Surgical and Interventional Sciences (Non-Thesis): Oncology (M.Sc.) (45 credits)
Offered by: Surgery (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences)
Degree: Master of Science
Program credit weight: 45
Program Description
The M.Sc. in Surgical and Interventional Sciences, Non Thesis – Oncology program features an integrated dual research focus that bridges oncology and surgical science. The curriculum emphasizes applied oncology research within a defined cancer discipline alongside surgery-based research informed by oncological principles. This interdisciplinary design reflects the integration of cancer research, surgical practice, and interventional innovation in contemporary clinical science. The research project must focus on oncology in relation to surgical and interventional sciences.
Required Courses (15 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EXSU 505 | Trends in Precision Oncology. | 3 |
Trends in Precision Oncology. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Introduction to the emerging paradigms in cancer detection, management and treatment. | ||
| EXSU 623 | Surgery Research Project 2. | 6 |
Surgery Research Project 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Immersion into a specific research area and completion of a short project. Students will learn to develop a project and to demonstrate skills essential for analysis, evaluation and project management. | ||
| ONCO 610D1 | Fundamentals of Oncology and Cancer Research. | 3 |
Fundamentals of Oncology and Cancer Research. Terms offered: Fall 2026 A multidisciplinary approach to the entire spectrum of principles and practice in all fields of oncology, as well as to its research domains, from basic science to clinical and population health sciences. Content areas will include mechanisms of carcinogenesis, tumour pathology, cancer epidemiology, prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, psychosocial support, palliative care, global cancer control, and quality of cancer care services. The multidisciplinary nature of cancer research and clinical care and how research findings inform clinical practice and policymaking in cancer control will be illustrated. | ||
| ONCO 610D2 | Fundamentals of Oncology and Cancer Research. | 3 |
Fundamentals of Oncology and Cancer Research. Terms offered: Winter 2027 For description see ONCO 610D1. | ||
Complementary Courses (30 credits)
3 credits selected from:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| DENT 505 | Epidemiology and Data Analysis in Primary Care 1. | 3 |
Epidemiology and Data Analysis in Primary Care 1. Terms offered: Fall 2026 An introduction of epidemiological concepts, data analysis, and methods applicable to primary care research. | ||
| EDPE 575 | Statistics for Practitioners. | 3 |
Statistics for Practitioners. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Understanding and interpreting basic statistical procedures used in basic and applied research, including graphs, measures of central tendency and variability, hypothesis testing, and correlations, t-tests, and basic ANOVA designs. | ||
| EPIB 507 | Biostats for Health Sciences. | 3 |
Biostats for Health Sciences. Terms offered: Summer 2026, Fall 2026 Basic principles of statistical inference applicable to clinical, epidemiologic, and other health research. Topics include: methods of describing data, statistical inference for means, statistical inference for proportions, non-parametric statistics, correlation and introduction to linear regression. | ||
| EPIB 521 | Regression Analysis for Health Sciences. | 3 |
Regression Analysis for Health Sciences. Terms offered: Winter 2027 The aim of this course is to provide students with basic principles of regression analyses applicable to the health sciences so that they can understand and use appropriate statistical regression techniques for continuous and discrete data. The course will cover: Linear regression: Regression for two or more explanatory variables, Polynomial regression, Dummy variables, Inference for regression parameters, Confounding and collinearity, Effect modification, Model-checking, Model selection, Prediction. Logistic and Poisson regression: Logistic regression for one or more variables, Interpreting odds ratios, Inference for logistic and Poisson regression parameters, Confounding and interactions in logistic regression, Model selection, Prediction. A very brief overview of survival analysis. | ||
| EXSU 606 | Statistics for Surgical Research. | 3 |
Statistics for Surgical Research. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Review of statistics for surgical research. | ||
Or 3 credits of a research design or statistics course at the 500 level or higher chosen in consultation with the student's mentor and approved by the Program Committee and the Graduate Program Director. Students who already have a very strong background in statistics may be exempt from taking a statistics course and would choose another 3-credit course. This must be approved by the Program Committee and the Graduate Program Director.
27 credits selected from:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EPIB 671 | Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention. | 3 |
Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention. Terms offered: Fall 2026 This course will explore the common epidemiologic approaches to studying etiologic relations in carcinogenesis and for assessing the efficacy of cancer prevention interventions. Emphasis will be given on both molecular and social epidemiology domains with examples of different study designs and data analysis methods and of the impact of measurement error and other biases. | ||
| EXMD 614 | Environmental Carcinogenesis. | 3 |
Environmental Carcinogenesis. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Methods for identification of carcinogens, including epidemiological studies, animal modelling and molecular biomarkers, and characteristics of known environmental carcinogens (viruses, chemical and physical agents and diet). Environmental factors will be placed in the context of overall cancer risk, which involves interaction of genetics, host and environment. | ||
| EXMD 617 | Workshop in Clinical Trials 1. | 1 |
Workshop in Clinical Trials 1. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Intensive day-long workshop discussing Industrial/Academic/Governmental interactions in the design, testing and approval of drugs. | ||
| EXMD 618 | Workshop in Clinical Trials 2. | 1 |
Workshop in Clinical Trials 2. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Intensive day-long workshop discussing the role of the physician in drug testing. | ||
| EXMD 619 | Workshop in Clinical Trials 3. | 1 |
Workshop in Clinical Trials 3. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Intensive day-long workshop discussing the pharmacoeconomics of drug design and testing. | ||
| EXMD 620 | Clinical Trials and Research 1. | 1 |
Clinical Trials and Research 1. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Intensive day-long workshop discussing a topical subject or recent advance relevant to clinical research and the conduct of clinical trials. | ||
| EXMD 625 | Clinical Trials and Research 2. | 1 |
Clinical Trials and Research 2. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Intensive day-long workshop discussing a topical subject or recent advance relevant to clinical research and the conduct of clinical trials. | ||
| EXMD 626 | Clinical Trials and Research 3. | 1 |
Clinical Trials and Research 3. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Intensive day-long workshop discussing a topical subject or recent advance relevant to clinical research and the conduct of clinical trials. | ||
| EXMD 635D1 | Experimental/Clinical Oncology. | 3 |
Experimental/Clinical Oncology. Terms offered: Fall 2026 The course will deal, on a site by site basis, with the incidence of cancer, present treatment, treatment outcome, underlying causes, current research and directions for development of new treatments. Chemotherapy, surgery, radiation therapy and nutrition as therapy and treatment of cancer will be included. | ||
| EXMD 635D2 | Experimental/Clinical Oncology. | 3 |
Experimental/Clinical Oncology. Terms offered: Winter 2027 See EXMD 635D1 for course description. | ||
| EXMD 640 | Experimental Medicine Topic 1. | 3 |
Experimental Medicine Topic 1. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Study, through guided reading, visits, practicals, assignments, of an elected and approved topic of importance in medical science. | ||
| EXSU 500 | Fundamentals of AI in Medicine | 3 |
Fundamentals of AI in Medicine Terms offered: Fall 2026 Introduction to artificial intelligence (AI) applied to issues in medical diagnosis, therapy selection and learning from health data. Various AI methods, electronic medical records, and ethical/security concerns. Machine learning approaches including deep learning and reinforcement learning without delving too deeply into the technical details. | ||
| EXSU 601 | Knowledge Management 1. | 3 |
Knowledge Management 1. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Critical elements required for the preparation and evaluation of abstracts and full-length manuscripts. | ||
| EXSU 602 | Knowledge Management 2. | 3 |
Knowledge Management 2. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Critical elements required for the creation and delivery of digital slide presentations. | ||
| FMED 619 | Program Management in Global Health and Primary Health Care. | 3 |
Program Management in Global Health and Primary Health Care. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Program management design, theory, methods and practical applications in both domestic and global health settings, with a focus on primary health care in order to achieve rapid scale-up of effective health interventions towards universal coverage while strengthening health systems for sustained impact. | ||
| GPHL 500 | Critical Perspectives in Global Health | 3 |
Critical Perspectives in Global Health Terms offered: Fall 2026 Global health issues, including global burden of diseases, determinants of health, transition in health and drivers of such transition, challenges in healthcare delivery in resource-limited settings, and the variety of agencies and actors engaged in addressing global health challenges. | ||
| PPHS 528 | Economic Evaluation of Health Programs. | 3 |
Economic Evaluation of Health Programs. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Concepts and methods used to carry out economic evaluations of health programs and interventions, including public health interventions, pharmaceuticals, and other health care interventions. Includes topics such as calculation of unit costs, measurement of quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and assessment of uncertainty in cost-effectiveness analysis. | ||
| PSYC 507 | Emotions, Stress, and Illness. | 3 |
Emotions, Stress, and Illness. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Emotional effects on peripheral physiology and the development, course, and outcome of physical disorders such as high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, ulcers, asthma, and cancer. | ||
| SWRK 668 | Living with Illness, Loss and Bereavement. | 3 |
Living with Illness, Loss and Bereavement. Terms offered: Fall 2026 This seminar addresses the psycho-social concerns of patients and family members living with illness and/or non-bereavement loss. An interdisciplinary theoretical perspective is combined with clinical practice interventions. Special attention will be given to the role of the social worker. | ||
Or other courses, at the 500 level or higher, chosen with approval from the instructor and in consultation with the student's supervisor and approved by the Program Committee and the Graduate Program Director.