Honours (SCIE 4901 + 4902)
Overview
The Medical Sciences Honours program will provide you with the opportunity to conduct research over a full academic year. The project will allow you to begin developing the skills required to perform scientific research, without the controlled environment and experiments normally practiced in a class laboratory session. This experience will also help you decide whether you enjoy research and if you want to pursue graduate studies or a future career as a researcher. Undertaking an Honours project will also provide you with the opportunity to read the scientific literature in your field of interest and teach you how to report your scientific data properly, with the aim of producing a final thesis document.
Eligibility
Entry into the Honours program is by permission only, and is restricted to students who achieve a minimum average GPA of 3.0 calculated from the following core courses: BIOL 2020, BIOL2030, PHYL 2041, PHYL 2044, MICI 2100, BIOC 2300, SOSA 2503, PHIL 2805 or 2810, PHAC 3001 or 3030, MICI 3115, ANAT 3010, PATH 3000, CHEM 2401, and CHEM 2402. At the time of application, you are unlikely to have completed all of the listed core courses; therefore, your average GPA of the completed courses at the time of application must be equal to or greater than 3.0 (B average). An average GPA of at least 3.0 is also required for all core courses at the time of graduation (3.70 in core and selectives for first class honours).
Additionally, you must identify a faculty member who has agreed to be your Honours Supervisor. Since Medical Sciences is not a department, you have the option of doing your Honours work at a Dalhousie research site of your choice, provided your direct Supervisor has a Faculty appointment with Dalhousie University (Note that, upon completion, you will have an Honours degree in Medical Sciences, not in the Dalhousie department in which you complete your work). If you do not identify a Supervisor, you will not be permitted entry into the Medical Sciences Honours program, regardless of your GPA.
Steps to completion
1. To find an Honours supervisor, arrange to personally meet with those whose research interests you. Do this sooner rather than later. Once you have found a suitable supervisor, continue to communicate regularly with that supervisor and establish a working relationship. Make sure you and the Honours supervisor have thoroughly read the Medical Sciences Honours Handbook (2023) [PDF - 620 kB].
2. To enter the honours program, you will first have to complete a Dalhousie Honours Application Form [PDF - 349 kB]. The Medical Sciences Honours Coordinator will help you, if needed. You can apply as early as January of your third year and will have until May 15 of that same year to submit your application. Once completed, submit a PDF to the Honours Coordinator. With your Honours Application Form, you will also have to submit a completed Project Form (2023) [PDF - 71 kB], which includes a brief description of your proposed project (one paragraph is sufficient and should include background/rationale, hypothesis, objective(s), and proposed methods/techniques), along with your Supervisor's signature, indicating all necessary, applicable training requirements will be met.
3. Once your application is reviewed and considered satisfactory, the Honours Coordinator will sign it and send it to the Registrar's Office for you.
4. Once your marks for the Winter semester of 3rd year are available, the Medical Sciences Honours Committee will review your transcript and your Project Form to verify your eligibility as an Honours student (this will occur in June or July).
5. The Honours Coordinator will contact you by your Dalhousie email address to invite you to register in SCIE 4901 + 4902 (Honours Research Thesis class) before September, if you haven't done so already.
To review the requirements for Honours in Medical Sciences, visit the Honours Regulations page or go to the Medical Sciences Honours Handbook (2023) [PDF - 620 kB] for more information.