Academic Advising

McMaster University strives to be welcoming and inclusive of all its members and respectful of their differences. Students, staff, and instructors come from a range of backgrounds, traditions and beliefs. The University recognizes that, on occasion, the timing of a student’s religious, Indigenous, or spiritual observances and that of their academic obligations may conflict. In such cases, the University will provide reasonable academic accommodation that is consistent with the Ontario Human Rights Code, through respectful, accessible and fair processes.

This Policy does not apply to the following: general course or program requirements; co-op, clinical and other experiential placements; residence; athletics; dietary restrictions; access to space; use of space; ablution; and employment matters, including teaching assistantships.

For more details, please review the Policy on Academic Accommodation for Religious, Indigenous and Spiritual Observances.

Academic Accommodation for Religious, Indigenous and Spiritual Observances (RISO) - Student Request Form

Academic Accommodation for Religious, Indigenous and Spiritual Observances (RISO) - Final Examinations

RISO Fact Sheet for Students (Please read this information fully before submitting your RISO Academic Accommodation Form)

RISO Fact Sheet for Instructors

Students may request to take a course at another institution for credit towards their McMaster degree by applying through Mosaic, as follows:

Mosaic Student Centre > My Academics > Student LOP App > Apply for Letter of Permission

• Students can search course equivalencies, by University, for LOP credit through Mosaic
• If the course has not been previously reviewed/approved for course equivalency credit, it
  can be submitted for consideration through the Request Additional Courses step. Additional information, including the course description will be required as part of the request submission.
• The status of the LOP application can be monitored in Mosaic, as follows:

Mosaic > Student Centre > My Academics > Student LOP App

• Students are responsible for making a formal application to the institution where they intend to study. Review the other University (Host Institution) website to ensure the course you wish to take is offered in the appropriate term. Follow the host institution’s application procedures (being mindful of dates and deadlines).
• Once the LOP course work had been deemed ‘Approved’, the student MUST print the
  Letter of Permission available in the Mosaic Student Centre and send it to the host university.

Completing a Letter of Permission:

• Students are responsible for ensuring official transcripts for courses taken at another institution are sent directly from the host institution to the Office of the Associate Dean, Faculty of Engineering to ensure their record is updated with the result of the course. Transcripts are NOT to be sent to the Office of the Registrar.
• Students must achieve a minimum grade of C- (60%) for transfer of credit. The transcript designation reads T, indicating Transfer, when a grade of C- or better is attained. These units will count towards your degree and to satisfy requisites, however, will not be calculated in your cumulative or sessional averages.
• For courses with grades of less than C- (60%) a grade of NC (no credit) will appear on your McMaster transcript. These units will not count towards your degree or satisfy requisites, nor will they be included in the calculation of your cumulative or sessional averages.
• If you complete the Letter of Permission application, but decide not to register in (or complete) the course, you  MUST provide proof of this to the Office of the Associate Dean, Faculty of Engineering. Please request that a transcript, letter, or e-mail be sent from the host institution to our office confirming your registration status (i.e. course dropped/cancelled/not even enrolled).
• Final Year Students expecting to graduate: transcripts for LOP courses must be received in the
  Office of the Associate Dean, Faculty of Engineering no later than:
  Spring Convocations: May 15th
  Fall Convocations: October 15th

1. If you are seeking relief for missed academic work because of an absence lasting less than three days in duration, you must use the McMaster Student Absence Form.
2. Absences lasting more than three days must be reported to the Associate Dean’s Office (JHE-H301) and appropriate documentation must be provided. For medical absences, the University reserves the right to require students to obtain medical documentation from the Student Wellness Centre.
3. You should expect to have academic commitments Monday through Saturday but not on Sunday or statutory holidays. 
4. At the second request for relief of academic missed work, you will be asked to meet with the Assistant or Associate Dean (or delegate). Relief for missed academic work is not guaranteed.
5. You are responsible to contact your instructor(s) promptly to discuss the appropriate relief.
6. It is the prerogative of the instructor of the course to determine the appropriate relief for missed term work in his/her course.

All questions may be directed to Karen Winger, Administrative Assistant in the Associate Dean’s Office (JHE-H301). She can be reached at (905) 525-9140 Ext. 24646 or by email at wingerk@mcmaster.ca

Please Download MSAF form

To book an appointment, please email engserv@mcmaster.ca - be sure to include your full name, McMaster Student # and program in that email. To directly email your Academic Advisor with questions you may have, please see the "Get In Touch With Us" tab at the top of the page.

After you enroll for courses in July, you will be able to generate a verification/proof of enrollment letter. 

Incoming first year students are unable to take any courses prior to starting in September. However, you will have access to take spring/summer courses the summer after your first year.

Summer school courses that are taken during the summer immediately prior to the September a student intends to commence studies at McMaster cannot be used for admission purposes.

Free Choice for Level 2 disciplines is given to students in the top 25th percentile of applicants. This year, the cut-off is 95% and above. However, many students get their top choice of discipline, even without Free Choice.

The Engineering Co-op Program provides undergraduate students with the opportunity to gain valuable engineering work experiences before they graduate. Co-op gives students an opportunity to apply academic knowledge outside the classroom, enhance their academic experience through paid employment, and gain a competitive edge for the workforce. 

The co-op program combines academic study with flexible work terms of durations from 4 to 16-months in length. Our co-op structure means you can complete work terms when and where it makes sense for you. Please see here for further details.

If you are hoping to do co-op but did not apply through OUAC, you’ll need to apply to co-op now. Please fill out this form and once you complete it, email it to engserv@mcmaster.ca.

Getting a co-op job interview requires a high-quality resume and cover letter. Beginning in your first year of academic studies, Engineering Co-op & Career Services (ECCS) will work with you to perfect these documents. For personalized support, be sure to book an appointment with the ECCS office to get expert advice and tips on optimizing your cover letter and resume. Click here to find cover letter/resume samples for your program.

This course is a pass or fail course and does not affect your GPA. It cannot be counted as an elective course. 

The course runs for 5 weeks and gives you the skills you will need to be a successful co-op student (e.g. how to write a cover letter, how to answer interview questions, where to search for positions, etc.).

If you chose the co-op stream when you applied, you are automatically enrolled in the online co-op course for the Fall term. You can also choose to take the course in the Winter term. 

However, if you are a Computer Science student, you will have to register for ENGINEER 1EE0 during course enrollment.

Every student will have a specific enrollment appointment, which is the designated time you’re allowed to go into Mosaic and enroll into each of your courses. You can find your enrollment appointment in the Student Centre on the right-hand side. Click on “open enrollment dates” to find your specific enrollment appointment.

You may enroll any time after your enrollment appointment date/time opens. You will be unable to change your enrollment time.  

It’s important to note that courses are filled on a first-come, first-served basis after your enrollment appointment. 

Please note: you can continue to update, add and change your courses up until the add/drop date on Wednesday, September 16, 2020

Your Shopping Cart is where you’ll put classes before you enroll into them. It’s just like buying the things you love, but for your brain. You can add or remove courses from your Shopping Cart as you plan your timetable. Access it in 'Create My Timetable' and in your 'Student Centre'.

For more information about course enrollment, please check here and here. 

For Engineering, BTech, and iBioMed: 

• Students are block-enrolled in required courses (classes, labs, tutorials)
• Your conflict-free timetable will be given to you
• You will have a well-balanced schedule with all your required courses 
• Due to the complexity of the schedules, students are unable to make any adjustments

For Computer Science: 

Students will have to create their own timetable

MyTimetable and Mosaic Class Search will become available on June 29th. 

You can access MyTimetable before your enrollment begins. However, all Engineering 1, BTech and iBioMed students will have their timetable automatically generated for their required courses.

Check your Student Centre in Mosaic for your Enrollment Appointment. Enrollment Appointments for Level 1 students will begin July 15th.

Every student will have a specific enrollment appointment, which is the designated time you’re allowed to go into Mosaic and enroll into each of your courses. We suggest you are prepared with a couple of options for your electives as it is not guaranteed that you will be given a seat for those courses. 

You will be selecting courses for the entire year.

We highly recommend that you consider enrolling in EMBER which is our 2-week free online summer bridging program that will cover topics in Physics, Chemistry, and Math. Please see here for full details.

Each course is approximately 55 minutes in length, and there are three courses (math, physics and chemistry) to choose from.

You would have received a McMaster Student # on your initial acknowledgement email from McMaster when you applied. Your Student # can also be found on your conditional offer letter.

We do not have a section dedicated to waves but we will cover oscillatory motion and simple harmonic motion.

You can register for EMBER here. Be sure to do so before July 3rd.

EMBER is focussed on helping students get caught up to speed for the required courses in Physics, Math and Chemistry. No new information beyond high school curriculum will be taught.

All incoming first-year students will automatically be admitted to the Archway Program. Archway is a new support team at McMaster that works with all incoming first-year students from the day they are accepted and right up until second-year. You will be connected with an Archway Coach and Mentor who will take the time to understand your goals and what you want out of your McMaster experience. This professional team will partner with you throughout the year to make sure you are connected to the right information, people and fellow students to make your year a success. 

Computer Science will be offering virtual sessions for students to preview some programming and discrete mathematics content. Stay tuned for more information!

Incoming first year students are unable to take any courses prior to starting in September. However, you will have access to take spring/summer courses the summer after your first year.

There will be a combination of virtual and online classes through Zoom, Microsoft Teams and other technologies. Each professor will inform you of which platform you will be working with. 

Virtual Classes:

• Day/time assigned as scheduled
• Specific scheduled times; much like in-person timetables
• You will be expected to be “present” during the given time
• Lectures will be live online

Online Classes:

• There is no set time
• Lectures will be recorded

For virtual classes - yes; for online classes - no. If you are located in a different time zone and have concerns about logging on during a specific time, we encourage you to reach out directly to your course instructor or academic advisor.

Textbooks can be obtained from the Campus Store. Please visit their Textbook FAQs page for more information. 

Exams, midterms, and labs will be happening but will be restructured for online learning.

Virtual courses continue to be supported by professors and TAs, who will communicate with students through McMaster’s learning platform, Avenue to Learn, about how and when they can be reached. 

Students should book an appointment with the Student Accessibility Office in the summer to set up their accommodations.

Please continue to apply for your study permit as normal.

For assistance with study permits and visas, please contact immigration@mcmaster.ca. Additionally, please see here for detailed information on the study permit application process.

For more information on how and when you will have to pay, please see here and here.

Admission to Level 2 Engineering programs requires completion of all 31 units of required Engineering 1 courses. Students must maintain a Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 4.0 out of a 12.0.   

All programs have limited enrolment; should there be more applicants than the limiting number in any program, admission to that program will be based on the students Cumulative Grade Point Average. A student in Engineering 1 whose Grade Point Average (GPA) is less than 4.0 out of 12.0 can no longer continue in Engineering.

Your experience in Engineering 1 will allow you to explore different engineering disciplines so that you can make a more informed decision of what upper-year discipline you would like to study. 

At the end of your first year, you will choose one of ten program disciplines.

Students can also choose one of the five-year programs by selecting the Engineering & Management or Engineering & Society options.

Academic Advisors will work with Faculty of Engineering students to come up with a course load that works best for them. Some students choose to complete summer school courses after their first year to reduce their Fall and Winter course load.  

For Engineering 1 & iBioMed 1: a minimum of 31 units of the Engineering 1 required coursework and 34 for units of the iBioMed 1 required coursework is required to move to Level 2.  Some of these required courses, as well as electives, are available in the Spring/Summer session. Courses taken in the Spring/Summer session will not change your program eligibility for Level 2 Engineering (this applies only to those who will be progressing to Level 2 in the following academic year).  

Students have the option to withdraw from courses during the Fall or Winter term without academic penalty. Tuition reimbursements vary depending on the timing of the withdrawal. See here for details.

Students should reach out to their Advisor before withdrawing from courses.  

You don’t have to register for a minor. However, minors do consist of at least 24 units of course work. We encourage you to see the specific course requirements for minors in the Undergraduate Academic Calendar.

You cannot do a double degree in two Faculty of Engineering programs. However, there may be an option of pursuing a double degree with a second degree in a different faculty. Please speak with your Academic Advisor for details. 

Engineering students can, however, choose one of the five-year programs by selecting the Engineering & Management or Engineering & Society options. The Management option combines the requirements of McMaster's 4-year Engineering program in your chosen discipline with the core requirements of a Commerce degree. The Society option adds study in areas focusing on social implications of engineering and non-technical electives.

You cannot do a dual degree in both Software Engineering and Computer Science. They are separate programs covering similar content, but have different degree requirements. Please note that you also cannot do a minor in Computer Science if enrolled in the Software Engineering program.

Engineering is an accredited program which requires students to obtain a certain amount of courses outside of technical courses.

If a student wishes to use a course towards their elective requirements, then it must be from the approved Complementary Elective list. There are some INNOVATE courses on the approved complementary list.

There is a max of 21 units per term for Engineering 1 and 15 units per term for Computer Science 1.

Engineering 1 students are required to complete two Level 1 elective courses whereas iBioMed students are required to complete one Level 1 elective course. Please see here for the official list. However, students should note that courses with a § are not acceptable for the six-unit complementary studies elective required in Engineering 1 or the three-unit complementary studies elective required in Integrated Biomedical Engineering and Health Sciences 1. 

Bachelor of Technology students follow a set schedule from day one. Electives are not a required part of the program. 

Computer Science students are required to complete two Level 1 elective courses. Please see here for the official list.

Please see the Academic Calendar for the required courses for your first-year program. In addition, you will find descriptions about these courses.

We encourage you to check your Advisement Report on Mosaic for when you enrol in a course that it is being used towards your degree.

It depends on your specific program requirements Please connect with your Academic Advisor for further support.

As a new student, you need a McMaster Student Photo ID card. Your student card is an important piece of photo identification that is required for writing exams.

Please upload your photo by July 15th in order to create your student card. Please visit your Mosaic Student Centre (Personal Information > Demographic Data) to upload your photo. More information can be found here.

Once you have your MAC ID set up and have enrolled in your courses, your McMaster email will become active. A link to your McMaster email will be sent to your applicant email address. Please continue to monitor your applicant email address in the meantime. More details can be found here.

You will gain further access to your Mosaic once you enroll in your courses, and additionally once you begin your courses in the Fall.

As of right now, there are no official announcements regarding research for Summer 2021. However, we can proudly share that our current scholarship winners who were granted the Research Experience Award were able to keep their positions and instead conduct research remotely. Plus, there are many virtual events that are being planned to ensure professional development and social opportunities for all those involved in research this summer.

If the Winter 2021 term includes a return to in-person classes and an on-campus presence, a January 2021 residence intake may be provided. It is too early to predict what the Winter term will look like in this changing situation. More information will be available on the Housing & Conference website in the Fall. 

For a full list of residence FAQs - see here.

We are working with our clubs and teams to launch virtual experiences this Fall. We’ve partnered with the McMaster Engineering Society to develop new ways to engage students. Stay tuned for more information. 

Also, be sure to participate in the virtual events that are being offered through EMBER.

In terms of technical specifications for a laptop, an i5 processor and 8 GB of RAM should be sufficient. Additionally, ensuring that your computer has enough storage is essential - if it doesn't, then investing in an external hard drive can help with creating additional space.

Students with poor or limited access to the internet are encouraged to inform their instructors, Department Chair, and Academic Advisor.

Engineering, iBioMed, and Computer Science students may receive transfer credit for AP, IB, and GCE courses, but it is Faculty of Engineering policy that no math or science courses are eligible. Therefore, you may apply to receive transfer credit for electives only, and only a select number of units. Unfortunately BTech students are unable to receive transfer credit, as they have no electives in their first-year curriculum.

We suggest you connect with your Academic Advisor in July/August to be reviewed for transfer credit. 

Please refer to this website for further information on transfer credit policy.

Switching programs as a McMaster student may be possible, but not guaranteed depending on your academics and space in the program. We recommend getting in touch with your current Academic Advisor to discuss the process of transferring.

Applications to transfer into another first-year program would only happen once per year (i.e. for September every year).

You’ll work with your Academic Advisor to come up with a plan.

Please explore McMaster work programs, McMaster scholarships and bursaries, and information listed here for once you’re officially a student at McMaster.

This is a great webpage to learn more about overall tuition costs. You can also see the Cost Estimator for more information. 

Please see here for the official announcement about tuition fees as related to COVID-19.

Your total fee will populate in Mosaic after you enroll in your courses. Please see here for further information about tuition fees.

You will not be required to have paid anything prior to registering for EMBER. Please note that registration for EMBER is free of charge. Please see here for more information about EMBER.

For more information on how and when you will have to pay, please see here.