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Biology
www.ufv.ca/biology
Biology Honours
This program will allow students to further their Biology degree through additional course requirements with greater course expectations and a higher degree of research in the form of a project. The in-depth research project will prepare students for admission to graduate schools and/or professional work.
Students may apply for entry into the program at any time after completing the minimum requirements but before they are awarded a BSc degree in Biology. However, interested students are encouraged to seek out information and advice on the Honours program from Biology faculty or a science advisor as early as possible in their coursework, and to apply to the Honours program at the earliest possible entry date.
Entrance requirements
75 credits of coursework, including all lower-level biology and mathematics requirements and CHEM213, with a minimum 3.33 cumulative GPA.
How to apply
Once a student has the entrance requirements, they are eligible to apply for entry into the Biology Honours program. Students will be required to identify a faculty advisor who is willing to supervise the research project. Students can also be admitted if they identify a research supervisor from outside the department who would need to be approved by the departmental Honours Advisory Committee. In this case, a faculty advisor would be assigned to monitor the progress of the student in the program.
In order to submit an application, students will need to provide the following:
• A Biology Honours program application form (available from the Department Assistant).
• A completed checklist (available from the Department Assistant) demonstrating successful completion of required coursework for application.
• A copy of their transcripts (these do not need to be official transcripts).
• A letter from a faculty member or external research supervisor agreeing to supervise the research project.
Students should submit their application materials to the Biology Department Assistant. The department Honours Advisory Committee (HAC) will then approve the project supervisor. In the case of students whose research project is to be supervised by an external researcher, the HAC will assign a faculty Honours supervisor. Students are encouraged to approach a departmental faculty member appropriate to their research interests by the end of the second year of their Biology program.
Program requirements
This section specifies the biology honours discipline requirements only. Please refer to the Bachelor of Science section for information on additional requirements.
Lower-level requirements
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| BIO 111 |
Introductory Biology I |
5 |
| BIO 112 |
Introductory Biology II |
5 |
| BIO 201 |
Cell Biology I |
4 |
| BIO 202 |
Cell Biology II |
4 |
| BIO 210 |
Introductory Ecology |
4 |
| BIO 220 |
Introductory Genetics |
4 |
| CHEM 113 |
Principles of Chemistry I |
4-5 |
| CHEM 114 |
Principles of Chemistry II |
4-5 |
| PHYS 105 |
Non-Calculus Physics |
|
| or PHYS 111 |
Mechanics |
|
| and PHYS 112 |
Electricity and Magnetism |
4-10 |
| MATH 111 |
Calculus I |
4 |
| MATH 112 |
Calculus II |
4 |
| CHEM 213 |
Organic Chemistry I |
4 |
| CHEM |
CHEM course numbered 200 or above |
4 |
| Plus
one course selected from the following: (see Note) |
| MATH 104 |
Introductory Statistics |
4 |
| MATH 106 |
Statistics I |
4 |
| MATH 270 |
Introduction to Probability and Statistics |
4 |
Note: Students should note that the prerequisites for MATH 302 require one of the following: MATH 104 with a minimum B+, MATH 106 with a minimum B, or MATH 270. The Biology department strongly recommends MATH 270.
Upper-level requirements
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| BIO 312 |
Developmental Biology |
3 |
| BIO 320 |
Biochemistry |
3 |
| BIO 401 |
Molecular Biology I |
3 |
| BIO 416 |
Evolution |
3 |
| BIO 497 |
Biology Seminar |
1 |
| BIO 499 |
Directed Studies in Honours Biology |
9 |
| MATH 302 |
Analysis of Observational and Experimental Data |
3 |
| Electives |
Upper-level university courses in any discipline |
14 |
| Plus: |
|
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| BIO courses numbered 300 and above. (Included in these 18 upper-level credits must be at least eight credits chosen from four-credit BIO courses with labs.) |
18 |
Upper-level courses at other institutions may be counted as upper-level Biology transfer credit. See Courses at other institutions for details.
Honours research project
Prior to enrolling in BIO 499, each honours candidate will need to meet with their honours supervisor to assess their progress in the honours program. At this time, the candidate should submit an updated transcript to their supervisor for review.
Successful completion of a research project is required prior to graduation. This project, which will be developed in consultation with a faculty (or research and honours) supervisor, will demonstrate a student’s skill and knowledge in the area of biological research being pursued. Each honours applicant will then be required to present the findings of their research at a professional or university conference, or at some other venue approved by the HAC.
Following project completion and presentation, the Honours supervisor will recommend a letter grade. The HAC will choose whether or not to accept this grade based on further review of the student’s work in BIO499.
Graduation requirements
The student’s final CGPA must be at least 3.33, and a grade of B+ or better must be achieved BIO 499, in order for an Honours designation to be awarded.
Course listings
For complete details on courses see the
course descriptions section.
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