BSc Biology

At Nipissing University, Biology students learn by doing through a combination of field, lab, and professional experience as diverse as the university's natural setting of forests, lakes, streams, and waterfalls, including a vast natural study area on campus. You'll take part in outdoor labs, field trips, and field camps in this varied ecological environment.

For those interested in plant sciences, the Nipissing Greenhouse Complex offers three computer-controlled growth zones with the Argus System, and the rooftop Plant Growth Facility features programmable Conviron chambers for research on plant physiology and adaptation. Animal research is supported by a high-security, CCAC-overseen Animal Research Facility for ethical and advanced animal studies.

You'll gain technical proficiency in the Central Analytical Facility, which houses cutting-edge analysis instrumentation, and can be involved in research labs such as the Plant Ecology Research Laboratory (PERL), which addresses plant adaptation and environmental physiology in collaboration with industry sponsors.

The Professional Internship Program (BIOL 4886/4887) allows you to gain 10 hours a week in real environments like veterinary clinics, environmental laboratories, or public health laboratories, while the Experiential Learning for Arts & Science Program (ELAS) arranges site visits, conferences, and work placements that tie in directly with your academic studies.

Experiential highlights include

• Outdoor labs, field trips, and field camps: In local forests, lakes, and streams

• State-of-the-art Greenhouse Complex and Plant Growth Facility: For plant research

• Secure Animal Research Facility: For licensed animal research

• Central Analytical Facility: With sophisticated analytical instruments

• Professional Internship Program (BIOL 4886/4887): For real-world experience

• Research groups like PERL: The Plant Ecology Research Laboratory

• ELAS program: For site visits, conferences, and placements

• Undergraduate Research Conference: To present your research

• Research Assistant roles and one-on-one thesis/directed studies: With faculty mentors

• Leadership and community engagement: Through the Record of Student Development (RSD)

Graduates of Nipissing University’s BSc Biology program are highly employable, moving into roles such as laboratory technician, environmental consultant, research biologist, health sciences professional, and science educator. Many alumni also pursue further studies in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, pharmacy, or graduate research.

Here’s how Nipissing specifically supports your future:

• Career Services & Experiential Learning: The program emphasises hands-on learning through enriched lab and field activities, including outdoor labs, field trips, and Field Camps in diverse local ecosystems like forests, lakes, and streams. Students gain experience with advanced analytical equipment in modern labs and can complete a 12-week professional internship or pursue a directed study, thesis, or apprenticeship in relevant workplaces.

• Employment Stats & Salary: Canadian biology graduates typically start between $45,000–$55,000 CAD per year, with higher earnings as experience and credentials increase.

• Industry Partnerships & Research: Nipissing partners with Bioenterprise Canada and other organisations to provide national research connections, mentorship, and funding. Students engage in research that integrates Indigenous knowledge and natural sciences, with placements in areas like species protection, public health, and municipal engineering.

• Accreditation: The BSc Biology is fully recognised in Canada and internationally, and fulfils prerequisites for graduate and professional programs (medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, education).

• Graduate Outcomes: Students develop strong analytical, research, and communication skills through close faculty mentorship, small class sizes, and coursework in evolution, genetics, ecology, chemistry, and statistics. Alumni highlight the program’s teaching-intensive, research-enriched structure as ideal preparation for advanced study.

Further Academic Progression: After your BSc Biology at Nipissing, you can pursue a Master’s (MSc) in Biology or related fields, or enter professional programs in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, or education, supported by Nipissing’s strong research culture, partnerships, and faculty mentorship