Faculty of Science

Degree Programs
Academic Regulations

Departments and Program Offerings

Burke Science Building, Room 129, ext. 27590
http://www.science.mcmaster.ca/
science@mcmaster.ca

DEAN OF SCIENCE

R.L. Baker/B.Sc., M.Sc., Ph.D.

ASSOCIATE DEAN OF SCIENCE (ACADEMIC)

M.J. Farquharson/B.Sc., M.Sc., Ph.D.

ASSISTANT DEAN (ACADEMIC)

J. Smith/B.A.

MANAGER OF UNDERGRADUATE RECRUITMENT AND EDUCATION

N. Armstrong/B.Kin.

ACADEMIC ADVISORS

R. Campbell/B.Sc.
T. Gammon/B.A., B.A.
C. Mackenzie/B.A.Sc.
R. Tebbutt/B.A.

The Faculty of Science provides studies through the following Departments/Programs/Schools:

Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences*
Biology*
Chemistry and Chemical Biology*
Geography and Earth Sciences
Integrated Science
Kinesiology
Life Sciences*
Mathematics and Statistics*
Medical Physics and Applied Radiation Sciences
Physics and Astronomy*
Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour*

*May also be combined with the Origins Research Specialization.

Degree Programs

Honours Bachelor of Science Programs

An Honours B.Sc. normally requires the completion of 120 units, including a set of courses in a specific discipline and allows for interdisciplinary, and/or liberal arts studies through electives from other departments and faculties. An Honours B.Sc. with Specialization requires the completion of the same courses required for the Honours program as well as designated upper level courses in the specialization. Please refer to departmental program descriptions for details.

Also available as an Honours Bachelor of Science degree, the Specialization in Origins Research is designed to re-introduce Natural Science to students through various themes. This specialization may be combined with most B.Sc. Honours programs. See Origins Institute in this section of the Calendar for more information.

Honours Integrated Science is a limited enrolment, interdisciplinary research-based science program designed to develop students as broadly educated research scientists capable of contributing to all modern fields of science. Program courses will develop scientific understanding through integration of multiple disciplines in the study of a series of relevant themes or problems. Many disciplines of science will contribute toward courses offered in the Integrated Science program. Students will be involved in individual and team research projects throughout the program.

Students who successfully complete the first three levels of any Honours B.Sc. degree may request permission from the Office of the Associate Dean of Science (Academic) to transfer to graduate with a three-level B.Sc. degree.

Honours Bachelor of Science Kinesiology Program

Similar to the Honours Bachelor of Science, the Honours Bachelor of Science Kinesiology (Honours B.Sc.Kin.) requires 120 units, including the completion of a set of required courses and electives. Honours Bachelor of Science Kinesiology, a limited enrolment, direct-entry program is only available to students who completed Honours Kinesiology I. Kinesiology students who successfully complete the first three levels of the Honours B.Sc.Kin. degree may request permission from the Office of the Associate Dean of Science (Academic) to transfer to graduate with the three-level B.Sc.Kin. degree.

Co-op Programs

The Faculty of Science has Cooperative Education programs, beginning in Level III, in Honours Actuarial and Financial Mathematics, Honours Biochemistry, Honours Biology and Pharmacology, Honours Biophysics, Honours Chemical Biology, Honours Chemistry, Honours Life Sciences, Honours Mathematics and Statistics, Honours Medical Physics, Honours Molecular Biology and Genetics, and Honours Physics.

Co-op programs have limited enrolment and admission is by selection. Please see the admission statement for each program in this section of the Calendar. Students must complete SCIENCE 2C00 and all mandatory orientation activities prior to the start of the first work term. It is strongly recommended that students complete SCIENCE 2C00 in Level II. Employment must be full-time, academically relevant and approved by the Science Career and Cooperative Education office. Students enrolled in Co-op programs must be registered in full-time studies, including all prescribed courses, during the academic terms of their program (a minimum of 24 units in a full-term; and at least 12 units in a half-term) and will be charged per unit registered. An additional Science Co-op fee will be charged for each academic term of a Co-op program. With written permission from the work term supervisor, academic work may be taken during each four-month period of a work term and the student will be responsible for the additional tuition. For further information, please consult Science Career and Cooperative Education in the Faculty of Science.

Internships

The Faculty of Science offers students the opportunity to participate in 8-16 month full-time paid work placements in industry that provide students with technical work experience related to their academic curriculum. Internship placements are available to students registered as full time students in good standing in Level II or III of an Honours B.Sc. program and who will have at least 24 units left to complete upon their return. Students must complete SCIENCE 2C00 and all mandatory orientation activities prior to the start of their internship. Students compete for placements with participating companies through an application and interview process. A fee is assessed following the start of the placement. For further information, please consult Science Career and Cooperative Education in the Faculty of Science.

Minors

Within the Faculty of Science, Minors are available to students registered in an Honours program only. In addition to the University’s regulations governing the designation of a Minor, all Departments in the Faculty of Science require the inclusion of at least six units of Level III or IV courses to complete a Minor in a Science subject. At least 12 units (above Level 1) toward the Minor must be considered elective to degree.

Please see Minors in the General Academic Regulations section of this Calendar for further information. All courses have an enrolment capacity and the Faculty cannot guarantee registration in courses, even when all requisites have been met. Therefore, the completion of a Minor is not guaranteed.

Minors offered by the Faculty of Science include:

Bachelor of Science Programs

Three-level B.Sc. programs offered by the Faculty of Science include: Environmental Sciences, Life Sciences, Mathematical Science and Chemical and Physical Sciences (formerly Physical Sciences). B.Sc. programs require completion of 90 units including a set of required courses and electives.

Students interested in the Environmental Sciences program are encouraged to see School of Geography and Earth Sciences in this section of the Calendar. Students interested in the Life Sciences program are encouraged to see Life Sciences in this section of the Calendar. Students interested in the Mathematical Science program are encouraged to see Department of Mathematics and Statistics in this section of the Calendar. Students interested in the Chemical and Physical Sciences are encouraged to see Chemical and Physical Sciences in the Department of Physics and Astronomy section of the Calendar.

Students who successfully complete the first three levels of any Honours B.Sc. program may request permission from the Office of the Associate Dean of Science (Academic) to transfer to graduate with a B.Sc. degree.

Bachelor of Medical Radiation Sciences Program

The Bachelor of Medical Radiation Sciences Program is offered jointly in partnership by McMaster University and Mohawk College of Applied Arts and Technology. Students pursue two qualifications simultaneously, and graduates receive the McMaster Bachelor of Medical Radiation Sciences degree and the Ontario College Advanced Diploma in Medical Radiation Sciences from Mohawk. The program requires 150 units. Levels II through IV of the program run consecutively from September of Level II to completion of the program at the end of April in Level IV.

Academic Regulations

Student Academic Responsibility

You are responsible for adhering to the statement on student academic responsibility found in the General Academic Regulations of this calendar.

Access to Courses

All undergraduate courses at McMaster University have an enrolment capacity. The University is committed to making every effort to accommodate students in required courses so that they are able to complete program admission requirements, course requisites, and courses required for their program of studies in a timely manner. Unless otherwise specified, registration is on a first-come basis and in some cases priority is given to students in particular programs or Faculties. When students are selecting from a list of required courses, access to a specific course is not guaranteed when there is another course available to meet a specific program requirement. All students are encouraged to register as soon as MUGSI/SOLAR is available to them. In addition, in the Faculty of Science, there are two types of courses for which permission must be obtained prior to registration. For these courses, students will be given seat authorizations rather than being admitted on a first-come basis.

Student Communication Responsibility

It is the student’s responsibility to:

maintain current contact information with the University, including address, phone numbers, and emergency contact information.
use the university provided e-mail address or maintain a valid forwarding e-mail address.
regularly check the official University communications channels. Official University communications are considered received if sent by postal mail, by fax, or by e-mail to the student’s designated primary e-mail account via their @mcmaster.ca alias.
accept that forwarded e-mails may be lost and that e-mail is considered received if sent via the student’s @mcmaster.ca alias.

Students enrolled in Science programs, in addition to meeting the General Academic Regulations of the University, shall be subject to additional Faculty Regulations.

Admission to Level II Programs

All Level I students who wish to be reviewed for admission to a Level II program in the Faculty of Science for the following Fall/Winter session must submit an Application for Admission to Level II through MUGSI/SOLAR (Student On-Line Academic Registration) by the University stated deadline (normally in April). Students may rank up to four program choices and will be notified on their grade reports in June of their eligibility for the Level II programs.

Level I students must meet the admission criteria for a Level II program according to the Calendar in effect when they registered for Level I. Students must follow the program requirements of the Calendar in effect when they enter Level II, except when a later Calendar explicitly modifies such requirements.

Students who have a Result of Session of May Continue but who do not achieve the admission requirements for any Level II program may continue in the Faculty of Science in the undeclared ‘Science’ program, or apply to transfer to another Faculty.

Limited Enrolment Programs

Admission at Level I (and above) is limited for the following programs:

Honours Integrated Science
Honours Kinesiology
All Medical Radiation Sciences programs

Admission at Level II (and above) is limited for the following:

Honours Actuarial and Financial Mathematics
All Honours Biochemistry programs
All Honours Biology programs
Honours Biophysics
Honours Chemical Biology
Honours Molecular Biology and Genetics
All Honours Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour programs
All programs combined with the Origins Research Specialization

All Co-op programs, beginning at Level III, are limited enrolment.

Reinstatement

A student who may not continue at the University may apply for reinstatement. Application for reinstatement must be made to the Office of the Registrar using the Reinstatement Request Form by the stated deadline. The Faculty of Science does not consider Requests for Reinstatement for the Spring/Summer session. See the Application Procedures section of this Calendar. Reinstatement forms will be carefully reviewed and the evidence considered will include the student’s academic performance before and after admission to McMaster, a letter of explanation and other appropriate documentation. Reinstatement is not automatic or guaranteed. Decisions are normally made after June 30 for September entry.

Effective September 1997, the Cumulative Average for students who are reinstated is reset to 0.0 on zero units. Credit is retained for courses in which passing grades have been achieved. Note: If at a review after reinstatement the Cumulative Average falls below 3.5, the student will be required to withdraw from the University for a period of at least 12 months.

Former Kinesiology students will be considered for reinstatement to Kinesiology upon completion of a minimum of 24 units of university work taken on a full-time basis in a non-Kinesiology program with a minimum average of 7.0 (B-). Application forms are available from the Office of the Associate Dean of Science (Academic) or the Department of Kinesiology. The application deadline is April 30 for September entry. Reinstatement is not guaranteed.

Former Medical Radiation Sciences students will be considered for reinstatement to their program upon completion of a minimum of 24 units of university work taken on a full-time basis in a non-Medical Radiation Sciences program with a minimum average of 7.0 (B-). Application forms are available from the Office of the Associate Dean of Science (Academic) or the Department of Medical Physics and Applied Radiation Sciences. The application deadline is April 30 for September entry. Reinstatement is not guaranteed.

Deadlines

The Faculty of Science will not consider applications for admission, admission to a second degree or continuing studies, registration, deleting, cancelling, or adding of courses after the deadlines stated in this Calendar under Sessional Dates and Application Procedures sections, unless documentation showing good cause is submitted to the Office of the Associate Dean of Science (Academic).

Limited Enrolment Courses Requiring Pre-Registration Balloting

The Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour pre-registration ballot will be done in two phases. The first phase will include the thesis courses (PNB 4D06 , 4D09 , 4DD6 ) and the Individual Study courses (PNB 3Q03 , 3QQ3 , 4Q03 , 4QQ3 ). Students wishing to take these courses must complete and submit a ballot by mid February. Students will be informed of the outcome of the first phase by mid March. The second phase will include lab courses (PNB 3DV3 , 3EE3 , 3L03 , 3LA3 , 3MM3 , 3RM3 , 3S03 , 3V03 ). Students wishing to take these courses must complete and submit a ballot by mid April. Specific dates will be announced during the Fall term. Ballots can be obtained from the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour’s web site at http://www.science.mcmaster.ca/pnb/.

Workload

All programs in the Faculty of Science may be taken by full-time and part-time students, with the exception of the Medical Radiation Sciences programs and all Honours Co-op programs. Students enrolled in Co-op programs must maintain a full academic load during the study terms of their program.

Students must maintain a full academic load during the Fall/Winter session to be eligible for scholarships available to full-time students.

Students are expected to avoid timetable conflicts among their courses, and students on a full academic load should ensure the number of courses is balanced in each term. Students who wish to take more courses than recommended for a single level of their program may do so if their Cumulative Average on completion of the previous Fall/Winter session is at least 7.0. Students registered in the final level of their program are permitted to overload by up to six additional units in order to become eligible to graduate.

Courses Requiring an Additional Fee

The Faculty offers courses that may require a payment of a fee, above the regular associated tuition. Examples include: field courses and experiential offerings. Some of these courses may be taken outside of the University’s Sessional Dates.

Students who enrol in these types of offerings must pay both:

a fee to the department to cover travel expenses, room and board and
the associated tuition fee to McMaster at time of registration.

Although students initially register for field courses through the appropriate departmental offices, it is their responsibility to include field courses on their registration forms for the appropriate session.

Detailed information regarding field courses and deadlines for registration may be obtained from the individual departmental offices.

Letter of Permission

All students in good academic standing with the exception of students registered in second degree programs, may apply to the Office of the Associate Dean of Science (Academic) to take courses at another university on Letter of Permission. Students must achieve a grade of at least C- for transfer of credit. The transcript designation reads COM, indicating complete, when a grade of C- or better is attained, or NC, indicating not complete, when a grade of less than C- is attained.

Required courses given by the department offering the program may not be taken elsewhere unless departmental approval is given. Electives may be taken elsewhere.

Courses taken at another university cannot be used to satisfy the university’s minimum residence requirements, will not be included in the calculation of the Cumulative or Sessional Averages, and therefore cannot be used to raise standing. Students may take up to six units of courses towards a Minor on Letter of Permission.

Student Exchanges

McMaster University has agreements with institutions in Canada and abroad including Australia, France and the United Kingdom to provide students with the opportunity to participate in an exchange program for one year or term. Exchanges allow students to gain a varied perspective on their course of study and enhance their professional and personal goals. In addition, exchange programs offer students the most inexpensive means of studying abroad as students participating in these exchanges avoid the foreign fees by paying fees to McMaster.

All students must have completed at least one year of continuous study and be in good standing to be eligible to participate in an exchange. In most cases, students who participate in exchange programs go abroad for the third level of an Honours program.

Students interested should begin discussions with the Office of the Associate Dean of Science (Academic) about one year before they plan to enroll elsewhere. Students must propose and submit an academic program to their Department for approval. Academic approval must be completed by the end of February for registration in the following Fall/Winter session. In certain cases, students may be recommended for the Deans’ Honour List on the basis of work undertaken while on exchange.

For further information please see International Study in the General Academic Regulations section in this Calendar. Information concerning exchanges can also be found in the Academic Facilities, Student Services and Organizations section of this Calendar under the heading International Student Services. Acceptance to the Ontario and University-wide Exchange Programs is by recommendation. Application forms can be obtained from:

International Student Services / MacAbroad
Gilmour Hall, Room 104
Telephone: (905) 525-9140, extension 24748

Transfers

Science students may be permitted to transfer between programs or students in other Faculties may apply to transfer to a program in the Faculty of Science provided they have obtained a Cumulative Average of at least 3.5 and have completed the necessary admission requirements. The Faculty of Science will include the grades of all courses attempted (including failures) in the calculation of the Cumulative Average to determine eligibility to transfer into the Faculty. Students who do not meet these requirements must consult with the Office of the Associate Dean of Science (Academic).

Students in Levels II or III who wish to transfer to another program in the Faculty of Science must speak with an Academic Advisor in the Office of the Associate Dean of Science (Academic).

Transfer/Application to Kinesiology I

In-course, McMaster students seeking transfer/admission to Honours Kinesiology I for the following Fall/Winter session must submit an Application for Admission through MUGSI by the stated deadline (normally April). The application allows students to rank four program choices. Additionally, transfer students must submit the mandatory Supplemental Application to the Department of Kinesiology by the stated deadline. Students will be notified of their eligibility for transfer to Honours Kinesiology I on their grade reports in June. McMaster students interested in transferring may contact the Undergraduate Administrative Assistant (Kinesiology) or the Office of the Associate Dean of Science (Academic). Students transferring from another university should see the Admission Requirements and Application Procedures sections of this Calendar. A limited number of exceptionally qualified students are admitted each year. To be considered, applicants must have an average of at least 9.0 (B+) in a minimum of 24 units of university work, taken on a full-time basis, including an average of at least 6.0 in either BIOLOGY 1A03 and 1M03 , or KINESIOL 1Y03 and 1YY3 . Given the number of required units and prerequisites of Kinesiology courses, transfer students may not be able to complete the requirements in three additional years of study.

Graduation

From an Honours B.Sc. and B.Sc. Programs

To graduate from a program, students must meet all course requirements for their degree program.

The requirements for graduation from these programs are described under the heading Graduation in the General Academic Regulations section in this Calendar.

Transferring to Graduate with a Three-Level B.Sc. Degree from an Honours B.Sc. Program

Students who successfully complete at least 90 units including all admission requirements and expected course requirements up to the end of Level III of any Honours B.Sc. degree, with a minimum Cumulative Average of 3.5 may request permission from the Office of the Associate Dean of Science (Academic) for transfer to graduate with a corresponding three-level B.Sc. degree as follows:

Honours Biochemistry qualifies for the B.Sc. Science degree. Honours Biology, Chemical Biology, Life Sciences, Molecular Biology and Genetics and Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour programs qualify for the B.Sc. Life Sciences degree. All Environmental Sciences programs qualify for the B.Sc. Environmental Sciences degree. All Mathematics and Statistics programs qualify for the B.Sc. Mathematical Science degree. All Biophysics, Chemistry, Medical Physics, and Physics programs qualify for the B.Sc. Chemical and Physical Sciences degree. Students enrolled in Honours Biology and Environmental Sciences may be given the option of either the B.Sc. Environmental Sciences or Life Sciences degree. Honours B.Sc. Kinesiology qualifies for the B.Sc.Kin. degree. Integrated Sciences (iSci) programs, with a concentration, will qualify for the exit degree most relevant to the concentration. Integrated Sciences (iSci), without a concentration, qualifies for the B.Sc. Science degree. Students who do not qualify for the degrees, as stated above, may request to be considered to graduate with the B.Sc. Science degree.