Software Engineering

McGill University

Computing and Software: blue ink subject illustration

Co-op included
Work experience
Co-op included
McGill Engineering Career Centre, EIP and co-op routes
~Low to mid 90s
Entering average
Published approximate guidance: Low to mid 90s. Fall 2027. Typical Ontario Top 6 admission grade range. McGill reports separate guidance for prerequisite mathematics and science grades.
McGill Ontario admissions · Engineering disciplines

Deadlines

January 2027

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Next deadlineFriday, January 15, 2027

Apply to McGill
Fall 2027 entry · Applicants studying or who last studied overseas or in the U.S.
Official deadline

Requirements

Admission requirements

High-school prerequisites

4U English or French
MCV4UCalculus and Vectors
SPH4UPhysics
SCH4UChemistry

Obtain the Ontario Secondary School Diploma before classes begin.
Complete at least six 4U, DU or 4M courses, including at least four 4U/DU courses. All prerequisites must be 4U/DU; at most two 4M courses may count.
Include a core Grade 12 U English or French course. English/French second-language courses do not satisfy this prerequisite.
Required mathematics and science courses must have been completed within five years.
Required prerequisites count in the top-six admission calculation. Only the published eligible technology, physical education and performing arts courses may count.
Select Software Engineering on the McGill application.

Application steps

Entry terms · Fall (September)

Fall 2027 first-year entry to the Faculty of Engineering B.Eng.. McGill’s January 2027 list closes this degree.

Step 1Check the admission requirements
- Check the published entry route for your applicant category.
McGill Ontario admission requirements and reporting datesMcGill Ontario admission requirements and reporting dates
Step 2Apply through McGill admissions
- Create your application and select this program.
McGill admissionsMcGill admissions
Step 3Ontario applicants: self-reported grades and transcript
- Ontario high school applicants in Canada normally self-report through the Applicant Portal and upload an unofficial transcript. Exceptions include Ontario schooling outside Canada, high school completed over five years ago and specified partial Canadian-school histories. The portal gives the applicable route.
McGill Ontario applicant documentationMcGill Ontario applicant documentation
Step 4English proficiency results when no exemption applies
- Applicants who have lived and attended school for at least four years in a country where English is the acknowledged primary language are exempt. Otherwise submit official accepted test results unless another published exemption applies.
McGill Ontario applicant English-proof conditionsMcGill Ontario applicant English-proof conditions
Step 5Apply through McGill’s undergraduate application.
- Complete this item using the university’s applicant instructions.
McGill Ontario admission requirements and reporting datesMcGill Ontario admission requirements and reporting dates
Step 6Upload an unofficial transcript; provide official results when required by your checklist.
- Complete this item using the university’s applicant instructions.
McGill Ontario admission requirements and reporting datesMcGill Ontario admission requirements and reporting dates

Applicant pathways

Ontario diploma and admission calculation

Ontario high-school applicants completing school in Canada; faculty and programme-specific exceptions below

Obtain the Ontario Secondary School Diploma before classes begin.
Complete at least six 4U, DU or 4M courses, including at least four 4U/DU courses. All prerequisites must be 4U/DU; at most two 4M courses may count.
Include a core Grade 12 U English or French course. English/French second-language courses do not satisfy this prerequisite.
Required mathematics and science courses must have been completed within five years.
Required prerequisites count in the top-six admission calculation. Only the published eligible technology, physical education and performing arts courses may count.

Required grade self-reporting and transcript upload

Ontario high-school applicants completing school in Canada; faculty and programme-specific exceptions below

All applicants are required to self-report their grades using the designated form accessible through your McGill Applicant Portal . You will also be required to upload an unofficial copy of your transcript. See the 'Self-reporting your grades' section below. You will NOT be asked to submit your OUAC number unless you have been offered admission.
Proof of English proficiency Applicants who have lived and attended school, for at least four years, in a country where English is the acknowledged primary language, are not required to provide further proof of English proficiency. If this is not the case, official test results will be required by the supporting document deadline. Please consult Proof of English Proficiency for accepted tests and other exemptions.

Self-reporting exceptions

Applicants meeting one of these specifically published exceptions

You are completing (or have completed) an Ontario high school diploma from outside Canada.
You completed high school more than 5 years ago.
You are completing (or have completed) only one year of high school in Canada.
You are completing (or have completed) one year of high school in Ontario and previously attended high school in Quebec.
You are completing (or have completed) Ontario Grade 12 in Quebec.
You have completed or are completing less than a total of ten academic courses in Grade 11 and 12.

English-language proof

Applicants who do not meet a published exemption

Applicants who have lived and attended school, for at least four years, in a country where English is the acknowledged primary language, are not required to provide further proof of English proficiency.
If this is not the case, official test results will be required by the supporting document deadline. Please consult Proof of English Proficiency for accepted tests and other exemptions.
Additional supporting documents Certain programs will require additional supporting documents . These could be proof of French proficiency, CASPer test results, recommendation letters, personal statement, or other documents; the requirements will be different depending on the program you are applying to. If your program choice is listed below, please carefully verify the additional requirement(s): You have applied to B.A. Population & Global Health, Education, Global Engineering, Music, Nursing, and/or Religious Studies You have applied for a Major Entrance Scholarship and/or Financial Aid You selected ‘ Extenuating Circumstances ’ on the application for admission If none of the above apply, additional supporting documents are not considered in the admission review and should not be submitted.

Engineering: required Ontario subjects

Ontario high-school applicants completing school in Canada; faculty and programme-specific exceptions below

4U English or French;
4U Calculus and Vectors;
4U Physics
4U Chemistry

Ontario students taking the IB Diploma or individual IB courses

Ontario OSSD applicants attending high school in Canada; Engineering faculty entry

Declare the IB Diploma or individual IB Diploma courses on your application.
McGill normally assesses your Ontario high-school top-six average, including this faculty's 4U/DU prerequisites. Final IB results may provide advanced standing after admission.

Full IB Diploma: faculty subject requirements

Full IB Diploma admission route, Engineering; separate from Ontario OSSD top-six assessment

Mathematics, Chemistry and Physics at Standard or Higher Level; at least one required mathematics/science subject must be Higher Level.
Mathematics Analysis and Approaches SL or HL, or Applications and Interpretations HL, is accepted. Applications and Interpretations SL does not satisfy the mathematics prerequisite.

Engineering discipline selection

Fall first-year Faculty of Engineering applicants

Apply to a named discipline. McGill publishes different admissions guidance and different B.Eng. course plans by discipline.
Global Engineering is a separate joint degree and requires a personal statement. Architecture and Macdonald-campus Bioresource Engineering use separate degree entries.

Canadian high school outside Ontario and Quebec

Canadian high school applicants outside Ontario and Quebec

McGill includes the prerequisites in its top-five Grade 12 academic calculation.
Grade 12 English or French, precalculus or calculus, Physics and Chemistry.

Quebec CEGEP engineering prerequisites

Applicants completing a Quebec DEC

New Science DEC: Chemistry 0C01 and 0C02; Math 0M02, 0M03 and 0M04; Physics 0P01, 0P02 and 0P03.
New Arts & Science DEC: Chemistry 7CH1 and 7CH2; Math 7MA1, 7MA2 and 7MA4; Physics 7PH1, 7PH2 and 7PH3.
Bioengineering, Chemical and Mechanical applicants should present all or nearly all prerequisites. For Civil, Computer, Electrical, Mining, Materials and Software, McGill may consider applicants with equivalent Math NYA and NYB plus two science prerequisites. Missing courses are added if admitted.

U.S. high school engineering prerequisites

Applicants with a U.S. high school diploma

Complete precalculus, chemistry and physics.
ACT and SAT scores are optional for Fall 2027 applicants.

Degree requirements

Software Engineering Co-op

141–144 credits in the published degree plan.

References

Program facts

Entering average~Low to mid 90s

Typical Ontario Top 6 admission grade range. McGill reports separate guidance for prerequisite mathematics and science grades.

Co-opCo-op included

Check work experience options

Courses

Published 2026–27 requirements by entry background and study option.

Software Engineering Co-op

Foundation year6 listed

Required Year 0 Courses (25 credits). Transfer credit or exemptions depend on entry credentials. The six named courses total 22 credits. Complete 3 additional approved natural science credits.

CHEM 120General Chemistry 24 credits
A study of the fundamental principles of physical chemistry.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
MATH 133Linear Algebra and Geometry3 credits
Systems of linear equations, matrices, inverses, determinants; geometric vectors in three dimensions, dot product, cross product, lines and planes; introduction to vector spaces, linear dependence and independence, bases. Linear transformations. Eigenvalues and diagonalization.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
MATH 140Calculus 13 credits
Review of functions and graphs. Limits, continuity, derivative. Differentiation of elementary functions. Antidifferentiation. Applications.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
MATH 141Calculus 24 credits
The definite integral. Techniques of integration. Applications. Introduction to sequences and series.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
PHYS 131Mechanics and Waves4 credits
The basic laws and principles of Newtonian mechanics; oscillations, waves, and wave optics.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
PHYS 142Electromagnetism and Optics4 credits
The basic laws of electricity and magnetism; geometrical optics.
MCGILL complete current official course definition

Required non-departmental courses14 listed

Required Non-Departmental Courses (35 credits).

COMP 202Foundations of Programming3 credits
Introduction to computer programming in a high level language: variables, expressions, primitive types, methods, conditionals, loops. Introduction to algorithms, data structures (arrays, strings), modular software design, libraries, file input/output, debugging, exception handling. Selected topics.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
COMP 206Introduction to Software Systems3 credits
Comprehensive overview of programming in C, use of system calls and libraries, debugging and testing of code; use of developmental tools like make, version control systems.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
COMP 251Algorithms and Data Structures3 credits
Data Structures: priority queues, balanced binary search trees, hash tables, graphs. Algorithms: topological sort, connected components, shortest paths, minimum spanning trees, bipartite matching, network flows. Algorithm design: greedy, divide and conquer, dynamic programming, randomization. Mathematicaltools: proofs of asymptotic complexity and program correctness, Master theorem.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
COMP 302Programming Languages and Paradigms3 credits
Programming language design issues and programming paradigms. Binding and scoping, parameter passing, lambda abstraction, data abstraction, type checking. Functional and logic programming.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
COMP 360Algorithm Design3 credits
Advanced algorithm design and analysis. Linear programming, complexity and NP-completeness, advanced algorithmic techniques.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
COMP 421Database Systems3 credits
Database Design: conceptual design of databases (e.g., entity-relationship model), relational data model, functional dependencies. Database Manipulation: relational algebra, SQL, database application programming, triggers, access control. Database Implementation: transactions, concurrency control, recovery, query execution and query optimization.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
FACC 100Introduction to the Engineering Profession1 credits
An introduction to engineering practice; professional conduct and responsibility emphasizing ethics, sustainability, and the engineer’s role in society; engineering for sustainability; foundational concepts in engineering design, project management, risk evaluation and management, occupational health and safety.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
FACC 250Responsibilities of the Professional Engineer0 credits
A course designed to provide all Engineering students with further training regarding their responsibilities as future Professional Engineers. Particular focus will be placed on three professional characteristics that future engineers must demonstrate: i) professionalism, ii) ethical and equitable behaviour, and iii) consideration of the impact of engineering on society and the environment.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
FACC 300Engineering Economy3 credits
Introduction to the basic concepts required for the economic assessment of engineering projects. Topics include: accounting methods, marginal analysis, cash flow and time value of money, taxation and depreciation, discounted cash flow analysis techniques, cost of capital, inflation, sensitivity and risk analysis, analysis of R and D, ongoing as well as new investment opportunities.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
FACC 400Engineering Professional Practice1 credits
Laws, regulations and codes governing engineering professional practice. Responsibility and liability. Environmental legislation. Project and organization management. Relations between engineer and client. Technical practice - analysis, design, execution and operation.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
MATH 240Discrete Structures3 credits
Introduction to discrete mathematics and applications. Logical reasoning and methods of proof. Elementary number theory and cryptography: prime numbers, modular equations, RSA encryption. Combinatorics: basic enumeration, combinatorial methods, recurrence equations. Graph theory: trees, cycles, planar graphs.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
MATH 262Intermediate Calculus3 credits
Series and power series, including Taylor's theorem. Brief review of vector geometry. Vector functions and curves. Partial differentiation and differential calculus for vector valued functions. Unconstrained and constrained extremal problems. Multiple integrals including surface area and change of variables.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
MATH 263Ordinary Differential Equations for Engineers3 credits
WCOM 206Communication in Engineering3 credits
Written and oral communication in Engineering (in English): strategies for generating, developing, organizing, and presenting ideas in a technical setting; problem-solving; communicating to different audiences; editing and revising; and public speaking. Course work based on academic, technical, and professional writing in engineering.
MCGILL complete current official course definition

Required departmental courses20 listed

Required Software Engineering Courses (58 credits).

ECSE 200Electric Circuits 13 credits
ECSE 201Co-operative Work Term 12 credits
ECSE 205Probability and Statistics for Engineers3 credits
ECSE 211Design Principles and Methods3 credits
ECSE 222Digital Logic3 credits
ECSE 223Model-Based Programming3 credits
ECSE 250Fundamentals of Software Development3 credits
ECSE 301Co-operative Work Term 22 credits
ECSE 310Thermodynamics of Computing3 credits
ECSE 316Signals and Networks3 credits
ECSE 321Introduction to Software Engineering3 credits
ECSE 324Computer Organization4 credits
ECSE 326Software Requirements Engineering3 credits
Techniques for eliciting requirements; languages and models for specification of requirements; analysis and validation techniques, including feature-based, goal-based, and scenario-based analysis; quality requirements; requirements traceability and management; handling evolution of requirements; requirements documentation standards; requirements in the context of system engineering; integration of requirements engineering into software engineering processes.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
ECSE 401Co-operative Work Term 32 credits
ECSE 420Parallel Computing3 credits
Modern parallel computing architectures for shared memory, message passing and data parallel programming models. The design of cache coherent shared memory multiprocessors. Programming techniques for multithreaded, message passing and distributed systems. Use of modern programming languages and parallel programming libraries.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
ECSE 427Operating Systems3 credits
ECSE 428Software Engineering Practice3 credits
ECSE 429Software Validation3 credits
Correct and complete implementation of software requirements. Verification and validation lifecycle. Requirements analysis, model based analysis, and design analysis. Unit and system testing, performance, risk management, software reuse. Ubiquitous computing.
MCGILL complete current official course definition
ECSE 458D1Capstone Design Project3 credits
ECSE 458D2Capstone Design Project3 credits