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 LORIS dynamic schedule to check course offerings in Biology for the current academic year.

GPA Calculator Course Registration Guide LORIS Dynamic Schedule

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.

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 2018 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
BI349: Embryology
BI358: Animal 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
BI416/HE431: Pathophysiology
BI417/HE434: Immunology
BI426: Genome Dynamics
BI441: Recombinant DNA Technology
BI451: Fish Physiological Adaptations
BI463: Environmental Stress Biology of Plants
BI470/HE432: Biomedical Virology
BI475: Microbial Ecology
BI484: Fundamentals of Parasitology
BI488: Invertebrate Biodiversity and Conservation
BI496Y: Plant Root Mutualisms
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

Winter 2019 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
BI309: Population Ecology
BI338: Cells: Form and Function
BI346/CH351: Advanced Molecular Biology
BI359: Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy
BI369: Plant Physiology
BI374: Physiological Applications of Microbiology
BI390: Field Studies - OUPFB
BI400: Topics in Environmental Toxicology
BI402/CH454: Bioinformatics
BI405: Community Ecology
BI409: Conservation Biology
BI421: The Human Microbiome
BI439: Vertebrate Microscopic Anatomy
BI456: Environmental Physiology of Animals
BI458: Vertebrate Biodiversity and Conservation
BI459: Endocrinology
BI464: Plants and People
BI468: Plant Biodiversity and Conservation
BI476: Microbial Disease
BI496C: Science Communication
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
WASC303: Field Methods in Applied Water Science

Senior Biology Courses with a Lab Component

The following courses contain a laboratory component:

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 2018-2019 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).