Undergraduate courses, which teach written and oral communication in English, are listed below with links to their respective descriptions in the聽eCalendar.
If you wish to take WCOM 245 (formerly CESL 400) or WCOM 255 (formerly CESL 500) you will need to take a placement test.聽 For information about the placement tests:聽www.mcgill.ca/mwc/courses/placement-tests
Note: These courses are not open to students who have taken them under former course codes CCOM, CEAP, CESL, EAPR, ESLN, and EDEC.
Academic Writing - Academic Writing: ESL - Creative Writing - Science Communication - Digital Genres - Business Communication - Communication for Engineers - Special Topics
Academic Writing
WCOM 250 (formerly CEAP 250): Research Essay and Rhetoric
WCOM 250. Research Essay and Rhetoric.
Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.
Description
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken CESL 500 or CEAP 250 or WCOM 255. Only open to students in degree programs - all years and faculties.
- Intended for students whose first language is English.
- Entrance test: Short essay first day of classes.
Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.
Academic Writing - ESL
Courses tailored for English Language Learners -placement test required; please see www.mcgill.ca/mwc/courses/placement-tests
WCOM 235 (formerly CESL 300): ESL Academic English 2
WCOM 235. ESL: Academic English 2.
Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.
Description
- Prerequisites: CESL 200 or WCOM 225 or placement test.
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken CESL 300. Only open to students in degree programs.
Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.
Admission and registration:
Full-time, non-anglophone students whose secondary education (high school and CEGEP) has been in institutions where the primary language of instruction was not English, or who have attended English language secondary institutions (high school and CEGEP) for four years or less, are eligible to take up to 12 credits in English as a Second Language (CESL).
WCOM 245 (formerly CESL 400): ESL: Essay and Critical Thinking
WCOM 245. ESL: Essay and Critical Thinking.
Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.
Description
- Prerequisites: CESL 300 or WCOM 235 or placement test.
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken CESL 400. Only open to students in degree programs.
Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.
Admission and registration:
Full-time, non-anglophone students whose secondary education (high school and CEGEP) has been in institutions where the primary language of instruction was not English, or who have attended English language secondary institutions (high school and CEGEP) for four years or less, are eligible to take up to 12 credits in English as a Second Language (CESL).
WCOM 255 (formerly CESL 500): ESL: Research Essay and Rhetoric
WCOM 255. ESL: Research Essay and Rhetoric.
Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.
Description
- Prerequisites: CESL 400 or WCOM 245 or placement test.
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken CEAP 250 or CESL 500. Only open to students in degree programs.
Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.
Admission and registration:
Full-time, non-anglophone students whose secondary education (high school and CEGEP) has been in institutions where the primary language of instruction was not English, or who have attended English language secondary institutions (high school and CEGEP) for four years or less, are eligible to take up to 12 credits in English as a Second Language (CESL).
WCOM 295 (formerly CESL 299): Academic Skills
WCOM 295. ESL: Academic Skills.
Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.
Description
- Restriction: Only open to students whose first language is not English and who are newly admitted at 涩里番 (into Year 0 or Year 1) to a Bachelor program in the following fall. The course is designed to assist these new students to integrate into the English language milieu at 涩里番.
- Restriction: Ce cours s'adresse aux 茅tudiants dont la langue maternelle n'est pas l'anglais et qui sont nouvellement admis (en premi猫re ann茅e pr茅paratoire - niveau U0 ou premi猫re ann茅e d'茅tudes universitaires - niveau U1) 脿 涩里番 脿 un programme de 1er cycle 脿 l'automne suivant. Il est con莽u pour faciliter leur int茅gration dans le milieu anglophone de 涩里番.
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken CESL 299.
- **Due to the condensed nature of this course, the standard add/drop, and withdrawal deadlines do not apply. Add/drop is the second lecture day and withdrawal with financial penalty is the third lecture day.
- Although this course follows a MTWR class schedule pattern, the last day of class may be on a Friday.
Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.
Class time:
WCOM 295 is an intensive course.聽 Class time is from 9:35am to 12:25pm, MTWR (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday), and there will be one Friday on the last week as the last day of class.
Admission and registration:
Full-time, non-anglophone students whose secondary education (high school and CEGEP) has been in institutions where the primary language of instruction was not English, or who have attended English language secondary institutions (high school and CEGEP) for four years or less, are eligible to take up to 12 credits in English as a Second Language (CESL).
Tuition subsidy
Students newly admitted (into Year 0 or Year 1) at 涩里番 to a Bachelor program in the following fall will receive a subsidy upon completion of the course (only students who have not previously been enrolled in a Bachelor program at 涩里番 are eligible). Students are expected to pay for the course, and those eligible will automatically receive a credit to their student account in the fall. For more information, read the last paragraph at this web page Scholarships, awards and assistance.
Creative Writing
WCOM 203 (formerly CCOM 200): Introduction to Creative Writing
WCOM 203. Introduction to Creative Writing.
Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.
Description
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken CCOM 200.
Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.
WCOM 333: Writing Creative Nonfiction
WCOM 333. Writing Creative Nonfiction.
Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.
Description
- Prerequisites: CCOM 200 or WCOM 203 or permission of the Centre.
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken CCOM 323.
Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.
Science Communication
WCOM 314 (formerly CCOM 314): Communicating Science
WCOM 314. Communicating Science.
Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.
Description
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken CCOM 314.
Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.
WCOM 414 (formerly CCOM 414): Advanced Communicating Science
WCOM 414. Advanced Communicating Science.
Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.
Description
- Prerequisite: CCOM 314 or WCOM 314 or permission of the Centre.
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken CCOM 414.
Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.
Digital Genres
WCOM 317 (formerly CCOM 315): Writing the Internet
WCOM 317. Writing the Internet.
Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.
Description
- Not open to students who have taken CCOM 315.
Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.
Business Communication
Required for certain SCS certificate programs; other undergraduate students can request permission by emailing mwc [at] mcgill.ca
WCOM 202 (formerly CCOM 205): Communication in Management 1
WCOM 202. Communication in Management 1.
Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.
Description
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken CCOM 205.
- Because this course uses a workshop format, attendance at first class is desirable.
- Continuing Studies: requirement for the EA, AAC, and the Canadian Institute of Management.
Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.
Communication for Engineers
WCOM 206 (formerly CCOM 206): Communication in Engineering
WCOM 206. Communication in Engineering.
Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.
Description
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken CCOM 206. Only open to students in degree programs.
- Limited enrolment.
- Because this course uses a workshop format, attendance at first class is desirable.
Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.
Special Topics
WCOM 371 (formerly CCOM 371): Selected Communication Topic 1
WCOM 371. Selected Communication Topic 1.
Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.
Description
- The content can vary from year to year and will be announced prior to registration.
Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.
WCOM 372 (formerly CCOM 372): Selected Communication Topic 2
Winter 2025: The Craft of Plurilingual Writing
WCOM 372. Selected Communication Topic 2.
Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.
Description
- The content can vary from year to year and will be announced prior to registration.
Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.
Notes
- Courses coded as WCOM may be taken to fulfill language requirements or as electives in some degree programs.聽In some faculties, you need to obtain approval from your Student Affairs Office as well as from your academic advisor before you take courses outside your faculty, especially if the courses do not form part of your program requirements.
- Placement tests are required for admission to most ESL undergraduate courses.
- WCOM 206聽is restricted to students pursuing a Bachelor of Engineering degree at 涩里番.