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Bachelors in Biology Programs in Canada: Top 20

Biology is the largest science subject in Canadian universities and the most common first degree for anyone heading towards medicine, veterinary medicine, research or environmental work. The twenty programmes below show how differently institutions carve it up — integrative biology, biodiversity and conservation, immunology, applied biology, agricultural biology — and the specialism matters more than the ranking does.

How this list is ordered: Ordered by each university's QS World University Rankings position where it has one, then by research citations recorded by OpenAlex; one programme per university, and universities with neither measure are left out.

Full time or part time
Full time64 47%Full or part time72 53%

Same 136 records.

When these programmes start
Fall61 51%Spring59 49%

Counted from the intake stated on 61 of 136 records. A programme listing more than one intake is counted under each.

1 Bachelor Biodiversity and Conservation Biology

University of Toronto · Toronto

  • DeliveryOn campus
  • Study modeFull time
  • Duration4 years
  • StartsFall, Spring
  • QS World 2026#29
  • Research citations60,070,457

Biodiversity and conservation biology at the University of Toronto — species, ecosystems and how both are managed.

This is a field-based specialism, so field courses and long-term ecological projects are the heart of it.

The teaching question is how ecosystems hold together: how species interact, what shifts when one disappears, and how far human activity has moved the balance. Restoration work and environmental policy both start from that evidence.

Jobs graduates go into

  • Ecological Restoration Specialist
  • Policy Advisor in Environmental Agencies

Full programme details →

2 Bachelor Biology

University of Toronto, Mississauga

  • DeliveryOn campus
  • Study modeFull time
  • Duration4 years
  • StartsFall, Spring
  • QS World 2026#29
  • Research citations60,070,457

A general biology major at the University of Toronto Mississauga, with your specialisation coming from the courses you choose rather than from the title.

Toronto teaches biology separately at each of its three campuses. Cellular biology, genetics, ecology and evolution form the required base, with laboratory work running beside each. The choice of upper-year courses is wide enough that two graduates of the same major can leave with very different training.

Jobs graduates go into

  • Healthcare Professional (e.g., medical laboratory technologist)
  • Pharmaceutical Sales Representative

Full programme details →

3 Bachelor Integrative Biology

University of Toronto, Scarborough

  • DeliveryOn campus
  • Study modeFull time
  • Duration4 years
  • StartsFall, Spring
  • QS World 2026#29
  • Research citations60,070,457

Integrative biology at the University of Toronto Scarborough — organisms studied across levels, from molecules up to whole ecosystems, rather than specialising early.

That breadth suits students who are not ready to choose between the molecular and ecological sides.

Full programme details →

4 Bachelor Immunology

University of Trinity College

  • DeliveryOn campus
  • Study modeFull time
  • Duration4 years
  • StartsFall, Spring
  • QS World 2026#29
  • Research citations60,070,457

Immunology as a named undergraduate degree at Trinity College, Toronto — which is rare, and a narrow choice to make at eighteen.

It is squarely biomedical and points towards medical research and medicine itself.

You study the immune system working properly and then failing: cellular and molecular immunology, and the mechanisms behind immune disease. Entry wants strong school sciences, particularly biology, the named prerequisite courses, and real mathematical ability.

Entry requirements, as the university states them

  • High school diploma with a strong academic record in sciences, particularly biology and chemistry
  • Completion of specific prerequisite courses in the sciences
  • Strong analytical and mathematical skills
  • A passion for the life sciences and research
  • IELTS score of 6.5 or higher, with no band lower than 6.0

Full programme details →

5 Bachelor Biology

University of Western Ontario

  • DeliveryOn campus
  • Study modeFull time
  • Duration4 years
  • StartsFall, Spring
  • QS World 2026#151
  • Research citations12,631,253

Biology at Western University, in London, Ontario, with the major declared inside the science faculty.

At a large university the range of specialisations is wide and competition for honours places and laboratory spots is real.

Jobs graduates go into

  • Pharmaceutical Sales Representative

Full programme details →

6 Bachelor Biological Sciences

University of Calgary · Alberta

  • DeliveryOn campus
  • Study modeFull time
  • Duration4 years
  • StartsFall, Spring
  • QS World 2026#211
  • Research citations14,947,778

Biological sciences at the University of Calgary, in a province where environmental, agricultural and health research are all substantial.

A broad departmental degree means your specialisation comes from the courses and the research group you join.

Jobs graduates go into

  • Pharmaceutical Sales Representative
  • Healthcare Research Analyst

Full programme details →

7 Bachelor Biology

Dalhousie University · Halifax

  • DeliveryOn campus
  • Study modeFull time
  • Duration4 years
  • StartsFall, Spring
  • QS World 2026#283
  • Research citations7,503,197

Biology at Dalhousie University, in Halifax, where marine and coastal biology are long-standing research strengths.

For marine biology the Atlantic coast setting is part of the education, through field courses and vessel work.

The taught core runs through molecular biology, genetics, ecology and physiology, so the degree stays broad before you specialise. Students who take the marine options get coastline and vessel access as part of normal coursework rather than as a summer extra.

Jobs graduates go into

  • Pharmaceutical Sales Representative

Full programme details →

8 Bachelor Applied Biology

Simon Fraser University · British Columbia

  • DeliveryOn campus
  • Study modeFull time
  • Duration4 years
  • StartsFall, Spring
  • QS World 2026#308
  • Research citations6,469,963

Applied biology at Simon Fraser University — biology aimed at practical problems, which at this university usually comes with co-operative education attached.

Co-op means paid work terms alternating with study, usually adding a year.

This is a Bachelor of Science in the Faculty of Environment, and one of five streams there. The subject is how natural and human-driven processes change population numbers, the make-up of communities and the way whole ecosystems function.

Full programme details →

9 Bachelor Biology

York University

  • DeliveryOn campus
  • Study modeFull time
  • Duration4 years
  • StartsFall, Spring
  • QS World 2026#333
  • Research citations4,267,828

Biology at York University, in Toronto, with the major declared after a broad first year.

Large urban universities offer a wide choice of specialisation and more competition for research places.

Cellular biology, genetics, ecology and evolution are covered in the first two years, with theory and laboratory practice paired throughout. A broad entry year suits students who have not yet decided between laboratory science and field work.

Jobs graduates go into

  • Education and Outreach Coordinator

Full programme details →

10 Bachelor Agricultural Biology

University of Saskatchewan

  • DeliveryOn campus
  • Study modeFull time
  • Duration4 years
  • StartsFall, Spring
  • QS World 2026#378
  • Research citations5,615,953

Agricultural biology at the University of Saskatchewan — crops, soils and pest management, with agency and agribusiness employment behind it in a farming province.

This is one of the more job-focused biology titles here. Plant and soil biology, plant pathology and pest management make up the specialist half of the degree. Saskatchewan grows what it teaches, so the research questions arrive from farms rather than from a reading list.

Jobs graduates go into

  • Pest Management Specialist

Full programme details →

11 Bachelor Biology

Concordia University

  • DeliveryOn campus
  • Study modeFull time
  • Duration4 years
  • StartsFall, Spring
  • QS World 2026#465
  • Research citations3,331,622

Biology at Concordia University, in Montreal, taught in English in a mostly French-speaking city.

That combination suits students who want an English-language degree with a French-speaking city around it.

Cellular biology, genetics, ecology and physiology form the core, each carrying its own laboratory component. Specialised options follow once the base is in place, letting students move towards health science or environmental work.

Jobs graduates go into

  • Pharmaceutical Sales Representative

Full programme details →

12 Bachelor Biology

Toronto Metropolitan University

  • DeliveryOn campus
  • Study modeFull time
  • Duration4 years
  • StartsFall, Spring
  • Research citations1,554,646

Biology at Toronto Metropolitan University, in downtown Toronto, a university with an applied and professional focus across its faculties.

No QS position is recorded for the university, which affects where it sits here rather than describing the department.

Jobs graduates go into

  • Policy Advisor for Environmental Agencies

Full programme details →

13 Bachelor Biology

Wilfrid Laurier University

  • DeliveryOn campus
  • Study modeFull time
  • Duration4 years
  • StartsFall, Spring
  • Research citations894,483

Biology at Wilfrid Laurier University, in Waterloo, Ontario. Mid-sized universities often strike a useful balance: enough research activity to join, with less competition for places than at the largest institutions.

The scale runs from molecules and cells out to ecology and environmental science, so students see both ends of the subject. Critical thinking, analysis and experiment design are assessed as skills in their own right, not only as a route to the right answer.

Full programme details →

14 Bachelor Biological Sciences

University of Lethbridge

  • DeliveryOn campus
  • Study modeFull time
  • Duration4 years
  • StartsFall, Spring
  • Research citations816,904

Biological sciences at the University of Lethbridge, in southern Alberta, where prairie ecology, water and agricultural systems are the local research context.

Lethbridge has a strong undergraduate research tradition for a university of its size.

Full programme details →

15 Bachelor Biology

Laurentian University of Sudbury

  • DeliveryOn campus
  • Study modeFull time
  • Duration4 years
  • StartsFall, Spring
  • Research citations705,244

Biology at Laurentian University, in Sudbury, northern Ontario, where boreal forest ecology, freshwater systems and the environmental effects of mining are live local questions.

That setting gives field access southern universities cannot match. Genetics, ecology, microbiology and cellular biology make up the taught content, with theory and practical work alternating. Studying ecosystems where mining, forest and freshwater pressures overlap gives the coursework a specificity that a southern campus cannot stage.

Full programme details →

16 Bachelor Environmental Biology

Ontario Tech University

  • DeliveryOn campus
  • Study modeFull time
  • Duration4 years
  • StartsFall, Spring
  • Research citations680,779

Environmental biology at Ontario Tech University — organisms and ecosystems looked at through environmental change and assessment.

This framing points towards environmental consultancy, impact assessment and agency work. Ecology, evolutionary biology, conservation and environmental policy are taught together, which is unusual at undergraduate level. Students work on real biodiversity problems and on how organisms respond when the conditions around them are altered.

Jobs graduates go into

  • Environmental Policy Analyst

Full programme details →

17 Bachelor of Biology

Université du Québec à Chicoutimi

  • DeliveryOn campus
  • Study modeFull time
  • Duration4 years
  • StartsFall, Spring
  • Research citations447,348

A biology degree at the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, recorded under its French title, so teaching is in French.

Quebec runs its own admission system, and its regional universities often have northern and boreal research specialisms.

Also named for this programme

  • Technicien en laboratoire
  • Chercheur en biologie appliquée
  • Agent de protection de l'environnement
  • Expert en conservation de la biodiversité
  • Membre d'équipes interdisciplinaires de recherche

Full programme details →

18 Bachelor Biology

University of Prince Edward Island

  • DeliveryOn campus
  • Study modeFull time
  • Duration4 years
  • StartsFall, Spring
  • Research citations406,434

Biology at the University of Prince Edward Island, on a small island province with marine, agricultural and veterinary research around it.

Small universities mean small classes and direct access to faculty, with fewer specialisations on offer.

Jobs graduates go into

  • Biotech Industry Specialist
  • Healthcare and Clinical Research Analyst
  • Pharmaceutical Sales Representative
  • High School Biology Teacher

Full programme details →

19 Bachelor Biology

Mount Allison University

  • DeliveryOn campus
  • Study modeFull time
  • Duration4 years
  • StartsFall, Spring
  • Research citations202,335

Biology at Mount Allison University, a small liberal arts university in New Brunswick with a recognised tradition of faculty-supervised undergraduate research.

For students heading to graduate school, working in a professor's laboratory as an undergraduate is the strongest preparation.

Full programme details →

20 Bachelor of Science — Biology

Mount Royal University

  • DeliveryOn campus
  • Study modeFull time
  • Duration4 years
  • StartsFall
  • Research citations85,934

A Bachelor of Science in biology at Mount Royal University, in Calgary, a university that moved relatively recently into degree-level science teaching.

Newer science programmes often mean smaller classes and a narrower range of specialisations.

Jobs graduates go into

  • Pharmaceutical Sales Representative

Full programme details →

Biology degrees in Canada: common questions

Do I apply to biology directly or to a science faculty?

At most Canadian universities, to the faculty — you take a broad first year and declare the major afterwards, sometimes conditionally on your grades. The named specialisms in this list are exceptions where the subject is settled at admission. Ask which majors are limited entry and what average they require.

Do I need the honours stream?

If graduate study or research employment is the plan, in practice yes — the final-year honours thesis is the only evidence an undergraduate can offer of being able to run a research project, and it is what supervisors read. For other destinations the major stream is a complete degree.

Is biology the right degree for medical school?

It is a common choice because it covers the prerequisites, not because medical schools prefer it — Canadian medical schools admit from any discipline and weigh the grade average, the admission test and the non-academic record. Choose the degree you will achieve the highest average in, and check each school's specific prerequisite courses, which differ by province.

What is co-op and is it worth the extra year?

Paid work terms alternating with study, usually extending the degree by a year, and in applied, environmental and biotechnology-adjacent biology it is close to the standard route into employment. It is not recorded in this list, so ask each university whether it exists in your major, how competitive entry is, and whether international students are eligible.

Should I choose a specialised title or a general biology degree?

A specialised title — immunology, conservation biology, agricultural biology — admits you directly to the subject and removes the uncertainty of competing for a major later, at the cost of committing early. A general degree at a department with strength in several areas is safer if you are not certain. Both lead to the same graduate routes.

Biology lists elsewhere

Other subjects in Canada

Browse every Biology programme in Canada →