Course Selection Resources

General Information

Please note: To be eligible to compete, you must be enrolled in a minimum of 9 units in the term(s) you are competing in. This is considered 'full-time' status and, along with making you eligible for Athletics, also makes you eligible for OSAP and the health & dental benefits plan!

MyTimetable
Planning your course schedule is made easy with the MyTimetable tool! McMaster has a helpful webpage outlining the process of logging into Mosaic and navigating MyTimetable so that you're ready for when your course selection time slot comes around! Enrolment terminology is also explained on the webpage to make sure you understand what types of classes you plan to sign up for.

Academic Advisement Report (Academic Requirements)
You can also view and track your progress toward your degree via the Academic Advisement Report found in Mosaic - this is useful throughout your time at McMaster. Linked here is a helpful document outlining how to read your Academic Advisement Report.

Course Codes
Below shows how each course code can be broken down to understand what type of course you're looking at:

Terminology
      - Prerequisites : specific courses, levels, a faculty, a program, specific grades in a class, or your cumulative GPA that you need to have before you can take a course
      - Antirequisites : specific classes, levels, a faculty, or a program that will prevent you from taking a course
      - Co-requisites : a class you need to be enrolled in/already at the same time as a course
      - Cross-listed courses : the course has more than one course code because they're related to more than one topic
      - Multi-term (A/B) courses : courses that usually span from September to April, rather than September to December or January to April

Electives
The majority of Level I programs give you the opportunity to take at least one elective! An elective is a course that interests you and doesn't need to be a course related to your degree. To ensure you're aware of all of your options, you can view the Course Offerings for the upcoming year to learn about all the courses McMaster offers. You can scroll through the list of courses or use the search bar to filter by Program Names (Prefixes). Simply click the courses that interest you and a description will pop up!

Minors
You can customize your degree by completing a minor, along with your major! They are available if you're enrolled in four- or five-level programs (except Medical Radiation Sciences). Minors consist of at least 24 units of course work - specific requirements for each minor is available in the Undergraduate Calendar (scroll to the bottom).

Internal Transfers
If you are planning on transferring to another McMaster program after your first year, please review the course/grade requirements as well as application timelines.

Academic Advisors
Should you have any questions after reading through these resources, please reach out to your Faculty's Academic Advisors who can assist:

Arts & Science - contact Shelley Anderson or Rebecca Bishop or call 905-525-9140 ex. 24655 and ex. 23153, respectively.
Business - contact buscom@mcmaster.ca, book an appointment via OSCARplus, or visit DSB A102 in-person Mon-Fri, 8:30am-4:30pm
Engineering - contact engserv@mcmaster.ca or use their virtual chat from Mon-Fri, 9:30am-3:30pm
Health Sciences - contact Andrea Phair, or Ammarah Soofi
Humanities - contact humanities@mcmaster.ca. Drop-in advising may be available in early June
Science - contact science@mcmaster.ca, use their virtual chat, or visit BSB 136 in-person starting in early June
Social Sciences - contact socscfac@mcmaster.ca, request an appointment (Login with MacID), or visit KTH 129 in-person Mon-Fri, 9am-12pm & 1-4pm

Arts & Science

Students enrolled in Arts & Science can utilize the Undergraduate Calendar to review program requirements and a map of what courses and units are required to receive your degree through Levels 1-4. Arts & Science students are also able to apply for a Combined Honours Programs after Level I (by April 30) - options and course requirements are outlined here.

Faculty of Business

Business I Program
The Undergraduate Calendar is a great resource to review program requirements and a map of what courses and units are required to receive your degree through Levels 1-4. For entry into Honours Commerce after Level I, students:
      - Must have a Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 5.0
      - Must have passed a minimum of 24 units of course work for Business I
      - Must have attempted all required courses of the Business I program
      - Cannot have failed more than one required course or have more than six units of failure

This Registration webpage also offers some helpful tips and information for your course selection!

After completing 2 years within the Commerce program, you can also choose an area of focus, which are listed on the Business website (scroll down to 'Areas of Focus').

Lastly, there are a number of FAQs that are answered online as well!

Integrated Business & Humanities Program
The Undergraduate Calendar is a great resource to review program requirements and a map of what courses and units are required to receive your degree through Levels 1-4. To be considered for entry into Level II, students must have met all of the following (students only have 1 opportunity to be reviewed for entry):
      - Achieved a cumulative GPA of at least 5.0 on a minimum of 24 units of the required course work for Level I (on first attempts only).
      - Cannot have failed more than one required course. These students must successfully complete the failed course at the earliest possible opportunity or they will not be able to continue in the program.

This Registration webpage offers some helpful tips and information for your course selection and lastly, there are a number of FAQs that are answered online as well!

Faculty of Engineering

Please note: All first year Engineering students will have a schedule created for you by your faculty - it will likely be accessible in Mosaic already. If there are any problematic conflicts with your athletic schedule, you can contact engserv@mcmaster.ca for an Academic Advisor to review your schedule and adjust it, if possible.

Engineering 1
There are over 35 Level II programs to choose from - You will be able to apply for your top 12 Level II programs once you've completed Level I (in April). Students must maintain a minimum Cumulative GPA of 4.0 and admission to each Level II program is determined by Cumulative GPA and order of ranked programs. Students must also complete all Engineering 1 courses before the start of the Level II program. Your options, as well as the courses required to receive your degree through Levels 2-4/5, can be found in the Undergraduate Calendar (scroll down to 'Bachelor of Engineering Programs'.)

The application process to Level II is outlined here.

Lastly, this Academic Planning webpage offers some helpful tips and information for your course selection, including how to enroll in courses.

Integrated Biomedical Engineering and Health Sciences 1
Admission to Level II Engineering and Biomedical Engineering programs requires completion of all 34 units of required IBEHS I courses. Students must maintain a Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 4.0. 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 IBEHS I whose Grade Point Average (GPA) is less than 4.0 can no longer continue in IBEHS.

There are a number of B.Eng.BME and B.H.Sc. (Honours) degree options to choose from once you have completed all IBEHS I required courses. Please review the Undergraduate calendar to determine what programs may interest you.

The application process to Level II is outlined here.

Lastly, this Academic Planning webpage offers some helpful tips and information for your course selection, including how to enroll in courses.

Computer Science 1
There are a total of 30 units in the Computer Science 1 program, as outlined in the Undergraduate Calendar. Levels 2-4 are also outlined in the Undergraduate Calendar.

Lastly, this Academic Planning webpage offers some helpful tips and information for your course selection, including how to enroll in courses.

Bachelor of Technology
There are a total of 30 units in the B Tech 1 programs, as outlined in the Undergraduate Calendar. Levels 2-4 are also outlined in the Undergraduate Calendar:
      - Automation Systems Engineering Technology Co-op
      - Automotive and Vehicle Engineering Technology Co-op
      - Biotechnology Co-op

Lastly, this Academic Planning webpage offers some helpful tips and information for your course selection, including how to enroll in courses.

Faculty of Health Sciences

Bachelor of Health Sciences
The Undergraduate Calendar is a great resource to review program requirements and a map of what courses and units are required to receive your degree through Levels 1-4.

Health Sciences also offers a webpage with Course Enrolment and Outlines information as well as Specializations, Minors, & Certificates offered after Level I.

Nursing
The Undergraduate Calendar is also a great resource to review program requirements and a map of what courses and units are required to receive your degree through Levels 1-4. You can find information on each program/stream available below:
      - Accelerated (F) Stream
      - Basic (A) Stream
      - Post Diploma R.P.N. (E) Stream

You can also find a breakdown of what to expect for each year in the program on the Nursing webpage.

Midwifery
The Undergraduate Calendar is a great resource to review program requirements and a map of what courses and units are required to receive your degree through Levels 1-4.

Midwifery also offers a webpage with a Curriculum overview as well as a breakdown of what each year will look like, including Level I.

Faculty of Humanities

Humanities 1
First year in Humanities I is the gateway to your degree program. Level I courses are designed to provide an overview of each discipline and to help you choose a program best suited to your interests.

The flexibility of the Level I program allows you to explore courses from a variety of disciplines. In your first year, you must take at least 12 units of required Humanities courses from across 10 different departments in Humanities and the 3 mandatory Humanities courses (HUMAN 1DL3, 1HL3, and 1VV3). The remaining 9 units of courses can be chosen from Humanities or other faculties like Social Sciences or Science. Students need a minimum of 24 units to move to Level II. If you have less than 30 units, you can make up the remaining units any time before you graduate.

At the end of your first year, you will decide upon the discipline in which you would like to specialize for your degree. Most programs in the Faculty of Humanities require completion of six units of course work (two half-year courses) in the discipline of choice and completion of a Level I program.

The Undergraduate Calendar is also a great resource to review program requirements and a map of what courses and units are required to receive your degree through Humanities 1.

Once you've completed Level I, you can choose a program and plan for the rest of your degree. Each program falls under a different department, such as History or Global Peace & Social Justice, which can be found at the bottom of the Undergraduate Calendar. Click each department to see the programs that are offered and what the course and grade requirements are for entry into those Level II programs.

Humanities has a great step-by-step program selection guide with pointers and resources to help you make your decision!

Faculty of Science

Gateway Programs
There are 36 different Level II programs to choose from, with each having specific course and grade requirements. There are also a variety of degree types (Honours B.Sc, B.Sc, Honours B.A.Sc), enrollment types (limited and unlimited), and co-op opportunities. Please review and decide what Level II programs interest you so that you can coordinate your course selection with the requirements of those programs. You will be able to select your top 4 Level II programs once you've completed Level I, typically in April.

The MapSci.ca website has a variety of tools and information to help inform your decision, including a description of the program types, a list of all Programs offered, and a Course Calculator to aid in planning your course selection. Each program on the website outlines its degree type, enrollment type, and co-op opportunities as well as required courses and grades.

The Undergraduate Calendar is also a great resource to review program requirements and a map of what courses and units are required to receive your degree through Levels 1-4. Science programs can be explored here and scrolling down to 'Admission to Level II Programs'. You can select the program you're interested in and lists of required courses as well as grade requirements will be outlined!

Lastly, there are a number of FAQs that are answered online as well!

Direct-Entry Programs (Kinesiology, Integrated Science, & Medical Radiation Sciences)
The Undergraduate Calendar is a great resource to review program requirements and a map of what courses and units are required to receive your degree through Levels 1-4:
      - Kinesiology : Level I (KINESIOL 1A03, 1AA3, 1E03, 1F03, 1K03, and 15 units of electives) & Above Level I
      - Integrated Science : Level I & Above Level I
              - Beginning at Level II, Integrated Science students may select a concentration. Information on the options (including what pre-requisites each concentration needs) as well as other details can be found on the iSci website.
      - Medical Radiation Sciences : Level I
              - For Level II, a GPA of at least 5.0 on a minimum of 24 units in the Fall/Winter terms is required to apply to a specialization.
                      - Honours Medical Radiation Sciences - Radiation Therapy Specialization
                      - Honours Medical Radiation Sciences - Radiography Specialization
                      - Honours Medical Radiation Sciences - Ultrasonography Specialization

Lastly, there are a number of FAQs that are answered online as well!

Faculty of Social Sciences

Social Sciences 1
First year in Social Sciences I is the gateway to your degree program. Level I courses are designed to provide an overview of each discipline and to help you choose a program best suited to your interests.

The flexibility of the Level I program allows you to explore courses from a variety of disciplines. In your first year, you must take at least 18 units of required Social Sciences courses from across 12 different departments in Social Sciences. The remaining 6-12 units of courses can be chosen from Social Sciences or other Faculties like Humanities or Science. Students need a minimum of 24 units to move to Level II. If you have less than 30 units, you can make up the remaining units any time before you graduate.

At the end of your first year, you will decide upon the discipline in which you would like to specialize for your degree. Most programs in the Faculty of Social Sciences require completion of six units of course work (two half-year courses) in the discipline of choice and completion of a Level I program.

Social Sciences has some great webpages where you can learn about the structure of the Level I program and what programs of study are available to you in Level II and beyond as well as an Enrolment & First Year Information Guide, FAQs, a Domestic and International Planning Webinar and Enrolment Worksheets.

The Undergraduate Calendar is also a great resource to review program requirements and a map of what courses and units are required to receive your degree through Social Sciences 1. Each Level II program falls under a different department, such as Anthropology or Indigenous Studies, which can be found at the bottom of the Undergraduate Calendar. Click each department to see the programs that are offered and what the course and grade requirements are for entry into those Level II programs. This Enrolment guide could also be helpful!

Economics 1
The Undergraduate Calendar is a great resource to review program requirements and a map of what courses and units are required to receive your degree through Economics 1. After you have completed Level I, you can choose the degree you would like to work towards - there are several options within the Department of Economics.

Social Sciences has some great webpages where you can learn about the structure of the Level I program and what programs of study are available to you in Level II and beyond as well as an Enrolment & First Year Information Guide, FAQs, a Domestic and International Planning Webinar and Enrolment Worksheets. This Enrolment guide could also be helpful!

Health & Society 1
The Undergraduate Calendar is a great resource to review program requirements and a map of what courses and units are required to receive your degree through Health & Society 1. After you have completed Level I, you can choose the degree you would like to work towards - there are several options within the Department of Health, Aging and Society .

Social Sciences has some great webpages where you can learn about the structure of the Level I program and what programs of study are available to you in Level II and beyond as well as an ~~Enrolment & First Year Information Guide~~, FAQs, a Domestic and International Planning Webinar and Enrolment Worksheets. ~~This Enrolment guide could also be helpful!~~