Bachelor of Science in Biology-Psychology

Why does trauma leave a mark on the body as well as the mind, and how does a drug change the way a person thinks? The Bachelor of Science in Biology-Psychology is a four-year BSc major at Providence University College that pairs laboratory biology with the study of behaviour. It is taught on Providence’s residential campus in Otterburne, a rural Manitoba community about 50 km south of Winnipeg.

First-year students build the base with Introduction to Biology, Introduction to Psychology and Introduction to Chemistry, and a grade of C or better in Introduction to Biology I and II is needed to declare the major. Later years add Cell Biology, Biochemistry and Introduction to Calculus, while Research Methods and Statistics for Behavioural and Social Sciences teach students to design a study and read its results. Upper-level courses join the two disciplines in Brain and Behaviour, Pharmacology and Topics in Health Research, alongside Abnormal Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Clinical Psychology and History and Theory of Psychology. Social Science and Christianity asks how faith and behavioural science speak to each other.

Providence delivers the Biology-Psychology major through laboratory and lecture-based classes with small class sizes, so students receive formal and informal mentorship from the Department of Natural and Social Science. The department is chaired by Rebecca Dielschneider, associate professor of health science, and psychology is led by professor Morgan Mulenga. Providence notes that its science courses transfer to other institutions, giving Biology-Psychology graduates a route into further study in Education, Clinical Psychology and Counselling Psychology.

Providence names roles such as behavioural specialist, laboratory technician, community services worker and research assistant, and the mix of Pharmacology with Clinical Psychology also fits addiction and mental health support work. This major suits a student who is equally curious about neurons and case studies, and who may be weighing graduate school in psychology, counselling or health research.