist for a course indicating this option.

Most of the complementary music history courses (MUHL 3xx) and advanced musicianship courses (MUSP 3xx) have a waitlist.

Important notes about waitlists and how to join a wait list

Common Registration Issues

At times, students may receive error messages (closed course, class/major/program restriction, departmental/instructor approval, prerequisite or test score error, maximum hours exceed, etc.) on Minerva when attempting to register for a course.

View detailed explanations for each registration error message

Students should seek registration approval from the department or instructor offering the course.

For a music course, if the request is approved, forward the instructor’s approval email to studentaffairs.music [at] mcgill.ca so that Music Student Affairs can issue the necessary permit for you to register.

For a course from a faculty other than Music, the department which offers the course will grant students the necessary permits to register.

Example 1: Contact the psychology department about a PSYC (psychology) course registration

Example 2: Contact Music Student Affairs (studentaffairs.music [at] mcgill.ca) if maximum hours are exceeded.

Music instructors’ emails are available at: Profiles List | Music - McGill University

Unable to find an instructor at the above link? Email studentaffairs.music [at] mcgill.ca

When emailing the department or instructor to seek registration approval, please ensure to include the following details (students must use their McGill email):

1. Full Name
2. McGill ID
3. Course detail (course code, section number, full course title, Course Registration Number [CRN])
4. Semester when the course is offered
5. Type of registration error message
6. Reason for taking the course

Additional tips for common registration problems encountered by students:

Registration verification

Registration verification is a critical step to ensure you are properly enrolled in courses or have successfully dropped/withdrawn from a course. Record verification must be completed before the key academic dates for add/drop and withdrawals.

Important: Students will not receive credits if they did not register for the proper courses by the course add/drop deadline. Students will receive a “J” grade (failure due to unexcused absence) for courses which were not dropped or withdrawn from before the key academic deadlines. In both cases, graduation may be jeopardized.

Two ways to verify registration:

Option 1: Unofficial Transcript

• Minerva > Student Menu > View your Unofficial Transcript

Option 2: View Weekly Class Schedule

• Minerva > Student Menu > Registration Menu > Step 5: View Personal Weekly Class Schedule