Bachelor of Science, Biology/Life Sciences

Student responsibility

Before you register in any courses, consult with your Program Advisor to ensure that the courses you select can be applied toward the program requirements of your chosen credential.
Also, before you register in a course not listed on the OL website, you must apply for a Letter of Permission (LOP).
If you proceed otherwise, you may find that either course credits cannot be applied to your program or you must pay a transcript reassessment fee.
Program requirements

Some degree requirements may be met with credits earned by prior learning assessment and recognition (PLAR).
OL's offering of upper-level science courses is limited, so expect to complete some courses through TRU (on-campus equivalents are offered for many OL courses) or through other recognized post-secondary institutions. Then, apply to transfer the credit to the BSc, General program. Continue to monitor the OL website for the addition of new courses.

Admission requirements

Open admission

Residency requirements

A minimum of 15 TRU credits (distance or on-campus)

Degree requirements

120 credits total, with a grade point average (GPA) of 2.00 or higher over all courses required for this credential, as follows:

General education requirements (24 credits)

These may be met with lower-level or upper-level university courses, as follows:

• Six credits in English: university-level composition and literature (ENGL 1001, 1011 or 1101)
• Six credits in humanities, other than English Literature and Composition (ENGL 1011, 1011)
• Six credits in mathematics (including statistics) and/or science (these meet lower-level requirements)
• Six credits in social science

Lower-level requirements (24 credits)

MATH 1141, Calculus I (3) and 1241, Calculus II (3) or equivalents; note that MATH 1001, 1091, 1157, 1171 and 1901 do not meet the mathematics requirement, and MATH 1001 is not accepted in any Science program
Eighteen credits in first- or second-year science, with a minimum of 6 credits in any three of the following subject areas:

• Life science (biology, genetics, zoology, botany, microbiology, biological oceanography, plant and animal physiology: BIOL 1113, 1213, 2131, 2341, 3021, 3101, 3131, 3231, 3431)
• Chemical science (chemistry, biochemistry: CHEM 1503, 1523; BIOL 3131, 3231)
• Physical science (astronomy, physics: PHYS 1103, 1203)
• Earth science (geology, atmospheric science, physical geography, geophysics, physical oceanography: GEOG 1221, GEOL 1111)
• Mathematics (including statistics): MATH 1101, 2111 or 2121
• Applied science (bioresource, chemical, civil, mechanical, electrical, or computer engineering science; forensic, forest or agricultural science)

Some interdisciplinary areas of studies may be allocated to more than one of these subject areas, depending on the content of the course.

Upper-level requirements (45 credits)

Thirty credits in two areas of science (18 credits in one, 12 credits in the other)
or
Thirty credits in three areas of science (18 credits in one, 6 credits in each of the other two)
and
Fifteen upper-level elective credits (may be science or non-science courses)

Elective requirements (27 credits)

May be lower- or upper-level science or non-science courses, with the exception of MATH 1001, Pre-Calculus Mathematics