Overview
BHSc Current Students
The Bachelor of Health Sciences (BHSc) (Honours) Program is committed to providing students with an outstanding undergraduate learning experience where you will develop foundational knowledge across multiple health disciplines, along with skills for problem-solving, communication, collaboration and learning. If you have questions or need assistance, do not hesitate to visit us in the office (MDCL 3300) where we will be pleased to help.
Project & Thesis
Bachelor of Health Sciences (BHSc) Level III project, Level IV senior project and thesis courses provide students with the opportunity to explore specialized areas of interest and participate in the excitement that can occur in research activities. Students will work under the guidance of faculty members and in collaboration with other researchers to design, execute and analyze research questions on a problem of mutual interest.
Introduction
A timeline for project and thesis courses can be found in Project & Thesis Timeline (PDF).
There are multiple course codes associated with Level III and Level IV projects, with the specific course code determined based on your academic year, the number of units associated with the work to be done and if the project course is a degree required or elective course.
Some students may elect to complete more than one senior project/thesis course, up to a maximum of 9 units in Level III.
Questions about project courses? Please email Ammarah Soofi.
There are multiple course codes associated with Level IV senior projects and theses, with the specific course code determined based on the number of units associated with the work to be done and your program specialization.
Some students may elect to complete more than one senior project/thesis, up to a maximum of 18 units in Level IV.
Questions about thesis courses? Please email Andrea Phair.
In most circumstances, faculty members have received peer reviewed funding at the time the student approaches potential supervisors.
Although the majority of projects/theses and are health sciences related, students are not restricted to this area.
It is important that students understand the expectations for the honours thesis — what they are and what they are not. Some projects/theses have been so experimentally complete, and so integral to the supervisor’s research programs, that the results have been published and the student(s) credited with authorship. On the other hand, there are projects/theses in which technical difficulties prevent the completion of planned experiments and the results are ambiguous.
A student’s grade on the project/thesis is related to their work in design and analysis, for suggesting and testing alternative approaches to the problem,and for an overall understanding of the project. Final grades are determined by the supervisor’s assessment of the student’s performance in the research setting and evaluation of a written project/thesis which may include an oral defence (optional) by a faculty committee.
- Students should begin thinking about their project/thesis topics early
- Consult with potential supervisors to discuss supervision and the general nature of the research
- Decide on the goals of the project/thesis
- The project/thesis may be completed at a location of your choice, including abroad
- The project/thesis must have specific learning objectives, defined by you and your supervisor
- The project/thesis must have specific evaluation criteria
- You may not be remunerated but you may accept funds related to airfare or room and board
- You must complete all applicable training before you begin your project/thesis
- Training requirements are listed on the BHSc Placement/Projects/Thesis Requirements (PDF)
- If your project/thesis work requires Immunization or Field Trip forms, these must be submitted via email to:
- Ammarah Soofi for 3H03, 3H06, 4D03, 4W03
- Andrea Phair for 4B06, 4A09, 4A12, 4A15
- Jennifer Landicho for 4C06, 4C09, 4C12, 4C15, 4D06, 4D09, 4D12, 4D15
- If your project/thesis work requires travel outside of Ontario, email to schedule a meeting with Jennifer Landicho at least 8 weeks prior to travel
Forms Instructions
To complete any of the PDF forms, please follow these steps:
- Download the PDF form to your desktop computer.
- Open the PDF form using Adobe Acrobat Reader DC. Other applications like web browsers or Apple Preview will not work properly.
- Fill out the PDF form within Adobe Acrobat Reader DC.
- Save the completed PDF form to your desktop prior to sending.
Project Forms
- Complete the Project Permission Form (PDF) to obtain permission.
- Complete the Project Grade Submission Form (PDF) at the end of term.
Thesis Forms
- Complete the Step 1 Thesis Permission Form (PDF) to obtain permission and get enrolled in the course.
- Complete the Step 2 Thesis Permission Form (PDF) by the end of September.
- Complete the Interim Grade Submission Form (PDF) and submit it by the end of December.
- Complete the Thesis Grade Submission Form (PDF) and submit it by mid April.
Note: If you do not submit your Step 2 form by the end of September, you may be removed from the course until all required documentation is received.
Thank you for supervising BHSc students.
We have created a helpful guide for information (PDF) about supervising project/thesis courses.
You can find the required forms for project/thesis courses, below.
Project Forms
- Complete the Project Permission Form (PDF) to obtain permission.
- Complete the Project Grade Submission Form (PDF) at the end of term.
Thesis Forms
- Complete the Step 1 Thesis Permission Form (PDF) to obtain permission and get enrolled in the course.
- Complete the Step 2 Thesis Permission Form (PDF) by the end of September.
- Complete the Interim Grade Submission Form (PDF) and submit it half way through the course.
- Complete the Thesis Grade Submission Form (PDF) and submit it at the end of the course.
Students are responsible for finding their own supervisors. In looking for supervisors, we recommend using the MacExperts website to help find people across the entire university who are working on things you’re interested in, and browsing the posters and abstracts from recent BHSc Poster Days which can help you identify people who have supervised BHSc students before and familiarize you with the broad range of possible projects. You can also keep an eye on the BHSc Community Microsoft Teams channel for Research, Volunteer and Work opportunities, as sometimes supervisors recruit project and thesis students directly.
When contacting potential supervisors, we advise you to do some reading about the supervisor’s area of scholarship, and write an email that shows you’ve done some homework about what they do, and expresses your motivation for working with them. Sending a generic email is much more likely to be ignored by a potential supervisor than one that shows you have done some background work.
Our annual poster day for project and thesis students is a showcase for the enormous range of research and scholarship that students in BHSc undertake, and an opportunity for you to share your work with the community. Our poster sessions are usually comprised of ~250 posters from students in the program, usually as a product of their Level III or IV project or thesis courses.
How do I review the posters?
To navigate the poster sessions, you will find about a dozen separate poster rooms on this website, each with about two dozen posters per room. The posters are arranged alphabetically by the submitting author’s last name. Check the list below to find the room where you can browse a specific poster. Also included are separate tabs that list all posters sorted by BHSc course code and poster number. There is a drop-down menu at the top right for quick navigation.
Course Enrolment & Outlines
Course Enrolment and Outlines
There are a variety of tools and resources available to Bachelor of Health Sciences (BHSc) (Honours) Program students when planning and selecting courses. We have broken the process down into three each steps.
BHSc (Hons) Program course outlines can be found here (McMaster Microsoft 365 login required).
Expandable List
- The Undergraduate Calendar provides course descriptions, prerequisites and an overview of all the required courses across all levels of the program
- Also available is a list of elective courses available to students across the university
- Review your Academic Advisement Report to verify enrolling in degree requirements
- Mosaic > Student Center > Academic Advisement (look for the owl tile)
- Your enrolment appointment is posted on Mosaic > Student Center
- This appointment gives you a specific date and time to enroll in courses
- Check out this post on our Instagram account and give us a follow
- It is best to enroll in your courses when enrolment is available as elective courses are on a first-come-first-serve basis and have limited spots
- Use Create My Timetable in Mosaic to search for courses, create a schedule and enrol in classes
- McMaster has an easy step by step video on how to enrol in classes and use Create My Timetable
- Be sure to add WHMIS 1A00 first when selecting courses and enrolling
- Always select the accompanying tutorial and/or lab sections when enrolling in courses
- You must create a conflict free schedule or you will get an enrolment error
- Some of our courses are multi-term (A/B) courses
- When enrolling in a multi-term course (e.g., HTHSCI 1E06A/B) adding the A section of the course will automatically enroll you in the B of the course
- More questions?
- Check out the step-by-step guide to becoming a Marauder
- Still having trouble?
- Contact the BHSc (Hons) Program Service Desk
Stay Connected
The BHSc (Hons) Program has a number of supports in place to help you along your academic journey.
- Monitor your McMaster email, BHSc Community on Microsoft Teams and follow us on Instagram at MacBHSc
- Contact us with questions or concerns via the BHSc (Hons) Help Desk
- Drop-in for in-person Academic Advising on Wednesdays 10:00am-12:00pm in MDCL 3300
- Engage with upper year BHSc students who are happy to answer any questions by joining the Discord group
Specializations, Minors & Certificates
Expandable List
The Child Health Specialization offers students a unique opportunity to apply the inquiry problem-based learning model within the dynamic context of child health, development and community involvement. Level I students in the Bachelor of Health Sciences (BHSc) (Honours) Program can apply for admission to the Child Health Specialization in Level II.
A minor is an option available to students enrolled in an honours program and is a focused area of interest using your elective courses. Details for minors can be found in the Undergraduate Calendar. If interested in a minor, it is recommended you also review concurrent certificate options. Minors can still be completed if started in Level II. McMaster University offers over 70 minors in an enormous range of disciplines at the university, including many interdisciplinary minors.
McMaster offers all undergraduate students the opportunity to earn a Concurrent Certificates in over 20 different areas of interest, including three that are administered through the Bachelor of Health Sciences (BHSc) (Honours) Program itself: Biomedical Sciences, Immunology, Microbiology, & Virology and Health Humanities and Social Sciences.
Check the full listing of available Concurrent Certificates in the Undergraduate Calendar.
Forms
To complete any of the PDF forms, please follow these steps:
- Download the PDF form to your desktop computer.
- Open the PDF form using Adobe Acrobat Reader DC. Other applications like web browsers or Apple Preview will not work properly.
- Fill out the PDF form within Adobe Acrobat Reader DC.
- Save the completed PDF form to your desktop prior to sending.
Information Box Group
BHSc Community
Bachelor of Health Sciences (BHSc) Student Society
The BHSc Student Society (BHSS) is a student organization composed of a network of clubs and committees constantly evolving to meet the changing needs of our fellow students. Our mandate is to promote unity, collaboration and participation within the BHSc (Hons) Program, in addition to providing educational and extra-curricular opportunities to our peers to enhance university experiences. Alongside these objectives, the society is designed to allow students to achieve both scholastic and personal growth.
Contact & Follow Us: BHSc Student Society
Black BHSc Association
Founded in 2020, the Black BHSc Association (BBA) was created by a group of Black BHSc students hoping to foster a supportive environment among current and prospective Black BHSc students.
With only about 20 Black students across all four years (~2% of the BHSc population), as of 2021, the BBA aims to identify and address the specific problems that underlie the issues faced by Black BHSc students, in order to enact meaningful change and move towards a more inclusive BHSc program. The BBA provides support for current Black BHSc students. By coordinating outreach conferences, high school information nights and contributing to the Equitable Admissions for Black Applicants (EABA) pathway, in collaboration with the BHSc (Hons) Program, we also hope to reach out to and encourage Black students to consider the program.