New McMaster health program overrun with applicants
===================================================

* Patrick Sullivan

A new honours health sciences program at McMaster University has proved so popular that the cut-off marks for applicants will be a minimum of 90%, program administrator Teresa Boyd says. The course will be launched with 80 students in September. More than 1400 students applied for entry, with almost 400 applicants making it their first choice.

The new program will employ the same problem-based-learning format that McMaster's medical school made famous. The course is interdisciplinary, but students will have to take several "hard science" courses, including 2 biology and 2 chemistry courses in the first year. The course goal is to "provide students with a solid knowledge base in health-related sciences, as well as the skills needed to critically evaluate and synthesize health-related information."

Boyd said graduates will have 3 career options. Some will choose a professional career such as medicine, while others will enter graduate school and pursue careers such as health administration. The final group will start work immediately, in areas such as pharmaceutical sales.