About the Program
Paleontology is a basic science concerned with the evolutionary history of life. Areas of detailed knowledge will include vertebrate and invertebrate paleobiology, evolutionary biology, systematics, functional morphology, sedimentology, stratigraphy, and platetectonics.
Honours Bachelor of Science
After completing your first year, you'll be asked to confirm what program(s) you wish to study – your Programs of Study. They can be integrated in unique ways to obtain your U of T degree, but must be one of the following three combinations: one Specialist; or two Majors; or one Major and two Minors. You don't need to worry about that now, but if you'd like to learn more about this process, watch our handy video (7 min).
Admission Requirements
You apply to an admission category, which is a collection of similar programs. Once you've accepted an offer of admission to our campus, we go into greater detail about specific program and course selection options.
At the end of your first year, you will choose your program(s), which means that your first year is an excellent opportunity to explore the full breadth of offerings.
Regardless of what you study, remember that you will receive a prestigious University of Toronto degree when you graduate that tells everyone that you are ranked among the best in the world!
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The admission average is calculated with English (ENG4U) plus the next best five Grade 12 U or M courses. Meeting these minimum requirements does not guarantee you admission to the University. Admission is subject to space availability and competition.
The content in this section is based on requirements in the Ontario curriculum.
Find requirements to other common curricula:
- Canadian High School
- International Baccalaureate
- U.S.-Patterned Education
- British-Patterned Education
- French Baccalaureate
- Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE)
Please visit the Admissions section of our site for full requirements.
Discover Your Potential
Scientists have long believed that snakes lost their limbs through evolution, and UTM biology professor Robert Reisz says there is a very rich fossil record of snakes that have the cranial adaptations of a snake, and still have remnants of limbs. But the conclusion of this latest discovery didn’t sit well with him and his colleagues.
Invertebrate paleontologist Marc Laflamme is no stranger to the fieldwork. The assistant professor of chemical and physical sciences and head of the Laflamme Lab at U of T Mississauga has spent his career scouring alien terrains like the rocky interior of Namibia for fossil evidence of creatures that lived—and died—millions of years ago.
Ever wondered how fish spend the winter? Using new technology, researchers from U of T Mississauga have taken a peek beneath the winter ice to reveal surprising new information about aquatic environments in winter.
Student Experience
Courses You Would Love
This course will examine the complex nature of minerals and crystals from a geological, physical and chemical perspective and will introduce the petrology of volcanic rocks, intrusive plutonic rocks, metamorphic rocks, and sedimentary rocks.
An introduction to geological time and the dynamic evolution of the surface of the Earth. Lectures discuss the processes involved in the deformation of Earth's crust including mechanical principals, stress, and strain. Particular focus on the structure of rocks.
The integration of the major organ systems involved in human biomechanics. A comparative approach is taken, placing the structure and function of the skeletal, muscular and nervous systems in an evolutionary context.
Planning Ahead
Whether you want to land your dream job, conduct groundbreaking research, or start your own business, we can get you there. Here are resources to help you explore your career options.
Career Options
Created by our Career Centre, the Careers by Major database identifies some potential career fields, how to gain related skills and experience, and useful resources and job samples. But always remember, your program of study doesn't have to determine your career!
Program Plans
Program Plans are quick and accessible overviews of the many academic and co-curricular opportunities available to help you get the most out of your UTM experience.
Tip Sheets
The Career Centre offers dozens of tip sheets with helpful information about topics related to searching for work, planning your career, and pursuing further education.
View to the U: An eye on UTM research
View to the U is a podcast that features U of T Mississauga faculty members from a range of disciplines who will illuminate some of the inner-workings of the science labs and enlighten the social sciences and humanities hubs at UTM.
On this latest episode of VIEW to the U, Professor Peter Kotanen from the Department of Biology at UofT Mississauga discusses his research and current projects, which have “ecological interactions between plants and their natural enemies,” such as herbivores, insects, and pathogens, at their core.
Learn More About this Program
Other Programs to Consider
Anthropology (HBSc)
Anthropology is the study of humankind from its beginnings to the present day. anthropology seeks to understand the whole panorama of human existence -- in geographic space and evolutionary time -- through comparative and holistic study.
Ecology & Evolution
Ecology and evolution are sister disciplines, both encompassing the study of natural selection, life history, development, adaptation, population, and inheritance. Ecology and evolution are broad disciplines seeking to understand the origins, diversity, and distribution of organisms.