Mar 28, 2024  
Undergraduate Calendar 2023-2024 
    
Undergraduate Calendar 2023-2024

Honours Life Sciences (B.Sc.)


Admission


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

Admission (Effective September 2024)


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 a 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 (B.Sc.)  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 (B.Sc.)  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.
  11. Students who entered the program prior to September 2023, will have the choice to use LIFESCI 3P03  toward either Course List A or Course List C.
  12. SUSTAIN 3SS3  is only offered in the Spring Term.

Course Lists for Students Who Enter in September 2023 or Prior


Course List D - Life Sciences Course List


Astronomy ASTRON 2B03  
Biochemistry Levels II, III, IV*
Biology Levels II, III, IV*
Biophysics BIOPHYS 2A03 2S03 , 3D03 , 3G03  
Chemistry CHEM 2BC3 2E03 , 2OA3 , 2OB3 , 2P03 , 3RC3  
Chemical Biology CHEMBIO 2A03 , 2P03 , 3BM3 , 3OA3 , 4OA3 , 4OB3  
Data Science DATASCI 2G03  
Earth Sciences EARTHSC 2E03 3P03 4PA3  
Environmental Science ENVIRSC 2E03, 2EI3, 2GI3, 3B03 , 3EE3, 3GI3, 3GV3, 3SR3, 4HH3 
Environment & Society ENVSOCTY 2EI3 , 2GI3 2HI3 2UI3 , 3EC3 , 3EE3 3ER3 3GI3 3GV3 3HP3 3SR3 3UP3 4HH3  
Explore EXPLORE 3IS3  
Geography GEOG 2EI3, 2GI3, 2HI3, 2UI3, 3EC3, 3EE3, 3ER3, 3GI3, 3GV3, 3HP3, 3SR3,  3UP3, 4HH3 
Health Sciences HTHSCI 2G03 , 3DD3, 3DD6 A/B , 3I03 , 3K03 , 3RS3 3DM3 , 4II3 , 4O03  
Kinesiology KINESIOL 2Y03 , 2YY3  
Life Sciences Levels II, III, IV*
Mathematics MATH 2UU3 , 3MB3  
Medical Physics MEDPHYS 4B03 , 4F03 , 4U03  
Medical Radiation Sciences MEDRADSC 3X03  
Molecular Biology Levels III, IV*
Neuroscience NEUROSCI 3J03 , 3SN3  
Physics PHYSICS 2G03 
Psychology PSYCH Levels II, III, IV*
Science Levels II, III*
Science Communication SCICOMM Levels II, III, IV
 

* All Levels II, III, IV courses for which the prerequisites have been met are acceptable.

 

Requirements for Students Who Enter in September 2023 or Prior


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

Level I: 30 Units


30 units


(See Admission above.)

Levels II-IV: 90 Units


6 units


from

  • Course List A - Communication Skills (See Program Notes 10 and 11 above.)

3 units


from

  • Course List B - Laboratory Skills

3-15 units


from

  • Course List C - Experiential Learning (See Program Notes 10 and 11 above.)

18 units


from

  • Course List D - Life Sciences Course List

3 units


from

  • Course List E - Knowledge Transfer/Seminar Experience

27-39 units


  • Electives (See Program Note 9 above.)

Course Lists (Effective September 2024)


Course List D - Interdisciplinary Topics


Astronomy ASTRON 2B03 
Biochemistry Levels II, III, IV*
Biology Levels II, III, IV*
Biophysics BIOPHYS 2A03, 2S03, 3D03, 3G03 
Chemistry CHEM 2BC3, 2E03, 2OA3, 2OB3, 2P03, 3RC3 
Chemical Biology CHEMBIO 2A03, 2P03, 3BM3, 3OA3, 4OA3, 4OB3 
Data Science DATASCI 2G03 
Earth Sciences EARTHSC 2E03, 3P03, 4PA3 
English ENGLISH 3NH3
Environmental Science ENVIRSC 2E03, 2EI3, 2GI3, 3B03, 3EE3, 3GI3, 3GV3, 3SR3, 4HH3 
Environment & Society ENVSOCTY 2EI3, 2GI3, 2HI3, 2UI3, 3EC3, 3EE3, 3ER3, 3GI3, 3GV3, 3HP3, 3SR3, 3UP3, 4HH3 
Explore EXPLORE 3IS3 
Geography GEOG 2EI3, 2GI3, 2HI3, 2UI3, 3EC3, 3EE3, 3ER3, 3GI3, 3GV3, 3HP3, 3SR3,  3UP3, 4HH3 
Health & Aging HLTHAGE 3D03, 3E03, 3N03
Health Sciences HTHSCI 2G03, 3DD3, 3DD6 A/B, 3I03, 3K03, 3RS3, 3DM3, 4II3, 4O03 
History HISTORY 3CH3, 3TC3
Kinesiology KINESIOL 2Y03, 2YY3 
Life Sciences Levels II, III, IV*
Mathematics MATH 2UU3, 3MB3 
Medical Physics MEDPHYS 4B03, 4F03, 4U03 
Medical Radiation Sciences MEDRADSC 3X03 
Molecular Biology Levels III, IV*
Neuroscience NEUROSCI 3J03, 3SN3 
Physics PHYSICS 2G03 
Psychology PSYCH Levels II, III, IV*
Science Levels II, III*
Science Communication SCICOMM Levels II, III, IV
 

* All Levels II, III, IV courses for which the prerequisites have been met are acceptable.

Requirements (Effective September 2024)


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

Level 1: 30 Units


30 units


(See Admission above.)

Levels II-IV: 90 Units


6 units


from

  • Course List A - Advanced Topics in the Life Sciences (See Program Notes 10 and 11 above.)

3 units


from

  • Course List B - Laboratory and Data Skills

3-15 units


from

  • Course List C - Experiential Learning (See Program Notes 10 and 11 above.)

18 units


from

  • Course List D - Interdisciplinary Topics

3 units


from

  • Course List E - Knowledge Transfer/Seminar Experience

24-36 units


  • Electives (See Program Note 9 above.)