Hey guys, i've just completed my first year in the kin program, and i've applied for both kin and bio for second year. I'm really confused about which would be a better program,in terms of being able to get jobs after graduation. I'm also in the hopes of geting into professional schools or grad schools. the kin marks are good so far...but i just needed some general advice from whoever is familiar with any of the programs as to which will be a better option to pursue, kinesiology or biology? thanks in advance.

I think it depends on what you are interested in. If you have a strong interest in wet-lab research in ecology, immunology, physiology, etc (any biological science) than Biology might be more for you, since bio students have more opportunities in this than kinesiology students. I am not in either program, but personally I would pick kinesiology. This is a great program at McMaster as I'm sure you know from your first year, and there are a lot of very interesting undergraduate kin courses like 3rd year sports injuries where you learn a lot of the things physiotherapists do. As for post-undergraduate choices, with kinesiology there are many options like physiotherapy, medicine, osteopathy, massage therapy, etc which will definitely be in demand in the years to come with the aging Canadian population. Also I know someone in kinesiology who is minoring in biology, which may be a good choice if you are interested in both. This is easier to do than the other way around, because first of all upper year kin students have a lot of electives (I think it's half of all 3rd and 4th year courses are electives or something like that, someone please verify) and secondly a lot of kin courses are restricted to kin students so if you are in bio it would be harder for you to get into them.

Maybe you could think about doing a double major, if that's possible, or doing a minor in one of them.

I am slightly biased, being in H. B.Sc. Kin myself, but I will throw my 2 cents in...

McMaster's Kinesiology program was recently the first program to be certified by OKA (Ontario Kinesiology Association), which means that directly after graduation, Mac Kin grads have completed the required studies and are eligible to write the OKA Test, pay your $100 or so to the College of Kinesiology and begin to practice as a Registered Kinesiologist.

This may or may not be a job that you would like to do for the rest of your life, but check it out. And even if it isn't, it's an awesome thing to have on the side, especially if you wish to go to grad school after because you can work as a Kinesiologist before or during Grad School, and you will make more money than you would at McDonald's or whatever.

Good luck!

Both kin and biology are good for graduate schools. It would help to know what kind of grad school do you plan on doing so we can answer your question best. Your masters/doctorate, med/law/OT/PT?

I'm currently in Biology (Physiology Specialization), but the kinesiology program at Mac is excellent. If you decide to switch into biology, many biology programs - especially my specialization has a lot of courses in kinesiology (mostly the cardiovascular aspects of kin).

I do agree with many who have posted, a lot of kin courses are restricted to kinesiology students only.

Just a note that you cannot double major in both, and you can only minor in biology.

I would also agree that being in Kin would mean you have wider access to courses, as a large % of Kin courses are restricted to Kin students only. Also, many physiotherapy, occupational therapy, pedorthics, and similar postgraduate programs seem to have prerequisites that are much more easily fulfilled by Kin students than Bio students. I would say the Bio program is better in preparation for graduate studies in biology (i.e. research) or similar fields, whereas Kin seems more directed towards health care opportunities.

^

I definitely agree. The kin program was awesome! Sure there were the silly joke courses you could take, but there were many interesting science courses that could only be taken in kin. My favourite is 4th year paediatric exercise science where you actually work with children in the lab. The bio courses are interesting as well, but I was able to take most of them being in kin, whereas those in bio could not take the kin courses. As said before, the material taught in the bio courses are useful, however, I would say that kin better prepares for professional school. The upper year bio courses are more useful if you're pursing a graduate degree in bio.

Wow...the Kin program sounds really interesting. However, I just finished my first year in Life Sci and don't want to have to start over if I switch to Kin. I'm trying to decide between Honours Biology and Honours Biology (Physiology Specialization), and would really prefer to do the latter, except I think you have to maintain a CA of 8.5 in order to remain in the program. I'm not exactly sure of the difficulty of this program and don't want the pressure of having to maintain a certain average, as appealing as the Biophys program is to me.

Any advice on which program is easier? And what are possible careers that both programs could lead to? My ultimate goal is to go to medschool, but if that doesn't happen, I would like to do physiotherapy or something in rehabilitation.
Appreciate any help/advice! Thanks!

Denisa, both Kin and Physiology would be good degrees for med school, physiotherapy, or rehabilitation work.

I'm a physiology student, so hopefully I can help answer any questions. In terms of difficulty, I'd say that some courses are definitely tricky and a lot of work (3U03, 3UU3); however, the content is so interesting that you'll actually want to learn/study. I don't think it was difficult to maintain a 8.5, though.

I think the reason why you need to have a C.A. of 8.5 is so that you can take Biology 4C09 (to impress a thesis prof). But, you can always get a letter of permission to take the course.

Great, thanks so much for answering all my questions jesus! I owe you!