Field Courses

We are delighted to announce the field course plans for the Department of Integrative Biology for 2024. Two Integrative Biology, fourth-year field courses will be taught by Guelph faculty: ZOO​*4300 in St. Andrews, NB and BIOL*4410 in Algonquin Park, ON. Guelph also continues its participation in the Ontario Universities Program in Field Biology (OUPFB) where students can apply to take field courses at other Ontario universities for academic credit here. A third option is to take a field course not at the University of Guelph and not through OUPFB, but at an academically or research-accredited institution (requires preapproval by the field course coordinator below). Field course plans or health protocols may be adjusted according to the public health situation.

Field course coordinator: Dr. Beren Robinson

Field course Assistant: Ms. Caitlin Brookbanks

OVERVIEW:

Field courses vary from year to year and the application procedures vary from course to course. A detailed summary of the general field course information session (overview and OUPFB) and specific information sessions (ZOO*4300, BIOL*4410) held in November is found here.

Students apply to field courses through special processes and using forms indicated below and NOT through Web Advisor.

  • Students accepted into the Guelph field courses (ZOO*4300, BIOL*4410, and BIOL*4610) complete the field component in the summer will be registered for the course in the following Fall semester. In other words, the field course appears on your fall term academic report. There is one exception: Students wishing to take a summer field course but on a coop work term in the following fall term, can defer registration to the following winter term.
  • The field component of OUPFB field courses (BIOL*4700/4800/4900) may occur outside of summer months (see website: OUPFB website). Registration is also typically in the fall term following the summer field experience with three exceptions: i) The course occurs at the end of the year in which case registration is in the winter term. ii) The field component is completed before June 30 in which case registration can be in the summer term at the student’s request (note UoG summer term registration fees will apply here in addition to course fees). iii) Students on a fall coop work term can defer registration to the following winter term.
  • Consideration for a field course is based on receipt of a complete application file a Course Waiver Request Form and a non-refundable deposit check (350$ per academic course) in a timely manner.
  • Applications for all field courses are accepted starting Jan. 8 and end Feb. 2, 2024. Application to OUPFB courses are considered on a first-come first-served basis and depend on availability, whereas applications to university of Guelph field courses are not.
  • Prerequisites for all field courses include introductory Ecology and Statistics. All field courses include an independent student-run research project of some sort. Students in IB majors have some priority over other majors, and students in 3rd year or higher have some priority over earlier years. Selection and registration is managed by the field coordinator and assistant above.
  • You can attempt to pre-reserve a seat on a 2024 OUPFB course by emailing to the field course coordinator above before Dec. 7: your name, student ID, 2023 OUPFB module number, and academic major. We cannot guarantee a seat but we will nevertheless try to hold seats in OUPFB modules for interested students.

INFORMATION SESSION:

Three information sessions for 2024 field courses will be held at the following dates and times.  

General Information Meeting November 23rd at 5:30-6:30 in SSC 3315
Marine Biology (New Brunswick)    November 28th at 5:30-6:30 in SSC 3315
Field Ecology (Algonquin) November 28th at 5:30-6:30 in SSC 3315

The topics to be covered include:

COURSES:

ZOO*4300 Marine Biology & Oceanography (0.75 credit)

BIOL*4410 Field Ecology (Algonquin Park) (0.75 credit)

BIOL*4610 Arctic Ecology (Currently suspended for 2024 - 0.75 credit)

  • BIOL*4610 Application Form (Application form will not be available in 2023)
  • BIOL*4610 Course Outline

BIOL*4700, 4800 and/or 4900 The Ontario Universities Program in Field Biology (OUPFB)

BIOL*2300 Field Course In Biodiversity (Currently suspended.  Files below are provided for interest and reflect only previous years)

 

OUPFB logoThe Ontario Universities Program in Field Biology (OUPFB) is the brainchild of the Biology Departments of Ontario Universities and provides a method to pool field course resources. Since field courses are expensive to offer and are very faculty and staff intensive, the Ontario Universities Biology Departments decided to pool resources in this area. The net outcome is that students can take Field Courses offered by other member institutions. This provides a tremendous array of choices that no one department would ever be able to offer. A list of the available courses is posted at http://www.oupfb.ca. For registration, Guelph students would be registered in BIOL*4700, BIOL*4800 and/or BIOL*4900 Field Biology for two-week or longer courses which are worth 0.50 credit. Again, you must be pre-registered for the course before you leave, so please check and confirm. Students taking field courses outside of Canada must also take a pre-departure orientation session through the Centre for International Programs, called Depart Smart.