Science
ufv.ca/scienceThe UFV Bachelor of Science (BSc) is a program of academic study for students pursuing educational or career goals in the natural sciences. The program requirements encourage a breadth of intellectual and academic experience, and at the same time, recognize the importance of concentrated study in a specific field or discipline. The BSc may serve as an educational goal in itself, as qualification for those who wish to pursue advanced degrees at other educational institutions, or as a qualification for employment.
The BSc consists of a minimum of 120 credits. To receive a Bachelor of Science degree, students must, at a minimum, complete the requirements for at least one of a science honours, science major, or double science minor, in addition to the General BSc requirements.
Note: Once a student has nine or more university-level credits, admission will be based on the cummulative GPA.
Attendance at a Bachelor of Science information session or personal interview with an Advisor is recommended.
Students who do not meet these requirements might consider Qualifying Studies.
Applications are accepted for entrance to the Fall, Winter, and Summer semesters. For application deadlines, see Specific intake application process.
See the Fees and Other Costs section. Books and additional supplies could cost approximately $50–200 per course.
With appropriate planning, the Bachelor of Science requirements can be completed in four years of full-time study. Because upper-level courses are offered on a limited basis, students should seek the help of an Advisor to plan their coursework in advance, in order to complete their degree in a timely manner. The choice of which courses are to be offered each year will be made with reference to the needs of students who have declared their BSc major. Students staying for a longer period may wish to pursue the Co-operative Education option. All graduation requirements must be completed within 10 years of initial entry to the program.
First-year courses can be completed at either the Abbotsford or Chilliwack campus. Currently, most courses beyond first year are only offered at the Abbotsford campus.
Honours are offered in:
Majors are offered in:
Note: No major may be combined with a minor in the same discipline. The Biochemistry major cannot be combined with either the Biology minor or the Chemistry minor. The Mathematics major cannot be combined with the Mathematics minor (Statistics option).
Minors are offered in:
A double minor degree is available. Students choose two minors from:
Note: The Mathematics minor (Statistics option) cannot be combined with either the Applied Statistics minor or the Mathematics minor.
Students may formally declare a Science major or minor if they meet all of the following requirements:
Bachelor of Science students are expected to declare a major or minor by the time they have completed 60 credits. In order to have access to discipline-reserved seating, where applicable, students must be admitted to the BSc and be formally declared. Students who are undecided should consult with an Advisor regarding their options.
Please note that the number of students requesting entry into any Science honours, major, or minor may exceed capacity. Departments reserve the right to select competitively if necessary. The basis for selection will be the applicant’s GPA on required lower-level prerequisites; students in the Bachelor of Science program will have priority. UFV cannot guarantee available seats in required program courses.
Applied Statistics minor declaration requirements:
Biochemistry major declaration requirements:
Biology declaration requirements:
Chemistry major declaration requirements:
Chemistry minor declaration requirements:
Computing Science major declaration requirements:
Computing Science minor declaration requirements:
Mathematics declaration requirements:
Physical Geography declaration requirements:
Physics declaration requirements:
Other degree programs may declare a science major or minor by satisfying the Bachelor of Science declaration requirements of the major/minor listed above. Students must also have the approval of their degree program.
Biology Honours, Mathematics Honours, and Physical Geography Honours declaration procedures and requirements are listed in those sections of the academic calendar.
Physics Honours will be awarded to students who declare the Physics major and have also completed the Physics Honours requirements.
Students completing the requirements for a science major or double minor may combine the major or double minor with an arts major, arts extended minor or minor, Computer Information Systems minor, Kinesiology minor, or Business minor, with the following exceptions:
Note: Students who wish to combine a science major or double minor with a non-science major or minor may need to complete more than 120 credits in order to complete the degree.
The Co-operative Education option provides students with the opportunity to acquire paid, career-related work experience in conjunction with their studies in the Bachelor of Science and Associate of Science degree programs. See the Co-operative Education section for more details.
To be eligible for the BSc students must satisfy the following general requirements:
Note 1: Students who fail to declare a major/minor by the completion of 60 credits may be removed from the program. Students who are undecided should consult with an Advisor regarding their options.
Note 2: Students who wish to complete a major and a minor may need to complete more than 120 credits to complete their degree.
Students who have completed university-level courses at other post-secondary institutions can apply for the BSc at UFV. A maximum of 90 credits may be transferred to UFV for the degree. However, not all courses may be applicable to specific science programs; please check with an Academic Advisor. Applicants with significantly more than 90 credits might consider completing their studies at their original institution. (See Visiting students in the Transfer Credit section of the calendar.)
Most of the lower-level courses (100- and 200-level) offered as part of the BSc program are transferable to all B.C. post-secondary academic institutions. Students enrolling in UFV upper-level courses with the intention of completing a degree at another institution should consult that institution for information regarding transferability of these courses.
UFV BSc students who wish to take academic work at other institutions for credit toward the UFV BSc degree must obtain permission in advance from an Academic Advisor. A request for a Letter of Permission form may be obtained from the UFV Office of the Registrar. When approval has been granted, the Office of the Registrar will issue a Letter of Permission to the student. (Also see Visiting students in the Transfer Credit section of the calendar.)
A maximum of 90 transfer and/or course challenge credits may be applied to the BSc. All requirements for the BSc must be met.
All students accepted into the BSc program at UFV are expected to maintain acceptable standards of scholarship. Specifically, they are expected to maintain a minimum CGPA of 2.00 on all courses.
Students enrolled in undergraduate courses (courses numbered 100 or higher) must maintain an undergraduate Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of at least 2.00 to remain enrolled in Good Academic Standing at UFV. Students in Good Academic Standing will have no registration limits placed on them. Failure to meet the minimum CGPA requirement will result in restrictions on registration and may eventually lead to academic suspension from undergraduate studies at UFV. Students on Academic Warning or Academic Probation are limited to registering in 10 credits. For further details, see the Academic standing and undergraduate continuance section of the academic calendar. Academic standing is governed by UFV's Undergraduate Continuance policy (92).
The academic standing of all students covered under this policy for courses where letter grades are assigned will be determined at intervals of nine credits at the start of students' academic careers and then at the end of every term after 27 credits have been completed. Students will be assessed after every term enrolled, but Academic Standing will only change at the intervals noted above. Students’ academic standing will be permanently reflected on their student record and will appear on official and unofficial transcripts.
After each semester, students put on Academic Warning, Academic Probation, or Required to Withdraw status or who are continued on Warning or Probation will be notified by the Registrar.
Students may not register for a course more than twice without permission. No more than five upper-level course duplications will be permitted on courses which apply to the BSc. Students with more than five upper-level course duplications will be required to withdraw from the program. Where a course has been repeated, only the higher grade is counted in the GPA calculation.
Students may register as audit students or change to audit status only during the first three weeks of the semester. See the Audit section of the calendar for more information. Audited courses are not acceptable for meeting requirements for the BSc degree.
Course challenge is a method by which students may obtain credit for course material learned elsewhere (i.e., outside UFV). A maximum of 90 university-level credits may be obtained by the combined mechanism of course challenge and transfer credit. See the Course challenge section for more information.
Students who have been required to withdraw from UFV under the Undergraduate Continuance policy (92) are subject to readmission and continuance requirements as listed in the UFV academic calendar. Students are normally only readmitted once to the same program.
To meet the residency requirement of the BSc, the following restrictions apply:
It is the student's responsibility to ensure all program requirements are met. This should be done by regular consultation with an Academic Advisor.
Students must apply for graduation in the first month of their final semester. Visit the Graduation webpage for more information. The final deadline for students who wish to attend the June Convocation ceremony is April 1 of each year, with all program requirements completed by April 30.
For complete details on courses see the course descriptions section.