Sep 07, 2024  
Undergraduate Calendar 2024-2025 
    
Undergraduate Calendar 2024-2025

Honours Life Sciences (B.Sc.)


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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. For students who previously completed LIFESCI 2G03, this course 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 , SCICOMM 4A03 ). 
  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://sis.mcmaster.ca/undergraduate/life-sciences/registered-students/). Honours Life Sciences students must complete at least 3 units from 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. Students fulfilling Course List E through eligible thesis or project courses can opt out of balloting for research seminar course topics.
  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 in September 2023 or prior, will have the choice to use LIFESCI 3P03  toward either Course List A or Course List C.
  12. Students who entered the program in September 2023 or prior, may use LIFESCI 3PP3  toward Course List A.
  13. SUSTAIN 3SS3  is only offered in the Spring Term.

Course Lists


Course List D - Interdisciplinary Topics


Astronomy ASTRON 2B03  
Biochemistry Levels II, III, IV*
Biology Levels II, III, IV*
Biophysics BIOPHYS 2A03 2S03 , 3D03 , 3G03  
Challenge CHALLENG 2CC3  
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 2GG3 , 2G03 , 3CC3 , 3E03 , 3P03 4G03 , 4PA3   
English ENGLISH 3NH3  
Environmental Science ENVIRSC 2B03 , 2C03 , 2WW3 3B03  
Environment & Society ENVSOCTY 2EI3 , 2GI3 2HI3 , 2LE3 , 2OC3 , 2RU3 , 2RW3 , 2TF3 , 2TS3 , 2UI3 , 3EC3 , 3EE3 3ER3 3GI3 3GV3 3HP3 3LT3 , 3RW3 , 3SR3 3TG3 , 3UP3 3UR3 , 3UW3 , 4HC3 , 4HD3 , 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  
Inspire INSPIRE 3MP3  
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


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

3 units


from

  • Course List B - Laboratory and Data Skills

3-15 units


from

  • Course List C - Experiential Learning

18 units


from

  • Course List D - Interdisciplinary Topics

3 units


from

  • Course List E - Capstone Experience

24-36 units


  • Electives (See Program Note 9 above.)

Course Lists for Students Who Entered 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  
Challenge CHALLENG 2CC3  
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 2GG3 , 2G03 , 3CC3 , 3E03 3P03 4G03 4PA3  
Environmental Science ENVIRSC 2B03 , 2C03 , 2WW3 3B03 ,
Environment & Society ENVSOCTY 2EI3 , 2GI3 2HI3 2LE3 , 2OC3 , 2RU3 , 2RW3 , 2TF3 , 2TS3 2UI3 , 3EC3 3EE3 3ER3 3GI3 3GV3 3HP3 3LT3 3RW3  , 3SR3 3TG3 3UP3 3UR3 3UW3 , 4HC3 , 4HD3 4HH3  
Explore EXPLORE 3IS3  
Geography GEOG 2EI3, 2GI3, 2HI3, 2UI3, 3EC3, 3EE3, 3ER3, 3GI3, 3GV3, 3HP3, 3SR3, 3TG3,  3UP3, 3UW3, 4HH3 
Health Sciences HTHSCI 2G03 , 3DD3, 3DD6 A/B , 3I03 , 3K03 , 3RS3 3DM3 , 4II3 , 4O03  
History HISTORY 3CH3 , 3TC3 
Inspire INSPIRE 3MP3  
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 Entered 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


3 units


from

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.)

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