uwloo

BIOL 433Plant Biotechnology

Units
0.50
Faculty
Science
Subject
Biology

When it runs

  1. F24
  2. W25
  3. S25
  4. F25
  5. W26
  6. S26
  7. F26
  8. W27
  9. S27

Ran in 4 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: not on the schedule. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.

Biotechnological approaches and their applications in plant genetic manipulation, transformation and cell culture for plant improvement, propagation, and biochemical production.

Prerequisites

  • Complete all of the following
    • Must have completed the following:
    • Complete 1 of the following
      • Must have completed the following:
        • BIOL220 - Introduction to Plant Structure and Function (0.50)
      • Must have completed the following:
    • Students must be in level 3A or higher

Antirequisites

None listed.

Leads to

No course lists it as a requisite.

Fall 2026 sections

Enrolment from UW Open Data, which can trail Quest by up to two days. Instructors and rooms: Schedule of Classes.
SectionClassEnrolledMeets
LEC 001729439 / 40TTh 10:00–11:20

Reviewed on UW Flow

83% liked it75% easy85% useful

From 6 ratings and 4 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.

  • this class was so easy for a 400 credit. i dont like plants that much so i found it kinda boring and i just did it bcz i heard it was bird (which is true). i dont remember the grade breakdown exactly but it was 2 midterms and 2 group projects (with the same group), no final which was nice. group projects werent that bad, and i hate group work. they were pretty easy and the first one prepares you well for the second one. if you pay attention in class you can use a lot of class content in your presentation.
    you dont need to know much plants or biotech to do well in this course. i didnt take 309 and its been forever since i did bio 120 but a lot of it was still review for me. pretty easy…

    Apr 2026 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this

  • If you had Dr. Laura for biotech 2, and understand how she writes exams, you'll like this. I loved her, and i finished with about a 90%, and I am no bio smarty. It was an easier, less heavy version of biotech2. It's still bio so still hardish. 2 presentations that you need to memorize, but marks are ez. Overall, interesting and rewarding.

    Dec 2025 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Overall a very interesting course, lots of enjoyable content. Covers topics in plant biotech like different types of plant tissue cultures (and how to create them); genetic engineering via Agroinfiltration, CRISPR, Recombinant DNA; uses for biotech like pest/herbal tolerance, disease resistance, stress tolerance, nutrient improvement; controversies and opinions on GMOs and genetic engineering. Mostly covers the agricultural/food side, but medical and industrial uses are broadly covered too.
    There were 4 main graded components:
    - Exam 1 (25%)
    - Exam 2 (25%)
    - A paper on a novel application of plant biotech (25% total; 23% for final paper, 2% for submitting draft)
    - A presentation on…

    Jan 2025 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this

  • great course lots of useful stuff . i strongly recommend completing biol 308, 309 and possibly 342 before taking this course

    Dec 2020 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this

Discussed on r/uwaterloo

13 posts and comments in 13 threads mention BIOL 433, December 2016 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.

Fall 2024

I am looking to get a high average my 3rd and 4th year in Honor Science any course tips? 9 points, 7 comments

“I currently have completed all my pre-requisite courses for the postgraduate program I want to apply for. The only thing I am missing is the high average for my best 2 years of undergrad. …”

u/mustard_tiger6: “The easiest science courses in my experience are BIOL 433 with Lemieux, BIOL 449, BIOL 359 for biology. If you can code a bit, BIOL 469 and BIOL 365 are reasonable too. I would use uw flow and look at chem, kinesiology, health, psychology, sociology, anthropology courses.”

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Fall 2022

Biol 433 2 points, 0 comments

u/snxhj: “Has anyone taken this course in person, what are the midterm questions like? ( there are T/F, short and long answers) How in depth are the questions?”

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Spring 2021

biol 354 vs biol 462 0 points, 0 comments

“ive realized im insane to take more than 6 courses so im narrowing it down. biol 354 and biol 462 seem pretty similar so which one is really worth taking?”

u/mari0499: “I've taken both so if you prefer to focus on lecture content without writing lab reports, biol 462 is nice. …”

u/buttercupbeuaty: “… 3) So far my eco/env courses have been Biol 150, 120, 165, 433, 346 I’ll be taking biol 345, 443, 469 in the fall is this good for general biology careers? …”

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Fall 2020

BIOL 433 midterm 4 points, 4 comments

u/Affectionatelilgirl: “please tell me if I'm stupid or if the prof is just being unfair? I've been hating myself for the past few days and my mental health has been lower than ever. recently I wrote a midterm and this midterm only allows you to move forward. You would only see one question at a time. …”

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Biol 434 study group 1 point, 3 comments

[deleted]: “Hey, does anyone want to make a biol 434 study group? I'm also in biol 433, biol 376 and biol 342 if anyone is interested in making in a study group.”

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Spring 2020

Fall 2019

Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026

Calendar versions

Undergraduate Calendar