Academic Calendar 2024/25

Biology

ufv.ca/biology

Biology major

This section specifies the Biology major discipline requirements only. Please refer to the Bachelor of Science section for information on additional requirements.

Declaration requirements

Students admitted to the Bachelor of Science may formally declare a science major or minor if they have a minimum CGPA of 2.00 and meet the declaration requirements for the subject discipline. BSc students are expected to declare a major or minor by the time they have completed 60 credits. Students in other degree programs may declare a science major or minor if they satisfy the declaration requirements and have the approval of their program.

Bachelor of Science students wishing to declare a Biology major must complete the following prior to their formal declaration:

  • BIO 111 and CHEM 113
  • BIO 112 and CHEM 114 with a C+ or better in each
  • One of the following: MATH 111, PHYS 105, PHYS 111, STAT 104, or STAT 106

Program outline

Lower-level requirements

Course Title Credits
BIO 111 Introductory Biology I 5
BIO 112 Introductory Biology II 5
BIO 201 Cell Biochemistry/Metabolism 4
BIO 202 Cell Signaling/Gene Regulation 4
BIO 210 Introductory Ecology 4
BIO 220 Genetics 4
CHEM 113 Principles of Chemistry I 5
CHEM 114 Principles of Chemistry II 5
CHEM 213 Organic Chemistry I 4
CHEM An additional CHEM course numbered 200 or higher 3–4
MATH 111 Calculus I 4
MATH 112 Calculus II 4
or MATH 118 Calculus II for Life Sciences  
PHYS 105 Heat, Waves, and Optics 5–10
or the combination of:  
PHYS 111 Mechanics
and PHYS 112 Electricity and Magnetism  
One of: (see Note) 4
STAT 104 Introductory Statistics  
STAT 106 Statistics I  
MATH 270/ STAT 270 Introduction to Probability and Statistics  

Upper-level requirements

Course Title Credits
Two of: 6
BIO 310 Conservation Biology
BIO 312 Developmental Biology
BIO 320/ BIOC 320 Biochemistry
BIO 416 Evolution
Plus:
BIO 24 credits of BIO courses numbered 300 and above (see Note) 24
Plus: 14 credits of upper-level university courses in any discipline, three credits of which must be non-BIO 14

Note: Included in these 24 upper-level credits must be at least eight credits chosen from four-credit BIO courses with labs.

Note: Included in these 24 upper-level BIO credits must be at least eight credits chosen from four-credit BIO courses with labs. A maximum of six directed studies credits and a maximum of eight field school credits of BIO 442 may be used as part of this requirement.

Upper-level courses at other institutions may be counted as upper-level Biology transfer credit. See Courses at other institutions for details.

Concentrations

The following concentrations are available in the Biology major:

  • Cellular, Molecular, and Genetics
  • Ecology and Biology of Organisms
  • Pre-Medicine/Pre-Veterinary

See this section for concentration requirements.

Preparation for teaching

Students who intend to prepare for public school teaching should complete the Biology major with six credits of English (three credits of composition and three credits of literature) and at least one other teachable minor is recommended. Students should see an Advisor for the composition of teachable minors.

Course listings

For complete details on courses see the course descriptions section.


Current Students