Aging - School of Interdisciplinary Science - Faculty of Science

Courses

Course List

Course Map (Option 1)

A course map of the Aging pathway (Option 1). Extended description found below.

The first aging pathway is focused more on biology, nutrition, and the environment.
There are three journeys through this pathway.
Journey one begins with BIOLOGY 1A03, BIOLOGY 1M03, CHEM 1A03 and CHEM 1AA3 in level I. BIOLOGY 1A03 and 1M03 lead to BIOLOGY 2C03, whereas CHEM 1A03, CHEM 1AA3, and BIOLOGY 1A03 together lead to BIOLOGY 2B03. BIOLOGY 2B03 leads to MOLBIOL 3M03, which satisfies the Laboratory Skills requirement in the Life Sciences Program. Alternately, BIOLOGY 2B03 and BIOLOGY 2C03 lead to MOLBIOL 4K03 in level IV.
Journey two begins with LIFESCI 2N03 in level II, which leads to LIFESCI 4W03 in level IV.
Journey three begins with ENVSOCTY 1HB3 in level I, which leads to ENVSOCTY 2HI3 in level II or ENVSOCTY 3HP3 in level III.
Finally, LIFESCI 2L03 leads to LIFESCI 3L03, which also satisfies the Laboratory skills requirement.

Course Map (Option 2)

A course map of the Aging pathway (Option 2). Extended description found below.

The second aging pathway is focused more on the social sciences, including psychology, social work, and health and aging.
There are four journeys through this pathway, with supplementary courses in level III.
Journey one begins with SOCWORK 1AA3 in level I, which leads to SOCWORK 4L03 in level IV.
Journey two begins with PSYCH 1X03 in level I, which leads to PSYCH 2AA3 in level II, which leads to PSYCH 3AG3 in level III.
Journey three begins with PSYCH 1XX3 in level I, which leads to PSYCH 2NF3 and PSYCH 2E03 in level II, which, together with STATS 2B03, lead to PSYCH 3GG3 in level III. PSYCH 3GG3 can also lead to PSYCH 3AG3.
Journey four begins with HLTHAGE 1BB3 in level I, which leads to HLTHAGE 3D03 and HLTHAGE 3N03 in level III.
The following courses can be taken independently in level III: HTHSCI 3QA3 and HLTHAGE 3E03.
Each of the level III HLTHAGE courses, including 3D03, 3E03 and 3N03, satisfy the Communication Skills requirement for the Life Sciences Program.

Sample Transcript – Aging

Below is an example of what your transcript might look like if you pursue the Aging pathway. The transcript includes all Life Sciences program requirements as well as 12 courses from the Aging pathway.

Legend
Course List A: Communication Skills
Course List B: Laboratory Skills
Course List C: Experiential Learning
Course List D: Life Sciences Course List (LSCL)
Course List E: Knowledge Transfer/Seminar
Aging Pathway
Elective (E)

Course	Level	Term	Course List
BIOLOGY 1A03 – Cellular and Molecular Biology	1	1	N/A
CHEM 1A03 – Introductory Chemistry I	1	1	N/A
MATH 1LS3 – Calculus for Life Sciences I	1	1	N/A
PSYCH 1X03 – Introduction to Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour	1	1	N/A
ENVSOCTY 1HB3 – Population, Cities and Development	1	1	Aging Pathway
BIOLOGY 1M03 – Biodiversity, Evolution & Humanity	1	2	N/A
CHEM 1AA3 – Introductory Chemistry II	1	2	N/A
PHYSICS 1A03 – Introductory Physics	1	2	N/A
PSYCH 1XX3 – Foundations of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour	1	2	N/A
HLTHAGE 1BB3 – Introduction to Aging and Society	1	2	Aging Pathway
LIFESCI 2A03 – Research Methods in Life Sciences	2	1	N/A
LIFESCI 2L03 – Living Systems Laboratory	2	1	N/A
BIOLOGY 2B03 – Cell Biology	2	1	N/A
LIFESCI 2N03 – Human Nutrition for Life Sciences (E)	2	1	Aging Pathway
PSYCH 2H03 – Human Learning & Cognition (LSCL)	2	1	Aging Pathway
LIFESCI 2AA3 – Introduction to Topics in Life Sciences	2	2	N/A
BIOLOGY 2C03 – Genetics	2	2	N/A
ENVSOCTY 2HI3 – Health and Place (LSCL)	2	2	Course List D: Life Sciences Course List (LSCL)
PSYCH 2AA3 – Child Development (LSCL)	2	2	Aging Pathway
PSYCH 2E03 – Sensory Processes (LSCL)	2	2	Aging Pathway
HLTHAGE 3N03 – Aging and Mental Health	3	1	Course List A: Communication Skills
PSYCH 3AG3 – Aging (LSCL)	3	1	N/A
STATS 2B03 – Statistical Methods for Science	3	1	N/A
LIFESCI 3EP3 – Life Sciences Applied Placement	3	1	Course List C: Experiential Learning
Elective	3	1	N/A
MOLBIOL 3M03 – Fundamental Concepts of Development	3	2	Course List B: Laboratory Skills
PSYCH 3GG3 – Essentials of Developmental Psychology (LSCL)	3	2	Aging Pathway
ENVSOCTY 3HP3 – Population, Health and Aging (E)	3	2	Aging Pathway
HLTHAGE 3D03 – Perspectives on Disability, Chronic Illness and Aging	3	2	Course List A: Communication Skills
Elective	3	2	N/A
LIFESCI 4W03 – Advanced Topics in Nutrition	4	1	Course List E: Knowledge Transfer/Seminar
MOLBIOL 4K03 – Research Advances in Biology of Aging (E)	4	1	Aging Pathway
LIFESCI 4EP6A – Life Sciences Advanced Placement (E)	4	1	Course List C: Experiential Learning
Elective	4	1	N/A
Elective	4	1	N/A
HTHSCI 3QA3 – Qualitative Research Methods in Health (E)	4	2	Aging Pathway
Elective	4	2	N/A
LIFESCI 4EP6B – Life Sciences Advanced Placement (E)	4	2	Course List C: Experiential Learning
Elective	4	2	N/A
Elective	4	2	N/A

Activities

Sample Experiential Courses

Placement Examples: Nursing homes, McMaster Physical Activity Centre of Excellence (PACE), Physiotherapy clinics.
Research Examples: McMaster Institute for Research on Aging (MIRA)

On Campus

Student-Led Clubs/Groups On Campus

McMaster Arts for Seniors (MAfS) hosts weekly arts and crafts sessions at multiple long-term care homes in Hamilton, where students teach and assist older adults with crafts one on one. The volunteers interact directly with seniors, build connections, and encourage independence through the art that they help create.
GeriActive Outreach (GO) provides education on topics of healthy aging through interactive events and outreach programs.
McMaster Alzheimer’s Society is dedicated towards improving the quality of life for those in our community that are both, directly and indirectly, affected by Alzheimer’s disease, while aiding in advancing the search towards finding a cure. Our goal is aimed at promoting and raising awareness and funds to support Alzheimer’s research and programs for people living with dementia.

Co-Curricular Involvement

McMaster Physical Activity Centre of Excellence (PACE) offers community exercise and wellness programs for individuals over 55, with specialised programs for individuals with heart disease, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, or who are cancer survivors. They seek volunteers during the academic year.

In The Community

Hamilton Council on Aging seeks volunteers for committees, social events and more.
Health TAPESTRY seeks volunteers to visit older adults clients in their homes, acting as a connector to help connect clients to the health care system and the community.
YWCA Active Living Centre 55+: Volunteers bring their own skills and interests to the centre and lead an appropriate activity for the group (e.g., game of cards, music appreciation).

Careers

Exploring Careers Using O*NET

1. Search www.onetonline.org in Google
2. Click on the main link
3. Go to the “Occupation Quick Search” bar on the main page: https://www.onetonline.org/find/quick?s=
4. Enter keywords relating to your interests (examples on next section)
5. A list of jobs that incorporates the keywords will appear
6. Click on a job that interests you to view a summary report and learn more

Sample Keywords

Pathway	Example Keywords
Public & Global Health (example 1)	Community, Health, Wellness, Epidemiology, Global
Public & Global Health (example 2)	Communicate, Analyze, Knowledge Translation, Research
Drugs, Humans & the Environment (example 1)	Pharmaceuticals, Environment, Ecosystem, Toxicology
Drugs, Humans & the Environment (example 2)	Research, Analysis, Sustainability
Science & Law (example 1)	Policy, Law, Science, Patents, Ethics
Science & Law (example 2)	Critical-thinking, Debating, Analysis, Communication
Aging (example 1)	Geriatrics, Rehabilitation, Therapy, Wellness
Aging (example 2)	Ethics, Empathy, Communication, Community Engagement
Health Management (example 1)	Health, Organizations, Economics
Health Management (example 2)	Communication, Adaptability, Leadership