First Year Biology Information Seminar
Department of Biology Diane Matias Undergraduate Advisor d.matias@utoronto.ca Ph: 905-828-3999 Office Room #3057 William Davis Building Stephanie do Rego Undergraduate Assistant Office Room #3056 William Davis Building Advising regarding course selection, program selection, graduation assessments, personal or academic problems, withdrawal from courses, missed exams/tests, general questions.
Degree Types at U of T There are currently four degree types at the University of Toronto: Honours Bachelor of Science (HBSC) Bachelor of Commerce (BCOM) Honours Bachelor of Arts (HBA) Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA)
What determines a degree type? Degree types are determined by the type of program(s) you choose. If you choose mainly Arts programs then your degree type will become an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree If you choose mainly Science programs, then your degree type will become an Honours Bachelor of Science degree If you choose mainly Business or Economics programs, then your degree type will become a Bachelor of Business Administration or a Bachelor of Commerce degree.
Honours Bachelor of Science Degree If you choose one of the following program combinations, your degree type will be an Honours Bachelor of Science: One Science Specialist One Science Major and one other Major (can be Science or Arts) Two Science Minors with a Major (can be Arts or Science)
What is a Program? A program is the subject that you wish to study or specialize in. These can also be called subject posts. Examples of programs (or subjects posts) are: Biology Major (science) Chemistry Minor (science) Italian Major (arts) Psychology Major (science) Sociology Minor (arts) Economics Major (arts) History Major (arts)
Specialist programs Biology currently offers five Specialist programs Biology Ecology and Evolutionary Biotechnology Comparative Physiology Molecular Biology
Major and Minor Programs Biology currently offers three Major programs: Biology Biology for Health Sciences Paleontology As well as offering two Minor programs: Biology Biomedical Communications
Combination of Biology Programs A few examples of program combinations could be: Molecular Biology Specialist Biology Major + Chemistry Minor + Forensic Science Minor Biology Health Science Major + Psychology Major Environmental Major + Biology Major Biology Major + Statistics Minor + Psychology Minor
What is the difference between a Specialist, Major and a Minor program? A Specialist program is designed to be a researchintensive program that gives students the necessary training to pursue graduate education (Masters, PhD). Emphasis in fourth year is placed more in lab/research work. Specialist consists of 13.5-15.0 credits A Major program is designed to give students a basic and fundamental understanding. There is more flexibility to combine classes with other majors and minors. The Major consists of 8.0 8.5 credits. A Minor program is a set of courses that provide some degree of content mastery in a particular area that will complement the student's other Major, Minor or Specialist program. 4.0 4.5 credits.
Your degree and Programs Think of your degree type as the two hamburger buns, and your programs are what is going to be the ingredients that make up your burger. Degree type Programs = Biology Major + Psych Major = Science Degree Programs= Philosophy Major + History Major = Arts Degree Degree type
When you do pick your programs? Students do not choose their programs until after completing one year at U of T. First year course load should include: BIO152H, BIO153H, CHM110H, CHM120H, MAT134Y Students must have completed a minimum of 4.0 credits (not courses), before they can request to be enrolled into a program. Request time is usually around May and July of each year. Students must request to be enrolled into a program through ROSI. Request is then sent to Biology Dept.
Enrollment Requirements of Programs? Programs in Biology have specific enrollment criteria that all students must meet. Please check the most recent calendar for these requirements. Major Program ERMAJ2364 Biology (Science) Limited Enrolment. Enrolment in this program is limited to students who have completed 4.0 credits (including BIO152H5 and BIO153H5) and who have achieved a CGPA of at least 2.0. If students do not meet the program requirements after their first year, programs can be requested in your 2 nd, 3 rd, and 4 th year of study.
Degree Explorer Degree Assessment Tool Degree Explorer is the University of Toronto's degree planning tool. Review your academic history, degree requirements or use the planner to determine how future course choices might meet your requirements. https://degreeexplorer.utoronto.ca/degreeexplorer/l ogin.xhtml
Assessment of your degrees is a two step process. Degree requirements are different than program requirements. The Office of the Registrar is responsible for assessing your overall degree requirements. The departments are responsible for assessing your program requirements. Check Degree Explorer on a regular basis. At the beginning of your final year, make sure to book an advising appt. with the Office of the Registrar and the departments from which your programs are based, to make sure you are on track for graduation.
How many courses can I take? Students are not allowed to take more than 6.0 credits for the fall/winter combined sessions. Cannot take more than six courses, per term Courses ending in a Y = 1.0 credit and runs the fall/winter session. Ex: ENV100Y5Y Courses ending in a H = 0.5 credit runs only fall or winter. Ex: BIO152H5 Courses ending in an HY = 0.5 credit that runs the fall/winter session. Ex: BIO328H5Y
Degree Requirements: To graduate from the University of Toronto all students need to fulfill the following degree requirements: No more than 6.0 credits at the 100 level At least 6.0 credits at the 3/400 level Minimum CGPA of 1.85 Must have 1.0 credit in a Humanities course Must have 1.0 credit in a Social Science course Must have 1.0 credit in a Science course Students must have 12 distinct credits
Program Requirements Every department has different program (or sometimes programs are called subject post) requirements. In order to see if you have fulfilled your program requirements, please see the individual departments for this. Please always make sure to check the current calendar which can be found through the Office of the Registrar at: https://student.utm.utoronto.ca/calendar/calendar. pl
ROP, Internship, Research Courses ROP (Research Opportunity)-The Biology department offers research opportunities (ROP) to our 2 nd, 3 rd and 4 th year. Students gain practical skills and knowledge that can be applied to careers or toward future graduate studies. Students can earn 1.0 credits with ROP courses. http://www.utm.utoronto.ca/rop/ BIO400 is a 200 un-paid Internship course that students can apply to in their fourth or final year of study. BIO481Y5Y-Students in this course will conduct a research project under the supervision of a faculty member. Students learn how to design, carry out, and evaluate the results of a research project. Course is open to third and fourth year students. Above courses, students can earn 1.0 credits towards their Biology programs.
The Key To Success Please make sure to check your utoronto email. Do not forward your utoronto email to another gmail, hotmail or yahoo account. Take advantage of the Academic Skills Centre, Science Library Rep, Office of the Registrar, Biology Office. Get involved in class, extra curricular activities, group study sessions. Ask for help when you need it. The defining factor is never resources, it is resourcefulness Tony Robbins
Good luck with your studies this year!