Course and Module Updates
Planned revisions to the BMSc Program are posted below and will impact students in first and second year in 2024/25 (this year) and future Western students. These changes do NOT impact students registered in Years 3 and 4 of the BMSc Program for 2024/25 (these students must use the Academic Calendar for 2024/25 for modular requirements) with the exception of a few Major modules (see "Major modules - proposed revisions to specific Major modules").
Below is the overall plan to revise the BMSc Program which is working its way through Western's approval process. As the proposals pass through the steps for approval, updates will be made to the information and documents below, if needed. The program and modular information in the Academic Calendar will be updated if and when the proposals are approved (later in second term).
Updates to proposals were posted on January 22nd.
Honours Specialization modules - for students entering Yr 3 for 2025/26 and onward:
Admission to the limited number of spaces in each of the Honours Specialization modules in Year 3 BMSc will not change and students in Medical Sciences 2 who satisfy the conditions for assured admission will 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3 of the Honours Specialization modules below will be discontinued as of September 1, 2025, and these modules will be withdrawn.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.
Honours Specialization modules - proposed revisions to specific HSP modules and chart of 2000-level Admission Requirements:
- Biochemistry
- Biochemistry and Cancer Biology
- Epidemiology and Biostatistics
- Interdisciplinary Medical Sciences (IMS)
- Medical Bioinformatics
- Medical Biophysics (Medical Science Concentration)
- Medical Cell Biology
- Microbiology and Immunology
- One Health
- Pathology
- Physiology
- Physiology and Pharmacology
The chart of Admission Requirements for all Honours Specialization modules, assuming proposed revisions to HSP modules are approved, is posted here.
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) will be introduced and added to the following Major modules and these Major modules will be restricted to students admitted to Year 3 BMSc (Honours) degree with Double Majors in 2027/28 and onward:
- Biochemistry
- Interdisciplinary Medical Sciences
- Medical Cell Biology
- Microbiology and Immunology
- Pathology
- Pharmacology
- Physiology
Year 4 students in Double Majors in the BMSc (Honours) degree in 2026/27 and onward can request special permission to replace Medical Sciences 4000E (1.0 credit) with a Research Project (1.5 credits) offered by a basic medical science department in place of Medical Sciences 4000E. 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 require an additional 0.5 modular course (Med Sci 4000E = 1.0 and Research Project = 1.5 courses). 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 courses required to satisfy the modular requirements for any combination of the seven Double Majors above will be revised to incorporate 1.0 capstone course. The worksheets for these Double Major combinations will be posted in February, as will revised lists of pre-approved "substitute courses"
- The Admission Requirements (2000-level courses) will change a bit for some of the Double Major combinations that involve the seven Major modules above. The chart of Admission Requirements for Double Majors is available under "Major Modules - proposed revisions ..." below.
- 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. The proposed revisions to the modular requirements for the Major in Medical Sciences, making it more flexible, are included below.
Major modules - proposed revisions to specific Major modules, chart of 2000-level Admission Requirements and worksheets for Double Majors:
The proposed revisions to the following Majors impact students registering in Year 3 in 2025/26 and onward, only:
- Biochemistry
- Interdisciplinary Medical Sciences (IMS)
- Medical Cell Biology
- Microbiology and Immunology
- Pathology
- Pharmacology
- Physiology
The proposed revisions to the following Majors impact students registered in any year of these Major modules in 2025/26 and onward:
The chart of Admission Requirements for the various Double Major combinations in the BMSc Program, assuming proposed revisions to the Major modules are approved, is here.
The worksheets for Double Majors are posted below with the assumption that the proposals to revise the Majors will be approved (more worksheets will be added as they are created) .
Honours BMSc degree with Double Majors - Medical Sciences 4000E included in the Majors:
- Biochemistry + IMS
- Medical Cell Biology + IMS
- Medical Cell Biology + Physiology
- Microbiology and Immunology + IMS
- Pathology + IMS
- Pharmacology + IMS
- Physiology + IMS
BMSc degree (either 4-year BMSc or Honours BMSc degree) - Medical Sciences 4000E not included in the Majors (allowed for students registered in Year 3 in 2025/26 and 2026/27, only):
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.
Do you have questions about these proposed changes to courses?
- 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.