Academic Resources

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For any concerns or complaints regarding undergraduate courses offered by the department of Physics, please fill out the academic complaint form:

MSPS Mentorship Program

Registration

• When? September

• Where? McGill Mentorship Network

Overview of the Program

This program provides the opportunity for new and incoming physics undergraduates to pair up with experienced upper-year students and seek guidance on courses, research, careers, and navigating the wonderful world of physics! Whether you are looking for insights on how to organize your schedule, finding undergraduate research and opportunities, or building connections within the department, mentorship can help pave paths toward academic and professional success.

• • Role of the Mentee (U0/U1): Receive guidance and advice from a mentor to assist in course management, goal setting, and career-related decision making.

  • Role of the Mentor (U2+): Provide insight and guidance for the mentee based on personal experience in career and academic pursuits.

Program Structure/Expectations: 

The program is designed to be highly flexible and easy to integrate into your schedule! Once paired, the mentor will reach out to the mentee to arrange the first meeting. After that, it's up to you! You can decide how often you'd like to meet, what you'd like to discuss, and how you'd like to move forward.

Pairings will be done on a first-come, first-served basis and will consider the answers provided by both mentor and mentee in the registration questionnaire. Mentors can choose to take on more than one mentee; meetings should be conducted one-on-one.

Why should I join?

Mentors:

• • Building mentorship skills: This is a chance to take a leadership position and provide support and guidance to incoming physics undergraduates.

  • Sharing insights: Your experience matters. As a mentor, you will be able to advise new and incoming students on their academic journeys and on applying for research.

  • Making a difference: Your participation means that you play a part in aiding new students to achieve their goals.

Mentees:

• • Advice on what matters: Navigating new territory is always hard. With your mentor, you will have support on how to move forwards academically and start exploring career goals.

  • Social network: Your mentor can advise you on important on-campus events and opportunities, helping you find your place in McGill's physics community

  • Building confidence: With your mentor, you can approach your program with new skills and insights, which will help you succeed academically and build resilience. 

MSPS Academic Events

Grad Panel

The MSPS grad panel is an event where we invite grad students and professors to talk about their experience with grad school and answer any questions you might have. This event is curated for your needs as we send out a form asking undergrads what they would like to hear about beforehand!

*See more info about grad applications on our Grad Applications page!

Download the notes

2025-2026 grad panel notes

2024-2025 grad panel notes

Industry Panel 

The MSPS Industry Panel offers students the chance to hear from professionals working in a variety of physics-related industries. The event features a panel discussion guided by questions gathered from undergraduate students, offering insights into career paths, workplace experiences, and transitioning from academia to industry.

McGill Physics Industry Fair 

Keep an eye out for the Physics Industry Fair!

MSPS is organizing an event designed for undergraduate and graduate physics students to explore careers beyond academia. This fair will provide an opportunity to connect with industry professionals, learn about potential career paths, and discover exciting opportunities in physics and related fields.

Wine & Cheese 

The MSPS Wine & Cheese is a great opportunity to meet professors and learn more about their research and academic experiences. Held at the start of the winter semester, this event gives students a chance to connect with faculty and explore potential summer research opportunities.

Department Events

Info Sessions

• Graduate school applications — Fall semester

This information session is usually a short presentation followed by a Q&A panel discussion. Profs and post-docs who went to grad school in different places and work in different fields talk about their experiences with the application process (both from the application side and from the supervisor side).

Also look at our grad document and the department grad school FAQs.

• Research info sessions— Fall/Winter semester

These information sessions go over the basics of research in the department and through TSI, including both summer research and courses offered during the academic year. The summer research info session also goes over the USRA, SURA, and TSI awards and how to apply for them.

Summer research 2025 slides

Getting started in research 2024 slides

Talks and Colloquia

• Physical Society Colloquia — Every Friday 3:30-4:30pm

The physics department page has a list of upcoming colloquia and the list of past colloquia and recordings.

• TSI Public Talks

See upcoming events here.

• Anna I. McPherson Public Lecture — Once a year

The Anna I. McPherson Lectures in Physics were established in honour of Anna Isobel McPherson, a member of the McGill Physics Faculty from 1940 until her death in 1979. Over her long association with the Department of Physics, Anna McPherson made important contributions in teaching, research, and counselling, helping and teaching a very large number of students. The McPherson lecture series was established to acknowledge her outstanding generosity and her many valued academic contributions. The mandate of these lectures is to bring a distinguished physicist to McGill each year to give two lectures, one of which is a lecture for the general public.

See the list of past lectures and the upcoming one here.