Overview
Since 2018, the administration of the program is housed in the Faculty of Health Sciences after the Faculty of Science was our home for 30 years. Our unique program has always been, and continues to be, a joint program with strong links to both the Faculty of Health Sciences and the Faculty of Science – a true interdisciplinary program. As of 2018, the co-op part of our program will still be fully organized by the Faculty of Science Co-op.
Our Honours Biology & Pharmacology Program combines courses from the Department of Biology in the Faculty of Science with our core BioPharm courses now come from the Faculty of Health Sciences. Biology courses provide wide exposure to modern biological concepts and techniques, while specialized Pharmacology courses provide students with skills in theoretical and practical aspects of the actions and uses of drugs focused on human physiology and pathophysiology.
The program offers a unique blend of instruction that utilizes the principles of problem-based learning and an extensive mandatory co-operative education component.
Students enter the Honours Biology & Pharmacology Program after completion of two years of an Honours Biology (or equivalent) program. Students can also enter from Health Sciences streams. Candidates are interviewed to ensure their suitability for co-operative work term placements, and begin their first co-op work term after completing at least three full years of university-level preparation.
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There are many aspects of the program that set it apart:
- Limited enrollment to 22 students per year
- High instructor to student ratios in both tutorial and lab courses, often 1:11
- Problem-based learning: self-directed approach to researching and learning about many aspects of pharmacology and human physiology
- Up to 12 months of co-op experience in major areas such as academia, government and pharmaceutical industries
- A 12-unit senior thesis that can be combined with work terms and may be conducted outside of McMaster University
- Possibility to develop professional networking through work terms with coop supervisors and program instructors
- Fully paid co-op placements
- Excellent preparation for graduate or professional schools and the job market
What is Pharmacology
In its very essence, pharmacology is the study of drugs. Pharmacologists are interested in the effects drugs have on a range of systems from molecules to cells, organs, individuals. The focus in on the promotion of human health. You will get in departmental knowledge about the functioning of the human body and how drugs can help or hinder health.
Pharmacology draws on expertise from many disciplines including chemistry, biochemistry, physiology, and epidemiology. It can be divided into three major areas:
- Pharmacodynamics: The study of what drugs do to the body
- Pharmacokinetics: The study of what the body does to drugs
- Pharmacoepidemiology: The study of drugs in populations
Pharmacologists are involved in the discovery and development of new drugs, their testing, marketing, surveillance, and regulation, and in providing information about drugs.
Pharmacologists are fascinated by the workings of the human body and strive to understand pathophysiology to its deepest extent. Hence, human physiology (or systems biology) and pharmacology cannot be separated. Pharmacology is also at the forefront of personalized medicine thanks to rapid advancements in Pharmacogenomics.
The BioPharm program is therefore the ideal preparation for admission to professional schools such as medicine, nursing, or pharmacy. It is also the ideal preparation for applying for a master’s degree in any field of medicine or biomedical sciences. Two of the current professors teaching in our program are alumni of our program! And yes, our students often obtain their ideal employment in industry!
Co-operative Education
Co-operative educational work terms are an integral and mandatory component of the Honours Biology & Pharmacology degree. Science Co-operative Education is the product of a dynamic partnership between McMaster University, its students, and co-operative employers. In this educational process, students earn their degree by alternating academic terms with periods of related work experience.
Students frequently encounter educational, personal, and career-related experiences that cannot be provided in the normal university setting. Work term placements are usually available in academic, governmental, and industrial settings.
Each student completes twelve months of co-operative experience during the program. For more information about co-op component (only!), please visit the Science Career & Cooperative Education site. Let it be clear: All academic advising is through the BioPharm academic advisor. Only coop related matters are dealt with by the Science Coop office. You have no access to the Science academic advisor.
Problem-Based Learning
The pharmacology courses in the BioPharm program are taught in a problem-based, self-directed tutorial format which promotes active student involvement. In this learning format, content and process are inextricably linked – WHAT (content) is learned cannot be divorced from HOW (process) it is learned.
The objectives of each course are encapsulated in carefully crafted problems that serve as springboards for learning. Students identify issues and then seek, synthesize, and integrate information during discussions with their peers. The venue for these discussions is a tutorial group usually composed of ten students and one faculty member who is the tutor.
Tutors act as facilitators and guides during the discussions – they do not give lectures. The triad of problem-based learning consists of the problems, the students, and their tutors.
In problem-based, self-directed learning, students learn to assess their own performance as well as that of their peers. Ongoing evaluation is pivotal in this learning process. Critical evaluation of materials is emphasized, and evaluation procedures have been developed that measure the content as well as the process of learning. For more information, check out the Tutorial Evaluation in a Problem-based Program: A Guide for the Perplexed. Active participation is essential and you will learn to love it, even if you are shy by nature. Getting stuck or getting it wrong in a discussion is not frowned upon since it results in a most effective way of learning.
Flexibility, resilience, and a critical outlook on information are encouraged in this program. In this way, the educational experience serves to enhance our students’ professional and personal pursuits.