I'm currently a grade 12 student enrolling in Social Science at Mac in the fall and I recently decided I want to major in Psychology and thought about a phd in neuropsychology down the road. However I've heard that this requires a B.sc so I plan on going into Honours PNB B.sc second year but there are many courses that i need to take as admission requirements. And to top it off i did not take grade 12 functions, physics, or chemistry (probably my biggest mistake/regret) so i need to take the uni prerequisites. Ultimately I can't take it all in the first year so I was hoping for some guidance and direction if anyone has any.

Also, am I wrong about needing a B.sc for graduate school?


Thanks!

If you decide to switch into the BSc. stream, given that you don't have all the pre-reqs for the first year science courses, you probably won't be able to enter PNB in second year.

Your situation is a bit complicated so I'm going to suggest you contact ann hollingshead (hollings @ mcmaster.ca). She's the course advisor for PNB and she's extremely helpful at answering these kinds of questions.

What I can say is that Phd programs look at your masters degree, not necessarily your bachelors.

Neuro based PHd programs are probably looking for MSc students.
But there may be some MSc programs out there that accept BAs as well as BScs. It really depends on the school.

I was thinking that I wouldn't be able to switch by second year, but another question if I switched into it lets say third year would that prolong how long it would take for me to get my B.sc?

Originally Posted by bunhun

I was thinking that I wouldn't be able to switch by second year, but another question if I switched into it lets say third year would that prolong how long it would take for me to get my B.sc?

Yes, I'm afraid it would. Before, it was possible to "shadow" the program, aka take equivalent 2nd year psych courses and transfer in. Now, they've removed that option (Ann can tell you more about that), so you'll have to wait until you get into the program in order to complete most of the degree requirements.

Also, some second year pnb courses, such as PNB 2XE3, are required for third year courses (PNB 3XE3). And in third year, students take a lab course which they apply to in second year. Then in third year, you apply for a thesis for fourth year. So entering the program a year later will push the process back.