Modules in BMSc

There are 21 Honours Specialization modules which lead to graduation with BMSc (Honours) degrees and only students in Years 3 and 4 BMSc can register in these modules.

Enrollment in Year 3 and 4 of each Honours Specialization module is limited due to the capstone course required in Year 4:

• 19 Honours Specialization modules contain a 4000-level Research Project as the capstone course
• 2 Honours Specialization modules require capstone courses that are NOT research projects:
  
  • The Honours Specialization in IMS requires either Medical Sciences 4990E (Laboratory Skills and Research Experiences in IMS) or Medical Sciences 4995E (Community-Engaged Learning and Research Skills). See more about the Medical Sciences capstone courses here.
    
  • The Honours Specialization in Biochemistry and Cancer Biology requires Biochemistry 4955E (Community-Engaged Learrning and Research Skills in Translational Cancer Biology) as the capstone course.

If more students apply for admission to a particular Honours Specialization module than there are spaces available, then admission to the Honours Specialization becomes competitive:

• see Admission to Year 3 BMSc for information about admission to Honours Specialization modules in Year 3 (e.g. maximum capacity and competitive averages for admission to each module, etc.)
• see Admission to Year 4 BMSc for information about admission to Year 4 of the Honours Specialization modules (e.g. maximum capacity and competitive Weighted Averages for admission to each module, etc.)

See the Academic Calendar for the complete listing of modules offered by the basic medical science departments.

Double Majors can be completed in both the BMSc (Honours) and the 4-year BMSc (non-honours) degrees, provided both Major modules are selected from the 10 Major modules offered by the basic medical science departments.

Enrollment in Year 3 BMSc with Double Majors is not limited to a certain number of students but does require that students meet the minimum requirements for admission to Year 3 BMSc from the competitive pool (and the prerequisites to register in the required courses of each Major).

Enrollment in Year 4 BMSc (non-honours degree) with Double Majors is not limited to a certain number of students but does require that students (i) be enrolled in Year 3 BMSc (only students in Year 3 BMSc can register in Year 4 BMSc), and (ii) have the prerequisites to register in the 4000-level modular courses of each Major module.

Enrollment in Year 4 BMSc (Honours) degree with Double Majors, is not limited to a certain number of students but students must (i) pass all courses in the previous year, e.g., in Year 3 BMSc, (ii) achieve a mark of at least 60% in each modular course (note: some 4000-level modular courses require marks greater than 60% in their prerequisites), and (ii) have a cumulative modular average of at least 70% in each Major module - all modular courses taken to date are included in the cumulative modular average for each Major module.

What is the difference between the 4-year BMSc degree and the BMSc (Honours) degree with Double Majors?

The only difference between graduating with Double Majors in the BMSc (Honours) degree and Double Majors in the 4-year BMSc (non-honours) degree is the level of academic performance (i.e., marks).

• graduation with the 4-year BMSc (non-honours) degree with Double Majors requires an average of at least 60% on the 6.0 courses required for each of the Majors, with marks of at least 50% in each modular course. Students can have a failed course in Year 3 BMSc and register in the 4-year BMSc (non-honours) degree in Year 4.
  
  
• graduation with the BMSc (Honours) degree with Double Majors requires an average of at least 70% on the 6.0 courses required for each of the Majors, with marks of at least 60% in each modular course. Students cannot have a failed course in Year 3 BMSc (i.e., in the year prior) to register in the BMSc (Honours) degree in Year 4.

See the university-wide Graduation Requirements for Honours Bachelor Degrees and the Graduation Requirements for Bachelor Degrees (Four-Year).

Common Course Policy and Double Majors in BMSc: Most students completing Double Majors in the BMSc Program will find that there are some "common courses" - in the two Majors (e.g., Biochemistry 2280A shows up in both Majors and is considered as a "common course"):

• a maximum of 1.0 "common course" can be counted toward both modules -- see the Common Course Policy
• see Admission to Year 3 BMSc and Admission to Year 4 BMSc for information about admission to the Double Majors in Years 3 and 4

See the Academic Calendar for the complete listing of modules offered by the basic medical science departments.

There is only 1 Specialization module available in the BMSc Program - Specialization in IMS - and only students registered in Years 3 and 4 BMSc may register in this module.

Very few students pursue a Specialization in IMS since this module leads to graduation with a non-honours BMSc degree. Since most students in the BMSc Program meet and/or exceed the marks/averages required to register in Honours degrees, students are strongly encouraged to pursue either Honours Specialization modules or Double Majors.

Enrollment in the Specialization in IMS is not limited as this module does not contain a capstone course in Year 4

• the 4000-level capstone courses of the Honours Specialization in IMS - Medical Sciences 4990E + 4930F - cannot be taken by students in the Specialization in IMS.
• see Admission to Year 3 BMSc and Admission to Year 4 BMSc for information about admission to the Specialization in IMS in Years 3 and 4

See the Academic Calendar for the complete listing of modules offered by the basic medical science departments

Modules that focus on one or two specific basic medical science disciplines in Years 3 and 4 are referred to as "discipline-specific" modules. Examples of how the discipline-specific modules differ from the IMS modules are as follows:

• discipline-specific modules are more structured than IMS modules
• a Research Project is undertaken in Year 4 by students in discipline-specific Honors Specialization modules

In Years 3 and 4 of the Interdisciplinary Medical Sciences (IMS) modules, at least two basic medical science disciplines must be studied and each student chooses the disciplines to be studied.

• rather than a Research Project in Year 4, students in the Honours Specialization in IMS take Medical Sciences 4990E (lab course) and 4930F (lecture course) in which a clinical condition/disease is considered from an interdisciplinary perspective
• students in the Major in IMS are required to take Medical Sciences 4931F/G to gain insight into the study of a clinical condition from the lens of the various disciplines.

You might wish to consider an Honours Specialization module if:

• you want to graduate with an Honours degree (might be required or preferred for your career path)
• you would like to take a capstone course in Year 4: either (i) a Research Project in discipline-specific Honours Specialization modules, or (ii) Medical Sciences 4990E and 4930F for the Honours Specialization in IMS

Some graduate programs (Masters, PhD) at various universities may prefer students who have completed a research project in their undergraduate degree, while other graduate programs may simply want students to possess an Honours degree.

You'll need to contact the specific programs to which you wish to apply for answers to questions like:

• is an honours degree required (or preferred) for admission?
• am I at an advantage for admission if I complete an Honours Specialization module vs. Double Majors?
• am I a more competitive candidate if I complete a Research Project (only available in discipline-specific Honours Specialization modules)

Double Majors lead to graduation with either a BMSc Honours degree or a BMSc degree (non-honours). The Majors are the same in the two degree types (i.e. the required courses are exactly the same) but students need higher marks to graduate with the Honours degree (e.g. at least 60% in each modular course and an average of 70% on all courses in each Major - see details here).

You might wish to consider Double Majors if:

• you want to study two disciplines within the basic medical sciences but there is not an Honours Specialization module that contains courses from the two disciplines
  • examples of modules that contain more than one discipline include Honours Specialization in IMS and Honours Specialization in Biochemistry and Cancer Biology
    
• you are not interested in completing a module with a capstone course (either a Research Project or Medical Sciences 4990E and 4930F)
  
  
• you do not have a sufficiently high Weighted Average to be admitted to an Honours Specialization module in Year 4

Registration in Double Majors in Year 4 is not limited to a particular number of students in Year 4 and you will be admitted to Year 4 Double Majors from Year 3 BMSc as long as you have the prerequisites to take the required 4000-level courses.

Keep in mind that Double Majors in the BMSc Program almost always have "common courses" - modular courses that show up in both modules - and that there is a policy that specifies that a maximum of 1.0 common course can be used toward both modules (see details of the Common Course Policy).

A Specialization in IMS leads only to a non-honours BMSc degree and you need to determine if any program/career in which you might be interested after your degree either requires or prefers an Honours degree.

You might wish to consider a Specialization in IMS if:

• your career path does not require or prefer an Honours degree
  
  
• you are not interested in completing a module with a capstone course (either a Research Project or Medical Sciences 4990E and 4930F)
  
  
• you do not have a sufficiently high Weighted Average to be admitted to an Honours Specialization module in Year 4

We do not encourage you to complete the Specialization in IMS since you cannot graduate with an Honours degree. Very few BMSc students graduate with the Specialization in IMS for this reason.