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See the details of the selection process.

For all programs, completion of all prerequisite science courses is required to maintain eligibility.Ìý If the prerequisite science courses are part of your basis of admission degree, the grades of these courses will contribute to the overall academic assessment of your application. Since 2021, the GPA of the Basic Science courses is not re-used in the selection process.

For admissions purposes, please view the science prerequisite options to fulfill the requirements:

Basic Science Courses

Candidates are required to have completed 7 introductory basic science courses (minimum of 21 semester-hours/ credits) with labs:

• 2 introductory Biology courses with labs (at least 6 cr.);
• 2 introductory Chemistry courses with labs (at least 6 cr.);
• 1 introductory Organic Chemistry course with lab (at least 3 cr.);
• 2 introductory Physics courses with labs (at least 6 cr.).

Recommended University-level sciences
These courses are not required at admission but are recommended.ÌýThe recommended courses are:

• Mammalian physiology (3 cr.)
• Molecular biology (3 cr.)
• Cell biology & metabolism (3 cr.)

Date of completion / Number of courses

• At least 4 of 7 science prerequisite courses, including labs, must be completed (with official grades submitted) by the Nov. 1 application deadline. If applicable, the grades for a maximum of 3 in-progress science prerequisite courses may be submitted by May 31Ìý prior to the beginning of the program.Ìý Make sure to identify these courses in Section 4 & 6 in the workbook. ÌýAll offers of admission are conditional upon completing any in-progress courses with the minimum required grade.
• One course cannot fulfill more than one requirement.
• Students missing more than threeÌýscience prerequisite courses are ineligible and are invited to take those courses and apply in a future year.

• Labs or practical work are required. Note that some universities include this within the course code and some have a separate course that must be taken.

• With the exception of courses taken in the Winter 2020 term, Grades of "Pass/Fail" , "Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory" or similar schema are not acceptable in coursework; numerical or letter-class grades are required. Academic performance within these courses will be considered.

Minimum grades for valid science prerequisites

• All science prerequisites must be passed, and the grade must be equal to or better than the grade accepted by ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ for the purposes of transfer credit/advanced standing/course exemptions, as follows:

• CEGEP level:Ìý60% or better
• University level:ÌýGrade obtained must be equal to or better than the grade/CGPA required to graduate from that university. Generally this is equivalent to a C or better and is usually found on the transcript.
• AP courses: 4 or better
• IB: 5 or better
• A-Level: C or better
• French Bacc: Série S 10 or better, see French Baccalaureat transfer credit.Ìý

• University-level or CEGEP/college-level courses are acceptable, as well as: Advanced Levels (UK System), IBO Courses (Higher Level), French Baccalaureate année Terminale, Série S courses, AP results (CollegeBoard, Inc.).
• Distance or correspondence education courses will be considered by the Undergraduate Medical ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ Office, but must be equivalent to in-person courses; as well, be aware that this option may not fulfill lab requirements.
• If you have already completed a bachelor's degree, then Summer session, evening session or other alternate sessions may be accepted if the course is university-level or CEGEP/college-level and is credited or can count toward the required semester-hours in the given subject. Summer or other interim session courses are discouraged when the purpose is to reduce the credit load in regular sessions of the basis of admission degree.

The Undergraduate Medical ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ Office is not able to assess your courses prior to your application. A determination of validity will be made only during the file review process. Please use this information as a guide, and consult your academic advisor.

Essentially, the courses of Biology, Chemistry and Physics should be introductory (freshman-level, 100-level) courses. These are typically the courses with no prerequisites; they are often the prerequisites for second year (major, 200-level) courses in their field and in related specializations. Courses in Organic Chemistry should be the first course in the world of organic chemistry. A verification with the institution's program requirements for each of the subjects is used as the best indicator to the introductory courses. This document reviews the concepts that need to be covered in your science courses:Ìý basic_concepts_medicine.pdf

Course Descriptions from ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ & Quebec CegepÌý

The most commonly recognized ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ university courses are listed here. All of these courses offered at ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ are considered equivalent to 100-level CEGEP courses also listed below:

• BIOL 111 - Principles: Organismal Biology (3 credits) www.mcgill.ca/study/courses/biol-111
• BIOL 112 - Cell and Molecular Biology (3 credits) www.mcgill.ca/study/courses/biol-112
• CHEM 110 - General Chemistry 1 (4 credits) www.mcgill.ca/study/courses/chem-110
• CHEM 120 – General Chemistry 2 (4 credits) www.mcgill.ca/study/courses/chem-120
• CHEM 212 - Introductory Organic Chemistry www.mcgill.ca/study/courses/chem-212 ***CHEM 212 requires CHEM 120 as a co-requisite
• PHYS 101 - Introductory Physics - Mechanics (4 credits) www.mcgill.ca/study/courses/phys-101
• PHYS 102 - Introductory Physics - Electromagnetism (4 credits) www.mcgill.ca/study/courses/phys-102

The following Quebec CEGEP courses, or their equivalents (with labs):

• General Biology 1 (101-NYA; 00UK)
• General Biology 2 (101-NYB; 00XU)
• Chemistry 1 (202-NYA; 00UL)
• Chemistry 2 (202-NYB; 00UM)
• Organic Chemistry 1 (00XV)
• Mechanics (203-NYA; 00UR)
• Electricity and Magnetism (203-NYB; 00US)
• Waves and Optics and Modern Physics (203-NYC; 00UT)

The most commonly recognized courses at ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ forÌýthe recommended university-level sciences are listed here:

• PHGY 209 -Mammalian Physiology (3 credits) www.mcgill.ca/study/courses/phgy-209
• BIOL 200 -Molecular Biology (3 credits) www.mcgill.ca/study/courses/biol-200
• BIOL 201 - Cell biology & Metabolism (3 credits) www.mcgill.ca/study/courses/biol-201

• To view a list of courses that are commonly requested and taken at other institutions, please see:Ìý required_courses_for_commonly_requested_institutions.pdf
• Concordia University (Montreal) offers several entry-level biology courses, not all of which include laboratory work. Many successful applicants who have taken Biology at Concordia have taken the following: (1) BIOL 201, and either (2a) BIOL 225 with BIOL 227, or (2b) BIOL 226 with BIOL 227. It is recommended that you speak with your academic adviser for proper course planning. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that all required course and laboratory work is/will be fulfilled.
• The University of Toronto has a different layout for chemistry courses when it comes to students who do not major in Chemistry. We are often asked how one can properly complete the chemistry courses requirements in this context. Many successful applicants from the University of Toronto have CHM138 and 139, along with CHM 220 and another chemistry-related course —including Biochemistry— that has laboratory work (e.g. CHM 217, CHM 238, CHM 247, CHM 249, BCH 370, ...). It is recommended that you speak with your academic adviser for proper course planning. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that all required course and laboratory work is/will be fulfilled.
• If registered in the B.H.Sc.(H) program at McMaster University, the courses HTH SCI 1I06, along with 2F03 and 2FF3, are considered as fulfilling the biology requirement. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that all required course and laboratory work is/will be fulfilled.

Please send your request for a substitution by submitting all relevant transcripts and CV by email to the Undergraduate Medical ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ Office to: admissions.med [at] mcgill.ca. Requests will be reviewed in the order received.

• In general, higher level or specialized science courses are not substituted for missing the introductory requirements. Requests for substitutions are considered in the case of programs whose introductory courses are atypical or other special cases.Ìý
• The Undergraduate Medical ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ Office reserves the right not to consider requests forÌýsubstitution for basic sciences after September 30.

In addition to the concepts covered in the 7 introductory sciences and the 4 recommended sciences, knowledge of physiology, statistics, and genetics is useful in the context of the MDCM curriculum, however they are not required for admission. Given the varied educational backgrounds of our admitted students, we provide below a list of scientific concepts which admitted students are expected to have been exposed to through the course of their formal studies or self-directed learning. These concepts have been identified by the MDCM curriculum leadership as foundational to the study of Medicine and Dentistry at ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ. Consult the detailed document:Ìý basic_concepts_medicine.pdf