Philosophy and Health Sciences (Joint Major) at Simon Fraser University

Programme overview

The Philosophy and Health Sciences Joint Major is a 120-unit Bachelor of Arts that students can complete through either the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences or the Faculty of Health Sciences. It combines health sciences coursework with philosophy, with emphasis on ethics.

Faculty: Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences / Faculty of Health Sciences | Department: Department of Philosophy and Faculty of Health Sciences | Study mode: full-time | Location: Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

What you will study

Health sciences courses include HSCI 100 Human Biology, HSCI 130 Foundations of Health Science, HSCI 305 The Canadian Health System, HSCI 319W Applied Health Ethics, HSCI 327 Global Health Ethics and HSCI 340 Social Determinants of Health. Philosophy includes PHIL 100W, PHIL 120W, PHIL 201 Epistemology, PHIL 203 Metaphysics, PHIL 221 Ethical Theory, 20 upper division philosophy units and PHIL 467W Advanced Seminar.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

To be admitted to the joint major, students complete one of HSCI 100 (or BISC 101), 130, 204, 207, 210, 211, 212, 214, 216, 220 or 230 with a minimum grade of C-, and PHIL 201 or PHIL 203 with a minimum grade of C-. Students must satisfy the prerequisites of all courses in the joint major. Secondary school entry: Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (all programs), Ontario secondary school applicants: six Grade 12 U/M courses including ENG4U (minimum 70%); Grade 11: ENG3U, MCF3M or MCR3U, and one of SBI3U, SCH3U, SVN3M or SPH3U. Grade 12 List A: ENG4U, one of Math 4U or Science 4U, one Social Studies 4U/M, one of Math 4U, Science 4U/M, Social Studies 4U/M or Language 4U/DU, and two additional List A or B courses. Admission is based on all approved Grade 11 and 12 courses with greater weight on List A, plus English language and quantitative and analytical skills requirements.

Tuition is charged per credit, so the total depends on the courses you register for each year. Current fees are listed in the official fee schedule.

Fall (September), Spring (January) and Summer (May) terms; most students start in the fall term.

Fall 2027: high school applications open 1 October 2026 and close 31 January 2027; other post-secondary transfer applications open 1 March 2027 and close 15 April 2027. Summer 2027: all applications open 1 December 2026 and close 15 January 2027. Spring 2027: all applications opened 1 July 2026 and close 15 September 2026.

The non-refundable application fee is 86 CAD for domestic students and 130 CAD for international students, payable online by credit card. Applications are submitted through EducationPlannerBC.

Apply through the official page: https://www.sfu.ca/students/admission.html

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