Online Education

1. Coursework must be satisfactorily completed at a degree granting institution that is accredited to award three or four year undergraduate Bachelor of Arts degrees by that country's equivalent to a Ministry of Education and the host university must appear on the Arts OASIS list of institutions approved for transfer credit (under STEP 2).
2. Transfer credit will only be considered for an online course that has been completed during a Faculty Approved Independent Study Away or Quebec Inter-University Transfer (AEHE-IUT). A course that has been approved on the McGill Course Equivalency System does not constitute approval to study away and/or approval to receive transfer credit for an online course.
3. Course must have a syllabus that includes, at a minimum, contact hours, course objectives, readings, method of delivery and method of evaluation.
4. Students must verify that they have the required prerequisite for any course they intend to take at the host university. Students should not take a course at the host university if they do not have the required academic background to succeed in the course.
5. The Faculty administering the equivalent course at McGill must approve the mode of delivery in the Course Equivalency System. Please read the information under Transferring credit, step 2 for an explanation of the process.
6. COMP, ENVR, GEOG, MATH, and PSYC courses are offered to students in the Faculty of Arts but are administered by the Faculty of Science at McGill, therefore, the Faculty of Science will decide if the mode of delivery for these online courses meets their requirements for the granting of transfer credit and the Faculty of Arts will abide by their assessment.
7. The Faculties of Engineering, Law and Management currently do NOT allow students to take online, correspondence or distance education courses for credit towards a McGill degree, therefore, you will NOT receive transfer credit for online courses that fall under these Faculties.
8. Course must not overlap in content with a course for which credit has already been granted. (See Course Overlap)
9. You may not receive transfer credit toward your degree for any course that exceeds the maximum of credits that can be taken outside the Faculty of Arts or Science. (See Courses Outside the Faculties of Arts or Science.
10. The combined total of course credits attempted may not exceed the permitted maximum number of credits per term according to Faculty regulations. (See course load)
11. Course must generate a final grade that can be recorded on the host university’s official transcript. Grades of C- or less, Pass (P) and Satisfactory (S) are not acceptable. The letter grade earned will take precedence over the corresponding numerical grades if both are indicated on the transcript.
12. The grades earned at the host university will NOT appear on your McGill record and will NOT be calculated in your McGill CGPA.

Summer

If you want to take an online course in the Summer outside Quebec. You must apply for independent study away.

If you want to take an online course in the Summer at another Quebec University. You must apply for a Quebec Inter-University Transfer (IUT).

Fall/Winter

If you want to take an online course outside Quebec in the Fall or Winter term, you must apply for independent study away and cannot be concurrently registered at McGill.

If you want to take an online course in the Fall or Winter term at another Quebec University. You must apply for a Quebec Inter-University Transfer (IUT).

Before applying for independent study away or a Quebec Inter-University Transfer (IUT) to take an online course you must contact the Arts OASIS study away team via the ARTS Oasis Service Desk Portal  to provide them with a detailed syllabus. The syllabus must include the mode of delivery and the method of evaluation.

Courses taught through online education may not be used to complete program requirements, except on an individual basis when serious, documented circumstances warrant it. In such cases, prior approval must be obtained from your departmental academic advisor and an appeal, outlining your exceptional circumstances and documentation supporting your request must be sent to the Associate Dean of Arts (Student Affairs).

Please complete the following steps:

1. Get the course assessed for equivalency on the course on McGill’s Course Equivalency System.
2. Send an email to the assistant-adstudents.arts [at] mcgill.ca (Associate Dean (Student Affairs)) from your McGill email account (including your student number) explaining your exceptional circumstances.
3. Your departmental program advisor must send an email to the Associate Dean (Student Affairs) confirming that, by exception, they agree that this online course can be used to complete a program requirement in your program of study (note that the final decision rests with the Associate Dean).
4. Apply on Minerva for Independent Study Away or Quebec Inter University Transfer (IUT).

The Associate Dean (Student Affairs) will review your request and will advise you of the decision.