Overview
The Life Sciences Gateway program at McMaster prepares students for a variety of careers in science and elsewhere by giving them a firm foundation in traditional scientific disciplines while exposing them to multidisciplinary approaches to solving pressing problems.
An understanding of the tapestry of life comes not from a single discipline but is woven from all of the Life Sciences: biochemistry, cell biology, genomics, developmental biology, neurobiology, psychology, ecology, and earth sciences. The avalanche of information available from these fields allows scientists to look at biological systems in unprecedented detail. The key is to integrate knowledge across disciplines in order to understand organisms and their place in the ecosystem.
Graduates who begin their studies in the Life Sciences Gateway have pursued careers in the following areas:
- Medicine
- Immunology
- Genetics
- Biostatistics
- Neuroscience & Behaviour Therapy
- Microbiology
- Horticulture
- Food Technology
- Policy Analysis
- Epidemiology
- Clinical & Experimental Psychology
- Forensics
- Pharmacology
- Toxicology

Admission Requirements (Ontario)
Completion of the High School Diploma plus 6 Grade 12 U/M requirements, including:
- English
- Biology
- Advanced Functions or Calculus & Vectors
- One of: Advanced Functions, Calculus & Vectors, Chemistry, Physics
Anticipated Admission Average: Low 90’s
Target Enrollment: 1000
OAUC Application Code: MLS
Level 2 Programs
The structure of our Level 1 Life Sciences Gateway will provide you with a range of Level 2 program options. Courses taken in Level 1 serves as admission requirements to prepare students for their Level 2 programs of interest. There are 36 Level 2 programs to choose from, but the following may be of interest to you. Please also explore all of the Level 2 program options available.

LINK
Honours Biology Core
Typical First-Year Courses
BIOLOGY 1A03
Cellular and Molecular Biology
BIOLOGY 1M03
Biodiversity, Evolution and Humanity
MATH 1LS3
Calculus for the Life Sciences 1
PHYSICS 1A03
Introductory Physics
CHEM 1A03
Introductory Chemistry 1
CHEM 1AA3
Introductory Chemistry 2
PSYCH 1X03
Introduction to Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour
ENVIRSC 1C03
Climate, Water And Environment