Biology, Liberal Program - Core Science Component (47 credits)
Offered by: Biology (Faculty of Science)
Degree: Bachelor of Science
Program credit weight: 47
Program Description
The Liberal Program - Core Science Component Biology is a flexible program focusing on the fundamentals of biology. Topics include a range of biological concepts spanning molecules and cells to organisms and ecosystems, including development, behaviour and evolution. This program is well suited to students with varied interests who do not want to focus solely on biology in their studies.
Students may complete this program with a minimum of 45 credits or a maximum of 47 credits depending on their choice of complementary courses.
Degree Requirements — B.Sc.
This program is offered as part of a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree.
To graduate, students must satisfy both their program requirements and their degree requirements.
- The program requirements (i.e., the specific courses that make up this program) are listed under the Course Tab (above).
- The degree requirements—including the mandatory Foundation program, appropriate degree structure, and any additional components—are outlined on the Degree Requirements page.
Students are responsible for ensuring that this program fits within the overall structure of their degree and that all degree requirements are met. Consult the Degree Planning Guide on the SOUSA website for additional guidance.
Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.
Required Courses (24 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 200 | Molecular Biology. | 3 |
Molecular Biology. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The physical and chemical properties of the cell and its components in relation to their structure and function. Topics include: protein structure, enzymes and enzyme kinetics; nucleic acid replication, transcription and translation; the genetic code, mutation, recombination, and regulation of gene expression. | ||
| BIOL 201 | Cell Biology and Metabolism. | 3 |
Cell Biology and Metabolism. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course introduces the student to our modern understanding of cells and how they work. Major topics to be covered include: photosynthesis, energy metabolism and metabolic integration; plasma membrane including secretion, endocytosis and contact mediated interactions between cells; cytoskeleton including cell and organelle movement; the nervous system; hormone signaling; the cell cycle. | ||
| BIOL 205 | Functional Biology of Plants and Animals. | 3 |
Functional Biology of Plants and Animals. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Unified view of form and function in animals and plants. Focus on how the laws of chemistry and physics illuminate biological processes relating to the acquisition of energy and materials and their use in movement, growth, development, reproduction and responses to environmental stress. | ||
| BIOL 206 | Methods in Biology. | 3 |
Methods in Biology. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Introduction to modern methods used in organismal biology, including ecological sampling, experimental methods and statistics. Particular emphasis is on ways of thinking about the design of sampling programs and the analyses of data to test hypotheses using observational or experimental data. | ||
| BIOL 215 | Introduction to Ecology and Evolution. | 3 |
Introduction to Ecology and Evolution. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to the fundamental processes of ecology and evolution that bear on the nature and diversity of organisms and the processes that govern their assembly into ecological communities and their roles in ecosystem function. | ||
| BIOL 216 | Biology of Behaviour. | 3 |
Biology of Behaviour. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Introduction to the study of animal behaviour at the population, organismal, cellular, and molecular levels. Historical and contemporary methods and experiments will be presented and discussed to provide an overall appreciation of the biology of behaviour, with a focus on the application of multiple levels of analysis to biological phenomena and the formulation of hypotheses about evolution, development, function, and mechanisms of behavioural traits. Topics will range from how animals communicate with one another to the cellular mechanisms that allow information to be processed by nervous systems. | ||
| BIOL 302 | Fundamentals of Genetics and Genomics. | 3 |
Fundamentals of Genetics and Genomics. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Trait variation within and across populations and species,and how this reflects variation within genomes. Case studies and problem-solving approaches will be used to illustrate the tools of genomics, molecular genetics and classical genetics, and how they are employed to understand the mechanisms of phenotypic variation.Topics will include evolutionary, developmental and human genetics. Application of multiple levels of genetic analysis, formulation, and testing of hypotheses on critical topics ranging from evolution to developmental biology to human genetics. | ||
| COMP 204 | Computer Programming for Life Sciences. | 3 |
Computer Programming for Life Sciences. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Computer Science (Sci): Computer programming in a high level language: variables, expressions, types, functions, conditionals, loops, objects and classes. Introduction to algorithms, modular software design, libraries, file input/output, debugging. Emphasis on applications in the life sciences. | ||
Complementary Courses (21-23 credits)
Core (6-8 credits)
3 or 4 credits selected from:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CHEM 204 | Physical Chemistry/Biological Sciences 1. | 3 |
Physical Chemistry/Biological Sciences 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Similar to CHEM 223/CHEM 243. Emphasis on the use of biological examples to illustrate the principles of physical chemistry. The relevance of physical chemistry to biology is stressed. | ||
| CHEM 212 | Introductory Organic Chemistry 1. 1 | 4 |
Introductory Organic Chemistry 1. Terms offered: Summer 2025 A fundamental study of aliphatic compounds and saturated functional groups including modern concepts of bonding, reaction mechanisms, conformational analysis, spectroscopy, and stereochemistry. | ||
- 1
If a student has already taken CHEM 212 Introductory Organic Chemistry 1. or its equivalent, the credits can be made up with CHEM 204 Physical Chemistry/Biological Sciences 1., CHEM 222 Introductory Organic Chemistry 2., or a 3- or 4-credit Biology complementary course to be approved by the Biology Adviser.
3 or 4 credits selected from:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 301 | Cell and Molecular Laboratory. | 4 |
Cell and Molecular Laboratory. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to biology research and communication with a focus on cell and molecular biology. Through conducting a series of project-based experiments and writing a final report, molecular and synthetic biology techniques such as gene cloning, manipulation, protein isolation and characterization and how research is conducted, analyzed and communicated will be addressed. In addition, an introduction to bioinformatics methods and their role in analysis will be provided. | ||
| BIOL 311 | Advanced Methods in Organismal Biology. | 3 |
Advanced Methods in Organismal Biology. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Application of methods and techniques used by organismal biologists, paired with the design of sampling programs to test hypotheses using observational or experimental data, and the analysis of data. Topics include DNA barcoding/metabarcoding and experimental evolution. | ||
Other (15 credits)
15 credits of Biology complementary courses at the 300-500 levels, including at least 3 credits at the 400-500 levels. Up to 6 credits may be from non-BIOL science courses, with Adviser permission. Up to 6 credits of independent research may be included.