FAQ for undergraduate students

Students lacking Biology 11 or 12 need to complete BIOL 150A or BIOL 150B.

• 1st and 2nd year advising: contact Drs. Beaulieu or Ehlting at biology.advice1@uvic.ca
• 3rd and 4th year advising: contact Drs. Beaulieu or Punzalan at biology.advice2@uvic.ca
• Waivers and transfer credits for 100- and 200-level courses: contact Drs. Beaulieu or Ehlting at biology.advice1@uvic.ca
• Waivers and transfer credits for 300- and 400-level courses: contact Drs. Beaulieu or Punzalan at biology.advice2@uvic.ca
• Registration help: contact biology.reghelp@uvic.ca

Your GPA must average 6.0 or greater over all Biology courses (including courses taken at other institutions for which you receive transfer credit). For more information on the Honours program, please visit our undergraduate research index.

You can find detailed information on course registration here: https://www.uvic.ca/students/undergraduate/course-registration/index.php. 

Instructions on how to register, including how to add yourself to a waitlist, are available here: https://www.uvic.ca/students/academics/register-for-courses/index.php. 

Please contact biology.reghelp@uvic.ca if you are having trouble registering in a BIOL course.

There are different ways to get experience in a research lab as an undergrad student. See the links below for more information on each program.

• NSERC Undergraduate Science Research Award (NSERC-USRA): a research-work term in a research a lab. More details are also available by visiting our undergraduate research index. 
• Faculty of Science Undergraduate Research Award (SURA) and Faculty of Science Emerging Researcher Award (SERA): a research-work term in a research lab.  for more information and the terms of reference for each award, see our undergraduate research index.
• Workstudy program: gain experience during the Fall and Spring term working in a teaching or research lab.
• Directed Studies: a credit course for senior students working on a project in a research lab. For more information, contact biology.directedstudies@uvic.ca or visit our undergraduate research index.
• Honours program: please visit our undergraduate research index for more information.

The Department of Biology doesn’t offer a specific program in Marine Biology but offers a Concentration in Marine Biology. 

Program worksheet Biology Major, Marine Concentration BSC

Program worksheet Biology Major, Marine Concentration Ocean Studies minor (BSC)

While you’re studying at UVic, you also have the option of taking courses at Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre (BMSC) http://www.bamfieldmsc.com/ for credit at UVic. BMSC is located on the west coast of Vancouver Island, a 5-hour drive from Victoria. Fees at BMSC include room and board. BMSC offers intensive, hands-on courses and is a great opportunity for in-depth study of marine science and ecology. For more information about opportunities at BMSC, please contact the University programs coordinator directly, university@bamfieldmsc.com.

You can also take courses through the School of Earth and Ocean Sciences. The link to their course page is http://www.uvic.ca/science/seos/courses/index.php. They offer courses in physical and chemical oceanography.

Visit the Undergraduate Admissions page and follow the directions. You'll find detailed information here to guide you through the process.

Your transfer credits are evaluated when you apply to UVic. If you're transferring from a BC institution, check the BC Transfer Credit Guide to see if your credits will transfer. We can't evaluate transfer credits before you begin the application process.

You'll be applying to the Faculty of Science. The admission requirements are described in detail in the calendar.