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Undergraduate Program Requirements
Note: University regulations apply to all students at Laurier. If there is any discrepancy between the program or progression requirements outlined on this page and those in the university's academic calendars, the academic calendars are the official sources of information. The information below is from the latest calendar, and you may be following progression requirements from an earlier calendar. Students are responsible for checking the appropriate calendar. Contact your program coordinator should you notice any discrepancies.
Undergraduate Biology Programs for 2023/24
Refer to the 2023/2024 academic calendar for undergraduate biology program information.
Design Your Degree
These are a few popular academic opportunities which allow you to dive deeper into your major area of study or broaden your knowledge.
Biology students can add a research specialization to their degree in their 4th year.
To be eligible for the Research Specialization in Biology a student must successfully complete BI499‡ with a minimum grade of A-, and have a minimum cumulative GPA of 8.00 in all Biology courses completed for the major.
Concentrations can be declared for students in BSc and BA Biology programs.
A maximum of two Biology concentrations within the thematic streams of the program are permitted as part of the Honours BSc Biology and BA degrees. All concentrations require completion of a minimum 3.5 credits (including 1.5 credits of required courses at the 300 level, and 2.0 credits of eligible electives, of which a minimum of 1.0 credit must be at the 400 level), and a cumulative GPA of 7.0 (B -) in all Biology courses completed for the major.
Concentrations:
2023-20242022/2023
2021/22
2020/21
Applying for a Concentration
Although concentrations can be declared in a student's 2nd, 3rd, or 4th year, it is advisable to declare it in 3rd year or later. Course offerings available in an academic year can determine whether a concentration can be completed within a student's progression through their program, and by declaring early in your degree, there is no guarantee that courses required for a specific concentration will be available in future years.
When you apply to graduate, you can also apply for a concentration designation added to your degree. The best way to do this is to add the concentration to your program before you apply to graduate. To add the concentration, fill out the Program Selection Form. It will take about a week to show up in LORIS. When you apply to graduate (in LORIS) your program and concentration will both show up as choices.
If you do not add the concentration to your program, when you apply to graduate, it will not come up as an option during the application process. However, at the very end of the application, there is an opportunity to add a note/comment. In that space, you can indicate that you want to be considered for a concentration (and also include which one).
BI110, BI111 and 2.0 senior Biology credits, at least 1.0 of which must have a laboratory component.
Notes:
- No more than 1.0 HN credit or 1.0 WASC credit or 1.0 credit of HN and WASC combined may be counted toward the minor.
- Refer to Regulations Governing all Minors.
To add a minor and/or options, please fill out the program selection form
In March and April only, you may use LORIS to request program changes or add/change a minor/option.
It is better to declare your minor/option before you graduate so you can track the progress of your minor in MyDegree
Other Programs of Interest
Options of Interest
Additional Notes:
* = 1.0-credit course.
‡ = 1.5-credit course.
Note: You may cross-register at the University of Waterloo for a maximum of 1.0 credit in each of Year 3 and Year 4. Timetable conflicts will not be accepted as a valid reason for taking an equivalent course at the University of Waterloo.