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 (CBS) range in topics from molecular and cellular 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 the scholar of 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, all the way to 2.00 across two semesters.

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

  1. 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, who has agreed 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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 pre-requisites. 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. BSc. 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