Course Offerings
Departmental course information is provided for your convenience only. Schedules – including times and locations of classes – are subject to change and should be confirmed on LORIS under the "Student Services" tab by accessing the link for "Registration." All official academic information, including prerequisites and exclusions, can be found on the academic calendars.
Please use the Browse Classes to check course offerings in Biology for the current academic year.
Undergraduate Courses
Note that the following courses (formerly BI210, BI216 and BI217), if taken, will count as 0.5 Biology credits towards the fulfilment of senior Biology credits needed to complete a Biology degree:
- HN210: Human Anatomy
- HN220: Human Physiology l
- HN320: Human Physiology ll
WASC senior courses also count as senior Biology credits.
MA241 has been replaced with ST231 in both fall and winter of the academic year 2017/18, effective September 2017.
For questions, comments or concerns regarding laboratory safety, contact Safety, Health, Environment and Risk Management.
See also information on field courses.
Notes
- Unless otherwise indicated, courses are 0.5 credit and held on the Waterloo campus.
- † = course normally offered once every two to three years.
- * = 1.0 credit.
- ‡ = 1.5 credits.
Fall 2019 Courses
- BI110: Unifying Life Processes
- BI226: Genetics
- BI266: Life on Earth: Plants
- BI276: Life on Earth: Microbes
- BI300: Environmental Toxicology
- BI301: Global Ecology and Biogeography
- BI302: Evolution
- BI330: Fundamentals of Histology
- BI338: Cells: Form and Function
- BI346/CH351: Advance Molecular Biology
- BI349: Embryology
- BI358: Animals: Form and Function
- BI363: Plant Ecology
- BI368: Plants: Form and Function
- BI376: Microbial Physiology
- BI390: Field Studies - OUPFB
- BI392: Field Studies ll - OUPFB
- BI393: Biostatistics
- BI401: Life and Endosymbiotic Theory
- BI409: Conservation Biology
- BI416/HE431: Pathophysiology
- BI417/HE434: Immunology
- BI426: Genome Dynamics
- BI451: Fish Physiological Adaptations
- BI458: Vertebrate Biodiversity and Conservation
- BI463: Environmental Stress Biology of Plants
- BI470/HE432: Biomedical Virology
- BI475: Microbial Ecology
- BI484: Fundamentals of Parasitology
- BI488: Invertebrate Biodiversity and Conservation
- BI499: Thesis
- To apply for our BI499: Thesis course, you will have to complete the BI499 Intent to Register Application Form and attach a letter of motivation.
- WASC101: Issues in Water & Environmental Health
- WASC302: Limnology
- WASC303: Field Methods in Applied Water Science
- WASC403: Lab Techniques in Water Science
Winter 2020 Courses
- BI111: Biological Diversity and Evolution
- BI236: Cell and Molecular Biology
- BI256: Life on Earth: Animals
- BI296: Communication and Critical Thinking Skills in Biology
- BI308: Animal Behaviour
- BI359: Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy
- BI369: Plant Physiology
- BI374: Physiological Applications of Microbiology
- BI390: Field Studies - OUPFB
- BI392: Field Studies II - OUPFB
- BI400: Topics in Environmental Toxicology
- BI402/CH454: Bioinformatics
- BI405: Community Ecology
- BI409: Conservation Biology
- BI417/HE434: Immunology
- BI421: The Human Microbiome
- BI439: Vertebrate Microscopic Anatomy
- BI441: Recombinant DNA Technology
- BI449: Developmental Biology
- BI456: Environmental Physiology of Animals
- BI459: Endocrinology
- BI464: Plants and People
- BI468: Plant Biodiversity and Conservation
- BI470/HE432: Biomedical Virology
- BI476: Microbial Disease
- BI499: Thesis
- To apply for our BI499: Thesis course, you will have to complete the BI499 Intent to Register Application Form and attach a letter of motivation.
- WASC201: Wetland Science
- WASC301: Water Policy & Legislation
- WASC401: Source Water Protection and Aquatic Risk Assessment
- WASC402: Critical Analysis of Applied Water Science and Environmental Health
Senior Biology Courses with a Lab Component
The following courses contain a laboratory component:
- BI256
- BI266
- BI276
- BI300
- BI308
- BI309
- BI338
- BI349
- BI358
- BI359
- BI367
- BI368
- BI369
- BI374
- BI402/CH454
- BI405
- BI431
- BI439
- BI441
- BI449
- BI456
- BI475
- BI476
- BI484
- BI488
- HN210
- HN220
Directed Studies BI495
A directed studies course is an irregular course that enables senior students to work on an independent project under the guidance of a faculty member.
To apply, first speak to the instructor, then complete the Directed Study form.
1. No more than 1.0 (two-term or equivalent) irregular course credit may be counted toward a General degree, and no more than 3.0 toward an Honours degree.
2. Only students who have successfully completed 5.0 credits may register in an irregular course.
3. Only students registered in a major or Honours program in a subject may register in a directed studies course in that subject (except with permission of the Dean).
4. No more than one directed studies course credit with the same instructor may be counted toward a degree (except with permission of the Dean).
Graduate Courses
Graduate course offerings for the MSc in Integrative Biology program for 2019-2020 are listed below. For course offerings related to the PhD in Biological and Chemical Sciences, please visit the PhD website.
BI601: Research in Integrative Biology
This seminar-based course is a core requirement for all students in the MSc in Integrative Biology. Over the course of the term the group will explore the principles underlying integrative approaches to biology.
Fall 2018
- Fridays, 8:30-11:20 a.m., M. Wilkie
This course is mandatory for MSc students in their 1st year of study.
BI612: Advanced Biostatistics
This course examines the totality of issues related to data collection, management and analysis for biologists: from the development of hypotheses, the design of experiments, measurement and sampling, to statistical analyses and final publication of results in formats acceptable for scientific reports and papers. Emphasis will be placed on the application of wide variety of statistical methods using statistical software rather than theory, and stress the practical aspects of biostatistics. A problem solving approach to graduate research planning, data acquisition, analysis and publication.
Winter 2019
- Tuesdays 8:30 a.m. - 11:20 p.m., D. Gray
BI691 Directed Studies: Science Communication
This course will prepare students to effectively communicate scientific ideas and results to non-scientists using a variety of written, oral, tactile, and social media formats. Projects and assignments will be designed to have real-world applications and products.
Winter 2019
- Wednesdays, 7:00-9:50 p.m., A. McDonald
Note that this course is cross-listed with BI496C. Graduate students taking this course will be evaluated differently than undergraduates taking the course. To enroll in this course, please apply in person in the Biology Office, BA401.
BI691: Directed Studies
An individual reading course focussing on current literature in an area not covered by currently offered courses. This course may be taken with any faculty member in the Department of Biology, including the student's thesis advisor, with the approval of the graduate coordinator and the student's supervisory committee.
Because students cannot register for a directed studies course on LORIS, you must fill out the Graduate Program Change Request form that can be accessed through the Biology office, BA401.
BI699: MSc Thesis
2.0 credits
Students will complete a thesis based on original research and defend it before an examining committee.
Ongoing: Register each fall, winter and spring term for the duration of your program (including the term in which you plan to defend).