Become a Member

How to Apply
Application and Membership Fees
Internationally Trained Applicants
College of Applied Biology Applicants - Labour Mobility

 

Membership Categories

Professional Biologist and Biologist in Training
Registered Technologist in Biology and Biological Technologist in Training
Registered Biologist and Registered Biologist in Training
Temporary Withdrawn and Associated Biologist
Student Biologist
Honorary Member

Professional Biologist (P. Biol.) and Biologist in Training (BIT)

 

The Biologist in Training (B.I.T.) category designates individuals who fully meet the academic requirements for registration, but do not have sufficient experience (i.e., three years) in the practice of biology to become a Professional Biologist.

The Professional Biologist (P. Biol.) category designates individuals who fully meet the academic, experience, and good character requirements. A P. Biol. has voting privileges in the ASPB, and may hold office as a Board of Director. Only a P. Biol. may use the protected title Professional Biologist or the abbreviation P. Biol. A Professional Biologist must also participate in the continuing competency program.

Note: It may take more than three calendar years to gain three years of experience that the RC may consider relevant to the practice of biology.

Another source of essential information is the Registration Committee Handbook, which can be downloaded Here. This document has been updated as of July 2023.

 

Academic Requirements (for B.I.T. and P. Biol.)

  • A four-year (120 course credits) degree awarded by a Canadian post-secondary institution comprised of approximately 1800 hours of formal lecture or seminar time instruction (time in labs or lab courses are not counted in the total hours).
  • The degree must have at least 25 science courses (75 science credits) of which 15 are biology courses (45 biology credits) - a minimum of 4 of the bio courses must be at the senior level (i.e., third or fourth-year), in order to be approved (12 senior level biology credits).

 

Frequently Asked Questions

It depends on the content of the course. There must be at least 50% biological content studied in the course. Once your file has been reviewed, you will be contacted if we need additional information in order to determine if you meet the academic requirements. Do not submit this information in advance of your application.

If you are contacted to provide further information about a specific course, you will be asked to provide: evidence from the university that the course is equivalent to a course in biology; evidence from a third party evaluation service that a college course is equivalent to a university level course; the university calendar’s course description for the course; and the course outline and description of course assignments

The Registration Committee of the ASPB has compiled a document outlining courses that have been accepted by the Committee - this is not an exhaustive list but can be used as a guide to show what courses are considered biology; please download the documents here:

Athabasca University
Concordia
King's University
Lakeland College
Lethbridge College
MacEwan University
Medicine Hat College
Mount Royal University
NAIT
Olds College
Red Deer Polytechnic
University of Alberta
University of Calgary
University of Lethbridge
Yes, an independent study course can be taken to make up for missing biological courses and/or credits. It can count if it is part of a degree granting program, does not repeat the content of other courses you have taken, and is considered by the Registration Committee to be biological in nature. Applicants who would like an independent study course to count towards the academic requirements should submit information about the course (e.g., the report that was prepared) to demonstrate its biological content.   
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Yes, a M.Sc. or Ph.D. in a biological field can be used to meet the academic requirements. Additionally, each can count as one year of work experience, but they cannot be used for both academic and work experience requirements simultaneously.
The Professional Biologists Regulation, Section 9.b allows the Registration Committee to approve a P. Biol. applicant if they demonstrate the required competence through a combination of education, training, experience, examinations, and other qualifications. Applicants considered under these criteria must demonstrate experience beyond the standard requirements for registration.

Equivalency is only used to fulfill course content in Biological Sciences, not to compensate for credit shortfalls in educational requirements.

Minimum Academic Requirements
To be eligible for course-to-work equivalency, applicants must:
-Hold a four-year (40 course or 120-credit) degree
-Have at least 10 Biology courses, including 2 senior-level courses
-Demonstrate competency gained through relevant work experience for any missing course content.

Work Experience Conversion for Equivalency
-Relevant full-time equivalent (FTE) experience is defined as 30 hours per week
-Junior Biology Course (3 credits) = 6 months of relevant work experience (maximum of 5 courses can be fulfilled).
-Senior Biology Course (3 credits) = 12 months of relevant work experience (maximum of 2 courses can be fulfilled).
-Total Maximum: Up to 5 courses can be fulfilled through equivalency.
The Registration Committee considers that a degree is equivalent to a 4 year biology degree (40 courses or 120 course credits) if it includes: 40 courses or 120 course credits, 25 full-semester science courses, of which 15 of the courses are in a biological science, and at least 4 of the biological science (i.e., biology) courses are at a senior level (e.g., 300 or 400 level from some universities; other universities number them 3000 and 4000).
Your transcript(s) must show 25 science courses, and 15 biology courses of which 4 are at the senior level. This can be either courses taken at the university, or courses from the college which the university notes on the transcript as equivalent to a biology course. The Alberta Council on Admissions and Transfer has information on its website that shows how universities credit courses from colleges:

http://alis.alberta.ca/ps/tsp/ta/tbi/onlinesearch.html

You must be able to demonstrate that the college courses are considered university level biology courses.
Lethbridge College: Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Ecosystem Management
King's University: 4 year Bachelor of Science, Biology Major
Please refer to our Internationally Trained Applicants page for further information.
 
Non-Canadian transcripts must be evaluated by a specialized International Qualifications Assessment Service (IQAS) assessment or a Comprehensive Course-by-Course Report World Education Services (WES) assessment. Information can be found HERE. A specialized IQAS assessment or a Comprehensive Course-by-Course Report  (WES) assessment is required, as the basic assessment does not provide sufficient information for the registration committee to accurately evaluate the equivalency of post secondary course work. If a basic assessment is submitted, we will request that you submit the specialized or course by course assessment. 

Please do not forward the ASPB your academic credentials - we only need the specialized certificate provided by IQAS or WES. The assessment must come directly from IQAS or WES to the ASPB.
At this time, there is no requirement to be a B.I.T. prior to application as a P. Biol.
Please visit step 5 of our How to Apply page for the answer to this question.
The ASPB does not pre-screen applicants. You must create an account in order to apply to the ASPB and pay applicable application fees before your application will be officially assessed by the Registration Committee.
If you are in good standing (annual registration fees paid) with the ASPB, you do not need to resubmit your transcripts when reclassifying for education previously evaluated. Please email the ASPB at [email protected] and request that your previous transcripts are re-uploaded to your new application.

If you are submitting newly attained education or your M.Sc. or Ph.D. towards your experience for P. Biol., you must submit conferred transcripts.
As a P. Biol. or a RPBio, the New West Partnership Trade Agreement (NWPTA) allows for a recognition of eligibility for registration; it is not a transfer of registration. Registering in each organization creates two separate registrations – one in the ASPB and one in BC CAB - and each registration has separate fees paid to separate regulators.

Please click here for more information about the Labor Mobility Agreement and process for registration.
Application fees, including reclassification applications, are non-refundable and non-transferrable. Membership fees and late renewal fees are non-refundable and non-transferable. More information regarding fees can be found here.
Please view our Become a Member and How to Apply pages for the answer to this question.
Equivalency is available only for P. Biol. and BIT applications, as outlined in Biologist Regulations 9.b and 11.b.

Please do not forward the ASPB your academic credentials - we only need the specialized certificate provided by IQAS or WES.

The assessment must come directly from IQAS or WES to the ASPB.

 

Experience and Good Character Requirements (P. Biol. only)

  • Three or more years of practice in biology (work experience can begin being counted after 60 course credits have been earned). It is expected that the experience must have been obtained not more than ten years prior to the application. An applicant with a relevant M.Sc or Ph.D will be given one year’s biology practice credit for each degree (note - that the degree must be within the last ten years to be considered for experience; a postgraduate degree in science does not automatically qualify as a postgraduate degree in biological science). 
  • An applicant will provide the names of three referees who are knowledgeable about the applicant’s professional experience as a biologist and their character and reputation. At least one referee should be a P. Biol. If a P. Biol. is not available, a professional from another recognized professional organization will be acceptable (P. Eng., P. Chem., etc.). Preferred referees include the applicant’s current employer, previous employer or supervisor. Only two letters of reference will be accepted from a current employer.
  • Note: Work experience can begin being counted after 60 course credits of an undergraduate biology degree (or equivalent) have been earned. Work experience cannot be counted if it contributed towards your degree for credits or as a course.

You can download the Practice of Biology experience document here and review examples here.

 

Frequently Asked Questions 

You can download the Practice of Biology experience document here and review examples here.

The Professional Biologists Regulation defines “practice of biology” as: 
-Inventorying, surveying, sampling, interpreting, reporting, evaluating and advising on activities related to biological sciences;
-Preparing, administering and implementing plans or programs for managing biological resources;
-Conducting research activities related to biological sciences; and
-Teaching biological sciences at a university, college or technical institute.

Experience in biology may also be evidenced by:
-Preparing, administering and implementing policies, plans or programs for managing biological resources;
-Assessing compliance with Acts, regulations, directives, standards and guidelines related to biological sciences and environmental support systems;
-The conservation, decommissioning, reclamation, remediation and improvement of the environment.

Applicants are welcome to identify other areas of biological experience not included above in their applications.

The key is to demonstrate that your work was BIOLOGICAL. Work such as soil and water sampling, or managing environmental programs that focus on emissions inventories is not considered biological, unless you can explain your tasks as they relate to the interaction with living organisms. Your work should also include a range of the activities. For example, only doing inventory work does not provide a sufficient breadth of practice. However, designing, undertaking and preparing reports related to the inventory work would demonstrate a wider range of experience. 

If your role includes only part-time practice of biology,  provide a quantification of the experience you have in the practice of biology at each position. For example, “…as a proportion of time, 30% of my full-time hours were dedicated to the practice of biology”, or provide the number of days, weeks or months of full-time equivalents.
Work experience can begin being counted only after 60 course credits of a biology degree or subdiscipline have been earned. Work experience cannot contribute to your degree through credits or as a course.
If you met the academic requirements with your bachelor's degree, then work experience in biology gained after will count towards the three year requirement. If you did not have enough biology courses in your undergrad and need your graduate degree, then the experience clock will start upon completion of your graduate degree, and that degree cannot be counted for work experience.
It depends. If the work contributed to your degree, then it is already included in the one-year experience that is allowed for the degree. If the work was biological and not associated with your degree, then it may count towards the experience requirement. You must clearly demonstrate that the work was not related to your degree.
Your application to become a P.Biol. or R. Biol. is not the same thing as a job application! You must complete the application form that can be downloaded when you apply. The application must be worded to show exactly what you did to obtain the experience and how that work meets the requirements specified in our regulations. Do not say you participated in a project, but be specific as to your role. Use verbs like: collected, developed, designed, directed, enforced, handled, improved, implemented, observed, presented, reported, solved, and trained.

Common problems encountered with applications are:

1. The length of time, and when, the experience was gained are not clear. Avoid this problem by providing information about when, and for how long, you were involved in the tasks that you are using to provide evidence of your experience.

2. The role of the applicant in a specific task is unclear. For instance, the Registration Committee does not know if applicants who say they were “involved in an environmental impact assessment” did biological work, provided field survey logistical support, or did the report word processing. Therefore, clearly and specifically explain your role in work of a biological nature (e.g., “I designed the fisheries survey program, conducted the field survey, and wrote the report” instead of “I was involved in a fisheries survey.”)

3. The biological nature of the task is unclear. This is particularly problematic with candidates who use Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessments as evidence of biological practice. These tasks usually do not include a substantive component of biological practice. Clearly describe how biological practice was involved. This must go beyond comparing analytical results to established standards.
All P. Biol. applicants must complete an ethics quiz as prescribed by the Society before becoming a member in good standing. Professional Biologists must then maintain continuing competency requirements on a yearly basis.
Your references should be familiar with your work in the field of biological sciences. At least one of them must be a member of a regulated professional association (P.Eng., P.Chem.,), with a strong preference for a P.Biol. One of your references should be from your current or past supervisor, and at least one reference must be from someone outside your current place of work.
The ASPB will send the reference a form which asks them for their contact information, their professional credentials (e.g., P.Biol., PAg, RPF) how long and in what capacity they have known you, their knowledge about your work, and any comments they wish to make about your character. When completed, the reference submits the form and it is sent electronically back to the ASPB office.
References are submitted through on the online application system. Each reference will receive an email with the link to submit, and reference request reminders are sent every two weeks until the reference is submitted. Please be aware, your references email addresses may have filtering software applied to it which may prevent the email from being delivered or filter the reference request email into spam or trash inboxes. They may need to consult with an IT department (or check their filters) for the email to be successfully delivered. Reference requests are sent from the email address [email protected].

 

How to Apply

For information on the application process and step-by-step instructions of how to apply, please click here.