Biological Sciences D-level Enrolment

The department of Biological Sciences strives to engage students in their interests and to prepare them for their next step in academia and/or the work force.  We endeavor to create and offer courses that are engaging to the current and future student population and varied student interests.  In recent years we have greatly increased our D-level course offerings in response to the enthusiasm and growth of our student body and we make every effort to ensure that all of our Specialist and Major program students are able to enroll and complete their D level program requirements in a timely manner.  Our D level courses involve a critical evaluation of current research in the field and out faculty work tirelessly to ensure that students develop a variety of skills including written scientific communication, critical thinking and oral presentation skills. Such learning outcomes mandate small class sizes such that our faculty can nurture development of these skills in individual students.  We are therefore committed to maintaining limited enrollment courses at the D-level with learning outcomes that ensure that our graduates are poised to thrive in their future studies and careers. 

Our current students cite their curiosity in learning biology and their interest in medical, graduate or other related professional schools as the primary reasons for their interest in our programs. As the number of students in our programs continue to grow, our goal remains to continue to inspire our students and equip them with the essential skills required to pursue their future interests. We are extremely pleased with the large number of students who wish to actively engage in our D level courses again this year and we look forward to working together to ensure that you participate in these immersive learning experiences of your choice, prior to graduation. 

Please note that due to the high demand of all Biology D level courses we will be restricting the enrollment to 0.5 credits for Biological Science students enrolled in our Major programs, effective Summer 2018. Note that this restriction does not apply to students in our Specialist Programs (who require 1.0 credits of D level courses from within Biological Sciences).

Students request D level courses on ACORN, but will not be officially enrolled until approval has been granted. You should choose D levels that you are interested in taking that follow your program.  Enrollment status can be checked on ACORN.  "APP" means that your registration has been approved and "REF" means that you have been refused enrollment in the course.  Your status in a course will remain as "INT" until the department makes a decision. The department's decision will be based on the courses that you have requested to enroll in and hence we ask that you only choose those courses that you actually intend to remain in. Priority enrollment will be given to students who are in their fourth year and will be graduating in June or November of the following year. It is critically important that students in our Specialist programs enroll in D-level courses within the appropriate time frame for course enrollment, as this places the department in a difficult position should we need to accommodate you into courses once the enrollment deadlines have passed and spaces have been opened to all students in our programs.

Please note that this new enrolment procedure in D-levels does not apply to BIOD95H3 BIOD67H3, BIOD96Y, BIOD98Y3, or BIOD99Y3 as there is already a separate registration process for these courses, but it does apply to previous D levels taken in the department. As a reminder, these courses also do not fulfill the D-level program requirements in several of our programs.

• If you are enrolled in our Specialist Program you should be completing 1.0 D level credits (two courses) within Biological Sciences. Students are encouraged to plan well ahead to ensure that they have appropriate pre-requisite courses in 2nd and 3rd year in order to meet the enrollment requirements for the D -level courses. The department will work with students such that they are able to enroll in D level courses that align with their interests; however, we ask that students maintain some flexibility in their interests in D level courses so that we can ensure that they are able to complete this program requirement. Program supervisors and the course coordinator are available for consultation regarding D-level enrollment.
• If you are enrolled in one of our Major programs you should complete 0.5 (one course) within Biological Sciences that will meet your program requirements.  You should choose another D level in your other Major program outside of Biological Sciences or at a different campus, to complete your degree requirements. In rare occasion, there might still be space in D level courses after all students requesting enrollment have been considered. In such cases, these remaining spaces will open to students in all of Biological Sciences programs (Specialist and Major). Given that this is a very unlikely event for popular courses, we do not advice students in Major programs to wait to enroll in more than one course (0.5) at the D level within Biological Sciences during period 1 enrolment..
• If you are enrolled in our Minor program you should be looking for D levels in the department you are completing a Major or Specialist program, and not from within the Biological Sciences.