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Suggested Courses for your Biology program
This information is supplied as a guideline only.
You should discuss your program in detail with a Program Advisor.
Here is a handy (but unofficial) spreadsheet to let you see where you are in your program
What you should do in First Year, Second Year, At the end of Second Year and in Third and Fourth Year
(scroll down the page)
FIRST YEAR
| Fall Term | Winter Term | |||
Course |
Rationale for taking it |
Course |
Rationale for taking it |
|
| Biology 1001 | -required of all Biology students and is a prerequisite for second year courses | Biology 1501 | -required of all Biology students and is a prerequisite for upper level Biology courses | |
| - required of all Biology students and is a prerequisite for Biochem 2001 | Chemistry 1021 | -required of all Biology Majors | ||
| Chem 1001 | - required of all Biology students and is a prerequisite for Biology 1501 | Math XXXX | - a second Math or Computer Science course is required for your B.Sc. | |
| Math 1111 | - required for your B.Sc. Program | Physics 1551 or 3521 | - a second Physics course is required for your B.Sc. | |
| Physics 1051 | - required for your B.Sc. Program | Elective | - a course from any of the non-Science course groups (Humanities, Arts and Letters, Social Science) |
SECOND YEAR
| Course | Rationale for taking them |
Biology 2101 |
These courses constitute the Core Program in Biology. You must take six (18 credits) of these eight courses. It would be to your advantage to take as many as possible in your second year because many (especially the 2000 level courses) are prerequisites for third and fourth year courses. You should note too that there are some prerequisites embedded in this list. For example, Biology 2601 is a prerequisite for Biology 3011 and Biochemistry 2001 is a prerequisite for Biology 3101. |
AT THE END OF YOUR SECOND YEAR
The end of your second year is an important time in the development of your degree programme. Following the scheme of courses above (and passing them with at least a C-!!) will assure you that you have all the prerequisites necessary to pursue upper level (third and fourth year) courses. At this point, you should be thinking about doing an Honours degree vs. a Major. If you are planning on Majoring in Biology, you will need to accumulate 18 credits in addition to those in the 'Second Year' table above. You will also have to complete a series of courses in your Minor subject. The final decision about doing an Honours degree is usually made in the fall of your third year. If you decide to do an Honours be sure to follow the necessary steps to get a thesis supervisor. If you are planning on doing an Honours degree, you do not need to complete a Minor (although you can if you want). Honours students must take the same number of credits as the Major (but must include Biology 2701 and/or Biology 4711) PLUS 6 more credits at the 3/4000 level and Biology 4990 and Biology 4903 |
THIRD AND FOURTH YEAR
At the third and fourth year level, individual programs differ greatly depending on your decision to do Major or Honours degree or what your Minor might be. In spite of this difference in programs, there are several constraints and requirements to keep in mind. • In your third and fourth years, you have to accumulate 18 credits (6 courses) to get a Biology degree. • You have to accumulate at least 6 credits from each of the other disciplinary areas (Humanities, Arts and Letters, Social Science) •You have to complete a Minor (unless you're an Honours student) that is usually 24 credits. Be aware that only 9 of the credits in your Minor can be shared with your Major subject. This means that if you are doing a Minor in Chemistry, only Chem 1001, 1011 and 2101 can be counted for both your Major and Minor. You will then need 15 more credits (5 courses) in Chemistry. •If you are doing an Honours degree, you have to accumulate 30 credits (10 courses) but don't need a Minor. You will have to complete Biology 2701 (best done in your second year) and Biology 4990 and 4903(in your fourth year) |
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