Course and Module Updates

Approved revisions to the BMSc Program are posted below and will impact students in first and second year in 2024/25 and future Western students. These changes do NOT impact students registered in Years 3 and 4 of the BMSc Program for 2024/25.

Below is the overall plan to revise the BMSc Program which received the final approval on April 25, 2025.

Honours Specialization modules - for students entering Yr 3 in 2025/26 and onward:

Admission to the limited number of spaces in each of the Honours Specialization modules in Year 3 BMSc has not changed and students in Medical Sciences 2 who satisfy the conditions for assured admission continue to be considered for admission before students from the competitive pool.

What is changing?

  • Students admitted to Year 3 of any of the twelve Honours Specialization modules offered in the BMSc Program in 2025/26 and onward will be guaranteed their spots in Year 4 of the same Honours Specialization modules as long as they satisfy minimum Progression Requirements.
  • A Year 3 BMSc student who is NOT admitted to a particular Honours Specialization module in Year 3 in 2025/26 and onward might be granted permission to register in it in Year 4 if space is available and they meet the minimum Admission and Progression Requirements.
  • Admission to Year 3 of the Honours Specialization modules below will be discontinued as of September 1, 2025, and these modules will be withdrawn. Year 3 BMSc students in 2024/25 can be admitted to Year 4 of these modules for 2025/26 but students going into Year 3 in 2025/26 will not be admitted to these modules):
    • Biochemistry and Cell Biology*
    • Biochemistry and Pathology of Human Disease*
    • Biochemistry of Infection and Immunity*
    • Chemical Biology
    • Computational Biochemistry
    • Microbiology and Immunology with Pathology*
    • Pharmacology

* Double Majors will replace, essentially, these Honours Specialization modules

What is the impact on students?

  • Movement from one Honours Specialization in Year 3 to a different Honours Specialization in Year 4 will occur far less often than in the past for students admitted to Year 3 BMSc in 2025/26 and onward. Likewise, movement from Double Majors in Year 3 to an Honours Specialization in Year 4 will occur far less often than in the past.
    • if departments have space in the 4000-level Research Projects that are required in their Honours Specialization modules (due to attrition in the number of students progressing from their Honours Specializations from Year 3 to 4), then special permission might be granted by departments to admit new students into their HSP modules in Year 4. See the proposed Progression Requirements in each HSP module.
  • Satisfying the conditions for progression from Medical Sciences 1 to Medical Sciences 2, and then satisfying the conditions for assured admission to Year 3 BMSc, becomes more important for those who wish to be considered for admission to Honours Specialization modules.
  • Students applying to Year 3 as applicants from the competitive pool will have less opportunity to complete high-demand Honours Specialization modules.

Do you have questions about these proposed changes to Honours Specialization modules?

  • Questions should be referred to the BMSUE Coordinators, not the Academic Advising Office. See Connect with a BMSUE Coordinator for their availability and for special information sessions about BMSc Revisions.

Major modules - for students entering Yr 3 for 2025/26 and onward:

What is changing?

A capstone course (Medical Sciences 4000E) has been introduced and added to the Major modules below. These Major modules will be restricted to students admitted to Year 3 BMSc (Honours) degree with Double Majors beginning with students admitted to Year 3 in 2027/28:

  • Biochemistry
  • Interdisciplinary Medical Sciences
  • Medical Cell Biology
  • Microbiology and Immunology
  • Pathology
  • Pharmacology
  • Physiology

Students admitted to Year 3 BMSc in 2025/26 and then into Year 4 of the BMSc (Honours) degree with Double Majors in 2026/27 and onward may request special permission to replace Medical Sciences 4000E (1.0 credit) with one of the 4000-level Research Projects (4985E) that is normally restricted to students registered in Honours Specialization modules. Departments might have extra Research Projects if some of the students admitted to Year 3 of their HSP modules do not return for Year 4, and might grant special permission to BMSc Honours Double Major students with the prerequisites to take their Research Projects. Students granted this permission will be required to take the corequisite course of the 4985E Project course (4986Y = 0.5 course that spans both terms) which will increase the total number of required courses to 11.5 (11.0 modular courses + 4986Y). Information about when and how to request this permission during the winter term of Year 3 in 2025/26 and onward will be posted on the BMSc website.

What is the impact on students?

  • Admission to any of the seven Major modules above will be restricted to students admitted to Year 3 BMSc (Honours) degree with Double Majors in 2027/28 and onward.
  • The Admission Requirements (2000-level courses) have changed for some of the Double Major combinations that involve the seven Major modules above. The chart of Admission Requirements is available on the landing page for Medical Sciences 2.
  • The following Major modules will not include 1.0 capstone course and will continue to be available to students in any degree, e.g., BMSc, BSc, BHSc:
    • Epidemiology and Biostatistics
    • Medical Biophysics
    • One Health (may be completed in Double Majors in Honours degree, only)
    • NOTE: students admitted to Year 3 BMSc in 2027/28 and onward who wish to complete one of these three Major modules with one of the seven Major modules listed above may do so within the BMSc (Honours) degree with Double Majors, only.
  • The only Double Major combination that can be completed in the 4-year (non-honours) BMSc degree for students admitted to Year 3 BMSc in 2027/28 and onward is Major in Epidemiology and Biostatistics + Major in Medical Biophysics.
    • NOTE: The Specialization in IMS, leading to a 4-year (non-honours) BMSc degree will be the alternative for students seeking a non-honours degree. The proposed revisions to Specialization in IMS for students entering Year 3 in 2025/26 and onward is located here.
  • The Major in Medical Sciences will continue to be available for students in non-BMSc degrees and cannot be combined with any Major module offered by the basic medical science departments.

Do you have questions about these proposed changes to Major modules?

  • Questions should be referred to the BMSUE Coordinators, not the Academic Advising Office. See Connect with a BMSUE Coordinator for their availability and for special information sessions about BMSc Revisions.

Courses - new Medical Sciences courses: