BSc or BA (120 credit hour) Combined Honours in Marine Biology and another subject
Students who wish to study Marine Biology in conjunction with another subject may wish to pursue a Combined Honours degree program. The other subject may be any discipline from the Faculty of Science (other than Biology), the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, the Faculty of Computer Science, or the College of Sustainability. Marine Biology may be the primary subject (defined as the subject with the larger number of honours credits), or the secondary subject. Students planning to enroll in a Combined Honours program should consult with academic advisors from both programs early in their studies. Students must have their program of study approved by Academic Advisors in both subject areas.
To graduate with Honours, students must complete a minimum of 36 credit hours above the 1000 level in Marine Biology/Biology, whether Marine Biology is the primary or the secondary subject. A minimum B+ average (GPA of 3.3), with no grade less than C, is required in the Core Biology/Core Marine Biology courses. Students must also have a cumulative B average (GPA of 3.0) in courses in the honours subject at the time of graduation. Students write a research-based Honours thesis and complete an Honours Qualifying Examination in their primary subject area. For Marine Biology, this requirement is satisfied through MARI 4901.03/MARI 4902.03.
A Co-op option is available for students enrolled in a BSc Combined Honours in Marine Biology. See Co-operative Education Program.
Admission to Honours
Students must apply for admission to Honours programs. Students considering Honours should consult with a Marine Biology Honours Advisor early in their studies. To be admitted, students must:
- Have a minimum B+ average (GPA of 3.3) in Core Biology/Core Marine Biology courses with no grade less than C. A maximum of two of these core courses may be repeated once to achieve this requirement.
- Have a minimum B average (GPA of 3.0) across all courses in the honours subject.
- If Marine Biology is to be the primary subject area, students must
- Identify and gain the support of a thesis supervisor during their third year of studies (see Honours webpage for supervisor eligibility)
- With the supervisor’s input, draft and submit a thesis proposal to the Honours Committee preferably no later than May 15th of their third year of studies. See Honours webpage for thesis proposal guidelines, and admission procedures for Honours Co-op students.
Marine Biology/Biology Honours webpage https://www.dal.ca/faculty/science/biology/honours.html
Course Requirements
In addition to fulfilling the requirements outlined in the Academic Regulations and College of Arts and Science Degree Requirements sections, students in a Combined Honours program in Marine Biology and another subject must complete the following:
1000 level
- BIOL 1010.03: Principles of Biology Part I (or BIOL 1020.03: Introductory Biology I: Cells, Genetics and Evolution or SCIE 1505X/Y.18 or SCIE 1506.09: Integrated Science I and SCIE 1507.09 Integrated Science II or equivalent)
- BIOL 1011.03: Principles of Biology Part II (or BIOL 1021.03: Introductory Biology II: Organismal Biology and Ecology or SCIE 1505X/Y.18 or SCIE 1506.09: Integrated Science I and SCIE 1507.09 Integrated Science II or equivalent)
- MATH 1060.03/STAT 1060.03: Introductory Statistics for Science and Health Sciences or SCIE 1505X/Y.18 or SCIE 1506.09: Integrated Science I and SCIE 1507.09 Integrated Science II or equivalent)
- MATH 1000.03: Differential and Integral Calculus I or MATH 1215.03: Life Sciences Calculus or MATH 1030.03: Matrix Theory and Linear Algebra 1
- CHEM 1011.03: Concepts of Chemistry: Structure and Reactivity
- CHEM 1012.03: Concepts in Chemistry: Energy and Equilibrium
Note: Marine Biology students wishing to incorporate Ocean Sciences into their program should include MATH 1000.03: Differential and Integral Calculus I or MATH 1215.03: Life Sciences Calculus and PHYC 1190.03/PHYC 1290.03 Introduction to Physics (or PHYC 1310.03/PHYC 1320.03 or PHYC 1300.06 Physics in & Around You)
2000 level
Core Biology courses
Other recommended courses
- OCEA 2000.06: The Blue Planet or OCEA 2001.03: The Blue Planet I and OCEA 2002.03: The Blue Planet II
- MATH 2080.03/STAT 2080.03: Statistical Methods for Data Analysis and Inference
3000 and 4000 levels
Core Biology/Core Marine Biology Courses
If Marine Biology is the primary subject, students must choose an additional 9 credit hours from any of the following courses. If Marine Biology is the secondary subject, you must choose an additional 15 credit hours from any of the following courses:
If Marine Biology is the primary subject, students will also complete
- MARI 4901.03: Honours Research and Thesis I and MARI 4902.03: Honours Research and Thesis II