Bachelor of Science, Major in Biological Sciences

at University of Manitoba - Fort Garry Campus Canada

Physical Geography examines the natural and physical systems of the Earth including the atmosphere, biosphere, cryosphere (ice and snow), hydrosphere (water) and lithosphere (land surface). Physical geographers also look at the connections between these systems, how they change over time, and the implications of these changes. Atmospheric science covers topics such as climate change, storms (including tornadoes), weather systems and other atmospheric phenomena. Biogeography is the study of the biosphere, and examines the geographic nature of plants, animals, and ecosystems. Hydrology is the study of the Earth’s water in its many forms including ice, snow, rivers, lakes, and groundwater. Lastly, geomorphology examines the nature of the Earth’s land surface features such as mountains and river.

The Faculty of Science provides excellent training in scientific areas. The Bachelor of Science General degree provides breadth and depth of scientific understanding and comprises introductory Science courses and upper level Science courses from two departments of your choice. This is a flexible degree program – students can switch to a Major or Honours program at any point in their studies (subject to eligibility) and is a great preparation for further study in professional faculties, such as Medicine.

Program options:
Degree options

• B.Sc. Bachelor of Science Major
• B.Sc. (Hons.) Bachelor of Science Honours
• B.Sc. Bachelor of Science General

Program options:

• Actuarial Mathematics 
• Astronomy
• Biochemistry
• Biological Sciences
• Biotechnology (*As of Fall 2018, admission to the Biotechnology program has been temporarily suspended. Contact a Faculty of Science Academic Advisor for further information.) 
• Chemistry
• Computer Science
• Genetics
• Mathematics
• Microbiology
• Physics
• Psychology 
• Statistics
• Preparing for Health Related Programs

Psychology is the scientific study of behaviour and mental processes. It is also the profession that applies the accumulated knowledge of this science to practical problems. Psychologists and their work can be classified into three general categories: Research Psychology, Applied Psychology, and Clinical/Counselling Psychology.

The Bachelor of Nursing is offered in a community that is characterized by a mosaic of cultural groups. The curriculum gives students a solid base in theory. Clinical practice allows students to apply their skills and techniques in actual care-giving environments so that our graduates view people in their entirety when providing a service essential to community health and welfare.

The Department of Religion at the University of Manitoba focuses on three areas of study: religions in the West (especially Christianity and Judaism), religions in the East (Islam, Hinduism, Yoga, Buddhism), and religion and culture. Method and theory is an integral part of our program as is an emphasis on world religions. Courses are mainly tradition based or topics based. Our topical courses are comparative, for example, dealing with death and mourning rituals in world religions.

Criminology is concerned with the complex social phenomena of crime and criminalization. The criminology program engages students in a systematic study of the nature and extent of crime and criminalization along with the array of agencies and programs designed to prevent, control, and respond to criminal activity over time and place. Attention is given to specific issues related to gender, race, class and crime, youth and crime, violence and victimization, criminal law and procedure, policing and crime prevention, restorative justice, and global criminology. Courses in the criminology program are taught primarily from a sociological perspective, with emphasis placed on research, program development, and policy analysis.

Geography is a broad synthesizing discipline that studies humans and the Earth by focusing on the themes of place and space. Geography is therefore not an encyclopedic listing of capital cities, mountains and rivers, but rather an understanding of the causes, effects, implications, and importance of these and other features. As Geography is so broad, it is often studied as a number of separate but closely related sub-disciplines, notably physical geography and human geography, and also regional geography (Area Studies), topical geography and geographic techniques (Geomatics).

Interesting courses and unique opportunities

• Place, Populations and Mobility: Geographic Perspectives
• Social Geography of the Environment
• Animal Geographies
• Food Geographies
• Gender and the Human Environment
• Children's Geographies and the Geographies of Young People

Civil engineers plan, design, supervise construction, manage, and maintain facilities that are familiar to most people. They are involved with infrastructure and environmental projects such as bridges, dams, highways, water and waste-water treatment plants, airports, and flood control systems. Civil engineers increasingly use new technologies such as Geographical Information/Positioning Systems, advanced materials, remote sensing and monitoring in their projects.

Courses include engineering materials, fluid mechanics, structural design, infrastructure engineering and construction management, finite element method, application of geographic information systems, economics, transportation planning, environmental analysis and design, hydrology, and technology and society.

Genetics is the science of heredity, which deals with the mechanisms of inheritance. The Genetics program is interdisciplinary, comprising courses from Biological Sciences, Microbiology, Chemistry, Arts, Medicine and Agricultural and Food Science. The study of Genetics is divided into three broad areas: Classical genetics, population genetics, and molecular genetics. Students will study advances in medicine, agricultural techniques, heritable IQ, genetically modified organisms, genetic counselling and gene therapy. The Honours and cooperative work-study (co-op) programs provide experience in government, private sector and research laboratories.

The Department of Classics is devoted to the study of the ancient Mediterranean civilizations of Greece and Rome which stand at the beginning of the history and culture of the whole of Western civilization. A wide variety of subjects and methods of investigation come within the experience of students who pursue the study of the Classical world, including (among others) Ancient History, Archaeology, Art History, the Latin and ancient Greek languages, Linguistics, Modern Word Origins, Mythology, Literature and Drama, Religion, and the Origins of Western Thought. Students may study ancient Greek and Latin to a high level of fluency, but most courses in the Department do not require knowledge of these languages.