Course Selection

The undergraduate Biology program includes

  • Biology Core (introduction to the core disciplines within biology)
    • BIOL 1113 + BIOL 1123
    • any two of BIOL 2033, BIOL 2043, BIOL 2053 and BIOL 2073 (see Year 2 for course descriptions)
  • MATH 1253 (Statistics 1) and MATH 2243 (Statistics 2 for Life Science)
  • CHEM 1013 General Chemistry 1 and CHEM 1023 General Chemistry 2
  • upper-level Biology courses (listed under Current Students, Courses and Themes tab)
  • BSc students are additionally required to complete 6 courses (18h) from the Faculties of Arts and Professional Studies (aka the Science Core in Acadia calendar), a Minor (described below), and to take a number of elective courses.

Both the Biology Core and the required courses in math and chemistry should be completed by the end of your second year.

After the Biology Core is completed, students round out their biology degree by choosing from a wide-range of biology courses. These courses can provide a comprehensive understanding of biology or, can be focused on one of our program themes (Biodiversity and Ecology, Genetics and Evolution or Health Science), depending on your interest (see Courses and Themes tab).

Please see the Academic Calendar for your program year for how these apply to your program, as the specific requirements may vary by the year you started your program. Not sure what your program year is? Check the Progress tab on My Acadia/ Self-Service- it will be listed there.

Year 1

Courses in bold face are required.

Fall Term

Winter Term

BIOL 1113/ 1110L Organisms and Their Environment 1

BIOL 1123/ 1120L Organisms and Their Environment 2

CHEM 1013/ 1010L General Chemistry 1

CHEM 1023/ 1020L General Chemistry 2

MATH 1253/ 1250L Statistics 1

Elective 3 (or, MATH 2243/ 2240L Stats 2)

Elective 1

Elective 4

Elective 2

Elective 5

Are you interested in the Co-operative Education Program? Contact them early in your program to find out if this excellent program is a good choice for you.

The Biology Core introduces Biology Majors to the core disciplines within biology. Both the Biology Core and the required courses in math and chemistry should be completed by the end of your second year. After the Biology Core is completed, students round out their biology degree by choosing from a wide-range of biology courses. These courses can provide a comprehensive understanding of biology or, can be focussed on one of our program themes (Biodiversity and Ecology, Genetics and Evolution or Health Science), depending on your interest (see Courses and Themes tab).

The Biology Core consists of BIOL 1113, BIOL 1123, BIOL 2013 and any two of BIOL 2033, BIOL 2043, BIOL 2053 and BIOL 2073.

For a complete list and description of Biology courses visit MyAcadia Self-Service and select the Course Catalog.

 

What are electives?

Electives are courses in a program outside Biology. We suggest you take at least two courses that will count towards the ‘Science Core’ requirements for the Bachelor of Science program, which requires you to complete four courses (12 credit hours) in the Faculty of Arts and an additional two courses (6 credit hours) in the Faculty of Arts or the Faculty of Professional Studies over your four-year program. Details of which courses fit this requirement are on My Acadia Self Service. It’s a good idea to start these requirements in year one- you may discover a whole area that you would like to pursue as a minor or double major.

Year 2

Courses in bold face are required.
Courses in italics are selectives - any two are required but all four can be taken for program credit.*

Fall Term

Winter Term

BIOL 2033/ 2030L Principles of Ecology

BIOL 2013/ 2010L Cell & Molecular Biology

BIOL 2043/ 2040L Biodiversity of Plants & Algae

BIOL 2073/ 2070L Animal Biodiversity

BIOL 2053/ 2050L Microbial Biodiversity

MATH 2243/ 2240L Statistics 2 for Life Science

Elective

Elective

Elective

Elective

* As you choose your selectives (BIOL 2033, 2043, 2053 and 2073), keep in mind that these are pre-requisites for specific courses in the third and fourth year. Check the Academic Calendar for the descriptions of the upper-level courses- the pre-requisites will be listed there.

Years 3 and 4

In years 3 and 4, Biology majors take upper-level Biology courses selected from our wide-range of course offerings (see Courses and Themes tab). The number of courses you will be required to take depends on your program and program year.  Note that if you switch to an Honours program (BScH BIOL), additional specific courses are required (BIOL 4023, BIOL 407T and BIOL 408T).

In year 3, you should declare your Minor if you have not already done so. A Minor is a cluster of courses in a discipline outside of your Major.  Most disciplinary minors (i.e., all courses are taken within one discipline) are 18h (or, 6 courses) in FPAS.  Minor requirements vary by program so please check the Academic Calendar that applies to your program year.

Multidisciplinary Minors are also available. These are generally 24h and include Health Sciences and Humanities and Science, Technology and Ethics. The Faculty of Arts offers many Multidisciplinary Minors.  Or, maybe you are interested in a program option? These, unlike a Minor, are not required but will help guide you to courses that might be valuable to you in your future career. These include the Biochemistry Option, Data Science Option, Health Sciences, Science and Business of Beverage Option (Co-op) and The Science and Business of Biopharma (Co-op). Interested in knowing more? You’ve guessed it- start with the Academic Calendar and then reach out to a program advisor.

Degrees

Additional courses are required depending on degree (double major, Honours, etc.) and are described in the Acadia Calendar.