Bachelor of Science

Status Upon Admission

Students are initially admitted to the Bachelor of Science, “undeclared program” unless they indicate on their application their intended major or general studies. Students may declare their major/minor or general studies program as early as they wish after initial registration, and must do so before they register for their sixth unit of coursework. Refer to page for the information on how to officially declare a major. Students may later change their major, or general studies status, with the approval of the appropriate department.

Three types of degrees are available:

Bachelor of Science - General Studies

This degree offers a broad background in the sciences and requires completion of 15 units.
Students intending to complete the general studies degree must declare their intention to do so before they register for their sixth unit of coursework. Students who do not make this declaration within this time frame will not be permitted to register for further coursework.

The following requirements apply:

a minimum of nine units must be completed from the science disciplines of:
Biology
Chemistry
Computer Science
Mathematics
Physics
Psychology
Applied Human Nutrition courses designated as science courses;
at least one unit must be completed in Mathematics; and
one unit must be completed in English or Writing; and
at least two units must be completed from disciplines listed under B & C in the BA General Studies requirements (see p.). Psychology may be counted as contributing to requirements 1 or 4, but not both.
The degree must include at least one concentration of four units from the disciplines listed above where a concentration has been defined by the program. Concentrations must be structured as specified by the department offering the concentration. (See “concentration” listing under each departmental heading.) Students must declare their subject of concentration before registering for their sixth unit of coursework. No more than six units in the subject of concentration may be counted toward the degree. No more than six units in any discipline may be counted towards the degree.
A minor or minors (including a professional minor) may be claimed. Each minor consists of three units of coursework as defined by the department offering the minor. Professional minors are available in Applied Human Nutrition, Business Administration, Child and Youth Study, Information Technology, and Family Studies and Gerontology. No more than three units of professional coursework may be counted toward the degree.
Students may include up to three units of professional studies. Applied Human Nutrition courses included in the Applied Human Nutrition science minor will not be counted as professional electives; and
at least six units of the total program must be completed at the 2000 level or above, and two units must be completed in science disciplines at the 3000 level or above; and
fifteen units must be completed overall to claim the degree, and
students must achieve a GPA of 2.0 or better in their best six science units, including the concentration, in order to graduate.
Students who complete a minor or a second concentration must obtain a GPA of 2.0 or better in each minor or concentration in order for the transcript to record the award.

Bachelor of Science with Major (20 Units)

The degree with a major is intended for those students with a clearly focussed interest who wish to gain knowledge in depth of a single discipline.

The major field must be chosen from:

Refer to page for the procedures on declaring a major.

Minors must be chosen from:

those disciplines listed above
computer science
physics
applied human nutrition courses designated as science courses on page .

Refer to the section of course descriptions (Section 5) of the particular disciplines for specific major and minor requirements.

Students must declare their major before registering for their sixth unit of coursework. Bachelor of Science students who do not declare their intention to complete a major within this time frame will not be permitted to register for further coursework. Refer to page for the information on how to officially declare a major.

The following requirements apply:

Successful completion of 20 units;
a minimum of eight and a maximum of 10 units in the major field, in a sequence of courses as directed by the department; at least three full units of the eight required for the major must be taken in courses numbered at the 3000 level or above;
an overall GPA of 2.0 must be achieved in the required eight units of the major field;
a minor consisting of three units in a science field as specified by the department. Students must achieve a GPA of 2.0 in the required three units of the minor as specified by the program;
a required “core” consisting of at least one full unit from each of the groups A, B, and C (exclusive of the major) listed under Bachelor of Arts, General Studies;
in addition students may choose (i) a second three-unit minor (in arts or science or a professional area), or (ii) no more than four units from professional areas (applied human nutrition courses included in the applied human nutrition science minor as designated on page will not be counted as professional electives), or (iii) up to five free arts or science electives.
of all the courses required for the degree, at least nine units must be at the 2000 level or above.
no more than four units of credit from professional areas (as defined in the current Academic Calendar) may be counted toward the degree. Applied human nutrition courses included in the applied human nutrition science minor as designated on page will not be counted as professional electives.

Special Studies

Students may count a maximum of four units of directed/independent/research studies courses in a Bachelor of Science (Major), with no more than two units in any single discipline.

Major Certificate

Students who have graduated from Mount Saint Vincent University with a Bachelor of Science General Studies degree may apply to do a major certificate. Students must fulfill the requirements for the major degree listed under the appropriate program entry.

Bachelor of Science - HonoursThe honours degree option is available to students who wish to study a single discipline in depth, usually with post-graduate study as a goal. Honours degrees are offered in biology, chemistry, mathematics, and psychology. All honours programs require:

successful completion of 20 units;
a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 12 units in the honours subject;
a minor consisting of three units of credit in one subject area as specified by the department. Students must achieve a GPA of 2.0 in the required three units of the minor as specified by the program;
a "core" consisting of at least one full unit from each of the groups, A, B, and C (exclusive of the honours subject) listed under Bachelor of Arts, General Studies;
a GPA of 3.0 or better in 10 of the required honours units, with a grade of at least C- in each of these units; in addition, students must achieve a minimum of B- in the honours thesis, and an overall GPA of 3.0 or more must be obtained in all courses counted for the degree beyond the first full five units taken;
first-class honours will be awarded to students who maintain a GPA of 3.5 or better in 10 units in the honours subject and no grade below B- in all courses counted for the degree beyond the first full five units taken.
no more than four units of credit from professional areas (as defined on p.10 of the current Academic Calendar) may be counted toward the degree. Applied human nutrition courses included in the applied human nutrition science minor as designated on page will not be counted as professional electives.

Students in good academic standing who wish to be admitted to an honours program should apply to the chairperson of the department as early as possible in their university career. Students in honours programs must fulfill the specific requirements of their department in addition to the general university requirements. If an honours thesis, essay or project is required by the department, credit will be given for it.

Joint Honours Degree
An honours degree awarded jointly with Dalhousie University may be obtained in those subjects which form part of the honours program at Dalhousie University.

The program requires the completion of 20 units. Of these, nine units must be at the 2000 level or above in the honours subject.

Students wishing to register for a joint honours program should consult with the chairperson of the department in which they intend to specialize.

Honours CertificateStudents who have graduated from Mount Saint Vincent University with a Bachelor of Science with major degree may apply to do an honours certificate. Students must fulfill the requirements for the honours degree listed under the pro