¶¡ÏãÔ°AV

Department of Physics | Faculty of Science
¶¡ÏãÔ°AV Calendar 2013 Spring

This bachelor of science (BSc) honours program is for students who are interested in using physical approaches to tackle biological problems.

Students should speak with an advisor as soon as possible to schedule their programs.

Honours program graduates may undertake graduate work in either physics or molecular biology, or related areas, and should choose their courses accordingly.

Minimum Grade Requirement

Students wishing to enrol in physics courses must obtain a C- grade or better in prerequisite courses.

Program Requirements

Students complete 132 units, as specified below.

Lower Division Requirements

Students complete a minimum total of 64 units, including all of

• BISC 101-4 General Biology
• BISC 102-4 General Biology
• BISC 202-3 Genetics
• CHEM 121-4 General Chemistry and Laboratory I
• CHEM 122-2 General Chemistry II
• CHEM 281-4 Organic Chemistry I
  
• CHEM 282-2 Organic Chemistry II
• MATH 152-3 Calculus II
• MATH 251-3 Calculus III
• MATH 252-3 Vector Calculus
• MBB 222-3 Molecular Biology and Biochemistry
• MBB 231-3 Cellular Biology and Biochemistry
• PHYS 211-3 Intermediate Mechanics
• PHYS 231-3 Physics Laboratory II
• PHYS 255-3 Vibrations and Waves

and one of

• MATH 150-4 Calculus I with Review
• MATH 151-3 Calculus I

and one of

• MATH 232-3 Applied Linear Algebra
• MATH 240-3 Algebra I: Linear Algebra

and one of

• CHEM 260-4 Atoms, Molecules, Spectroscopy
• PHYS 285-3 Introduction to Relativity and Quantum Mechanics

and one of

• PHYS 101-3 Physics for the Life Sciences I
• PHYS 120-3 Mechanics and Modern Physics
• PHYS 125-3 Mechanics and Special Relativity†
• PHYS 140-4 Studio Physics – Mechanics and Modern Physics*

and one of

• PHYS 102-3 Physics for the Life Sciences II
• PHYS 121-3 Optics, Electricity and Magnetism
• PHYS 126-3 Electricity, Magnetism and Light†
• PHYS 141-4 Studio Physics – Optics, Electricity and Magnetism*

and one of

• PHYS 130-2 Physics for the Life Sciences Laboratory
• PHYS 131-2 Physics Laboratory I*

*students with credit for PHYS 140 and 141 are not required to complete PHYS 131

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Upper Division Requirements

Students complete a minimum total of 53 units, including all of

• MATH 310-3 Introduction to Ordinary Differential Equations
• MBB 309W-4 Biochemistry Laboratory
• MBB 322-3 Molecular Physiology
• MBB 331-3 Molecular Biology
• PHYS 321-3 Intermediate Electricity and Magnetism
• PHYS 347-3 Introduction to Biological Physics
• PHYS 385-3 Quantum Mechanics I
• PHYS 433-3 Biological Physics Laboratory

and one of

• CHEM 360-3 Thermodynamics and Chemical Kinetics
• MBB 323-3 Introduction to Physical Biochemistry
• PHYS 344-3 Thermal Physics

and four other upper division MBB or PHYS courses. MATH 462 may be included amongst these four. The following courses are suggested.

• MBB 308-3 Molecular Biology Laboratory
• MBB 321-3 Intermediary Metabolism
• MBB 413-2 Physical Biochemistry Laboratory
• MBB 421-3 Nucleic Acids
• MBB 422-3 Biomembranes
• MBB 423-3 Protein Structure and Function
• MBB 441-3 Bioinformatics
• MBB 442-3 Proteomics
• PHYS 395-3 Computational Physics  
• PHYS 492-3 Special Topics in Physics
• PHYS 413-3 Advanced Mechanics
• PHYS 445-3 Statistical Physics
• PHYS 455-3 Modern Optics
• PHYS 484-3 Nonlinear Physics
• MATH 462-3 Fluid Dynamics

Option A or B Requirements

In addition to the requirements stated above, students also complete the requirements for their choice of either Option A or Option B as stipulated below.

Option A

Students who choose this option will complete all of

• MBB 481-5 Individual Study Semester – Research Design
• MBB 482-5 Individual Study Semester – Research Performance
• MBB 483-5 Individual Study Semester – Research Reporting

Option B

Students who choose this option will complete all of

• PHYS 384-3 Methods of Theoretical Physics I
• PHYS 415-3 Quantum Mechanics II
• PHYS 421-3 Electromagnetic Waves  
• PHYS 432-5 Undergraduate Honours Thesis
• PHYS 445-3 Statistical Physics

Faculty of Science Requirements

In addition to the above requirements, students must also satisfy Faculty of Science honours program requirements as follows.

• students are required to complete additional upper division units to total a minimum of 60 upper division units (excluding EDUC 401 to 406)
• students who were enrolled at ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV between fall 1991 and summer 2006 are required to complete a minimum of 12 units in subjects outside the Faculty of Science (excluding EDUC 401 to 406) including six units minimum to be completed in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Writing, Quantitative, and Breadth Requirements

Students admitted to ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV beginning in the fall 2006 term must meet writing, quantitative and breadth requirements as part of any degree program they may undertake. See Writing, Quantitative, and Breadth Requirements for university-wide information.

Residency Requirements and Transfer Credit

The University’s residency requirement stipulates that, in most cases, total transfer and course challenge credit may not exceed 60 units, and may not include more than 15 units as upper division work.

Elective Courses

In addition to the courses listed above, students should consult an academic advisor to plan the remaining required elective courses.

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