Biology Honours Program

Total Credits: 120

In addition to the program credit requirements below, the Biology Honours can include:

• A concentration in specific areas of biology, shown on your academic transcript, based receiving at least 15 credits are taken from designated courses in the concentration area. See information here.
• A 24 credit minor in any arts or other science subject

All science degrees at StFX require courses in three different sciences: Science A, B, and C. For Biology programs, Science A is Biology, and Science B and C will be two other scientific disciplines chosen by the student based on the information below.

Minimum Grades for Honours Students

Honours students must meet the following requirements:

• at least an average of 75 over all courses in each of the first two years of study
• a minimum grade of 70 in each course in Biology (all years) 
• at least an average of 75 over courses in Biology in each of the 3rd and 4th years of study

Exceptions to these requirements can be made only with permission the Dean of Science (to request an exception, consult with the Chair of Biology first).

Honours Thesis

Honours students complete an Honours thesis based on independent research. The research can be done either as a paid research assistant during the summer between 3rd and 4th year or between Sept and Feb of their 4th year. For more details: Additional Honours Program Details.

Science A: 60 credits

• 6 credits from BIOL 111, 112 
• 12 credits from BIOL 201, 202, 203, one of 204 or 205, 315
  Note: Only one of BIOL 204 or 205 may be used to fulfill this requirement, although both can count in Science A.
• 3 credits BIOL at the 400 level (other than BIOL 499, 475, 493)
• 33 credits BIOL electives (may include CHEM 355, 455). At least 30 credits must be at the 300/400 level
  Note: BIOL 115, 116, 215, 221 and 220 cannot be used as BIOL electives (but can be used as open electives below)
• BIOL 391 non-credit course for career development
• BIOL 491 non-credit course for attending the departmental seminar
• 6 credits from BIOL 475, 493 (honours thesis)

Other required courses to be included in science B, science C, or electives:

• 6 credits from CHEM 101, 102 or 121, 122
• 6 credits from CHEM 221, 255
• 6 credits from MATH 106 or 126, 107 or 127 (must be Science B or C)
• 6 credits quantitative or analytical content from CSCI 128, 161, 162, 223, 225, 350, MATH 253, 267, 277, 287, 335, PHYS 101, 102, 108, 121, 122, 250, 371, 372, STAT 311, 331, 333, 344. See information here.

Science B: 12 credits

• 12 credits from a 2nd  science program: Aquatic Resources, Chemistry, Climate & Environment, Computer Science, Earth & Environmental Sciences, Mathematics & Statistics, Physics, Psychology
• usually CHEM, since 12 credits of CHEM required above

Science C: 6 credits

• 6 credits from a 3rd science program: Aquatic Resources, Chemistry, Climate & Environment, Computer Science, Earth & Environmental Sciences, Mathematics & Statistics, Physics, Psychology
• usually MATH, since CHEM is usually Science B and MATH must be Science B or C

Science (required/electives): 12 credits

• usually 6 credits of quantitative or analytical courses from requirement above
• 6 credits from other science courses

Arts electives: 12 credits

• 12 credits from programs in the Faculty of Arts

Open electives: 18 credits

• BIOL 115, 116, 215, 221 and 220 can be used as open electives

Additional Honours Program Details

Biology is an empirical science that advances our understanding of the living world through the application of the scientific method in experimental and observational studies. Accordingly, the Biology B.Sc. Honours program is designed to enable undergraduate students to gain exposure to original field and laboratory research, including the design of an investigation, data collection and analysis, and formal presentation of the findings. Research that students undertake during the summer may be appropriate for inclusion in the thesis, but it must not be the sole source of thesis content. It is intended that all students, whether they are able to work with faculty during the summer or not, shall have equal access to the Honours research experience.

Timetable of Events

Second Year

• Mid-March: apply for admission to the Honours program (exact date in the Academic Calendar).

Third Year 

• Between mid-November and mid-January: connect with a potential research supervisor. See Starting in Biology Research and Biology Research Areas to get started. 
• Early February: apply for undergraduate summer research awards (if eligible). 

Fourth Year 

As part of the Honours Thesis I and II courses (Biol 475, Biol 493): 

• Mid-September: confirm thesis topic and supervisor (exact date in the Academic Calendar). 
• Late September: submission of research proposal 
• October to March: submission of thesis components 
• Early February: presentation of thesis results in Biology Department seminar 
• Early April: submission of final version of the full thesis

Application and Acceptance Procedure

After formal acceptance into the Honours program (after second year) students must identify a faculty member who will supervise the research program. It is recommended that students connect with potential supervisor(s) in their third year, ideally by mid-January, to facilitate potential summer research between third and fourth year. The final deadline to confirm a supervisor is in mid-September of a student’s fourth year.

Faculty members who agree to supervise a student must inform the Chair of their commitment to that student. A faculty member who has committed to supervising a student may decline to supervise additional students. In cases of difficulty in associating students with suitable supervisors, it is the responsibility of the Chair to resolve the situation.

Research Supervision

It is the responsibility of the supervisor to ensure the student has regular contact and adequate technical and strategic advice to proceed safely and successfully in the project. The research supervisor will work with the student to develop the research project and to complete the experiments.

Supervisory Committee

The Committee shall be composed of the supervisor and a reader. A reader may be (i) a second faculty member from the Biology Department, (ii) a member of a cognate department or governmental agency who is familiar with the research area, or (iii) under exceptional circumstances, and with the approval of the Chair, a qualified person who is familiar with the research area. If a student is in a joint Honours program between Biology and a second department, the Supervisory Committee shall be composed of the supervisor and the co supervisor from the second department. In the case of a research experience external to StFX and with no direct involvement of a StFX faculty member, the Supervisory Committee shall be composed of an internal supervisor and a reader (as defined above).

The Supervisory Committee shall monitor the progress of the student through the research program and assist as needed. If the student encounters any issues while completing their research or thesis that are not resolvable through consultation with their supervisor or Supervisory Committee, they should contact the Coordinator of Students (or, as an alternate, the Chair of the Department) who shall facilitate resolution.

Thesis Proposal

In late September, each student will make a verbal presentation to the Biol 475 class summarizing the goals of the proposed research and the approach to be taken. A brief (maximum 500 words) proposal must be submitted to the Biol 475 instructor by early October. The proposal should outline the background, rationale, specific goals, and the methods of the proposed research. See the Honours course syllabus for exact dates.

Thesis

The thesis writing process is designed to be iterative, giving students multiple opportunities to draft, edit and revise their work as they develop and refine their scientific writing skills. To this end, students must discuss the content and organization of all thesis components with their supervisors. Throughout this process, supervisors (and second readers), shall provide feedback to students to help them meet expectations about writing their thesis and presenting their research.

The thesis format must adhere to the specifications in the Honours thesis template, provided to all Biology Honours students at the beginning of Biol 475. The final thesis will also be uploaded to the StFX Scholar repository. Students can also view previous theses through this repository for examples of formatting and content. Students and supervisors may also choose to obtain a printed and bound copy of the final thesis, but this is not required.

In general, the thesis will follow a format similar to that of manuscripts for the Canadian Journal of Zoology, Botany, or the Canadian Journal of Microbiology. The thesis is double-spaced throughout, including references, tables, and figure legends. Finished theses normally vary between 20 and 70 pages in length.

Theses will often take the following form:

Opening Pages 

• Title Page ‑ unnumbered ‑ including (in order) title, author, degree and University, year, and approval signatures of the supervisory committee. 
• Page ii ‑ copyright permission 
• Page iii – abstract 
• Page iv ‑ table of Contents 
• Page v ‑ list of Figures (optional) 
• Page vi ‑ list of Tables (optional)

Body of Thesis 

• Introduction 
• Materials and Methods 
• Results 
• Discussion 
• Acknowledgements 
• References 
• Appendices (optional)

The format shown above is a traditional format which may not always be the most suitable for efficient and clear presentation of the work. Therefore, it is expected that some theses will depart from this model, for example, with an amalgamation of some of the sections or with subsections within sections. The specific structure of the thesis should be determined in consultation with the supervisor.