Alrighty, so I'm probably the only one who has to do this. I want to go into Chemical and Bioengineering and it turns out that the Biology at McMaster requires grade 12 Biology, which I didn't take, it's the only course that I've come across that actually requires a grade 12 prerequisite. Anyways, I'm planning on taking an online course to get the credit, I found a website that has the course and everything, but I was just wondering if I have to take the course through a certain website in order for it to count as my grade 12 for McMaster? Also, if it actually counts since I already graduated from high school and everything. I really hope it does because if it doesn't then I have to take 3 biologies in second year and I'd much rather do an online course this year. I tried calling the registrars, but I was waiting for like a half an hour and they were still busy. If someone could answer me really soon that would be great, cause I'd like to register for the course as soon as possible.

You should actually call your faculty office, and they will put you in with the correct people (which may actually be science, in this case, but I'm not sure).

It depends on McMaster's...requirem ents (?) as to if they will accept an online course or not. I know with myself and taking an online anthro (part of my major) I ended up having to get permission from two departments (my faculty office, humanities, as well as the department of anthro) before I could register for the course.

Is there not a course available online later on in the year (ie starting in February)?

I know next year (so say the course calendars online at least) they are going to have the Grade 12 U Bio equivalent being taught here. Additionally, courses like Bio are usually offered in the summer, so you could take it then.

My cousin, who has graduated high school and college is currently taking courses (i believe mostly online) as she wants to get into a science program and does not have the proper prereqs. So she says Mac accepts online courses at par with in-class ones, but I sort of doubt her on that one.

In short...call the department of eng and see what you need to do!

I want to take the course this early because i actually have to take grade 11 and grade 12, but I just checked out some prices and their all 400$ or more (plus the book) so I think I might stick to just taking that course that's starting to be offered next year. It won't be cheaper, but I also won't be struggling with trying to get them done on my own time (which I doubt I'll have much of).

Thanks for the reply though!

holy poo that's expensive!

you haven't taken grade 11 bio tho? you would need to do so to take the 12U equivalent...summer school next year? or an adult learning centre?

hey maybe i can offer some help,
i know that McMaster accepts online courses, just as any other course.
They treat all courses the same. You can also go to www.maciq.com and type in summer school and the answer you would get to the first question there is

"The marks obtained through summer school, night school or correspondence courses are treated the same for admission purposes as those attained through regular day school."

You should also call them and confirm this for your specific program. Or you can email them which is what I did at [email protected]

However, the price for that online course seems a bit much..I applied for an online course, because I hadnt taken grade 12 physics, and i just had to pay $25.00.

Heres the website, for more info.
http://www.school-online.ca/

Hope this helps!

I wasn't planning on taking anything to do with bio until pretty much this summer. Last minute decision I guess. I don't need the grade 11 Bio to get into the course they're offering at teh school next year, but for any online courses I do need it.
Thanks Amara, that's a really amazing price and a good website, but for some reason they only have the grade bio and not the grade 11 class available. :(

awesome, amara*

Hey Amara do you know what the Peel Day School is? Grade 11 Biology is offered in that, but I'm not sure what it is.

hehe no problem !!
this school is Adult School,
the address is
School-Online.ca,
Adult Education Centre, South
100 Elm Drive West,
Mississauga, ON, L5B 1L9

(905)270-6000 x410


If anything, call them and ask..I think there closed however.
this school is located near SQUARE ONE (shopping mall)
in mississauga..

In a slightly related topic, I was wondering if there is a way for me to take Math 1B03 online or through correspondence, or even through another university over the summer. I need it in order to take any second year courses in math, but my schedule for this coming semester is full, and the1B03 class is full anyways.

Does anyone know if this is possible? I have a job lined up at home, so I really prefer not to have to spend the summer in hamilton.

Mac doesn't offer online or correspondance courses, so you'd have to take it through another school.

See what schools offer online and correspondance courses (Laurentian is one). Then see which maths are available. If one sounds similar to math 1B03 you may be able to take it.

From there you will need to talk to someone in the Math Department; as you will need permission from that department to take the course at the other school as an equivalent to 1B03.

Assuming that you're in the faculty of science, here's a list of pre-approved transfer courses. Unfortunately, they're listed by university, not course...but a quick scan through the list showed that a whole bunch of Ontario universities offer courses equivalent to Math 1B03. If attending classes at another (more local) university is possible for the summer, then check that out.

Also, Laurentian and Waterloo both offer equivalent courses online in their spring 2009 terms, if you would prefer to take the course that way.

It's really easy to apply for a Letter of Permission. Click here, fill out the form, and they'll mail it right to the other university for you.

A few words of advice about taking online courses...
I took the equivalent to Stats 1CC3 online through Lakehead last summer. It wasn't what I expected - basically it was a self-guided 12 week course. We were told the name of the textbook, a few notes were posted on WebCT, and we were given three assignments that could either be mailed or faxed to Lakehead. I wrote midterms and exams at my local university on Saturday mornings. I was expecting more of an "online" component (maybe taped lectures or something), but it turned out to be very much self-taught from the text.
Also, completeing the course in the spring at a different university created some problems for my second year. Since final marks weren't in when I was picking courses, I technically hadn't completed the prerequisites, and thus was unable to register for a lot of my courses. Allthough it worked out in the end, it caused a lot of hassle. In other words, I would talk to an academic advisor before the end of the year, in order to have a game plan in place for getting course waivers etc. well before you need to register on SOLAR for second year.

I know that was a really long winded answer, but let me know if you have any other questions!

Does anyone know approximately when you are required to register for distance education courses from other schools if I would want to take the course in the spring term?

I registered for a course at Lakehead the day before spring courses started last year...but I'm sure that you can start in March-ish (I think that's when Mac opens it's registrations). That being said, if you need any pre-reqs from second term, you may be required to present a note from the Dean's office to register for the distance ed course, since it wouldn't be on your transcript when you apply. Knowing that you may run into some roadblocks, I would say that it would be in your best interest for you to start planning your registration well before when the course actually starts.