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| Continental Ecology and Behavioural Ecology |
| Taxonomy and Plant Biology |
| Entomology |
| Biological Oceanography and Marine Ecology |
| Genomics and Molecular Biology |
| Animal Physiology |
| Integrative genomics |
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Director : Alan Anderson
Undergraduate program secretary: Sylvie Lemieux (656-2131 ext. 7306)
The principal purpose of the undergraduate program is to offer a fundamental knowledge of basic biological sciences. As seen below, required courses (61 credits) help to develop an appreciation of the organization of life and its diversity:
Required courses also assure the acquisition of knowledge in biochemistry, statistics and geology.
The second objective of the program is to allow students to begin their specialization in a biological discipline. Thus, we offer 40 optional courses, among which students must choose 30 credits (10 courses). These include a language course and two general elective courses.
Optional courses are grouped into six categories:
Note that students are not bound to one single category for all their optional courses.
The program also offers students the opportunity to continue a part of their program abroad within the context of an international program.
The entrepreneurial profile has also its place in the undergraduate program. This profile gives to the students all the tools and support to develop their creativity and entrepreneurial abilities.
Laboratory experiments, field trips and internships in working environments provide pratical training.
Practical laboratory periods complete the majority of required courses and account for approximately one third of the required credits. Several optional courses also contain hands-on experiences that range from molecular biology or physiology to ecology.
Field trips are major components of practical learning in general ecology, plant biology, marine ecology, oceanography, limnology, etc.
The Quebec City region is an ideal site for such practical training: it is located at the boundary of the temperate and boreal forests, between the acid geological formations of the Precambrian shield and the sedimentary formations, between the Laurentian Mountains and the St. Lawrence plains. It is also in the region of Quebec City that the St. Lawrence River becomes an estuary. This geological, topographic and climatic diversity produces a large array of ecosystems, easily accessible in a radius of a few tens of kilometers from Laval University.
A longer (8 day) field-trip is also available in marine ecology.
Lastly, future biologists may acquire practical and compensated work experience by participating in « on-the-job training sessions ».
Program administration is supervised by the program director (Alan Anderson), who is assisted by an undergraduate program secretary (Sylvie Lemieux). The program director has the responsability to assist students with their course selection and their program in general.
A « program committee » formed of professors and students approves every program amendment. The committee meets two to three times each year and is essential for the constant improvement of the undergraduate studies in biology. The committee provides an important voice by which student requests and suggestions may be heard.