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Program Requirements

The Minor Biology may be taken in conjunction with any primary program in the Faculty of Science (other than programs offered by the Department of Biology). Students are advised to consult the undergraduate adviser in Biology as early as possible (preferably during their first year), in order to plan their course selection.

See Nancy Nelson, Stewart Biology Building, 514-398-4109, email: nancy.nelson [at] mcgill.ca.

6 credits of overlap are allowed between the Minor and the primary program.

Required Courses (15 credits)

• BIOL 200 Molecular Biology (3 credits)

  Offered by: Biology (Faculty of Science)

  Overview

  Biology (Sci) : The physical and chemical properties of the cell and its components in relation to their structure and function. Topics include: protein structure, enzymes and enzyme kinetics; nucleic acid replication, transcription and translation; the genetic code, mutation, recombination, and regulation of gene expression.

  Terms: Fall 2024

  Instructors: Champetier, Serge; Hastings, Kenneth E M; Lasko, Paul; Turney, Shaun; Reyes Lamothe, Rodrigo (Fall)

  • Fall

  • 3 hours lecture, 1 hour optional tutorial

  • Prerequisite: BIOL 112 or equivalent

  • Corequisite: CHEM 212 or equivalent, or CHEM 204

• BIOL 201 Cell Biology and Metabolism (3 credits)

  Offered by: Biology (Faculty of Science)

  Overview

  Biology (Sci) : This course introduces the student to our modern understanding of cells and how they work. Major topics to be covered include: photosynthesis, energy metabolism and metabolic integration; plasma membrane including secretion, endocytosis and contact mediated interactions between cells; cytoskeleton including cell and organelle movement; the nervous system; hormone signaling; the cell cycle.

  Terms: Winter 2025

  Instructors: Brouhard, Gary; Hekimi, Siegfried; Zheng, Huanquan; Champetier, Serge (Winter)

  • Winter

  • 3 hours lecture, 1 hour optional tutorial

  • Prerequisite: BIOL 200.

  • Restriction: Not open to students who have taken or are taking ANAT 212 or BIOC 212

• BIOL 202 Basic Genetics (3 credits)

  Offered by: Biology (Faculty of Science)

  Overview

  Biology (Sci) : Introduction to basic principles, and to modern advances, problems and applications in the genetics of higher and lower organisms with examples representative of the biological sciences.

  Terms: Winter 2025

  Instructors: Moon, Nam Sung; Nilson, Laura; Schoen, Daniel J; Hipfner, David; Champetier, Serge (Winter)

  • Winter

  • 3 hours lecture, 1 hour optional tutorial per week

  • Prerequisite: BIOL 200 or BIOL 219

  • Restriction: Not open to students who have taken or are taking LSCI 204 or BIOL 302.

• BIOL 205 Functional Biology of Plants and Animals (3 credits)

  Offered by: Biology (Faculty of Science)

  Overview

  Biology (Sci) : Unified view of form and function in animals and plants. Focus on how the laws of chemistry and physics illuminate biological processes relating to the acquisition of energy and materials and their use in movement, growth, development, reproduction and responses to environmental stress.

  Terms: Winter 2025

  Instructors: Sakata, Jon; Barrett, Rowan; Soper, Fiona (Winter)

  • Winter

  • 3 hours lecture, optional conference hour

  • Prerequisites: BIOL 200 and PHYS 101 or 131 or equivalent

  • Corequisite: ANAT 212/BIOC 212 or BIOL 201

• BIOL 215 Introduction to Ecology and Evolution (3 credits)

  Offered by: Biology (Faculty of Science)

  Overview

  Biology (Sci) : An introduction to the fundamental processes of ecology and evolution that bear on the nature and diversity of organisms and the processes that govern their assembly into ecological communities and their roles in ecosystem function.

  Terms: Fall 2024

  Instructors: Price, Neil; Kassen, Rees; Fussmann, Gregor (Fall)

  • Fall

  • 3 hours lecture

  • Prerequisite: BIOL 111

  • Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ENVR 202

Complementary Courses (10 credits)

Students complete a minimum of 9 or a maximum of 10 complementary course credits depending on their choice of complementary courses.

To include:

• CHEM 212 Introductory Organic Chemistry 1 (4 credits) *

  Offered by: Chemistry (Faculty of Science)

  Overview

  Chemistry : A fundamental study of aliphatic compounds and saturated functional groups including modern concepts of bonding, reaction mechanisms, conformational analysis, spectroscopy, and stereochemistry.

  Terms: Fall 2024, Summer 2025

  Instructors: Vlaho, Danielle; Huot, Mitchell; Sirjoosingh, Pallavi; Tsantrizos, Youla S; Pavelka, Laura; Luedtke, Nathan (Fall) Sirjoosingh, Pallavi; Vlaho, Danielle; Huot, Mitchell (Summer)

  • Fall, Summer

  • Prerequisite: CHEM 110 and CHEM 120 or equivalent.

  • Restriction: Not open to students registered in Chemistry or Biochemistry. Not open to students who have taken or are taking CHEM 211, CHEM 242, or equivalent.

  • Each lab section is limited enrolment

  • Note: Some CEGEP programs provide equivalency for this course. For more information, please see the Department of Chemistry's Web page ().

Plus an additional two courses from the Biology department's course offerings, at the 300 level or above.

* Students who have already taken CHEM 212 or its equivalent will choose another appropriate course, to be approved by the Biology Adviser.