Major in Biology
Program Description and Required Courses
Admission Requirements
Optional Concentrations
Joint Major in Marine Biology Required Courses
Important Notes
The content on this site is for advisory purposes only and all degree requirements are as specified in the University Calendar. It is your responsibility to verify with our Academic Program Officer that you are following the correct program regulations.
Major in Biology
All students majoring in Biology are required to complete a minimum of 45 credit hours in courses from the Department of Biology offering.
Those 45 credit hours must include: Biology 1001 and 1002 or their equivalents; the 15 credit hours in the Biology Core courses listed below; and 24 credit hours in Biology electives* at the 2000, 3000 or 4000 level.
Biology Core (15 credit hours): Biology 2060, 2250, 2600, 2900, plus one of Biology 3401, 3402, and 4404.
A maximum of half of all biology electives can be Biology courses with no associated laboratory/seminar.
All majors must also successfully complete the following courses or their equivalents:
- Human Biosciences 2001 and 2003
- Chemistry 1050, 1051, and 2400**
- Six (6) credit hours in Critical Reading and Writing (CRW) courses, including at least 3 credit hours in English courses.
- Mathematics 1000***
- Physics 1020 and 1021 (or 1050 and 1051)****
- Statistics 2550 or or any of the courses listed in the credit restrictions of Statistics 2550
- Extra Science courses as necessary to fulfil the requirement for 78 credit hours in Science as stipulated in Clause 3.a. of the Regulations for the General Degree of Bachelor of Science.
It is recommended, but not required, that a Computer Science course be included and the Department of Biology strongly recommends Computer Science 1600.
For the purposes of a Major, or Honours degree in Biology, Medicine 310A/B count as Biology courses.
To minimize timetabling problems, students on the St. John's campus are advised to take Biology 2250 and 2600 in their third semester (Fall), and 2060 and 2900 in their fourth semester (Winter).
*Students are encouraged to complete one or more of BIOL 2010 (Botany), 2122 (Invertebrates) and 2210 (Vertebrates) early in their program as they are key prerequisites to many 3000 and 4000 level courses. Our Academic Program Officer can provide advice on which course should completed based on your area of study.
**Completion of Chemistry 1050 and 1051 in the first year of study is essential for timely progress through the Major program. CHEM 1050 is a prerequisite to most of our second year core courses, and both are prerequisites to second year Organic Chemistry (CHEM 2400).
***Dependent on Math Placement Results (MPT) , students may be required to register for and successfully complete MATH 1090 before registering for MATH 1000. Students in this category will have one less general elective to complete.
Important Notes
- Enrollment in many Biology courses is limited and admission is determined by academic average (GPA).
- Biology 2040, 2041, 2120, 3053, and 3280 cannot be used as any of the required Biology courses for the Minor, Major or Honours programs in Biology.
- A maximum of half of all biology electives can be biology courses with no associated laboratory/seminar.
Admission Requirements
Admission to the Biology majors program is based on academic standing. Students wishing to major in Biology should submit an online " Application for Admission to Biology Majors Program" following completion of the courses listed below, typically at the end of their first year of study. Please note you will be required to sign into my.mun.ca to complete and submit the online application form
Applications will not be reviewed during the regular registration period. To ensure your application is reviewed in a timely manner, please keep the following dates in mind when submitting your application:
- To declare for a Fall semester: Submit before second week of July
- To declare for a Winter semester: Submit before the first week of November
- To declare for a Spring semester: Submit before last week of March
To be admitted to the program, students must complete Biology 1001/1002 with an average of at least 65%, in addition to the following first year courses (or their equivalents) with a minimum overall average of 60%:
• Chemistry 1050/1051 (or equivalents) or Physics 1020/1021 or Physics 1050/1051
• Six credit hours in Critical Reading and Writing (CRW) courses, including at least 3 credit hours in English courses
• Mathematics 1000. Dependent on Math Placement Results (MPT) , students may be required to register for and successfully complete MATH 1090 before registering for MATH 1000.
Optional Concentrations
While meeting the requirements for a program in Biology, other than a Minor in Biology, students may choose to select courses in one of the following concentrations:
- Applied Ecology and Conservation
- Aquatic Life
- Biological Tools and Techniques
- Biology for Health Professions
- Comparative Biology
- Evolutionary Ecology
- Molecular, Microbial and Cell Biology
Completion of a concentration in Biology will be noted on the students transcript.
Particular attention should be paid to prerequisites when scheduling courses. Students should consult with the Academic Program Officer regarding the availability of courses applicable to their chosen concentration.
Applied Ecology and Conservation
Students selecting an Applied Ecology and Conservation concentration are required to complete a minimum of 18 credit hours from the following courses:
Biology 3610, 3650, 4122, 4306, 4307, 4360, 4405, 4605, 4650, 4651, 4710, 4810, 4820, 4911
Aquatic Life
Students selecting an Aquatic Life concentration are required to complete a minimum of 18 credit hours from the following courses:
Biology 3014, 3050, 3630, 3709, 3710, 3711, 3712, 3714, 3715, 4122, 4601, 4710, 4750, 4912
Biological Tools and Techniques
Students selecting a Biological Tools and Techniques concentration are required to complete a minimum of 18 credit hours from the following courses:
Biology 3050, 3709, 3950, 3951, 4270, 4360, 4405, 4605, 4606, 4607, 4710, 4770, 4810, 4820
Biology for Health Professions
Students selecting a Biology for Health Professions concentration are required to complete a minimum of 18 credit hours from the following courses:
Biology 3050, 3052, 3500, 3530, 4010, 4050, 4200, 4241, 4404, 4550, 4605, Medicine 310A/B
Comparative Biology
Students selecting a Comparative Biology concentration are required to complete a minimum of 18 credit hours from the following courses:
Biology 3202, 3300, 3401, 3402, 3640, 3715, 3750, 4122, 4620, 4630, 4701, 4770, 4910
Evolutionary Ecology
Students selecting a Evolutionary Ecology concentration are required to complete a minimum of 18 credit hours from the following courses:
Biology 3295, 3715, 3811, 3951, 4005, 4250, 4270, 4505, 4605, 4620, 4630, 4701, 4710, 4800, 4910
Molecular, Microbial and Cell Biology
Students selecting a Molecular, Microbial and Cell Biology concentration are required to complete a minimum of 18 credit hours from the following courses:
Biology 3050, 3052, 3401, 3402, 3530, 3950, 3951, 4050, 4052, 4241, 4250, 4251, 4404, 4606, Human Biosciences 3207 (or the former Biochemistry 3207)
Major in Marine Biology
The Major in Marine Biology is jointly administered by the Department of Biology and the Department of Ocean Sciences.
Students who wish to enroll in this program should seek academic advising well in advance to ensure they have completed the appropriate prerequisites. Students are advised to consult with the Academic Program Officer in Department of Biology (Andrew Chaulk - bioapo@mun.ca) at their earliest opportunity.
Admission Requirements
Admission to the Joint Major in Marine Biology is based on academic standing. Students wishing to apply to the Joint Major should submit an online application at the end of the Fall semester of their second year. Please note you will be required to sign into my.mun.ca to complete and submit the online application form
Applications will not be reviewed during the regular registration period. To ensure your application is reviewed in a timely manner, please keep the following dates in mind when submitting your application:
- To declare for a Fall semester: Submit before second week of July
- To declare for a Winter semester: Submit before the first week of November
- To declare for a Spring semester: Submit before last week of March
To be admitted to the program, students must complete the following courses:
- Biology 1001/1002 with an average of at least 65%
- Chemistry 1050 and 1051 (or 1200 and 1001)
- Six credit hours in Critical Reading and Writing (CRW) courses, including at least 3 credit hours in English courses
- Mathematics 1000
- Ocean Sciences 1000 with a minimum grade of 65%
- Physics 1020 (or 1050);
- Physics 1021 (or 1051) or one Ocean Sciences course at the 2000 level.
Students pursuing a Joint Major in Marine Biology are required to complete a minimum of 60 combined credit hours from Biology and Ocean Sciences, with a minimum of 27 credit hours in each subject:
- Six credit hours in Critical Reading and Writing (CRW) courses, including at least 3 credit hours in English courses
- Mathematics 1000
- Earth Sciences 1000
- Statistics 2550 or any of the courses listed in the credit restrictions of Statistics 2550
- Physics 1020 and 1021 (or 1050 and 1051)
- Chemistry 1050 and 1051 (or 1200 and 1001), and 2400
- Human Biosciences 2001 (or the former Biochemistry 2201 or 2101)
- Biology 1001, 1002, 2060, 2122, 2250 (or Biochemistry 2100 or 2200), 2600, 2900, 3710, and 3711
- Ocean Sciences 1000, 2000, 2001, 2100, and 2500
- Additional courses to complete the required 60 combined credit hours in Biology and Ocean Sciences with a minimum of 27 credit hours in each subject (except Biology 2040, 2041, 2120, 3053, and 3820). A minimum of 6 credit hours in Biology at the 3000/4000 level and 12 credit hours in Ocean Sciences at the 3000/4000 level is required
- Other courses as necessary to complete the minimum of 120 credit hours required for the General Degree of Bachelor of Science.
Courses cross-listed between Biology and Ocean Sciences can only count for one subject or the other.
Students are encouraged to take Human Biosciences 2003 as it is a pre-requisite for several higher-level courses in Biology and in Ocean Sciences.