McMaster Health Sciences: Overview

McMaster University's Faculty of Health Sciences is unique as it is the only Canadian university that combines, in one Faculty, schools of medicine, nursing, rehabilitation sciences, and the programs of midwifery, bachelor of health sciences, physician assistant and postgraduate health sciences education. McMaster Health Sciences has a  specific initiative to train members of the medical team in a collaborative, interdisciplinary approach to develop effective and efficient health care.

For a decade, the Faculty has been ranked among the top four in the country for biomedical and health care research funding by the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada. All students have the opportunity to work with world-class faculty members and other students from a variety of disciplines.

What Can McMaster Offer You through their BHSc Program?

Inquiry Based

• Student-driven learning emphasizing problem-solving, information literacy, collaboration, and communication.

Interdisciplinary Approach

• Build your knowledge and skills across a broad range of scholarship relevant to health.

Health Science Specific Issues

• Exciting and engaging curriculum for students interested in a variety of health-related careers.

Experiential Learning

• Ample opportunities for projects in health research, community engagement, peer tutoring, and more.

Direct Entry Program

• Most students enter directly from high school, with a limited number of 2nd-year transfer spots available.

State of the Art Facilities

• Learn in McMaster’s renowned classrooms, laboratories, and libraries.

Check out this introduction to McMaster’s Faculty of Health Sciences below to see if this is the school for you!

https://youtu.be/2G1KpKlhoEo

McMaster Health Sciences Requirements and Acceptance Rates

As you may know, Health Sciences is a particularly prestigious and difficult program to get accepted to. With an acceptance rate of around 5%-10%, McMaster Health Sciences rivals the acceptance rates of some Ivy League institutions. If you are a qualified applicant, with a high school average of at least 90%, check out this page to learn about specific requirements based on your province and field of study.

Here’s an example for the Bachelor of Health Science (Hons) Level 1 Application:

Grade 12 U/M Requirements are as follows:

Biology (SBI4U)

Chemistry (SCH4U)

English (ENG4U)

One additional U or M credit to total six

A minimum of 90% is required for consideration

One of:

• Advanced Functions (MHF4U)
• Calculus & Vectors (MCV4U) or
• Mathematics of Data Management (MDM4U)

One non-math, non-science, non-technology 4U/M* (Scroll down and click “prerequisite course search”)

Additional Requirements:

• Completion of a mandatory Supplementary Application

A review of the mandatory BHSc Supplementary Application is a very important component of the admission selection process. Applicants who do not complete the Supplementary Application are automatically excluded.

For the McMaster Health Sciences Supplementary Application, students are presented with 5 questions and must answer a total of 3. Each year the questions change so you’ll only know what those questions are when the application is available! Let’s take a look at the questions from 2020-2021. These will give you an idea of what type of questions to expect for your application.

1. Choose ONE of the two following questions:

• In the Nichomachean Ethics, Aristotle proposed that “virtue is the golden mean between two vices, the one of excess and the other of deficiency.” For the list of virtues below, which one is the hardest for you to achieve a balance in, and do you tend to an excess or a deficiency in that characteristic? What strategy(s) could you use to better achieve balance for yourself?
• In her 1993 novel Ravensong, author, poet, educator, and member of the Stó:Lō nation Lee Maracle wrote “Where do you begin telling someone their world is not the only one?” What is your interpretation of this line?

2. Choose ONE of the two following questions:

• Write a short letter about an issue you care about, addressed to the appropriate political figure for the area of your concern.
• In her 1954 essay The Crisis in Education, Hannah Arendt says, “Education is the point at which we decide whether we love the world enough to assume responsibility for it.” How does your view of education compare to Arendt’s?

3. Scenario: Read the scenario and answer the question that follows:

Question: What do you think ‘A’ and ‘B’ could be, and what would your interpretation of the data be in that case?

(This will be a case study with a data set and students will be required to try to identify what the missing information might be)

A few tips for the Supplementary Application:

• Make sure to align your answers with McMaster’s Vision and Mission statements! They are committed to creativity, innovation, and excellence, and value integrity, quality, inclusiveness, and teamwork.
• Ensure you engage with each part of the prompt and fully answer the question.
• These questions are meant to get you thinking—there's not necessarily a correct answer. Make sure you think critically and creatively by expanding on your ideas.
• It’s okay to reference leadership experiences—just ensure that you don't veer away from the prompt.

Applying to McMaster Health Sciences

All students need to apply through the Ontario Universities Application Centre (OUAC), an organization that processes applications for ALL Ontario Universities. If McMaster is one of multiple universities in Ontario you wish to apply for, you will only need to fill out this application once! For Ontario students, make sure to fill out the 101 form, and for all other students, make sure to fill out the 105 form. The OUAC Application deadline date is January 13th, 2022

Check out this blog to learn more about the application process to McMaster University!

Here’s a few tips for Level 1 BHSc (Honours) Applicants

• Enrolment is limited
• Supplementary Applications will be reviewed for those applicants who satisfy the grade and course requirements.
• Applicants will be selected based on both their academic qualifications and their scores on the BHSc Supplementary Application.
• If you are an Indigenous applicant and wish to be considered under the Facilitated Indigenous Admissions Program (FIAP), more information is available here. You should apply for the BHSc (Hons) Program as per the usual procedure in addition to completing a FIAP application.
• If you are a Black applicant and wish to be considered under the Equitable Admissions for Black Applicants (EABA) process, more information is available here. You should apply for the BHSc (Hons) Program as per the usual procedure, and you will be invited to self-identify for the EABA at the time when we send out emails with details about submission of the supplementary application in late January or early February.
• The admission offers are made in early May. Due to the highly competitive nature of our admissions process, we do not make early admissions offers, and we do not maintain a waiting list.

More About The Level 1 Supplementary Application:

This application is for HIGH SCHOOL APPLICANTS

Questions are available on the BHSc Program website for you to review in advance—we recommend that you draft your responses early in preparation for submitting the online application when it becomes available. The questions will not be presented in any particular order in the online supplementary application system.

The online application system will be available in early February, at which time you will receive an email with additional instructions and your username/password needed to access the online supplementary application. The email will be sent to the email address you provide on your OUAC application.

Once you receive the email in February, you will have a window in which to complete the System Check and to submit the online application. Each applicant is assigned an appointment window in which they can access the on-line application.  The exact dates will be included in the email sent to you from the BHSc office.

If you do not submit the online application by the deadline date stated in the email that you receive from us, you will not be considered for admission to the BHSc (Hons) program.

After you have successfully submitted your Supplementary Application, you will not have access to your application or receive a copy of your submitted application, but you will receive an email confirmation that your answers have been received.

If you’ve decided McMaster Health Sciences is the pathway to your dream career, you’re probably wondering how you’ll afford the costs! Don’t worry, there’s plenty of funding to help you cover those tuition fees!

GrantMe has assisted countless students with financial resources through scholarships, and helped them get into their dream school. If you’d like to know more about how GrantMe can support your goal of getting into McMaster, start by taking our quiz to see if you qualify!

Make sure to also check out this blog to see How to Win McMaster Major Entrance Awards to help pay for your tuition!

Speaking of tuition, let’s go over the costs of studying McMaster Health Sciences!

Depending on which program you’re studying, annual tuition at McMaster Health Sciences range from $5995.30 to $25,129.96 per year for tuition alone for Domestic students. Take a look at the chart below for a break down per degree:

If you’re an international student, tuition costs are higher. Head on over to the McMaster University website for more information on tuition fees for international students!

If you're interested in getting into McMaster, make sure you take our Admissions Quiz!