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 submit a helpdesk ticket.

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 submit a helpdesk ticket.

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 Placement/Projects/Thesis Requirements (PDF)
• If your project/thesis work requires Immunization or Field Trip forms, these must be submitted via a helpdesk ticket
• If your project/thesis work requires travel outside of Ontario, please submit a helpdesk ticket at least 8 weeks prior to travel

Forms Instructions

To complete any of the PDF forms, please follow these steps:

1. Download the PDF form to your desktop computer.
2. Open the PDF form using Adobe Acrobat Reader DC. Other applications like web browsers or Apple Preview will not work properly.
3. Fill out the PDF form within Adobe Acrobat Reader DC.
4. Save the completed PDF form to your desktop prior to sending.

Project Forms

1. Complete the Project & Thesis Proposal Form (PDF) to obtain permission.
2. Complete the Project & Thesis Grade Form (PDF) at the end of term.

Thesis Forms

1. Complete the Thesis Permission Form (PDF) to obtain permission and get enrolled in the course.
2. Complete the Project & Thesis Proposal Form (PDF) by the end of September.
3. Complete the Thesis Interim Report Form (PDF) and submit it by the end of December.
4. Complete the Project & Thesis Grade Form (PDF) and submit it by mid April.

Note for Thesis Students: If you do not submit your Project & Thesis Proposal Form by the end of September, you may be removed from the course until all required documentation is received.

Special Note on File Names for the PDF Forms

Please note: The filename should be saved in this format: COURSE CODE_LAST NAME_FIRST NAME.pdf (e.g., 3H03_Ritz_Stacey.pdf)

Thank you for supervising Honours Health Sciences Program 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, above under Permissions & Forms.

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 Honours Health Sciences Program Poster Days which can help you identify people who have supervised students before and familiarize you with the broad range of possible projects. You can also keep an eye on the Microsoft Teams > HHSP Community > Research, Volunteer and Work opportunities channel, 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.

• 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 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 Honours Health Sciences Program Helpdesk

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 Honours Health Sciences 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 Honours Health Sciences Program (BHSc) itself: Biomedical Sciences, Immunology, Microbiology and Virology and Health Humanities and Social Sciences.

Check the full listing of available Concurrent Certificates in the Undergraduate Calendar.