Undergraduate FAQs

1. Small class sizes and regular interactions with faculty and staff
2.  New state of the art teaching laboratories
3. Flexibility to customize program
4. Diverse research opportunities starting in first year
5. Placement option in fourth year (local and international)
6. Community feeling
7. Support services offered at Carleton (see documentation in HS folders)

The first two years of the program are the same across concentrations. Specialization occurs in the third and fourth years.Each concentration has a central core of required courses (see below).

1. Biomedical Sciences: Molecular Genetics, Human Anatomy and Physiology, Microbiology and Virology, Molecular and Cellular PathologyII
2. Health throughout the Lifespan: Human Anatomy and Physiology, Diseases of Childhood, Diseases of Aging, Maternal and Perinatal Determinants of Health
3. Chronic Disease and Disability: Human Anatomy and Physiology, Disability and Chronic Health Conditions, Disabilities and Disorders of the Sensory Nervous System, Trauma-related Disability and Impairment
4. Global Health: Microbiology and Virology, Pandemics and Infectious Disease, Indigenous Health in a Global World, Global Health Governance, Maternal and Perinatal Determinants of Health
5. Environment and Health: The Chemistry of Environmental Pollutants, Regulatory Issues and Human Health, Molecular and Cellular Pathology, Fundamentals in Pharmacology and Toxicology, Environmental Pollution and Health

The BHSc at Carleton University was designed to allow students to customize their course selections based on their interests and future career goals. In addition to the core courses required for each concentration, students have required breadth courses that allow them to explore health courses from other concentrations. Using their electives, students can take either a double concentration or a minor in other programs. Unique and highly marketable minors include Math and Stats, Business and Communications.

The types of placements vary somewhat from year to year. Last year we had students working at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, the Sport Medicine Clinic (Carleton), the Public Health Agency of Canada, Health Canada, the Ottawa Police Service and at a community addictions peer support association. Next year we will also offer international placements in Guyana (focus: mental health), India (focus: biomedical/biotech or aging research) and Jamaica (focus: surgical interventions)

The Health Sciences program focuses on human form and function and explores biomedical, psychosocial and political issues that affect human health and disease. In contrast, Biology studies all living organisms – what they are made of, where they live, how they evolve, behave, reproduce, grow and develop.

Graduates from our program have gone on to medical school, nursing, pharmacy, occupational therapy, respiratory therapy, midwifery and law school. Several are working at government departments and agencies or in research labs

All concentrations will prepare you equally well for medical school and provide a strong foundation in biomedical sciences. We suggest that you pick the concentration that you are most interested in, to ensure your academic success in the program. All concentrations have enough flexibility built into the program to allow you to take the various courses required for entry into medical school (see document in HS folder).