Undergraduate Degree Requirements

A 120 credit (4-year) or equivalent Bachelor's degree from a recognized, accredited institution, in any discipline. 

Applicants who have successfully obtained a diploma of college studies (Diplôme d'études collégiales; "DEC") or equivalent in a pre-university program may apply with a 90-credit program from a Quebec university.

• The Winter 2020 term is excluded from assessment for all candidates who are applying with a Bachelor's degree or equivalent, or with a Diplôme d'études collégiales; DEC or equivalent in a pre-university program.
• The undergraduate program must have been undertaken on a full-time basis and should be completed in the time prescribed by the program.
• Minimum of 60 consecutive graded credits complete at the time of application. Performance in courses not yet completed at the time of application must be comparable to the level of performance seen in the academic records submitted at the time of application. A marked decline in academic performance in the final term(s) may lead to withdrawal of an offer of admission.
• A full course load (e.g. 12-15 credits)  per semester and completion within the time prescribed by the program is expected, however, applicants with some part-time semesters, who have taken up to 1 additional year to complete a bachelors’ degree remain eligible; the final assessment based on individual circumstances remains the responsibility of Admissions. Summer or other interim sessions are acceptable, however they should not take away from regular sessions. 
• For a degree not impacted by the Winter 2020 Pandemic, the Admissions Committee expects a minimum of 60 consecutive graded credits at the time of application; this enables a more complete basis for the assessment of your academic performance. For a degree impacted by the Winter 2020 Pandemic, a minimum of 45 consecutive graded credits on transcript; normally would have had at least 60 graded credits but the Winter 2020 semester was Pass/Fail, or had to withdraw from some courses. Please view the policy: covid-19_2021_accomodations_en.pdf

Eligibility for atypical degrees:

Degrees that combine credits from multiple institutions, degrees where some credits come from pre-university studies: Half (50%) of the credits for the degree must be completed at granting institution. This can include colleges which are authorized in their jurisdiction to grant bachelor’s degrees. This is the standard “residency requirement”* for an institution to grant a degree at most Canadian universities, including McGill.  This requirement may affect some Thompson Rivers Open Learning or Athabasca University generalist degrees, which are more flexible.
 

Degrees that grant credit for prior non-credit training or experience: Prior learning credit based on informal learning (also known as Reconnaissance des acquis extrascolaires in Québec), i.e. transfer credit that does not come from prior academic credited courses, cannot comprise more than 10% of the degree (e.g. 12 credits of 120).

*“Residency requirement” refers to the minimum number of courses or credits (or percentage of the program) a student must complete at an institution to graduate from that institution.  Please consult your academic advisor or your institution's Registrar office for information about your degree requirements.

Applicants may be considered on the basis of a second, subsequent undergraduate degree (minimum 60 credits), for a degree not impacted by the Winter 2020 Pandemic.

•  45 consecutive graded credits (in a second/alternate bachelor's degree program) must be completed by the November 1 application deadline. The remaining 15 (or more) credits must be completed by July 31 of the year of entry to medical school, and these must be at a level comparable to that which appears in the academic records submitted at the time of application. A marked decline in academic performance in the final term(s) may lead to withdrawal of an offer of admission.
• For a degree that is impacted by the Winter 2020 Pandemic, a minimum of 30 consecutive graded credits on transcript. Normally would have had at least 45 graded credits but the Winter 2020 semester was Pass/Fail, or had to withdraw from some courses. Please view the policy: covid-19_2021_accomodations_en.pdf  Please note that the second degree must be conferred before the start of medical studies.

Applicants from outside Quebec who only possess a french baccalaureate degree outside of Quebec and who are not residents of Quebec cannot apply to either the Med-P or MDCM programs. In order to be eligible, these applicants must be in the final year of an undergraduate university degree program (Licence or Diplôme de 1er cycle) .

Applicants who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada who satisfy current Québec residency requirements and who hold a medical degree awarded by a recognized university outside Canada or the United States of America may be eligible to apply to the first year of the MDCM program if:

• official transcripts sent by that university show numerical or letter grades for all courses completed
  AND
• the candidates meet the specific requirements of science prerequisites and MD Equivalency including MCCQE Part 1 exam results

The criteria for selection will be the same for these candidates as for those candidates applying to the MDCM program with a bachelor's degree. The international medical degree (and its grade point average (GPA) will be the degree used as the basis of admission.

Note: Canadian citizens or landed immigrants who are international medical graduates and residents of Quebec, who have completed the equivalence requirements, and have received a letter of attestation to this effect from the Collège des médecins du Québec should contact the Postgraduate Medical Education office.

Although the Faculty attempts to ensure by means of the specific requirements listed that all students have an adequate preparation in science, we also encourage students from a variety of backgrounds to select medicine as a career. Prospective applicants are therefore advised to pursue courses of study, whether in the natural or social sciences or the humanities, which appeal to them and which have as their aim a broad education and intellectual training rather than merely anticipating a medical curriculum.

The Undergraduate Medical Admissions Office does not consider degrees without a marking or grading system; narrative transcripts are not accepted.