A degree administered by Brock University is undergoing a name change.

The BSc in Health Sciences, offered by the Department of Community Health Sciences, will now be known as a BSc in Medical Sciences.

The department has been a national leader in implementing innovative undergraduate degrees in community health, public health and child health over the past 20 years. In meeting the changing needs of industry, government and prospective students, this new degree in medical sciences is another example of how Brock University continues to lead in health education.

“Changing the program to medical sciences reflects the evolving curriculum and the intent of our science degree,” says Terrance Wade, department chair and Canada Research Chair in Youth and Wellness.

The program’s course content base that has evolved over the past decade will allow for new offerings such as human medical histology, clinical human anatomy, clinical pharmacology and immunology, which link basic human medical science to an applied clinical perspective.

“A BSc in Medical Sciences provides a strong preparation for students intending to pursue further professional education within the medical professions by providing a wide range of introductory and advanced courses from the fundamental basic medical sciences. This degree is the natural choice for Brock students intent on pursuing a variety of postgraduate professional programs, such as medicine, dentistry, optometry, chiropractic, veterinary, pharmacy and other related health professions

More than 500 students apply to this program annually, though just 80 are admitted. The new name will help prospective students distinguish between medical sciences, biology and biomedical science degrees at Brock.

“The proposed name change will ensure we maintain our competitiveness in attracting the highest quality students to our program,” Wade says.

“Offering this degree will continue to help us to achieve our strategic mandate of making our communities a healthier place to live, with a program that that is designed to enhance medical sciences here at Brock and beyond,” says James Mandigo, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies in the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences and co-director for the Centre for Healthy Development.