Honours Specialization
The Honours Specialization (HSP) IMS provides the opportunity for an in-depth study of the interrelationships between two or more of the Basic Medical Science Disciplines. The module is attractive to students who desire more latitude in their studies.
Courses:
The basic medical science course selection in Years 3 and 4 of the Honours Specialization in IMS is clearly defined. Students in Year 3 must complete 3.0 courses from a specific list of Group 1 and 2 courses. Courses in Group 1 are considered the core courses offered in the basic medical science disciplines. Courses in Group 2 usually are not pre-requisites to other courses so students are limited to the number of courses completed from this Group. This restriction directs the student to complete more Group 1 courses and thereby, satisfying more pre-requisites for 4000-level courses.
In Year 3, students must also take a 3000-level laboratory course, which in many situations has co-requisites from the Group 1 course list. The combination of Group 1 and Group 3 courses may allow students to meet the requirements for admission to a discipline-specific Honors Specialization modules in Year 4, should they wish to make a change after Year 3.
In Year 4, students must take courses the 4000-level Medical Sciences "capstone courses" as well as additional 4000-level courses from the basic medical sciences.
Capstone Courses:The capstone courses of the Honours Specialization IMS are an advanced laboratory, Medical Sciences 4990E or Medical Sciences 4995E, and a lecture course, Medical Sciences 4930F, both of which are completed in Year 4.
Offered jointly by the Basic Medical Science Departments, these two courses introduce students to a variety of techniques and topics in medical research. The laboratory provides an introduction to research, with an emphasis on hands-on experience. Major topics include tissue culture, real time PCR, biochemical assays, histology, and animal models of human disease. The lecture course, designed to complement the laboratory course, will give students the background knowledge in areas of disease, metabolism, proteomics and signaling pathways. Scientific writing is also included in the course material.
