The following course lists provide guidance for students who wish to focus on a sub-discipline within Biology. Students do not need to formally select or apply for any of these streams for their program, and some students may prefer to sample broadly from across all four areas. However, for those who wish to specialize in one area, students can use these course lists to map out their course selections over the four years of the program. Suggestions are given for Biology courses, as well as relevant courses offered by other departments. Note that the lists will fulfill the requirements of the Biology Major Plan, but may not fulfill the requirements of the Biology specialization plans.
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
This Course List emphasizes the sub-discipline of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and is well suited for students who are interested in: conservation and wildlife management; natural resource and ecosystem management; environmental consulting.
Highly Recommended BIOL Courses for this Stream
- BIOL 307 Field Biology I
- BIOL 317 Field Biology II
- BIOL 339 Animal Physiology
- BIOL 341 Plant Physiology
- BIOL 422 Conservation Biology
- BIOL 439 Natural Selection and Microevolution
- BIOL 440 Speciation and Macroevolution
Other Complementary BIOL Courses for this Stream
- BIOL 316 Fisheries Biology
- BIOL 321 Animal Behaviour
- BIOL 322 Environmental Physiology of Animals
- BIOL 323 Vertebrate Diversity and Evolution
- BIOL 335 Limnology and Aquatic Ecology
- BIOL 350 Evolution and Human Affairs
- BIOL 369 Sex and Evolution
- BIOL 409 Bioremediation
- BIOL 410 Ecology of Lakes and Streams
- BIOL 416 Terrestrial Ecosystems
- BIOL 431 Cellular Basis of Adaptation
- BIOL 433 History and Philosophy of Biology
- BIOL 442 Evolutionary Medicine
- BIOL 502 Plant Cellular Responses to Environmental Stress
- BIOL 506 Biochemical Adaptations to Life Under Extreme Conditions
- BIOL 509 Limnological Environmental Studies
- BIOL 510 Biogeochemistry and Global Change
- BIOL 515 Aquaculture
- BIOL 527 Paleolimnology and Global Environmental Change
- BIOL 530 Origins of Biodiversity
Suggested Options and Electives
- BIOM 300 Modelling Techniques in Biology
- ENSC 301 Environmental Assessment
- ENSC 305 Social Environments
- ENSC 307 Marine Environmental Issues
- ENSC 310 Environmental Policy
- ENSC 315 Global Food Security, Agriculture, and Environment
- ENSC 320 Wildlife Issues in a Changing World
- ENSC 390 Sustainability
- ENSC 471 Environmental Analysis Methods
- GEOL 337 Paleontology
- GEOL 466 Isotopes and the Environment
- GPHY 304 Arctic and Periglacial Environments
- GPHY 306 Natural Environmental Change
- GPHY 312 Watershed Hydrology
- GPHY 314 Climate Change
- GPHY 315 Environmental Measurements: Data Collection and Management
- GPHY 317 Soil, Environment and Society
- GPHY 318 Advanced Biogeography
- GPHY 336 Geography, the Environment and Human Health
- GPHY 346 GIS and Modelling for Environmental Applications
- GPHY 411 Biogeochemical Processes
- GPHY 413 Water, Energy and Carbon Cycling in the Biosphere
- GPHY 417 Land-Use Change in the Earth System
Genetics and Molecular Science
This Course List emphasizes the sub-discipline of Genetics and Molecular Biology, and is well suited for students who are interested in: biotechnology, molecular physiology, cell biology, cancer biology, genetic counseling, health and medical research, molecular ecology, molecular genetics, genomics, bioinformatics, laboratory careers in pharmaceutical/biotechnology industry, biotechnology/pharmaceutical/laboratory equipment sales, medical diagnostic laboratories, environmental testing.
Highly Recommended Courses for this Stream
- BCHM 218 Molecular Biology
- BIOL 331 Analytical Genomics
- BIOL 404 Techniques in Molecular Biology
- BIOL 430 Molecular Genetics of Development
- BIOL 441 Molecular Genetics
Other Complementary BIOL Courses for this Stream
- BIOL 307 Field Biology I
- BIOL 315 Plants and Human Culture
- BIOL 322 Environmental Physiology of Animals
- BIOL 323 Vertebrate Diversity and Evolution
- BIOL 333 Applied Biology
- BIOL 334 Comparative Biochemistry
- BIOL 369 Biology of Sex
- BIOL 403 Experimental Techniques in Biology
- BIOL 421 Conservation Genetics
- BIOL 422 Conservation Biology
- BIOL 431 Cellular Basis of Adaptation
- BIOL 432 Computation and Big Data in Biology
- BIOL 439 Natural Selection and Microevolution
- BIOL 440 Speciation and Macroevolution
- BIOL 501 Recent Research in Molecular Biology
- BIOL 502 Plant Cellular Responses to Environmental Stress
- BIOL 503 Plant Biotechnology
- BIOL 506 Biochemical Adaptations to Life Under Extreme Conditions
- BIOL 507 Biotechnology
- BIOL 508 Biology of the Cell Cycle
Suggested Options and Electives
- An introductory computer course
- BCHM 310 General Biochemistry
- BCHM 315 Proteins and Enzymes
- BCHM 316 Metabolism
- BCHM 411 Advanced Molecular Biology
- CHEE 342 Environmental Biotechnology
- MICR 221 Basic Microbiology
- MICR 360 Immunology
- MICR 436 Microbial Genetics
- PATH 425 Current Topics in Human Genetics
- PSYC 100 Principals of Psychology
- PSYC 271 Brain and Behaviour I
- PSYC 370 Brain and Behaviour II
- PSYC 470 Advanced Topics in Behavioural Neuroscience
Plant Sciences
This Course List emphasizes the sub-discipline of Plant Sciences, and is well suited for students who are interested in: plant physiology, biochemistry and molecular biology; plant biotechnology and genetic engineering.
Highly Recommended Courses for this Stream
- BCHM 218 Molecular Biology
- BIOL 315 Plants and Human Culture
- BIOL 331 Analytical Genomics
- BIOL 341 Plant Physiology
- BIOL 402 Experiments in Plant Physiology
- BIOL 404 Techniques in Molecular Biology
Other Complementary BIOL Courses for this Stream
- BIOL 322 Environmental Physiology of Animals
- BIOL 323 Vertebrate Diversity and Evolution
- BIOL 334 Comparative Biochemistry
- BIOL 409 Bioremediation
- BIOL 416 Terrestrial Ecosystems
- BIOL 430 Molecular Genetics of Development
- BIOL 431 Cellular Basis of Adaptation
- BIOL 441 Molecular Genetics
- BIOL 501 Recent Research in Molecular Biology
- BIOL 502 Plant Cellular Responses to Environmental Stress
- BIOL 503 Plant Biotechnology
- BIOL 506 Biochemical Adaptations to Life Under Extreme Conditions
- BIOL 507 Biotechnology
- BIOL 508 Biology of the Cell Cycle
- BIOL 510 Biogeochemistry and Global Change
- BIOL 530 Origins of Biodiversity
Suggested Options and Electives
- BCHM 410 Protein Structure and Function
- BCHM 411 Advanced Molecular Biology
Integrative Animal Biology
This Course List emphasizes the sub-discipline of Integrated Animal Biology, and is well suited for students who are interested in: veterinary medicine, health and medical research, environmental sciences, natural resources, fisheries research and management, aquaculture, pharmaceutical research and sales, endangered species reproduction, hormone disruption and disease research, neurophysiology, neuroendocrinology.
Highly Recommended BIOL Courses for this Stream
- BIOL 321 Animal Behaviour
- BIOL 322 Environmental Physiology of Animals
- BIOL 339 Animal Physiology
- BIOL 401 Experimental Approaches to Animal Physiology
- BIOL 431 Cellular Basis of Adaptation
Other Complementary BIOL Courses for this Stream
- BIOL 307 Field Biology I
- BIOL 316 Fisheries Biology
- BIOL 317 Field Biology II
- BIOL 319 Introduction to Ethnobotany
- BIOL 323 Vertebrate Diversity and Evolution
- BIOL 334 Comparative Biochemistry
- BIOL 335 Limnology and Aquatic Ecology
- BIOL 369 Sex and Evolution
- BIOL 422 Conservation Biology
- BIOL 423 Modern Insect Science
- BIOL 430 Molecular Genetics of Development
- BIOL 433 History and Philosophy of Biology
- BIOL 442 Evolutionary Medicine
- BIOL 506 Biochemical Adaptations to Life Under Extreme Conditions
- BIOL 515 Aquaculture
- BIOL 530 Origins of Biodiversity
Suggested Options and Electives
- BCHM 315 Proteins and Enzymes
- BCHM 316 Metabolism
- ENSC 200 Environmental History
- ENSC 320 Wildlife Issues in a Changing World
- GEOL 107 History of Life
- GEOL 200 Oceanography
- GPHY 314 Climate Change
- PHYS 117 Introductory Physics
- PSYC 100 Principals of Psychology
