Langara College's two-year Biology program gives you hands-on lab experience from first year, building the practical foundation that makes university transfer smoother. Small classes and close faculty support help students transfer to UBC, SFU, UVic, and other B.C. universities, preparing for upper-year science and careers in the life sciences.
Let’s be honest. When you’re planning to transfer to university, those first two years carry real pressure: prerequisites, grades, and a deadline that decides where you land. They can make or break your momentum. That’s exactly why many students choose Langara’s two-year Biology program before transferring to UBC, SFU, and other universities.
At Langara, hands-on lab time is built into the academic experience. In every Biology course, students get dedicated lab (and in many cases fieldwork) so they build real competence from the start. That matters if your goals include medicine, research, biotech, or environmental science.
Biology at Langara isn’t designed as a funnel; it’s built as a foundation. Whether students are completing transfer requirements, exploring the life sciences, or preparing for professional studies in nursing or nutrition, they're developing the practical skills and scientific thinking that help them keep advancing.
Langara courses emphasize hands-on learning as a core part of the curriculum. Students don’t just study biology, they practice it. You’ll gain experience in experimental design, microscopy, data collection and analysis, and scientific communication, supported by modern lab equipment and a learning environment that stays close to faculty.
And because it’s a smaller, transfer-focused setting, the support is personal. Instructors learn your name and assessment stays low stakes with feedback that helps you improve, not just move on.
“Early lab competence changes everything. It builds confidence, strengthens your study skills, and gives you a practical advantage when you transition to university science,” says Martin Lee, Biology instructor and student coordinator.
By the time you transfer, you’ll already have developed practical laboratory skills and confidence that will prepare you well for upper-year university courses.
Langara also gives students room to explore biology in different directions. From core sciences to applied life science topics, you can shape your path without losing the hands-on foundation that makes the whole program work.
Langara’s Department of Biology includes a teaching-focused team of instructors and laboratory staff. The department’s strength is that students aren’t one of hundreds. Instead, they learn in a close-knit setting with expert instructors who bring diverse backgrounds across the biological sciences.
Lee explains, “Our students thrive because they’re not doing lab work in isolation. They learn science through interaction: asking questions, getting feedback, and improving through practice.”
Many Langara Biology students complete their first two years here before transferring to universities across British Columbia or starting a career. The pathways are wide: biology and life sciences, medicine and health professions, environmental science, or even research.
Through hands-on labs, personalized support, and a strong university transfer pathway, you'll develop the knowledge and practical skills to take the next step toward your goals. “We hear from universities that Langara students are well-known for their strong lab and study skills. We prepare our students well for their future. “ says former student coordinator Dr. Martha Nelson-Flower.
Here's what we believe: A single good question in a first-year lab can set the direction for everything that follows. May it be research, medicine or conservation, it all starts with a place to test curiosity. Langara is that place.
Ready to build real lab skills before you transfer? Learn more about Langara College’s two-year Associate of Science in Biology and discover how hands-on courses, strong faculty support, and smooth transfer pathways can set you up for success at UBC, SFU, UVic, and beyond.
