Program overview
Obtain a general education that allows you to focus on more than 1 area of study and prepares you for the challenges science presents to the modern world with Athabasca University’s online Bachelor of Science program. Graduates of the program will have gained the technical, analytical, and critical thinking skills to be able to further their education or be an innovative member in the field.
Our Bachelor of Science degree offers you an opportunity to gain a diverse knowledge in multiple areas such as:
- architecture
- biology
- chemistry
- computing and information systems
- environmental science
- geo-sciences
- health and nutrition
- mathematics and statistics
- physics and astronomy
Our core courses include studies in
- scientific reasoning
- ethics, science, technology, and the environment
Like other Bachelor of Science programs, this program has some courses with lab components, but our labs are offered to promote flexibility for students. We have developed home lab kits for many of our science courses. In addition, some of our courses have virtual labs. A few labs do require on-site attendance, but we have made it as flexible as possible by condensing the lab and also allowing students to complete multiple labs in 1 trip.
Our senior students also have the opportunity to take on discipline-specific research project courses that can be completed in a lab or at a distance under the guidance of an advisor.
Why take the Bachelor of Science?
A Bachelor of Science will prepare you for the science-based world of today and the increasing technological demands of the future.
AU’s Bachelor of Science program also allows you to complete courses that are transferrable to pre-medicine, pre-dentistry, and pre-veterinary programs offered at other universities across Canada. Check with your desired school to be sure you’re taking the right courses for transfer.
Routes and options
The Bachelor of Science is a 4-year online degree program. If you already have a science-related post-secondary diploma, or provincial designation as a technician or technologist, you can take the shorter post-diploma route. There are no set start dates – you can enroll at any time and register for courses right away.
Post-diploma route
The post-diploma route is an option for students presenting a 2-or 3-year science or computing related diploma who wish to pursue a university degree to further their academic studies.
Please note: Athabasca University may grant transfer credit for individual computer science courses that were completed more than 5 years ago and/or science courses that are over 10 years old if proof of currency in the field of study is provided in the form of a current resumé and letter(s) of employment. Other evidence may be accepted if the letter and the resumé cannot be supplied.
General program and majors
The Bachelor of Science program can be completed as a general program or by choosing one of 3 majors:
For students in the Bachelor of Science program wishing to combine 2 majors, all requirements of both majors must be fulfilled. The choice of major may restrict course selection or require the completion of more than 120 credits.
Completion times
Finish this program in as little as 4 years of full-time study or work at your own pace and take as long as you need. There is no time limit for completion.
Admission requirements
There are no formal admission requirements for this program. All you need is to be 16 or older. You can enrol anytime and start right away, regardless of your previous education.
How to apply
If you’re applying for the post-diploma route and you are a member of a recognized technical society under Canadian Certified Technicians and Technologists (for example, ASET, OACETT, or ASTTBC), please include a copy of your current membership and certification.
Transfer and advanced credit
If you hold a 2 or 3-year science or computing related diploma from an accredited college you may receive a minimum block of 30 credits. Depending on the content of the diploma, up to a maximum of 60 credits may be transferred to the Bachelor of Science post-diploma program.
Students without a major or minor route may also receive a block of 30 plus individual transfer credit up to a maximum of 60 or a block of 60 credits.
Please note: Athabasca University may grant transfer credit for individual computer science courses that were completed more than 5 years ago and/or science courses that are over 10 years old if proof of currency in the field of study is provided in the form of a current resumé and letter(s) of employment. Other evidence may be accepted if the letter and the resumé cannot be supplied.
Like many other Bachelor of Science programs, this program has some courses with a lab components, but our labs are offered to promote flexibility for students. We have developed home lab kits for many of our science courses. In addition, some of our courses have virtual labs. A few labs do require on-site attendance, but we have made it as flexible as possible by condensing the lab and also allowing students to complete multiple labs in 1 trip.
Program requirements
To complete the program you will need to fulfil all the general requirements of the Bachelor of Science.
Courses – program plans
Contact your student support and program advisor to help you design your program to fit your interests and goals.
Required courses
Detailed information about courses in this program can be accessed using the following links:
Tuition and fees
Once you have paid the initial application fee, tuition is pay-as-you-go for each course registration. Course fees vary depending on your location and other factors.
You can estimate your total program cost by multiplying the cost of a 3-credit course by the number of courses you need to take for the program. Remember that tuition costs may increase each year.
Program learning outcomes
As a result of completing this program, students should be able to
- Apply knowledge and skills through critical thinking and logical reflection and interpretation of scientific data and literature;
- Demonstrate collaborative or independent work to analyse and organize scientific information;
- Report scientific knowledge and findings in written, visual and verbal forms and to communicate scientific arguments effectively;
- Demonstrate professionalism and appreciation of ethical practice in science in the real world.
In order to achieve these outcomes, students will
- draw accurate conclusions from engagement of scientific endeavor
- achieve accurate insights through scientific enquiry in a dependable and consistent manner
- produce good results from independent lab, field and practice situations related to the discipline
- demonstrate considerable adeptness in estimating and in the use of measurement and calculation to reach useful conclusions, project qualities of samples, specimens, environmental experiments and results accurately and in detail
- show advanced insight and clever selection of needed equipment
- accurately portray, explain and interpret data calculation and results of scientific processes related to the discipline
- consistently apply ideas and new insights to create new equipment, combine resources or find evidence supporting new conclusions
- provide needed resources, in useful and orderly way, for scientific processes related to the discipline
- create engaging, lively accounts of scientific processes and/or findings
- demonstrate skilled, adept presentation of scientific ideas and practices in writing
- use advanced, broad skills in oral presentation of scientific information and conclusions
- wield computer software and allied equipment and supplies in a skilled fashion
- take part in scientific endeavor through literature searches, conference attendance, or other intervention in the related discipline.
Possible career options
- Lab Technologist
- Computing Analyst
- Project Manager
- Technical Manager
- Research Assistant
- Environmental Analyst
- Scientific Writer
- Supervisor or Middle Manager
Continuing education
At Athabasca University:
At other educational institutions*
- graduate studies in science, engineering, or other related/unrelated disciplines
- medicine
- law
- education: bachelor/master
- specialized bachelor degree
* Entrance requirements vary among educational institutions. It is the students’ responsibility to research the entrance requirements of other universities.