Discover McMaster's Bachelor of Health Sciences Program
Find out how McMaster’s BHSc program has revolutionized learning.
Are you considering a career in a health-related field? If you are, a Bachelor of Health Sciences (BHSc) program may be the best program for you. With its broad teachings of health, wellness, and illness, a BHSc degree is a perfect gateway to a future in healthcare.
Check out how McMaster University makes its BHSc program unique:
Why choose McMaster?
McMaster has developed a special approach to learning that will benefit you in and out of the classroom.
Inquiry courses
McMaster’s BHSc program created Inquiry courses, a series of classes to encourage students to be active learners. The active learning skills you gain in these courses are useful in class, studying at home, and even in the workplace. This approach is so effective that it has been picked up by other programs at McMaster and universities around the world.
Inquiry courses have four essential elements that help develop problem identification, problem solving, and peer persuasion:
- Inquire: ask questions, discuss, and reformulate.
- Research/reflect: identify resources, and access knowledge.
- Evaluate: do the resources address the questions? Do they raise new questions?
- Construct: reformulate, re-examine, and synthesize.
Varied methods of teaching
In McMaster’s BHSc program, collaboration is a large part of your education. To encourage group work, your first-year classes will be taught using five main methods:
- Inquiry: the problem-based learning approach discussed above.
- Problem-based learning: you’ll work in small, interdependent, and independent groups.
- Lectures: a large group session led by your professors.
- Labs: a session focused on the practical application of theories taught in your lectures.
- Tutorials: a small group setting where the material presented in the lecture is reviewed with a teaching assistant.
Benefits of McMaster’s BHSc program
McMaster’s BHSc program has created a name for itself thanks to the many benefits it provides for students like you.
Unique, interdisciplinary program
Did you know that McMaster’s BHSc (Honours) program is the only program in Ontario that draws on a full range of departments within health sciences? This means that you’ll get the most out of your education as you gain a better understanding of health in various fields such as Medicine, Pathology and Molecular Medicine, Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, and Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics. After this program you’ll be prepared for any health-related career you want! Some typical first-year courses that you can expect to take are:
- Cellular and Molecular Biology
- Introduction to Chemistry I
- Introduction to Health and Safety
- Interdisciplinary Problem-Solving in Health
Research opportunities
The opportunity to participate in research as an undergraduate student is extremely valuable. You’ll gain vital skills for your future, boost your resumé, and possibly have your research published! In your fourth year, you can take senior project and thesis courses which offer exciting research opportunities. You’ll get to choose your area of interest, find a supervisor in that field to work alongside, and explore potentials ideas for your project.
Real hospital facilities on campus
Get the most out of your degree with McMaster’s on-campus teaching hospital and anatomy labs. You can only learn so much from studying the human body on paper, so McMaster gives you that extra boost with access to its full teaching hospital and the opportunity to study anatomy using cadavers.
Don’t worry if the on-campus facilities don’t feature the specialty you’re interested in. Hamilton region is bursting with medical centres, community-based programs, and specialized care services.
Choose your specialization
In your first year of the BHSc program you are in the core stream where you gain a broader understanding in a variety of disciplines. You can choose to continue studying in the core stream after your first year, but if you’re interested in getting a little more specific, you can apply for one of three specializations to pursue in your second year and beyond:
BHSc buddy system
Entering your first year at a university can be a challenging time as you try to navigate classes, content, and new schedules. To ease your stress, McMaster pairs first years with upper year students to help guide you through your transition into the BHSc program. Your buddy is there to answer any questions you have and to help you understand how the program works.
Small class sizes
The BHSc’s small class sizes reflect their collaborative approach to learning as you’ll create a greater connection with your classmates and professors. Small class sizes are beneficial as it helps you increase your confidence with the many opportunities to participate in class, develop better connections with professors whom you can use as references, and network with your fellow classmates.
McMaster’s Bachelor of Health Sciences (Honours) program has plenty of opportunities to help students like you get the most out of their education. Find out for yourself how you’ll thrive at McMaster.
Learn more about McMaster University’s BHSc program
