Admission to Year 4 BMSc
Admission into Year 4 BMSc and modules requested via the ITR process occurs during the adjudication period in May.
Students must be admitted to Year 3 of the BMSc Program to complete modules that lead to graduation with BMSc degrees.
Students who are not eligible for admission to Year 3 of the BMSc Program directly from Year 2 may not repeat Year 2 (and/or repeat 2000-level courses listed in the Admission Requirements for a module) and re-apply to the BMSc Program. Students whose performance in Year 2 was adversely affected by extenuating circumstances may, however, submit an Appeal for Admission to Year 4 immediately following Year 2 for consideration by the BMSUE Program Committee .
Year 3 BMSc students in 2024/25 will submit an Intent to Register (ITR) for Year 4 BMSc during the ITR period. Both a First and a Second Choice for Year 4 module(s) should be selected.
If a student selects a discipline-specific Honours Specialization module (e.g., Honours Specialization in Physiology) for a First Choice and another discipline-specific Honours Specialization module (e.g., Honours Specialization in Pathology) for a Second Choice but is not admitted to either of these modules, then the student will be considered for admission to an Honours Specialization in IMS for Year 4. If admitted to the Honours Specialization in IMS, then a student may submit a request to be registered in Double Majors in Year 4 BMSc, instead, by the deadline in June (look under "After Adjudication" on the webpage for Adjudication).
See the various Honours Specialization, Specialization in IMS, and Major Modules Offered that lead to a BMSc degree.
NOTE: A full load of 5.0 courses in Year 3 is not required for admission to any Honours Specialization module, Double Major combination or Specialization in IMS in Year 4.
Students should double-check whether a reduced load of courses during the Fall/Winter of Year 3 will impact admission to future programs (e.g., medicine, pharmacy, graduate programs, etc.).
A minimum of 20.0 credits are required for graduation with a BMSc degree (more than 20.0 credits are required for Scholar's Electives students and for some students who chose to complete an Honours Specialization + a Major)
Honours Specialization Modules
Enrolment in each Honours Specialization module in Year 4 is limited due to a limited number of capstone courses (e.g., research projects, advanced labs, community-engaged learning courses).
Note: check back for updates about admission/progression to Honours Specialization modules for Year 4 BMSc for students who will be registered in Year 3 BMSc in 2025/26.
Selection Process for Year 4 of the Honours Specialization modules
All students in Year 3 BMSc in 2024/25 who request a particular Honours Specialization module as their First Choice during the ITR period for 2025/26 will be ranked according to their Weighted Average for that module. Beginning with the highest Weighted Average, students will be registered in the module and, if there are more eligible students than available spaces in the Honours Specialization module, registration will be closed when the maximum capacity is reached.
The average of the last student registered in the module determines the “minimum Weighted Average” for the particular Honours Specialization for that year.
Weighted Averages for Honours Specialization modules
Admission to an Honours Specialization module in Year 4 for 2025/26 is based on the Weighted Averages that students achieve. Students must complete ALL courses indicated in the Weighted Average Chart and achieve a minimum Weighted Average of 75% to be considered for admission. Admission is not guaranteed as each of these modules has a limited capacity and the minimum Weighted Average required for admission is greater than 75% when more students apply that spaces are available in the Honours Specialization module.
Weighted Average =
[(the average of modular courses responsible for 1/3 of the Weighted Average) x .33]
+
[(the average of modular courses responsible for 2/3 of the Weighted Average) x .67]
The Weighted Averages of the last students admitted to Year 4 of each the Honours Specialization modules offered in the BMSc Program are updated and posted on the BMSc website at the end of May each year.
Any student in Year 3 BMSc in 2024/25 with the appropriate courses (as identified in the Weighted Average Chart) can apply for admission to Year 4 of any Honours Specialization module for 2025/26, provided they have a competitive Weighted Average.
Waiting Lists for Year 4 Honours Specialization modules
Students may be put on a waiting list for an Honours Specialization module in Year 4 for 2025/26 if the spaces available in the module have been filled with students who achieved higher Weighted Averages. Waiting lists are maintained in the order of descending Weighted Averages (the higher your Weighted Average, the closer to the top of the waiting list).
Students are only moved from the waiting list into the Honours Specialization module if another student informs the department that he/she is not returning to Year 4 of that module (e.g. accepted to a professional program after Year 3).
If a spot becomes available in the Honours Specialization, then the department offering the module will email the next student on the waiting list to offer him/her a spot. Departments may offer spots to students from the waiting list until the end of the summer.
Departments will not inform students about their position on a waiting list.
Whether (and when) a spot will become available is unpredictable since it relies on students being accepted to other programs and not returning to Year 4 of their Honours Specialization modules.
Students will be admitted to another module (e.g. their Second Choice submitted during ITR, Double Majors, Honours Specialization in IMS, etc.) and should register for the courses required for this module when registration begins.
Year 4 Double Majors
Registration in the Major modules offered by the basic medical science departments is not limited to a particular number of students. In order to register in Year 4 of a BMSc degree with Double Majors, a student must be registered in Year 3 BMSc and have the prerequisites to take the 4000-level courses required for both Major modules. There are some 4000-level courses that require a minimum mark in the 3000-level course prerequisites and these minimum marks are required for registration in the Major(s) in Year 4 - see the Academic Calendar for the Major in which you are interested to see if there is a NOTE below the list of 6.0 module courses that specifies whether certain courses with minimum marks must be completed to allow registration in Year 4 of the Major.
There is not a chart (like the Weighted Average Chart for the Honors Specialization modules) that specifies the courses that must be completed before Year 4 for students pursuing Double Majors.
BMSc students completing Double Majors almost always encounter “common courses” in their two Majors - courses that appear in the modular requirements for both Major modules. A maximum of 1.0 common course may be used (double-counted) toward both Majors and worksheets that take the Common Course Policy into consideration have been created to help students pursuing Double Majors with their course selection.
Double Majors can be completed in either a BMSc (Honours) degree or a 4-year BMSc (non-honours) degree, with the only difference between the two degrees being the level of marks required in the courses. A minimum cumulative modular average of 70%, with marks of at least 60% in every modular course, is required to register in and graduate with a BMSc (Honours) degree containing Double Majors. The Academic Calendar contains general information about the graduation requirements for Honours Bachelor Degrees and Bachelor Degrees (non-honours).
Year 4 Specialization in IMS
Enrolment in the Specialization in IMS is not limited and leads to graduation with a 4-year BMSc (non-honours) degree. Since all Year 3 BMSc students are eligible to register in Honors degrees, students are encouraged to select either an Honours Specialization module or Double Major modules, leading to BMSc (Honours) degrees rather than the Specialization in IMS.
