Offered at Richmond and Surrey

Start Date: September, January and May

Full- and Part-time

Description

Kwantlen University College currently offers the first two years of mathematics and science courses towards a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics or Physics. Students wishing to complete their Bachelor of Science can readily transfer to UBC, SFU, UVic, UNBC, or any other university college in British Columbia that offers a Bachelor of Science. In this arrangement, Kwantlen is regarded as the “sending institution” and the post-secondary institution accepting the transfer is regarded as the “receiving institution”. All of Kwantlen's mathematics and science courses have been formally articulated for transfer credit on a course-by-course basis with these institutions. Specific information on how each course transfers can be obtained through the BCCAT Web page or by contacting the admissions office at Kwantlen or at any other post-secondary institution.

Kwantlen students may apply for transfer to a university or elsewhere at any stage in order to complete a Bachelor of Science, but are encouraged by receiving institutions to complete the first two years here.

Kwantlen offers an Associate of Science degree and a Diploma of Science, both of which are described in further detail below.

Admission Requirements

The general Kwantlen admission requirements apply to all science creditials offered. However, individual courses within the science program have specific prerequisite requirements:

Specific grade requirements for these courses, and any other governing conditions, are identified with each course description. Courses and/or grades below the standards noted will necessitate appropriate upgrading, which will ultimately extend the time required to complete a Bachelor of Science degree. Students currently secondary school are therefore strongly encouraged to take Principles of Mathematics 12, and be aware of the other Grade 12 science requirements, when selecting their senior level courses in high school.

The pathway of “Applications of” high school courses, which are generally classified under the heading of Applied Academics and targeted for students not intending to pursue a Bachelor of Science, are recognized, but at a standard below the pathway of “Principles of” courses. Further detail on how Application courses are accepted by Kwantlen and other post-secondary institutions can be found from the Internet.

Kwantlen offers a variety of preparatory courses for students missing prerequisites for one or more of the essential courses in the Science program. Preparatory courses at the provincial grade 11 and 12 level are offered within the Science program as CHEM 1094; as MATH 1092, MATH 1093 and MATH 1112; and as PHYS 1100. A wider range of courses at even lower preparatory levels is offered under the ABE and PSP course coding.

Content

A traditional full course load would consist of five courses per semester, but many students opt to take a reduced load with the understanding that it will take longer to complete a Bachelors degree.

Science programs typically have a core of common courses in the first two years. However, to ensure that courses are taken in the correct sequence, or to properly match the course profile required for completion of a Bachelor of Science in the chosen specialization, students are encouraged to consult the Calendar or speak to admissions or advising personnel at the university or university college where they plan to complete a degree, or to contact an educational advisor or science instructor at Kwantlen. Very helpful information on selecting courses for the Science program can also be found at Kwantlen's educational advisor WEB page.

A typical first semester at a first-year level for full-time studies in the Science program would be:

All of

MATH 1120 or 1130

CHEM 1110

PHYS 1120 or 1101

Plus two courses chosen from:

BIOL 1110

CPSC 1100 or 1103

ENGL 1110 or 1100

Any other elective

Students lacking prerequisites for any of these courses would have to modify their course package accordingly.

English and elective courses are standard components of any Bachelor of Science degree. Students should be aware of the English and elective requirements at the post-secondary institution where they plan to complete their Bachelor of Science degree. Prerequisites for English are listed under the English courses section of Kwantlen's Calendar. Students who are not proficiently fluent in English are strongly advised to register in the appropriate level of English courses each semester, or until suitable fluency is achieved.

Some mathematics and science courses have been organized into two streams - life sciences and physical sciences.

First year science and mathematics courses:

APSC 1151*

BIOL 1110, 1210

CHEM 1105, 1110, 1210

CPSC 1100, 1103, 1204, 1205

GEOL 1210

MATH 1112, 1115, 1120, 1130, 1220, 1230

PHYS 1100, 1101, 1102, 1120, 1220, 1170

Second year science and mathematics courses are:

BIOL 2320, 2321, 2322, 2323, 2421

CHEM 2310, 2311**, 2315, 2320, 2410, 2420

MATH 2232, 2234, 2315, 2321, 2322, 2331, 2421

PHYS 2330, 2335, 2420, 2421, 2424

* for Engineering students or Science students planning to transfer to Engineering

** under development

Credentials

The Faculty of Science offers two credentials in support of course packages completed at Kwantlen, either before transferring to complete a Bachelor of Science or as an exit level recognition. Kwantlen does not currently offer a full four-year Bachelor of Science degree, but has articulated pathways for completion of a Bachelor of Science with the British Columbia universities and university colleges who do offer one.

Associate of Science Degree

An Associate Degree is fundamentally a recognition of halfway completion of a Bachelor Degree. Holders of an Associate Degree receive full transfer of all courses counting towards that degree, even if the receiving institution may not have an articulation in place with any specific course counted by the sending institution towards an Associate Degree. While universities traditionally set transfer standards based on GPA cutoffs, some receiving institutions grant priority transfer status to holders of an Associate Degree

The general requirements for the Associate of Science Degree are specified by provincial legislation. To qualify for an Associate of Science degree, students must complete a total of 20 courses at the first and second year level. A minimum overall GPA of 2.0 is required, with a passing grade in each course counting towards the Associate of Science degree.

Further information on the requirements for the Associate of Science degree can be found on the BCCAT Web site.

Kwantlen currently offers three pathways for an Associate of Science degree:

1. Associate of Science degree in General Science

This is the standard route for a Bachelor of Science in the Biological (Life) Sciences or Physical Sciences.

2. Associate of Science degree in Geography

This is a route to a Bachelor of Science in Geography

3. Associate of Science degree towards a Bachelor of Business Administration in Entrepreneurial Leadership at Kwantlen.

This is a unique pathway for students to gain a solid foundation in science while pursing a degree in Business. A degree with this focus can be useful in considering a business career that involves the manufacture and sale of scientific product or industries (e.g., pharmaceutical companies) involved heavily in scientific research. Kwantlen offers the Bachelor of Business Administration degree linked with this Associate of Science degree.

Further detail on course requirements for each of these options can be found at Kwantlen's Science Program WEB site.

Note: Students planning to continue towards a Bachelor of Science degree should verify the transfer status at each university when organizing their course profile to ensure they meet entrance requirements. Research has demonstrated that students transferring with an Associate Degree perform better at the receiving institution than students transferring at an earlier completion level, and at least at par with those students who were solely resident at that degree granting receiving institution.

For students electing to seek employment at the Associate of Science level, the degree attests that they have received a strong science education at the foundation level.

Required Course for an Associate of Science Degree

A. First Year

1. Any two of

ENGL 1100

ENGL 1110,

ENGL 1201,

ENGL 1202,

ENGL 1203,

ENGL 1205,

ENGL 1206,

ENGL 1200

2. Both of

MATH 1120 and 1220,

Or Both of

MATH 1130 and 1230

3. Any six science courses from among the following:

BIOL 1110, 1210

CHEM 1105, 1110, 1210

PHYS 1100, 1101 or 1120, 1170, 1220

MATH 1112, 1115

GEOG 1110, 1120

GEOL 1210

CPSC 1100, 1103, 1204, 1205, 1260

Note: no more than two courses in any subject area

B. Second Year

Any six science courses from among the following:

BIOL 2320, 2321, 2322, 2323, 2421

CHEM 2310, 2311, 2315, 2320, 2410, 2420

PHYS 2330, 2335, 2420, 2421, 2424

MATH 2232, 2315, 2321, 2421

GEOG 2310, 2320, 2390

CPSC 2301, 2402, 2405

Note: must be in a minimum of two subject areas

C. Four Additional Courses

1. Any two courses in Arts* other than English

2. Any other two university transferable courses

Total: 20 courses

* Note: Arts implies any subject area not noted in the science categories above, and includes all geography courses not specified in the science categories above, i.e. GEOG 1101,1140, 1150, 1160, 1211, 1212.

Students lacking the appropriate prerequisites will likely require more than two years to complete the Associate of Science degree. Since the Associate of Science Degree represents completion of one half a Bachelor of Science degree, as long as the right courses are taken here students should ideally be able to complete their Bachelor of Science within two years at the receiving university or university college.

Graduation

Upon successful completion of this program, students are awarded a Associate of Science Degree.

Diploma of Science

This credential is awarded in recognition of a substantial course profile in science taken at Kwantlen University College. There is no recognition of a Diploma of Science with respect to transferring to a receiving institution other than transfer credit on a course-by-course basis.

Content

A. 60 credits (Kwantlen credits) in 1000 and 2000 level courses that transfer to UBC or SFU or UVic, or UNBC including:

1. 3 credits (2 courses) in English courses at the 1100 level or higher;

2. MATH 1120 and 1220, or 1130 and 1230 (6 credits)

3. 20 credits of level 1100 and 1200 courses drawn from at least two of the following disciplines: Biology, Chemistry Physics*; and

4. 2 courses at level 2300 and 2400 in Biology, Chemistry, Physics or Mathematics (excluding MATH 2340)*;

* Note: Students should be careful to choose their remaining credits according to program requirements at the university, university/college or institute of technology where they wish to complete their Degree.

B. A minimum overall accumulated GPA of 2.00 in the courses that count towards the Diploma;

Note: A maximum of 45 credits (none at the 2300 or 2400 level) can be transferred into Kwantlen through a combination of courses taken at another institution or granted through Prior Learning Assessment.

Course Credit Assignments

Each post-secondary institution determines the method in which it assigns credit value to its courses. For example, Kwantlen University College assigns 5 credits for its PHYS 1120, while its equivalent course at UBC, SFU, UNBC and UVic is granted 3, 4, 4 and 1.5 credits, respectively. What's important in transfer recognition is what is learned, not what credit is assigned. When UBC grants only 3 credits for our 5 credits in the above example, UBC is merely converting our credit system to theirs. They do so to convert all courses taken here into their graduation program. In essence, the course is regarded as equal in content and learning outcome to their equivalent course. The adjustment of credit value is merely a numeric conversion to reflect this equivalence.

Science Credits for Non-Science Students

There are currently four courses available that satisfy science or lab-science requirements for non-science degrees and for the elementary education program at SFU and UBC. These four courses, ASTR 1100 (Astronomy), BIOL 1112 (Biology Today), CHEM 1101 (Chemistry in the World Around Us) and ENVI 1112 (Environmental Science), are also fascinating choices as electives for non-science students wishing to gain a stronger understanding of the scientific principles that impact our daily lives.

Graduation

Upon successful completion of this program, students are awarded a Diploma in Science.