Undergraduate Courses

The College of Biological Sciences offers a variety of courses to support the degree-level learning outcomes, the individual major's learning outcomes and the Institutional Learning Outcomes.

The courses offered by the College of Biological Science range in topics from molecular and cellular biology all the way to ecosystems. You can find courses offered by CBS under the subject areas of Biology (BIOL), Biochemistry (BIOC), Integrative Biology (IBIO), Human Kinetics (HK), Microbiology, (MICR), Molecular Biology and Genetics (MBG), Botany (BOT), Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB) and Zoology (ZOO).

Research Courses

The College of Biological Science strives to give each student some opportunity to participate in research. Each department offers a variety of research experiences from topics courses to full research and thesis projects. These courses vary in credit weight and range from 0.50 credits in one semester to 2.00 across two semesters.

The following are the steps involved to sign up for a research course.

Students interested in research experiences are advised to start looking for potential advisors at least a semester prior to when they hope to start the course. Prior to enrolling in the course, students must have an advisor identified to take them on for the project. Each faculty member on campus has a profile website that highlights their research interests as well as recent publications. It is advised that students look through the profile pages prior to meeting with a faculty member to determine if the research interests match with their own.
The student should meet with the advisor to discuss the project so all parties are clear on the expectations for the project and which course best suits the project.
Once an advisor is identified, the student will need to complete the departmental project information form. The departmental form is normally available on each of the departmental websites under undergraduate courses. The departmental form is normally within the course outlines.
Once the departmental form is completed, the student will need to bring the form to the course coordinator; this is the individual on WebAdvisor who is indicated as the instructor for the course. The instructor will then sign the course waiver form, which the student will then bring over to the Registrar’s Office to be processed.

Please note the College of Biological Science offers research opportunities under the following subject areas.

Integrative Biology (IBIO)
Human Kinetics (HK)
Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB)

Students may also want to consider the following subject areas, depending the nature of the project and the supervisor.

Animal Science (ANSC)
Biomedical Science (BIOM)
Environmental Sciences (ENVS)
Psychology (PSYC)
Neuroscience (NEUR)

Please note that some of the research courses are restricted to specific majors and/or have specific course prerequisites. If you do not meet the restriction or do not have the necessary pre-requisites, it is the student’s responsibility to contact the coordinator to inquire about waiving the restriction/pre-requisite.

Field Courses

The College of Biological Science offers a number of ways for students to gain field experience. There are three distinct courses that will take students off campus to various locations across Canada. These courses are offered within the Department of Integrative Biology. These courses include Field Ecology (BIOL 4410), Arctic Ecology (BIOL 4610) and Marine Biology and Oceanography (ZOO 4300). Details regarding each of these courses can be found on the Integrative Biology website.

The School of Environmental Science also offers a number of field courses under the ENVS subject area. B.Sc. students are eligible to select these courses as well. Students should confirm with their program counsellor how these courses will apply towards their degree requirements.

Students can also participate in the Ontario Universities Field Biology Program (OUPFB). This program allows Guelph students to apply to field courses offered by other Ontario Universities and apply the credit back to their degree. More information regarding these opportunities can be found on the OUPFB website.

Dean's Office Undergraduate Courses

The College of Biological Science Dean's Office supports a number of college-wide undergraduate courses. These are unique courses that have a rotating topic or have been specifically designed for students within the Biological Science major. More details regarding each of these courses can be found below.

Applications in Biology BIOL*3650

Applications in Biology was created in 2015 with the goal to enrich our undergraduate programs by welcoming and supporting a practising biologist from the public or private sectors to spend time on campus interacting with students. This is seen as an opportunity to develop a "biologist-in-residence" within the college, who would interact, inspire and teach students from the perspective of applications of biology and alternate career paths. This course was thus developed to be flexible in topics from year to year and is only offered when an external "resident" is available.

Past offerings and "biologist-in-residence" for this course have included:

Chris DeZorzi - Athletic Therapist, University of Guelph Department of Athletics
Jennifer Bock and Kyle Horner - Communicating Science to the Public
Jim Dougan and Associates - Director and Senior Ecologist of Dougan and Associates, which is an incorporated ecological consulting and design firm
Joe Grabowski - Founder of Exploring by the Seat of Your Pants, Science and Math Teacher, 2017 National Geographic Emerging Explorer, Royal Canadian Geographical Society Fellow
- Course Topic: Applications in Biology: Communicating Science for Public Education
Janet MacKinnon - MSc (PT), MSc (Bio Med), BSc Hon, Registered Physiotherapist, Clinical Director of GWHA
- Course Topic: Applications in Biology: Fundamentals of Physiotherapy
Dr. Sherri Cox - Executive Director, Research Innovation and Knowledge Mobilization and Veterinarian
- Course Topic - Wildlife Rehabilitation
Valerie Blackmore, Founder and CEO of Wyndham Forensic Group
- Course Topic - Applications in Biology - Forensic Science

Integrative Problems in Biology BIOL*4020

Based on a number of factors including the recommendations from the B.Sc. Quality Assurance review, results from our curriculum mapping exercise, and the highly variable student population within the Biological Science majors, the College of Biological Science has created a fourth-year course specifically geared towards Biological Science majors. The goal of creating this course is to create a culminating, independent, and integrative learning experience that contributes to the identity of the Biological Science major and ensures students can reflect on and demonstrate achievement of the major’s learning outcomes.

In this 1.0 credit capstone course, students work in teams to explore and address an authentic biological problem using an integrative and interdisciplinary approach. Topics are proposed by an external client or source and will focus on a problem related to societal needs (e.g: food, health, environment), advanced technologies (e.g.: genetic modification), or aspirations (e.g.: sustainability). Students will develop skills in problem identification and research, stakeholder analysis, ideation of solutions, and communication to address the client’s needs. This course is restricted to students in the Biological Science (BIOS) major who have completed a minimum of 14 credits.

Internship in Biological Science BIOL*3660

CBS is excited to offer an Internship in Biological Science (BIOL*3660), available to all CBS students. Over the past couple of years, there has been an increased interest, from the institution and provincial government, to support and increase work-integrated learning opportunities for undergraduate students. We have also seen a growing amount of literature to support the benefits of work-integrated learning on student learning and career preparation.

What is a CBS Internship?

The Internship in Biological Science course provides an opportunity for independent learning in the biological sciences within a work-related environment (volunteer or paid). Students can work with an external organization or an academic or non-academic unit, on campus. Students will be expected to set personal and professional goals for themselves related to the development of employability skills. They will be required to critically reflect upon their development throughout the experience through reflective writing assignements. Using the knowledge of the organization that they gain through the experience, the student will be required to propose a subsequent plan to address a "problem" that is generated from the work the student completes.

Application Form

Criteria

The internship is initiated when a student establishes a position with an organization or unit within an organization (e.g. summer position, part-time job, volunteer opportunity). The organization will set the deliverables and requirements of the position, as well as hours and wages (if applicable). The student engages in the position, as outlined by the organization, and is expected to meet all requirements of the position. The student will simultaneously enrol in the Internship in Biological Science course to receive academic credit for their position with the organization. The College of Biological Science establishes the course requirements, which are guided by the work or volunteer experience, and are to be completed outside of work hours.

For the ‘work’ experience to qualify for this course, the following criteria must be met:

The activity must comprise no less than 100 hours and span from three to 14 weeks in duration
The experience must involve a sustained activity in a workplace (volunteer or paid), with clear responsibilities that are related to an application of biological science knowledge or methods, and development of select employability skills
A workplace supervisor must be identified, who is a professional staff member with expertise in the field to which the experience relates
The workplace supervisor must be committed to providing regular feedback to the student
The workplace activity/project must be outlined on the workplace agreement form
The workplace supervisor must sign the workplace agreement form indicating they are committed to provide the necessary resources, facilities and training to complete the experience and to meet the defined goals/project
The student must sign the workplace agreement form indicating they are committed to performing the outlined activities to the best of their abilities and in a professional manner

Opportunities that would not qualify for an internship:

Co-op placements
Peer Helper placement
Positions that have already been completed

How to enroll in the course

The Internship in Biological Science is restricted to students enrolled in any CBS major. Students must have completed at least 7.50 credits and have a cumulative average of 60% or higher. Meeting these minimum admission requirements does not guarantee admission into the course. Students must find their own internship position within an organization prior to submitting the application form to the course instructor.

To be considered for the course, each student must complete the Internship Application Form. This form is to be completed by the applicant with input from the external organization supervisor. Please note that the supervisor from the organization must be a professional/full-time staff member.

Once the application form is completed, it should be submitted to the course instructor via email (exp.cbs@uoguelph.ca). The instructor will grant instructor consent on the course through WebAdvisor. Once the instructor has granted instructor consent, you must register in the course on WebAdvisor during your course selection window.

Please note that a majority of the course is completed independently and outside of the scheduled class time. Students will be required to attend the first class meeting during the first week of the semester. Students will also be required to give presentations at the end of the semester.

Current Opportunities

Students are responsible for applying directly to the organizations for the various positions. The selection of candidates is done by the organization itself and is independent of CBS and the University of Guelph. Please connect with exp.cbs@uoguelph.ca if you have any questions.