Biology programme

Education

Programme structure will depend largely on your individual choice of specialisations and the order in which you choose to take your courses. The basics of biology are covered in the first three semesters, and then students choose a biology major and a minor in biology or another subject. Students can broaden their studies and make their degree even more attractive on the job market by combining their biology studies with other subjects, such as GIS, law, economy, human geography, political science or environmental science.

The first three semesters, students take a number of introductory core courses in biology. In semester one, students take floristics & faunistics, biological methods & analyses. These courses cover basic areas in the field of biology, and subsequent courses will build on the subject matter covered in these introductory courses. In semesters two and three, students take zoology, botany, cell biology, and ecology. On completion of these courses, students take two or more 15 ECTS credit specialisation courses (the major). Students will also write a 15 ECTS credit Degree Project. In addition, students broaden their specialisation by taking biology or other minors accounting for a minimum of 30 ECTS credits: apart from biology, students may choose one of the natural sciences but they may also choose freely from all subjects at the university. Part of your studies may be located at another university in Sweden or abroad. Karlstad University has exchange agreements and contacts with many other institutions. Instruction is partly in the form of supervised laboratory work and field studies. All basic level courses can also be taken as distance courses, and the campus students have access to the same material as the distance students via the course home pages on the web. A number of meetings each semester in Karlstad or other sites are compulsory.

Examination

There are no set examination periods, and generally no final exam at the end of a semester, an academic year, or a complete study programme. Examination usually takes place at the end of each course, module, or unit.

Professional Contact

After the core cources, several advanced courses and degree project will give students possibilities of contacts with severel working life people - study trips, invited lecturers and collaborations.

Semester 1	ECTS credits
Floristics and faunistics (Obligatory)	15
Biological methods and analyses (Obligatory)	15

Semester 2	ECTS credits
Cellbiology (Obligatory)	15
Botany (Obligatory)	15

Semester 3	ECTS credits
Ecology (Obligatory)	15
Zoology (Obligatory)	15

Semester 4	ECTS credits
Optional course (Optional)	15
Behavioural Ecology (Elective)	15
Conservation Biology (Elective)	15

Semester 5	ECTS credits
Evolution (Elective)	15
Environmental Impact Assesment (Optional)	7.5
GIS - Introduction (Optional)	7.5
Freshwater Biology (Elective)	15

Semester 6	ECTS credits
Bachelor's thesis in Biology (Obligatory)	15
Optional course (Optional)	15
Practical course in Biology (Elective)	15

*Full-time study always equals 30 ECTS credits per semester (20 weeks).

Please note - not all programmes offer elective or optional courses.

Elective course: Students are free to choose among certain alternative courses, often depending on their choice of specialisation.

Optional course: Students are free to choose any course offered at Karlstad University or at other universities. Courses listed are examples of recommended or frequently chosen courses for a specific programme.