To determine the appropriate process for missed academic term work and/or missed professional practice (clinical) absences, first consult the below BScN Program Missed Academic Term Work Guidelines (click image to enlarge):

Requests for Relief for Missed Academic Term Work – MSAF Types A and B

Refer to the below links for policy information pertaining to both the MSAF Type A – Self Report and the MSAF Type B – Administrative Report:

• Policy on Requests for Relief for Missed Academic Term Work

MSAF Type A – Self-Report

The MSAF Type A is available in the Student Centre in Mosaic under the heading ‘Academics’. Navigate to the ‘Other Academics’ drop-down menu and select ‘MSAF’ as per the below image (click image to enlarge):

MSAF Type B – Administrative Report

If you require an MSAF Type B due to compelling medical or personal reasons, please complete and submit the BScN Program form, here: MSAF Type B Administrative Report Request Form

Supporting documentation must be submitted along with the MSAF Type B Request Form for either medical or personal reasons:

• If the reason is medical, supporting medical documentation must be submitted. You must have a physician complete the McMaster University Student Health Certificate to verify that you cannot meet the academic obligation(s), covering the relevant date(s).
• If the reason is personal, appropriate documentation with verifiable origin covering the relevant dates must be submitted.

The MSAF Type B Request Form and required supporting documentation should be submitted to Academic Advising normally within 5 working days of the missed academic term work.

Student Responsibility after an MSAF Type A or Type B is submitted in Mosaic

Once an MSAF Type A or Type B is submitted in Mosaic, you will receive an automatic email from absence.reporting@mcmaster.ca with directions to contact your tutor(s) and/or instructor(s) immediately to discuss relief for the missed academic term work. The course Lead and/or Program Coordinator for the course will also receive the email. It is very important that you read and follow the directions in this email; if you do not, you may not be eligible for relief for the missed academic term work.

Professional Practice (Clinical) Absences and Missed Academic Work

You cannot submit an MSAF (Type A or B) to report missed professional practice (clinical hours) or formative evaluation measures in professional practice courses.

You must contact your professional practice tutor in the event that you will not be able to meet the deadline for a formative evaluation measure, or, in the event that the deadline has already been missed.

Clinical absences are managed in discussion with the tutor and/or Course Lead/Coordinator. As per the BScN Program Handbook, all professional practice hours are mandatory. 

When you have been or will be absent from a clinical shift, you must immediately notify your tutor for the course using contact information found in the course outline. In addition, you must notify your preceptor and/or Placement Agency according to the procedure the Agency has outlined.

Requests for Academic Accommodation for Religious, Indigenous, and Spiritual Observances (RISO)

The University, as well as the BScN Program, recognize 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 for students that is consistent with the Ontario Human Rights Code, through respectful, accessible, and fair processes.

Refer to the below links for policy information pertaining to academic accommodations for religious, Indigenous, or spiritual observances:

• Policy on Academic Accommodation for Religious, Indigenous and Spiritual Observances
• Academic Accommodations: Religious, Indigenous or Spiritual Observances – Undergraduate Calendar General Academic Regulations

To request academic accommodation for religious, Indigenous, or spiritual observances for missed academic term work you must complete and submit the BScN Program Request for Academic Accommodation for Religious, Indigenous, or Spiritual Observances (RISO) Form. In cases where the date of the observance(s) is/are known in advance, you must submit your request to Academic Advising within 10 working days from the beginning of the start of term. In cases where the date(s) are not known in advance of the start of term, you should submit the request as soon as you become aware of the conflict. The BScN Program form is here: RISO Request Form

The RISO Policy does not apply to professional practice (clinical hours).

Student Responsibility after a RISO Request is approved and entered in Mosaic

Once your Academic Advisor approves and submits your RISO Request in Mosaic, you will receive an automatic email from absence.reporting@mcmaster.ca with direction to contact your tutor(s) and/or instructor(s) to discuss the relief/alternate arrangements as soon as possible and no later than five working days prior to the date on which the scheduling conflict(s) will occur.

Missed Academic Term Work due to formal Academic Accommodations

If you have formal accommodations through Student Accessibility Services (SAS) (McMaster site), Accessible Learning Services (ALS) (Mohawk site), or Accessibility Services (Conestoga site), it is important that you communicate this as soon as possible to your instructors and tutors in order to determine how you will be accommodated throughout the course. As per the accommodation policy, you as the learner are responsible for discussing academic accommodations early in the course. This should be done with the Course Lead/Coordinator.

Professional practice (clinical) accommodations are more complex and will involve the site-specific accessibility offices noted above. The accessibility office will connect with the School of Nursing Assistant Dean, Undergraduate, for review.

Missed Academic Term Work due to Varsity Athletics Commitments

Varsity athletes who will miss classes, tests, quizzes, in-class assignments, and/or midterms due to their varsity athletic commitments are required to complete and submit the MSAF Type B Administrative Report Request Form and to connect with their site-specific athletics services coordinator. The athletic services coordinator is required to send an email directly to Academic Advising Services verifying the dates of the athletic commitments. The site-specific contacts are as follows:

• McMaster site: Natasha Symons, Athletic Program Administrator –  athserv@mcmaster.ca
• Mohawk site: Ray Williams, Varsity Academic Coach – sorayah.williams@mohawkcollege.ca

Student Responsibility after an MSAF Type B for Athletic Commitments submitted in Mosaic

Once the MSAF Type B for the missed assessment measure/class is submitted in Mosaic, you will receive an automatic email from absence.reporting@mcmaster.ca with directions to contact your tutor(s) and/or instructor(s) immediately to discuss relief for the missed academic term work. The course Lead and/or Program Coordinator for the course will also receive the email.

Final Exam Conflicts

Students who encounter final exam scheduling conflicts and who wish to have an exam re-scheduled, must report the issue to the Office of the Registrar’s Scheduling and Examinations Office via email at exams@mcmaster.ca immediately. A minimum of 10 working days prior to the first day of the examination period is required to facilitate the re-scheduling of examinations.

Please refer to the below links to the Undergraduate Examinations Policy and the Office of the Registrar’s Exams web page for more information and examples pertaining to final exam conflicts:

• Undergraduate Examinations Policy
• Office of the Registrar – Exams

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

If you have a scheduling conflict between final examinations scheduled by the Office of the Registrar due to a religious, Indigenous or spiritual observance, please complete and submit the Academic Accommodation for Religious, Indigenous, and Spiritual Observances (RISO) Student Request Form for Final Examinations. This form must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar’s Scheduling and Examinations Office via email at exams@mcmaster.ca least 10 working days before the start of the examination period. The Office of the Registrar’s Office form is here: Academic Accommodation for RISO Student Request Form for Final Examinations

Please refer to the links below for more information pertaining to final exam academic accommodations due to RISO:

• Policy on Academic Accommodation for Religious, Indigenous and Spiritual Observances
• Office of the Registrar – Exams

Note that final evaluations for professional practice (clinical) courses and examinations at the conclusion of the A portion of a multi-term (A/B) course are not scheduled by the Office of the Registrar. Given this, the following processes apply:

• For missed examinations at the conclusion of the A portion of a multi-term (A/B) course, refer to the above section of this web page entitled “Missed Academic Term Work”
• For missed final evaluations for professional practice (clinical) courses, refer to the below section of this web page entitled “Petitions for Special Consideration: Request for Deferred Examination (Form B)”

Final Examination Deferral due to Compelling Medical or Personal Reasons

If you miss, or know in advance that you will need to miss, a final examination scheduled by the Office of the Registrar or a final evaluation in a professional practice (clinical) course, due to compelling medical or personal reasons, you must follow the Petition for Special Consideration: Request for Deferred Examination (Form B) process.

Refer to the below links for all policy information pertaining to the Petition for Special Consideration: Request for Deferred Final Examination (Form B):

• Undergraduate Examinations Policy
• Petition for Special Consideration: Request for Deferred Examination – Undergraduate Calendar General Academic Regulations

Supporting documentation must be submitted along with the Petition Form B, for requests related to either medical or personal reasons:

• If the reason is medical, supporting medical documentation must be submitted. You must have a physician complete the McMaster University Student Health Certificate to verify that you cannot meet the academic obligation(s), covering the relevant date(s).
• If the reason is personal, appropriate documentation with verifiable origin covering the relevant dates must be submitted.

The Petition Form B and required supporting documentation should be submitted to Academic Advising normally within 5 working days of the missed final examination or evaluation. The BScN Program form is here: Petition for Special Consideration: Request for Deferred Final Examination (Form B)

If the Petition Form B is approved by Academic Advising, you will receive an email confirmation to your @mcmaster.ca email account with further details, instructions, and/or next steps.

Please note: Personal travel is not a valid personal reason to miss a final examination.

Final Examination Deferral due to formal Academic Accommodations

Requests for final examination deferrals related to temporary or permanent disabilities, or for retroactive accommodations related to a disability, are excluded from the policy guidelines pertaining to Petition Form B, and must be processed under the Academic Accommodation of Students with Disabilities Policy, here.

Regarding the processing and approval of these requests, in the case of final examinations scheduled by the Office of the Registrar and final evaluations in professional practice (clinical) courses, there is no formal mechanism by which to process these in Mosaic. As a result, BScN students must complete and submit the BScN Program Petition for Special Consideration: Request for Deferred Final Examination (Form B) and contact their site-specific accessibility office for supporting documentation.

To protect your personal health information, please do not include any specific information pertaining to your documented disability and/or diagnoses on the Petition Form B; simply detail that you missed the final examination or evaluation for reasons related to formal academic accommodations. In terms of the supporting documentation provided by your accessibility office, this too should be left vague, simply verifying that you missed the final examination or evaluation for reasons related to formal academic accommodations.

The Petition Form B and supporting documentation from accessibility services should be submitted to Academic Advising within 5 working days of the missed final examination or evaluation.

Once the Petition Form B is approved by Academic Advising, you will receive an email confirmation to your @mcmaster.ca email account with further details, instructions, and/or next steps.

The University wishes to assist students with legitimate difficulties. It also has the responsibility to ensure that degree, program and course requirements are met in a manner that is equitable to all students. Students may submit, in a prompt and timely manner, a Petition for Special Consideration to the Faculty/Program Office in those instances where a student acknowledges that the rules and regulations of the University have been applied fairly, but is requesting that an exception to the regulations be made because of special circumstances. Requests related to temporary or permanent disabilities, or for retroactive accommodations related to a disability are excluded from petitions and must be processed under the Academic Accommodation of Students with Disabilities policy. Petitions should be submitted in a prompt and timely manner for the relevant term, but no later than July 31 immediately following the Fall/Winter Term or November 15 immediately following the Spring/Summer Term.

The Petition for Special Consideration (Form A) is submitted for a variety of issues, including, when a student wishes to have a leave of absence or seeks to depart from University requirements based on compelling medical or personal reasons; or a student believes that an adverse ruling or decision about their academic performance, such as failing a course, or being required to withdraw from a program for failure to meet program requirements, should be waived because of compelling medical or personal circumstances.

Decisions made on Petitions for Special Consideration are final. In accordance with the Student Appeal Procedures, decisions made on Petitions for Special Consideration cannot be appealed to the Senate Board for Student Appeals. However, should students believe that a decision may be a violation of their human rights, they may wish to contact the Equity and Inclusion Office to identify appropriate avenues of recourse as per the Policy on Discrimination and Harassment: Prevention & Response.

Refer to the below link for all policy information pertaining to the Petition for Special Consideration (Form A) process:

• Petition for Special Consideration (Form A) – Undergraduate Calendar General Academic Regulations

BScN students wishing to submit a Petition for Special Consideration (Form A) are strongly encouraged to consult with Academic Advising prior to submission to review their individual circumstances, whether the petition process is the appropriate avenue to pursue, and the petition process in general. The BScN Program Petition Form A is found here: Petition for Special Consideration (Form A)

Once a decision has been made on your Petition for Special Consideration Form A has been reached, the result will be communicated to you via email.

McMaster University provides a Late Withdrawal option to assist students who have become irretrievably behind in a course. Students who have fallen behind with assignments and/or are not prepared to write final examinations (or equivalent) in one or more courses are encouraged to make use of this option and must contact Academic Advising Services to discuss prior to making the request.

Refer to the below link for all policy information pertaining to requests for a Late Withdrawal:

• Late Withdrawal – Undergraduate Calendar General Academic Regulations

It is important to note that there are specific criteria to meet to be approved for a Late Withdrawal. Given this, please do familiarize yourself with these criteria as stipulated in the General Academic Regulations link provided above. All criteria are important, but please make special note the following:

• Students may request a Late Withdrawal, without petition, no later than the last day of classes in the relevant Term (refer to McMaster University’s sessional dates for the last day of classes in the applicable term).
• Requests for Late Withdrawal cannot be made in courses for which the final exam/ final evaluation has been attempted or completed. This also includes courses where a final grade has been assigned (e.g. courses with no final exam, professional practice/clinical courses).
• Such requests will be cancelled or revoked if it is determined that the student attempted or completed the final exam (or equivalent).
• Students cannot use the Late Withdrawal option for courses in which they are under investigation or for which they have been found guilty of academic dishonesty.

If the specifics of your situation meet the criteria for a Late Withdrawal, Academic Advising will provide you with the Late Withdrawal Request Form via email, that you can then complete and submit for a formal decision and information pertaining to the program progression impacts of the Late Withdrawal.

External Transfer Credit and McMaster Course Exemption Requests

If you have completed courses at the university level prior to commencing studies in the BScN Program, you may be eligible to receive transfer credits or course exemptions for requirements of your BScN degree program. Note that the term transfer credits applies to courses completed at another university and the term course exemptions applies to courses completed at McMaster University. These credits/courses cannot have been previously used as requirements for an already-conferred degree. The BScN Program does not grant transfer credit for any mandatory Nursing (NURSING) or Health Science (HTHSCI) courses; this is due to the integrated nature of concepts in the BScN curriculum. The granting of transfer credits and course exemptions is at the discretion of the BScN Program.

Only courses completed at a university are eligible for consideration; courses completed at a college are not eligible for review. Courses completed through the Advanced Placement (AP) Program or the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program will only be considered for advanced credits for Level I electives.

Regarding external transfer credits for elective and/or Psychology (PSYCH) course requirements, no university course for which a grade of less than C- (60%) has been achieved will be considered. Regarding McMaster course exemptions for elective and/or Psychology (PSYCH) course requirements, the minimum grade requirement is a D+ (50%).

If you have completed AP exams through the College Board in acceptable courses and achieved a minimum grade of 4, you will be considered for up to 18 units of advanced/transfer credit toward Level I electives. If you have completed Higher Level (HL) courses and achieved final International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma or Certificate grades of 5 or greater will be considered for up to 18 units of advanced/transfer credit toward Level I electives.

Advanced and transfer credits are not included in the calculation of your cumulative grade point average (CGPA). These credits receive a transcript designation of ‘T’ (for transfer).

Refer to the below links for policy information pertaining to transfer/advanced credits:

• Transfer Credits – Undergraduate Calendar Admission Requirements
• Second Bachelor’s Degree Programs – Undergraduate Calendar General Academic Regulations

Students at all sites must submit an (Fillable) External Transfer Credit Course Exemption Form Request 23-24 to Academic Advising Services within one year of program start-date to have their previous course work considered for advanced/transfer credits or course exemptions for the entirety of their program. Exceptions are not made to this deadline.

Academic Advising will review your request and send you the result via email. Please expect at least 2 weeks to receive the result.

Official Transcript Submissions for Transfer Credits

Typically, all prior academic records/official transcripts are submitted through the admissions process, which Academic Advising Services can access for the purposes of reviewing external advanced or transfer credit requests. In the case that you were not required to submit a specific academic record/official transcript as a part of the admissions process, and you wish to have it reviewed, you will need to submit this academic record/official transcript to Academic Advising Services.

A transcript is considered official only if it is sent directly from the issuing institution to the BScN Program. In the case of a hard copy transcript, it is considered official only if sent directly from the issuing institution in a sealed envelope. The BScN Program accepts official transcripts sent electronically via email or via an online transcript service (e.g., MyCreds.ca, Parchment, etc.) provided that they are sent directly from the issuing institution to the BScN Program. Please see below for the McMaster and Mohawk Site Academic Advising submission information for official transcripts:

Letter of Permission (LOP)

As per the BScN Program Academic Regulations, LOPs are not permitted for any mandatory HTHSCI or NURSING courses due to the integrated nature of the concepts in the BScN curriculum. Mandatory Psychology (PSYCH) courses (applicable to the Basic A stream only) and electives may be completed on LOP.

You must achieve a minimum grade of C- (60%) in Psychology (PSYCH) and elective courses completed on LOP to receive the transcript designation of ‘T’, which indicates successful completion of the course. Courses taken via LOP are not included in the calculation of your the cumulative grade point average (CGPA).

Please see the below links for further information pertaining to the completion of courses via LOP:

• Letter of Permission section – BScN Program Academic Regulations
• McMaster Students Studying at Another University: Letter of Permission (LOP) and Exchange (Study Abroad) – Undergraduate Calendar General Academic Regulations

You must apply to apply to complete a course/courses on LOP via your Mosaic Student Centre. Visit the Office of the Registrar’s website for detailed instructions, here. To search for pre-approved course equivalencies click here.

If your LOP is approved, you will receive an email confirmation from your Academic Advisor with detailed instructions as to course completion dates and official transcript submission deadlines and instructions.

Official Transcript Submissions for LOPs

It is your responsibility to ensure that Academic Advising Services has received your official transcript for the course(s) taken at the other (host) institution by the deadline specified by Academic Advising Services.

A transcript is considered official only if it is sent directly from the host institution to the BScN Program. In the case of a hard copy transcript, it is considered official only if sent directly from the host institution in a sealed envelope. If the host institution offers an electronic transcript delivery option, you may wish to consider this for the sake of ease and speed. The BScN Program accepts official transcripts sent electronically via email or via an online transcript service (e.g., MyCreds.ca, Parchment, etc.) provided that they are sent directly from the host institution to the BScN Program. Please see the table below for the site-specific submission information for official transcripts:

Enrolment and Financial Letter Requests available via Self-Service in Mosaic

Proof of student data such as part-time or full-time status, course enrolment, graduation status, degree program, financial invoices, and RESP letters can be downloaded right from your Student Centre using Mosaic Self-Service.

How to Access with Mosaic Self-Service

• Log into Mosaic > Student Centre
• Click on ‘other academics’.
• Click on ‘Enrolment/Financial letters’.
• Select from the available letters.
• Select your preferred delivery option: download, email, or print.

Visit the Office of the Registrar’s enrolment verification webpage for the available letters, here.

Additional Self-Service Options in Mosaic

In addition to enrolment and financial letters, there are additional Self-Service options (e.g., transcript requests, name change requests, tax documents, etc.) in Mosaic that you may need throughout your time with McMaster. Please see the the Office of the Registrar’s service requests web page for further details, here.

Custom Enrolment Letter Requests

If the type of enrolment letter you require is not listed under the ‘other academics’ menu in your Student Centre, you will need to request a custom enrolment verification letter with the Office of the Registrar.

To request a custom enrolment verification letter, download and complete the Enrolment Verification Request Form, found here. You will then create a Service Request in Mosaic, submitting the request with the completed form attached. Within the Service Request itself, there is a text box where you can specify exactly what data you want included in the letter. You’ll find further details about requesting a custom enrolment letter, here.

If the Office of the Registrar responds to your Service Request indicating that they cannot verify the data that you require in your letter, please contact Academic Advising.

Work Permit Letter Requests

As per Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), International students enroled in a program that includes work experience (e.g., placement, co-op, or internship) require a Work Permit for the duration of the program.

As the BScN Program has multiple clinical placements, International BScN students require a letter from the BScN Program to verify their status in the program and to provide details about the various placements.

To request this letter to support your Work Permit application, please contact Academic Advising via email.