If you are enrolling in York University this September 2023 (domestic and visa students), please visit our incoming students’ program page, here. Incoming York students enroll in the Transition program for a substantially reduced fee.
The York Science Transition Program for Non-York Students is designed for students who will not be attending York in Fall 2023. It will prepare you for university at any post-secondary institution in the world.
The five-week summer modules are designed to help you feel confident in starting university this fall. Each module will cover the core concepts and material that are required for first year university study. Please note that these courses do not take the place of grade 12 biology, math, physics, or chemistry. Instead, they are a review of high school content that is fundamental to succeeding in university-level science courses.
For more details about the topics that will be covered in each module, please see below:
The University Experience
Day(s): Wednesdays, July 5 to August 2, 2023
Time: 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM (EST)
The University Experience Module is designed to help students develop and/or enhance essential skills that they will use in most of their university courses. In this module each unit will review strategies for:
Week 1: Note-taking and academic reading
Week 2: Effective studying and the myths of multi-tasking
Week 3: Maintaining Academic Integrity in In-class and Online Environments
Week 4: Writing and Research Strategies
Week 5: Professional Communications with Professors and Peers
Biology
Day(s): Tuesdays & Thursdays, July 4 to August 3, 2023
Time: 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM (EST)
Week 1: Biological macromolecules I [Carbohydrates & Proteins]
Week 2: Biological macromolecules II [Lipids & Nucleic acids]
Week 3: Cell Biology [Prokaryote vs Eukaryote cell structure, Mitosis, Meiosis]
Week 4: Molecular Biology [Eukaryotic DNA Replication, Transcription, Translation]
Week 5: Evolution [Natural selection, Adaptation, Convergent and Divergent evolution]
Each module (each week) will include:
| Asynchronous teaching | Synchronous teaching |
| Lecture notes Taped lectures Assignments (quizzes, crossword puzzles and other fun-with-learning activities) Evaluations (objective- and subjective-type questions) | Meeting the students 3 hours every week via Zoom to discuss specific topics from the modules which need emphasis and also to discuss queries from the students related to the modules/ lecture notes and assignments/ evaluations. |
Chemistry
Day(s): Tuesdays & Thursdays, July 4 to August 3, 2023
Time: 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM (EST)
Week 1: Experimentation and Measurement
Scientific method; Physical and chemical changes and properties; Experimentation and measurement: Measurement: mass, length temperature; Derived Units: density, Volume; Accuracy, precision, and significant figures; Rounding numbers; Unit conversion; Problem solving; Estimation.
Week 2: Atoms and Elements
Building blocks of matter; Laws supporting the atomic theory: The Conservation of Mass and the law of Definite Proportions; Law of multiple proportions and Dalton’s Atomic Theory; Atomic Structure: electrons, protons, and neutrons; Atomic numbers, isotopes, and ions; Atomic weights and the mole; Periodic table of elements
Week 3: Molecules, Compounds and Nomenclature
Chemical Bonds: ionic and covalent; Representing compounds: chemical formulas and molecular models; Formulas and names; Formula mass and mole concept for compounds; Percent composition and empirical formulas
Week 4: Chemical Reactions and Stoichiometry
Chemical equation; Balancing chemical equations; Chemical arithmetic: Stoichiometry; Limiting Reactants, Theoretical yield, Percent yield; Solution concentration and solution stoichiometry
Week 5: Reactions in Aqueous Solution
Solutions and solubility; Precipitation reactions; Acid-base reactions; Oxidation-reduction reactions
This course will offer students a solid review of high school material that will not be explicitly covered in university courses again but is the fundamental knowledge students need in order to succeed in their first-year chemistry courses. Students will deepen their understanding of chemistry through the review of atomic theory, chemical bonding, molecules and compounds, chemical reactions and stoichiometry, solutions and solubility, precipitation reactions, acid-base reactions, and oxidation-reduction reactions. Throughout all the units, a large emphasis will be placed on developing systematic problem-solving skills.
Math Essentials
Day(s): Tuesdays & Thursdays, July 4 to August 3, 2023
Time: 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM (EST)
Week 1: Exponents, factoring and rational expressions
Week 2: Solving linear/quadratic equations and inequalities
Week 3: Exponential and logarithmic functions
Week 4: Trigonometry
Week 5: Limits and an introduction to derivatives
Throughout the course, we will be also discussing study skills and mathematical problem-solving strategies to help best prepare you for your university mathematics course.
Physics
Day(s): Tuesdays & Thursdays, July 4 to August 3, 2023
Time: 2:30 PM - 4:00 PM (EST)
Week 1: 1-D motion. 1-dimensional motion is described including acceleration and force using constant gravity as an example. Angular (radian) measurements and a second example of 1-dimensional motion described in the case of rotation about a fixed point.
Week 2: 2-D motion. Projectile motion, Circular motion, and torque
Week 3: Work, Energy, Momentum. Conservation and relationships in energy and momentum. Rotational energy and angular momentum.
Week 4: Oscillatory motion. Introduction to waves. Mechanical vs. electromagnetic wave.
Week 5: Introduction to astronomy. Universal gravitation.