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The Music Cognition specialization within the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour at McMaster University is unique among North American universities, providing students with a combined background in cognitive neuroscience and music. Such training prepares students for interdisciplinary research into the cognitive psychology and cognitive neuroscience of music, as well as applied careers in audiology and music therapy. Students can pursue the specialization in either an Honours B.A., Honours B. Mus. or and Honours B.Sc degree.

Coursework builds both a strong foundation in musicology (including music history, harmony, and music analysis) and an equally strong foundation in psychology (including memory, cognition, sensation and perception). The Music Cognition Specialization prepares students for a wide variety of professional careers integrating music cognition, cognitive psychology, and the science of performance.

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Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour is a broad field, with applications in a vast range of professions. Graduates are well prepared for graduate studies in psychology (both clinical and experimental); for professional studies such as medicine and teaching; for research positions in government, university or industry; and for careers in the health sciences and helping professions. The program has many electives which can be used towards a minor and/or for fulfilling specific course requirements for graduate and professional programs. Students graduating either the Honours B.A. or Honours B.Sc. degrees are equally qualified.

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The Mental Health specialization is offered by the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour at McMaster University. Psychology is the scientific study of the human mind and behaviour, whereas Mental Health focuses on psychopathology – or what happens when thoughts or behaviours impinge on day-to-day functioning and wellbeing.  This highly competitive program offers students a curriculum designed to study the genetic, neural, and cognitive processes underlying mental illnesses. It also seeks to teach students to evaluate human behaviour through assessment, diagnosis, and rehabilitation.

Coursework in the Mental Health specialization provides a strong foundation in human sensation and perception, abnormal psychology, psychometrics, and cognitive neuroscience. It further prepares students for a wide variety of graduate trainings for professional careers promote mental wellness including Social Work, Occupational Therapy, Psychotherapy, Clinical Psychology, and Psychiatry.

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Honours Biology and Psychology is designed for students with broad interests in biological, neurosciences and psychological sciences and who want the freedom to choose the best courses from the Departments of Biology and Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour (PNB). The program is uniquely interdisciplinary. Students can merge leading-edge knowledge from both fields, combining molecular biology, development or ecology with the latest ideas in cognition, learning or neurophysiology to gain a truly ‘big picture’ perspective of the living world.

A fourth-year research thesis may be taken under the supervision of either a Biology or PNB faculty member. Students can gain exciting hands-on experience in topics as diverse as clinical studies of child development, fieldwork in behavioural ecology, cellular neuroscience, or the molecular biology of social learning and memory. Because the program provides students with an elite double-major honours degree in Biology and PNB, it facilitates access to graduate schools in either discipline and to an array of clinical or professional programs, such as law, medicine, dental or clinical psychology. It can also open doors to careers in university or industrial research (e.g., pharmaceutics), genetic counselling or education.

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Honours B.Sc. in Neuroscience is an elite interdisciplinary program designed for students who are considering careers in neuroscience research or related fields. The program is jointly administered by the Departments of Biology and Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour (PNB). Comprising all research related to neurons and nervous systems, neuroscience spans a vast range of topics, from the biophysical and electrochemical properties of nerve cells to the developmental biology of neural circuit formation to the information processing calculations carried out by the brain. Reflecting the thoroughly interdisciplinary nature of neuroscience, students in this program acquire a broad foundational skill set in several scientific areas, including Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Mathematics, and Physics. These scientific foundations are coupled with a robust exploration of the core areas of molecular, cellular and systems neuroscience. The program offers unique hands-on laboratory experiences and the option of a fourth-year research thesis. Upon graduation, students will be ideally suited to continue to graduate studies in neuroscience or to pursue a wide array of other fields for which a strong scientific foundation is advantageous.

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Our Honours B.A.Sc. in Human Behaviour offers a combination of breadth and depth of education in how behaviour works at the individual and societal level. Students completing this program will be well equipped to enter any work environment that requires understanding the determinants of human behaviour – the social influences on behaviour; the basic neuroscience underlying behaviour; the stages of language development; and the stages of early development and their impact on human behaviour. The generalist stream of the Honours B.A.Sc. program gives students substantial flexibility to customize their degree to focus on subspecialty areas of their choice. Capstone experiences focus on science literacy and science communication to a broader audience. The generalist stream is an excellent preparatory degree for a range of other applied certificate/diploma training, and in itself offers a more applied versus research-focused background than the Honours PNB degree.

Students who want to specialize may choose either the Autism & Behavioural Science or Early Childhood Education specializations, both of which are offered in conjunction with Mohawk College.

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