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Bachelor of Arts, Majors and Minors

Biology

Note: VIU also offers a Bachelor of Science, Major and Minor in Biology.

General Description

The Minor in Biology is designed for students who have an interest in life sciences, but have additional academic and career aspirations in areas other than biology. The program is ideal for students wishing to fulfill their B.A. requirements by completing two Minors. There are many career opportunities for individuals who apply familiarity in a field of Biology (e.g., Ecology or Environmental Science, Evolution, Microbiology, or Genetics) within disciplines of Social Sciences or Humanities. Other Minor programs for the B.A. degree that integrate well with particular fields of Biology include Anthropology, Geography, Psychology, Business, Creative Writing, History, and Liberal Studies. The program will also be of particular interest to students proceeding towards a career in Primary and Secondary Education, with plans for teaching a science curriculum.

Requirements for a Minor

Students must fulfill all the Institutional B.A. degree requirements, including Degree English Requirements and courses listed below:

Years 1 & 2 *

Credits

Minimum “C-” required for each of the following courses:

BIOL 121 - (Introductory Zoology)

4

BIOL 123 - (Introduction to Cellular and Molecular Biology)

4

Select one of the following pairs:
CHEM 111/112 - (Chemistry Fundamentals I, II) or,
CHEM 121/122 - (Chemistry Fundamentals I, II) or,
CHEM 111/122 - (Chemistry Fundamentals I, II)

8

MATH 211 - (Statistics I)

3

BIOL 201 - (Principles of Biochemistry)

3

Select two courses from the following:
BIOL 200 - (Introduction to Cell Biology),
BIOL 202 - (Ecology),
BIOL 210 - (Microbiology I),
BIOL 212 - (Genetics),
BIOL 223 - (Botany),

6

CHEM 231 - (Organic Chemistry I)

3

* Students should check upper-level course prerequisites to guide second year course choices.

Years 3 & 4

Credits

Minimum of 18 credits of Biology courses numbered 300 or above.*

18

* Check individual course prerequisites.

Updated October 30, 2009