Biological Sciences
Qualifications
BSc, CertSc, BSc(Hons), PGDipSc, MSc, PhD, GradDipSc
Introduction
Biology means the study of living things. Biologists investigate animals, plants and microbes in many different ways and at a huge range of scales from molecules and cells to individual organisms, populations and ecosystems.
During the past few decades the study of biology has undergone rapid change and has had a significant impact on the way we live. We are now able to produce antibiotics and vaccines, grow disease resistant crops, transplant organs and manipulate genes. Biologists today are actively researching solutions to vital concerns such as increasing world food supply, improving and protecting our environment and conquering disease. We need to know how micro-organisms, plants and animals work and how they interact on land and in the sea and freshwaters. Of increasing importance to us is global climate change and how this affects the living world.
Our courses will help prepare you for a career in biology, be it in biodiversity, biosecurity or biotechnology. You will find our courses exciting, challenging, and up-to-the minute as our lecturers are all actively engaged in research in some aspect of biological sciences.
The School of Biological Sciences
The School of Biological Sciences has modern, well-equipped teaching and research laboratories with excellent technical support. There is a scanning electron microscope and a confocal microscope, high-performance liquid chromatographs, an automatic DNA sequencer, tissue culture and image processing facilities, controlled plant growth chambers, an experimental garden and glasshouse complex, and an extensive computer network. Additionally, the School contains a whole range of other equipment and facilities vital for modern studies in biological sciences. Construction of a new six-level research laboratory block was completed in 2010. Further phases of the project will include progressive refurbishment of the existing Biological Sciences buildings.
Teaching and research activities are greatly enhanced by access to field stations. Many undergraduate courses involve a fieldwork component based either at Cass, nestled amongst the Southern Alps, or the Edward Percival Field Station at Kaikoura, with sweeping views of coastal whale-inhabited waters. Field trips allow students to apply techniques and theories they have learnt in lectures and to interact with staff in a more informal setting.
Staff and postgraduate students are actively involved in research on exceptionally diverse topics. These range from those of potentially practical and economic importance to New Zealand society, to those probing the boundaries of fundamental, interest-driven science.
Recommended background
No special background is required. However, students who have not completed Year 13 biology may find the Science Headstart biology summer preparatory course very useful. Some background in mathematics, particularly statistics, and chemistry is valuable in most biological disciplines. For certain disciplines, some knowledge of physics is helpful. All students should have adequate English skills.
100-level courses
- See all 100-level Biological Sciences courses
- SCIM 101 Science, Māori and Indigenous Knowledge
Of the five first-year courses, three – BIOL 111, BIOL 112 and BIOL 113 – are foundation courses and are required in order to advance in Biological Sciences. Some of these courses also form part of the Intermediate requirements for Speech and Language Therapy, Forestry and some Engineering options (the Engineering course ENCH 281). Students who have not taken chemistry to Year 13 secondary school level are strongly advised to take one Chemistry course (eg, CHEM 114). One 100-level Mathematics or Statistics course is also recommended.
200-level and beyond
The first-year Biological Sciences courses provide an overview of all the sciences relating to plants, animals and micro-organisms. You can then choose to follow a specialised life science stream. For further information on undergraduate streams and honours majors see the School of Biological Sciences.
Further study
Students with good grades can enter the honours programme and, usually following a fourth year of study, graduate with a BSc(Hons). An alternative route to a further qualification, after graduating with a BSc, is to enrol for a fourth year of study leading to a Postgraduate Diploma in Science. If suitable course grades are attained, this can be extended in the following year to a MSc during which a major research project is completed.
For those with particular ability and with an interest in a career in research, a PhD could follow completion of a BSc(Hons) or MSc degree.
Career opportunities
There are wide-ranging employment opportunities. Our graduates have gone on to positions as teachers, technicians, researchers, managers and diverse other positions in agriculture, horticulture, veterinary and medical science, freshwater and marine fisheries, aquaculture, oceanography, entomology, soil biology, and food, brewing and pharmaceutical industries.
Government agencies frequently target Biological Sciences graduates. Regular employers of our graduates include Crown Research Institutes, government ministries concerned with conservation, the environment, agriculture, forestry and health, and regional and local councils.
Even if you do not gain employment in science, a Biological Sciences degree indicates you have the ability to access, understand, analyse and communicate complex information. This is attractive to many other employers. You will be taking out into the world knowledge that is vital for the healthy development of society.
Contact
School of Biological Sciences
Telephone: +64 3 364 2500
Email: biology@canterbury.ac.nz