First Year: The BSc in Biology shares a point of entry with the BSc programs in Chemistry, Contemporary Science, Mathematics and its Applications, and Medical Physics, through which all new science students at Ryerson complete a common first year. This allows students to explore various science-based routes to degree completion before they commit to the Biology program. In addition to BSc foundation courses, the first year of studies will include an introduction to the use of computers as scientific tools, and an orientation course that will support students in making a successful transition to university and planning their steps to degree completion. All students in Science programs must enroll in SCI 180 in their first semester of studies.

Upper Years: In the upper years of the curriculum, students will focus on developing their technological expertise and exploring the research and industrial applications of biological science. Depending on the course sequence selected, students may pursue a BSc in Biology, with a Minor in either Chemistry or Psychology, with an option in Biophysics or in Computational Biology. In the final year, they will consolidate their learning by undertaking an independent, faculty-supervised thesis project in their field of academic focus.

Biophysics Option

This option is available to students entering their fifth semester of the Biology program. Biophysics is an interdisciplinary science that applies the theories and methods of physics to biological questions. Biophysics typically addresses biological problems at the molecular level by drawing knowledge and experimental techniques from a wide variety of disciplines to indirectly observe or model the structures and interactions of individual molecules or complexes of molecules. Biophysics is typically studied at the graduate level which makes this option at Ryerson unique. Students who choose this option will enhance their undergraduate biology education with courses such as Radiation Biology, Health Physics and Medical Physics. Biophysics offers careers in teaching and research at educational, medical and government institutions, research and development at pharmaceutical, biotechnology and nanotechnology and other biologically oriented high-tech companies, and in regulation and public policy at all levels of government and private organizations. This undergraduate option can also lead the way to post-graduate studies towards certification as a health or medical physicist.

Computational Biology Option

This option is available to students entering their fifth semester of the Biology program. Computational Biology is an interdisciplinary field that applies the techniques of computer science, applied mathematics, and statistics to address problems inspired by biology. Careers in Computational Biology might range from analysis of genomic sequences to visualizing the activity of an animal's nervous system or modeling the responses of a plant to changing environmental conditions. Students choosing this option will enhance their biology education with courses in computer programming, stochastic modeling and bioinformatics. Bioinformatics is a fast growing subdiscipline that uses computational methods for the interpretation of vast amounts of data from high throughput techniques in the biological field. Students who chose to study computational biology will be exposed to this rapidly evolving field and can pursue a career in the Life Sciences as a scientific curator, gene analyst, protein analyst, or phylogenitist, in the Computer Science/Engineering area as a database programmer or bioinformatics software developer, in Applied Sciences as a molecular modeler or biostatistician, or Pharmaceutical Sciences as a Cheminformatician or pharmacogenetician.

CO-OPERATIVE PROGRAM

An optional co-operative program is available which provides the graduating students with 20 months of work experience that enhances their organizational and technical abilities as well as their oral and written communication skills.

Although the Department cannot guarantee a placement, they provide major assistance in locating suitable positions and counselling of students in their search for suitable jobs. This co-operative program enables students to earn competitive wages to offset the costs of a university education.

Students who have completed the first year of the program must apply through this department for admission to the co-operative program prior to the beginning of the second year. Enrollment in the co-op program is limited. Admission will be based on the student's grade point average.

The sequencing of academic and work terms is shown below:

Students must successfully complete a minimum of four work terms in order to graduate from the co-op program.

The co-op program requires five years to complete the degree in Biology. The regular program can be completed in four years.

All Co-op placements must be approved by the Office of Co-operative Education and the Dean's designate responsible for administering science programs.

Optional Specialization in Management Sciences (OSMS) 

Students who opt for this specialization will gain a solid foundation in management science courses, specifically tailored to better prepare them for a career in engineering or applied science management or for graduate studies in management related specializations (e.g. MBA). Students must complete all first year courses and obtain a CLEAR Standing to be eligible to enroll in this specialization.

Furthermore, in order to continue taking courses within the specialization, students must maintain their CLEAR Standing. Students' CGPAs will continue to be calculated based only on their required program courses and separate CGPAs will be computed for courses in the specialization. In order to have the additional specialization designation reflected on their degrees, students must successfully complete all six courses in the specialization and achieve a CGPA of 2.00 or more before graduation.

Courses within the optional specialization cover four major areas in management science: Strategic Engineering Management, Operations Management/Operations Research, Financial Sciences, and Organizational Sciences. Required courses include: Managerial Accounting, Entrepreneurship & Innovation Management, Operations Management and Organization Design & Dynamics. Elective courses span the following: Investment Analysis, Management Information Systems, Operations Research, and Project Management.

Required courses: EMS 201, EMS 202, EMS 204, EMS 303, ECN 801.

Elective courses (select one): EMS 203, EMS 301, EMS 302, EMS 304.

Students approved prior to Fall 2008 will follow the previous requirements.

Courses are offered in the Spring/Summer term. All required courses are prerequisite to the corresponding elective courses. For example, EMS 201 is a prerequisite to EMS 301. Additional prerequisites may be required. See the course description pages for details.

Career Opportunities

As a graduate of the Biology program, students will have high caliber skills in problem-solving and technological innovation, particularly in the areas of biotechnology and environmental science - two sectors experiencing increasing demand for qualified professionals. Here are a few of the many career paths you may take:

• Scientist, Researcher, or Science Manager (government, academia, or industry through further studies and completion of a Master's or PhD at the post-graduate level)
• Biochemistry, Microbiology, Molecular Sciences, Biotechnology
• Technical support (Biotechnology, Agri-Food, and Pharmaceutical Sectors)
  • Research, Product Development and Manufacturing
  • Quality Control 
• Food and Beverage Industry
  • Research, Product Development and Manufacturing
  • Quality Control
• Environmental Science
• Teaching (primary, secondary, and post-secondary)
• Health Sciences (Medicine, Dentistry, and allied health sciences)

Liberal Studies
Students must take three lower level liberal studies courses and three upper level liberal studies courses to graduate.

Minors

Students may pursue any Minor offered by Ryerson (with exceptions), and are eligible for only one Minor. Please refer to the Minors Policy section of this calendar for further information on individual Minor requirements and restrictions.

The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education Certificates

Undergraduate students wishing to pursue a continuing education certificate program should be aware of possible restrictions. Please refer to the Curriculum Advising website at www.ryerson.ca/curriculumadvising for complete details.