Major in General Science

Students completing the Major in General Science (a total of 120 credit hours, 40 courses) will complete 24 credit hours (8 courses) in each of three streams chosen from the following disciplines:

• Biology
• Chemistry
• Earth Systems
• Mathematics
• Physics

As well, they must complete the General Science Core, and meet the School of Science and the Environment Core Program requirements. To complete their program in a timely manner, students are advised to decide upon their three streams as early as possible.

Students planning their course selection should bear in mind the following:

• The same course cannot be used to satisfy the requirements of more than one stream (but can be used to meet either set of Core requirements).
• Most senior-level science courses have one or more specified prerequisites, so courses need to be taken in the correct order.
• Some prerequisites may involve courses from outside a particular stream (e.g. a Physics course may have a Mathematics prerequisite, or a Biology course may have a Chemistry prerequisite).
• Students choosing the Physics stream are strongly advised to choose Mathematics as one of their other two streams.
• Students not choosing the Physics stream may delay taking Physics 1020/1050 and 1021/1051 until their second year.
• If a student wishes to apply for a professional program at Memorial University or elsewhere (after the completion of a General Science degree), they should pay careful attention to any courses needed to meet the admissions requirements of that program.

A Minor is not required for the General Science program.

 

Required courses

General Science Streams

Students must choose three of the following five streams:

 

​Biology	Biology 1001, 1002  18 credit hours from Biology 2010, 2122, 2210, 2250, 2600, 3053, Environmental Science 3072, 3110, 3130, 3131, 4140 (or equivalent field course) where at least 6 credit hours must be beyond the 2000 level.
​Chemistry	​Chemistry 1200 (or 1050), 1001 (or 1051), 2210, 2400, 2401 One of Chemistry 2301 or 2302 Environmental Science 3210, 3211
​Earth Systems	Earth Sciences 1000, 1002 Any 18 credit hours beyond the 1000 level from the following list, at least 6 credit hours of which are beyond the 2000 level:  any Earth Sciences courses Environment and Sustainability 2000, 3001, 4100 Environmental Science 2360, 2369, 2370, 2430, 3072, 4069, 4369, 4479 Geography 2425 Physics 2150, 2151
​Mathematics	Mathematics 1000, 1001, 2000, 2050, 2320  9 additional credit hours beyond the 1000 level chosen from Mathematics or Statistics, at least 6 which must be beyond the 2000 level.
​Physics	​Physics 1050 (or 1020), 1051, 2056, 2820 12 additional credit hours in Physics beyond the 1000 level, at least 6 of which must be beyond the 2000 level.

 

General Science Core

All General Science students must complete the following courses, regardless of their choice of streams:

• Mathematics 1000, 1001 
• Physics 1050 (or 1020), 1051 (or 1021). Students in the Physics stream require Physics 1051 and are recommended to take Physics 1050
• Science 4000, 4950

 

School of Science and the Environment Core Program Requirements

To meet the School of Science and the Environment Core Program Requirements, students must also complete the following (in addition to the above):

1. One of:

1. 6 credit hours in English courses; 
2. 3 credit hours in English and 3 credit hours in another language; 
3. 6 credit hours in Critical Reading and Writing (CRW) courses, including at least 3 credit hours in English courses.

2. 6 credit hours in courses chosen from: Economics, Environment and Sustainability, Geography or Political Science.

The same course cannot be used to meet both of these requirements (e.g. a CRW course in Political Science cannot be used to meet both 1 and 2).

Critical Reading and Writing (CRW) courses are regulated by the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, St. John's Campus.

 

Electives

Students must choose a sufficient number of electives to complete a total of 120 credit hours (typically 40 courses).  These courses can be chosen from any subject area, and may be used towards a Minor, or a Diploma or Certificate program.

Students who wish to pursue a Minor should note that careful planning is needed to complete their program in a timely manner.

 

Sample first-year plans:

Depending on their high-school background, students may need to complete MATH 1090 before MATH 1000, or CHEM 1810 (or 1010) before CHEM 1200.  Consult an academic advisor for more information.

 

Biology–Chemistry–Mathematics combination

​Year One	​
​Fall	​Winter
​BIOL 1001	​BIOL 1002
​CHEM 1200	​CHEM 1001
​ENGL 1000	​ENGL 1001
​MATH 1000	​MATH 1001
​PHYS 1020 (or elective)	​PHYS 1021 (or elective)

 

Biology–Earth Systems–Mathematics combination

​Year One	​
​Fall	​Winter
​BIOL 1001	​BIOL 1002
​EASC 1000	​EASC 1002
​ENGL 1000	​ENGL 1001
​MATH 1000	​MATH 1001
​PHYS 1020 (or elective)	​PHYS 1021 (or elective)

Chemistry–Mathematics–Physics combination

​Year One	​
​Fall	​Winter
​CHEM 1200	​CHEM 1001
​ENGL 1000	​ENGL 1001
​MATH 1000	​MATH 1001
​PHYS 1050	​PHYS 1051
​elective	​elective