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Biological Sciences Honours Program
Department of Biological Sciences | Faculty of Science
91ÅÝܽ Calendar 2011 Summer
This honours program offers independent research and in-depth study. It requires minimum of 132 units as specified below.
Entry requires a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 3.0 or higher (B standing), and department permission.
Students complete all lower division requirements as shown below, and at least 15 upper division units in biological sciences prior to application for entry.
Students should contact an advisor before enrolment.
Program Requirements
Students should complete the lower division core requirements within the first 60 units (four terms).
Students are encouraged to choose their stream upon lower division core completion. Students who have had more than five course repeats are normally not permitted to remain in the program. Direct entry to the BISC major upon acceptance to the University is possible if Faculty of Science criteria is met.
This program offers independent research and in-depth study. Entry requires a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 3.0 or higher (B standing) and department permission. Students complete all lower division requirements and at least 15 upper division units in biological sciences prior to application for entry. The honours program has the same requirements as the major except for the following additional requirements.
- maintenance of a minimum of 3.00 CGPA
- completion of a minimum of 60 upper division units in biological sciences or related subjects approved by the department, which must include a research-based honours thesis comprising BISC 490, 491 and 492W
- completion of appropriate electives to achieve 132 units, including the writing, quantitative and breadth requirements
Lower Division Requirements
Students normally complete the following chemistry, mathematics and physics requirements as well as the lower division biological sciences courses within the first 60 units (four terms) of study.
See an example of a typical .
Students complete all of
- BISC 101-4 Introduction to Biology
- BISC 102-4 Introduction to Biology
- BISC 202-3 Genetics
- BISC 204-3 Introduction to Ecology
- CHEM 121-4 General Chemistry and Laboratory I
- CHEM 122-2 General Chemistry II
- CHEM 281-4 Organic Chemistry and Laboratory I
- CHEM 282-2 Organic Chemistry II
- MBB 222-3 Molecular Biology and Biochemistry
- MBB 231-3 Cell Biology and Biochemistry
- STAT 201-3 Statistics for the Life Sciences
and one of
- MATH 150-4 Calculus I with Review
- MATH 151-3 Calculus I
- MATH 154-3 Calculus I for the Biological Sciences
and one of
- MATH 152-3 Calculus II
- MATH 155-3 Calculus II for the Biological Sciences
and one of
- PHYS 101-3 Physics for the Life Sciences I
- PHYS 120-3 Mechanics and Modern Physics
- PHYS 125-3 Mechanics and Special Relativity
- PHYS 140-4 Studio Physics – Mechanics and Modern Physics
and one of
- PHYS 102-3 Physics for the Life Sciences II
- PHYS 121-3 Optics, Electricity and Magnetism
- PHYS 126-3 Electricity, Magnetism and Light
- PHYS 141-4 Studio Physics – Optics, Electricity and Magnetism
Students are encouraged to complete a full year of organic chemistry.
Medical, dental or veterinary school applicants should include all CHEM courses that are listed above.
Upper Division Requirements
Entry into courses numbered 300 and above normally requires completion of the lower division requirements. Prerequisites for any course may be waived with the approval of the department.
honours students will complete a minimum of 60 upper division units in biological sciences, or related subjects approved by the department, which must include a research-based honours thesis as specified below.
Students complete a minimum of 12 upper division courses by completing all of
- BISC 300-3 Evolution
- BISC 333-3 Developmental Biology
and one of
- BISC 305-3 Animal Physiology
- BISC 366-3 Plant Physiology
and at least one of
- BISC 303-4 Microbiology
- BISC 306-4 Invertebrate Biology
- BISC 316-4 Vertebrate Biology
- BISC 317-3 Insect Biology
- BISC 326-3 Biology of Algae and Fungi
- BISC 337-4 Plant Biology
- BISC 418-3 Parasitology
Stream Requirement
In addition to the above requirements, students choose remaining requirements in an area of specialization by completing one of three streams: cells, molecules and physiology; ecology, evolution and conservation; and an open stream. The open stream provides broad biological training, or may be used to specialize in an area not offered by the main streams (consult the undergraduate program advisor, individual faculty, or department website for advice on other areas of specialization). The course requirements for each stream are as follows.
- Cells, Molecules and Physiology Stream
-
Students who choose this stream will complete two of
- BISC 302W-3 Genetic Analysis
- BISC 307W-3 Animal Physiology Laboratory
- BISC 357-3 Gene Cloning
- BISc 367W-3 Plant Physiology Lab
and three of
- BISC 303-4 Microbiology
- BISC 313-3 Environmental Toxicology
- BISC 403-3 Current Topics in Cell Biology
- BISC 405-3 Neurobiology
- BISC 429W-4 Separation Methods in Biology
- BISC 430-3 Microbe-Plant Interactions
- BISC 432-3 Chemical Pesticides and the Environment
- BISC 439-4 Industrial Microbiology
- BISC 445-3 Environmental Physiology of Animals
- BISC 449-4 Histological Techniques in Biology
- BISC 455-3 Endocrinology
- BISC 457-3 Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology
- BISC 497W-3 Undergraduate Research: Writing Intensive
- BISC 498-3 Undergraduate Research I
- BISC 499-3 Undergraduate Research II
and three elective courses (nine units) from any upper division undergraduate BISC courses, or from courses offered by other 91ÅÝܽ departments where the course content specifically relates to this stream's topic, subject to the approval by the department. Normally no more than two courses from other units may be used to satisfy stream requirements and additional upper division biology course requirements. Students complete a total of five lab courses (which may include one of BISC 497W, 498, 499) among their upper division BISC courses.
- Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Stream
-
Students who choose this stream will complete
- STAT 302-3 Analysis of Experimental and Observational Data
and at least one of
- BISC 304W-3 Animal Ecology
- BISC 404W-3 Plant Ecology
and four of
- BISC 309-3 Conservation Biology
- BISC 310-3 Natural History of British Columbia
- BISC 406-3 Marine Biology and Oceanography
- BISC 407-3 Population Dynamics
- BISC 410-3 Behavioral Ecology
- BISC 413-3 Fisheries Ecology
- BISC 414-3 Limnology
- BISC 419-3 Wildlife Biology
- BISC 422-3 Population Genetics
- BISC 434-3 Paleoecology and Palynology
- BISC 435-3 Introduction to Pest Management
- BISC 440W-3 Biodiversity
- BISC 441-3 Evolution of Health and Disease
- BISC 445-3 Environmental Physiology of Animals
- BISC 497W-3 Undergraduate Research: Writing Intensive
- BISC 498-3 Undergraduate Research I
- BISC 499-3 Undergraduate Research II
and two elective courses (six units) from any upper division undergraduate BISC courses, or from courses offered by other 91ÅÝܽ departments where the course content specifically relates to this stream's topic subject to the approval by the department. Normally no more than two courses from other units may be used to satisfy stream requirements and additional upper division biology course requirements. Students complete a total of five lab courses (which may include one of BISC 497W, 498, 499) among their upper division BISC courses.
- Open Stream
-
Students who choose this stream will complete an additional 24 units chosen from any upper division undergraduate BISC courses or from courses offered by other 91ÅÝܽ departments where the course content specifically relates to this stream subject to the approval by the department. Normally no more than two courses from other units may be used to satisfy upper division biology course requirements. Students complete a total of five lab courses (which may include one of BISC 497W, 498, 499) among their upper division BISC courses.
Thesis
In addition to the above requirements, honours students will complete a research-based thesis by completing
- BISC 490-5 Research Design
- BISC 491-5 Research Technique
- BISC 492W-5 Research Reporting
Minimum Grade Requirement
A grade of C- or better is required on all prerequisite BISC and MBB courses.
Faculty of Science Requirements
In addition to the above requirements, students must also satisfy Faculty of Science honours program requirements as follows.
- students are required to complete additional upper division units to total a minimum of 60 upper division units (excluding EDUC 401, 407)
- students who were enrolled at 91ÅÝܽ between fall 1991 and summer 2006 are required to complete a minimum of 12 units in subjects outside the Faculty of Science (excluding EDUC 401 to 407) including six units minimum to be completed in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Writing, Quantitative, and Breadth Requirements
Students admitted to 91ÅÝܽ beginning in the fall 2006 term must meet writing, quantitative and breadth requirements as part of any degree program they may undertake. See Writing, Quantitative, and Breadth Requirements for university-wide information.
| WQB Graduation Requirements A grade of C- or better is required to earn W, Q or B credit. |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Requirement | Units |
Notes | |
| W - Writing | 6 |
Must include at least one upper division course, taken at 91ÅÝܽ within the student’s major subject | |
| Q - Quantitative | 6 |
Q courses may be lower or upper division | |
| B - Breadth | 18 |
Designated Breadth | Must be outside the student’s major subject, and may be lower or upper division 6 units Social Sciences: B-Soc 6 units Humanities: B-Hum 6 units Sciences: B-Sci |
6 |
Additional Breadth | 6 units outside the student’s major subject (may or may not be B-designated courses, and will likely help fulfil individual degree program requirements) |
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Residency Requirements and Transfer Credit
The University’s residency requirement stipulates that, in most cases, total transfer and course challenge credit may not exceed 60 units, and may not include more than 15 units as upper division work.
Elective Courses
In addition to the courses listed above, students should consult an academic advisor to plan the remaining required elective courses.