Undergraduate Studies
Undergraduate Contacts
Dr. Greg Thorn,Undergraduate Chair
Ms. Beata Malczewski,Undergraduate Program Coordinator
Ms. Brenda Beretta,Academic Advisor
Dr. Tim HainAcademic Advisor
Program Information
The Department of Biology currently offers modules of study in Animal Behaviour, Biodiversity and Conservation, Biology, Ecosystem Health, Genetics, and Genetics and Biochemistry.
Biology Modules
The Department of Biology offers a total of 12 different modules spread among 4 major areas of study.
By clicking on one of the titles below you will find a description of the area of study followed by a link to the Academic Calendar for each module offered in that area. As well, a handy checklist PDF is provided to help you navigate the module requirements.
You may enter into a module following satisfactory completion of first year. The required first-year courses as well as the grade requirements to gain admission are not the same for each module. The link to the Academic calendar provides the admission and progression requirements.
How Degrees are Constructed
At Western, degrees are built around the concept of the module. A module is a collection of courses that defines an area of study. The number of courses included in a module is defined by the amount of specialization in the topic.
There are four different types of modules:
| Minor: Major: Specialization: Honors Specialization: |
4.0-5.0 courses 6.0-7.0 courses 9.0 or more courses 9.0 or more courses |
The specific courses that are included in a particular module are designated by the Department.
The modular degree structure gives you the opportunity to combine various subjects from different departments and faculties. The chart below shows how modules can be combined in the three different types of degrees offered: Honors Bachelor Degree, Bachelor Degree (4 yr), Bachelor Degree (3 yr). For instance, if you were planning to complete a 4-year Honors Bachelor Degree, you could do an Honors Specialization in Biology combined with a minor in a different Science or even a non-Science (Philosophy, for example). A very popular choice is an Honors Bachelor degree based on the double major – two different Major modules, either both in Science or one in Science plus a non-Science. At Western, there are literally thousands of possible combinations of modules.
Modules can be combined in the three different degree types: |
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| DEGREE TYPE | MODULE COMBINATIONS |
| Honors Bachelor Degree 4 Years/ 20.0 courses |
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| Bachelor Degree 4 Years/ 20.0 courses |
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| Bachelor Degree 3 Years/ 15.0 courses |
|
Learning Expectations
The twelve learning expectations are:
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Graduates are expected to gain an understanding of the aims and basic methods of science through the experience of doing science whether this be in the field or laboratory.
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Graduates will be information literate and be able to convey their understanding of a topic effectively using a diversity of both verbal and written communication skills.
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Graduates will understand the processes and patterns of biological evolution and the role of evolution as the central unifying concept in biology.
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Graduates will understand the interactions among organisms and their environments, and the consequences of these interactions in natural populations, communities, and ecosystems.
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Graduates will learn the scope and consequences of biological diversity and the evolutionary relationships among major groups of organisms.
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Graduates will understand principles of inheritance including molecular mechanisms, reproductive strategies, and population genetics.
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Graduates will learn the basic structure and function of the cell, the basic unit of all living things.
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Graduates will understand processes underlying development, cellular differentiation, and reproduction.
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Graduates will understand the relationship between form and function in biology, as expressed in molecular, cellular and whole organism physiology.
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Graduates will understand the mechanisms organisms use for the sensing and perception of the internal and external environments through communication and signalling systems.
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Graduates will understand the interconnectedness and interdependencies of biological processes – systems biology – as it pertains to processes at the cellular, whole organism, and ecosystem levels.
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Graduates will understand the historical and social context of biological thought and research and the contributions of biology (and science in general) to the resolution of ethical, social and environmental issues.
Student Rights and Responsibilities
Western University is a community of faculty, students and staff that is engaged in pursuits related to teaching and learning and research. Since its inception, the university has been recognized as an institution where both faculty and students are offered academic freedom to pursue inquiry in an environment that promotes equity, respect, and honesty.
All students, as members of the University Community, accept a responsibility to maintain and uphold the purposes of the University and, in particular, its standards of scholarship. It follows, therefore, that acts of a nature which prejudice the academic standards of the University are offences subject to discipline.
As well, all students have the right (i) to be reasonably accommodated for a range of medical, religious and personal issues, (ii) to appeal any academic decision regarding the mark given in a course, on a test or assignment, and (iii) to appeal any charge of alleged academic misconduct.
