BIOL 442Virology
- Units
- 0.50
- Faculty
- Science
- Subject
- Biology
When it runs
- F24
- W25
- S25
- F25
- W26
- S26
- F26
- W27
- S27
Ran in 2 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: scheduled, 2 lecture sections. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.
This course is the primary introduction to viruses, the role they play in our world, and their connection to health and disease. Students will have an in-depth exploration of virus structures, infection, and replication. Topics include the evolution and classification of viruses, laboratory methods in virology and use of viruses as tools in biotechnology. The laboratory component includes isolating viruses from environmental samples, plaque assay for quantification, animal cell culture use in virology, and screening to determine the presence of viral infections in animals.
Prerequisites
Antirequisites
None listed.
Leads to
No course lists it as a requisite.
Winter 2027 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 6722 | 0 / 120 | TTh 09:30–10:20 |
| LEC 701 | 2484 | 152 / 9999 | Online or by arrangement |
| LAB 101 | 6723 | 0 / 30 | M 14:30–17:20 |
| LAB 102 | 7003 | 0 / 30 | M 19:00–21:50 |
| LAB 103 | 7686 | 0 / 30 | T 14:30–17:20 |
| LAB 104 | 8468 | 0 / 30 | T 19:00–21:50 |
Reviewed on UW Flow
100% liked it69% easy94% useful
From 6 ratings and 2 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.
Took it with Nissimov, a very easy course (for a 400-level bio course that is). Most of the content is a review, and there is very little of it (viruses are rather simple to begin with). The worst component of the course is the biweekly lab, useless useless lab with poor planning, a bunch of lab reports and stupid experiments barely related to virology. The lectures are nice though, 30% midterm and 35% final which are quite easy and passable with minimal studying. I enjoyed this course (ignoring the lab)
Mar 2024 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
This course was kind of like BIOL 241 with Jozef Nissimov. Material was easy to understand, there was not a lot of material, and the questions on the midterms are incredibly fair as well. Overall, would recommend 100% - I will tell you tho the second half of the course is very mechanisms based so focus on that a lot !!
Apr 2025 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
5 posts and comments in 5 threads mention BIOL 442, November 2020 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
Anyone taken biol 370/371/383/441/442/449/450?? If so what are your thoughts? I’d appreciate some help :) 1 point, 3 comments
Winter 2022
see you all on february 7th 88 points, 10 comments
u/Dimtar_: “… 355 (Lecture) BIOL 371 (Lecture) BIOL 373 (Lecture) BIOL 414 (Lecture) BIOL 428 (Lecture) BIOL 442 (Lecture) BIOL 477L (Tutorial) CHEM 123 (Tutorial) CHEM 125 (Tutorial) CHEM 363 (Lecture) EARTH 122 (Lecture) EARTH 332 (Lecture) EARTH 437 (Lecture) EARTH 439 (Lecture) EARTH …”
Anyone in BIOL 442? 1 point, 1 comment
u/paleomed: “Hey! I was hoping to ask what the grade breakdown is, I want to swap but I can add it without removing a course. I don't want to swap things unless i'm sure. &x200B; Thank you in advance!”
Winter 2021
BIOL 442 1 point, 4 comments
u/lalalapu: “For anyone who has taken BIOL 442 Virology, what did you think of the course? Is there anything I should take note on in particular? What would you the course structure was like, and did you enjoy it? Was it more memorization or application based? Did you find it useful? …”
Fall 2020
Exciting courses 6 points, 20 comments
“Is anyone else enrolled in any courses you find exciting next semester? I'm super excited about a few of mine next term.”
u/VenomRex: “what are the exciting courses you are talking about?”
[deleted]: “For me, they're exciting. It's virology (biol 442), molecular biology techniques (biol 335l) and advanced immunology (biol 441).”
Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026
- Undergraduate Calendar, 2026–27The official entry
- Requirements for Fall 2026Waterloo’s requisite checker
- Schedule of Classes, Fall 2026Instructors, rooms, live seats
- Quest Class SearchWhere you enrol
- Course outlinesSyllabi from past terms (UW login)
- UW FlowStudent ratings and reviews
- WClassesPast sections back to 2004, and who taught them