Honours Life Sciences (B.Sc.)

Admission

Completion of any Level I program with a Grade Point Average of at least 5.0 including:

Program Notes

1. Registration in an Honours Life Sciences program does not guarantee access to all courses. Some courses have program restrictions. Students should check prerequisites carefully.
2. LIFESCI 2G03  does not substitute for BIOLOGY 2C03  or MOLBIOL 2C03  for prerequisite purposes.
3. Students interested in completing a thesis or independent study course should consider completing LIFESCI 3RP3  in Level III.
4. Students interested in graduate school may wish to consider completion of a thesis or independent study course (See LIFESCI 4A03 , 4B09 A/B S , 4C12 A/B S , 4D15 A/B S ). 
5. Level IV Research Seminar topics may change from year to year. Research Seminar topics and descriptions are available on the program web site (https://www.science.mcmaster.ca/sis/undergraduate/life-sciences.html). Honours Life Sciences students must complete at least 3 units of Knowledge Transfer/Seminar Experience (Course List E). 
6. Students entering Level IV Honours Life Sciences (not including the Origins of Disease Specialization or the Sensory Motor Systems Specialization) must complete and submit a ballot, rank ordering their preference for enrolment in Level IV seminar offerings by the end of March. Students will be informed of their ballot result by the end of May. Failure to submit a ballot by the stated deadline may compromise enrolment in preferred seminar. The Life Sciences program pre-registration ballot will include all Level IV Life Sciences research seminar courses.
7. LIFESCI 4CM3  is required for students completing the Honours Life Sciences - Origins of Disease Specialization and is not included in the pre-registration ballot.
8. LIFESCI 4XX3  is required for students completing the Honours Life Sciences - Sensory Motor Systems Specialization and is not included in the pre-registration ballot.
9. Course planning is extremely important. Students must review and consider the requisites on Level II, III and IV courses when enrolling in the previous Levels.
10. Students who entered the program prior to September 2020, will have the choice to use LIFESCI 3N03  toward Course List A or Course List C.

Course List A - Communication Skills

• ENVSOCTY 3TG3 - Geographies of Globalization
• ENVSOCTY 3UW3 - Cities of the Developing World
• HISTORY 3CH3 - Catastrophic History: Natural & Technological Disasters
• HLTHAGE 3D03 - Perspectives on Disability, Chronic Illness and Aging
• HLTHAGE 3E03 - Ethical Issues in Health and Aging
• HLTHAGE 3N03 - Aging and Mental Health
• LIFESCI 3AA3 - Human Pathophysiology
• LIFESCI 3BB3 - Neurobiology of Disease
• LIFESCI 3E03 - Reproductive Endocrinology
• LIFESCI 3G03 - Introduction to Epidemiology
• LIFESCI 3M03 - Cellular Dynamics
• LIFESCI 3N03 - Human Nutritional Toxicology
• LIFESCI 3P03 - Science Communication in Life Sciences
• LIFESCI 3Q03 - Global Human Health and Disease
• LIFESCI 3RC3 - Radioisotopes in Medicine
• LIFESCI 3Z03 - Life Sciences Inquiry

Course List B - Laboratory Skills

• BIOLOGY 3B03 - Plant Physiology
• BIOLOGY 3JJ3 - Field Methods In Ecology
• BIOLOGY 3U03 - Animal Physiology - Homeostasis
• BIOLOGY 3VV3 - Laboratory Methods in Molecular Biology
• BIOPHYS 2S03 - Explorations in Medical and Biological Physics
• LIFESCI 3L03 - Laboratory Methods in Life Sciences
• LIFESCI 3LL3 - Living Systems Laboratory Practicum
• MOLBIOL 3D03 - Experimental Approaches in Cell Biology
• MOLBIOL 3M03 - Fundamental Concepts of Development

Course List C - Experiential Learning

• CMTYENGA 2MC3 - Design and Creation of Engaged Learning for Community Youth
• CMTYENGA 2MD3 - Community-based Learning with McMaster Children and Youth University
• CMTYENGA 4A06 - Semester at CityLAB: Design and Dialogue Inquiry
• CMTYENGA 4A09 - Semester at CityLAB: Applied Project Experience
• EXPLORE 3IS3 - Interdisciplinary Science Field Camp
• HUMAN 3CM3 - Leadership: Cross-Cultural Mentoring Lab
• HUMAN 3LM3 - Foundations of Leadership
• LIFESCI 3EP3 - Life Sciences Applied Placement
• LIFESCI 3RP3 - Life Sciences Research Practicum
• LIFESCI 3XX3 - Peer Mentoring in Science Communication
• LIFESCI 3YY3 - Peer Mentoring in Laboratory Skill Development
• LIFESCI 4A03 - Independent Study
• LIFESCI 4B06 A/B S
• LIFESCI 4B09 A/B S - Independent Project
• LIFESCI 4C09 A/B S
• LIFESCI 4C12 A/B S - Independent Thesis
• LIFESCI 4CC3
• LIFESCI 4D15 A/B S - Independent Thesis
• LIFESCI 4EP6 A/B S - Life Sciences Advanced Placement
• PSYCH 2NF3 - Clinical Neuropsychology
• SCIENCE 2A03 - Peer Mentoring in Science
• SCIENCE 3IS3
• SCIENCE 3M03 - Applied Curriculum Design in Science
• SUSTAIN 3S03 - Implementing Sustainable Change

Course List D - Life Sciences Course List

Course List E - Knowledge Transfer/Seminar Experience

• LIFESCI 4CM3 - Foundations of Disease States Inquiry Lab
• LIFESCI 4E03 - Science & Storytelling
• LIFESCI 4F03 - Emerging Paradigms in Environmental Change and Health
• LIFESCI 4H03 - Regeneration: What Can We Learn From Animal Models?
• LIFESCI 4I03 - Research Seminar
• LIFESCI 4J03 - Science Communication in the Media
• LIFESCI 4L03 - Research Seminar
• LIFESCI 4M03 - Research Seminar
• LIFESCI 4N03 - Research Seminar
• LIFESCI 4O03 - Research Seminar
• LIFESCI 4P03 - Research Seminar
• LIFESCI 4Q03 - Research Seminar
• LIFESCI 4U03 - Mechanisms of Disease
• LIFESCI 4V03 - Extracellular Vesicles in Health and Disease
• LIFESCI 4W03 - Advanced Topics in Nutrition
• LIFESCI 4X03 - The Biopsychology of Sex
• LIFESCI 4XX3 - The Synapse
• LIFESCI 4Y03 - Applied Biomechanics

Requirements

120 units total (Levels I to IV), of which no more than 48 units may be Level I