Biology MSc

Admission Requirements

BSc degree or equivalent with specialization in biology with good standing (B average) from a recognized university.
Proficiency in English. Applicants whose primary language is not English must demonstrate that their knowledge of English is sufficient to pursue graduate studies in their chosen field. Please refer to the English language proficiency page for further information on requirements and exemptions.

Additional Admission Requirements

Exceptionally, applicants not meeting the GPA requirement may be admitted on the basis of outstanding academic letters of reference, good performance and high standing in advanced courses or exceptional research experience.

Degree Requirements

Fully-qualified candidates are required to complete a minimum of 45 credits.

Please see the Biology Courses page for course descriptions.

Biology MSc (45 credits)

credits chosen from the following courses, or from the Biochemistry Courses list, in consultation with the candidate’s advisory committee:

• BIOL 601 Readings in Ecology and Behaviour I (3.00)

• BIOL 602 Readings in Cell and Molecular Biology I (3.00)

• BIOL 606 Readings in Organismal Biology I (3.00)

• BIOL 607 Readings in Ecology and Behaviour II (3.00)

• BIOL 608 Readings in Cell and Molecular Biology II (3.00)

• BIOL 609 Readings in Organismal Biology II (3.00)

• BIOL 612 Advanced Topics in Evolution (3.00)

• BIOL 613 Advanced Topics in Behavioural Ecology (3.00)

• BIOL 614 Advanced Topics in Ecology (3.00)

• BIOL 615 Advanced Topics in Animal Biology (3.00)

• BIOL 630 Advanced Topics in Bioinformatics (3.00)

• BIOL 631 Advanced Topics in Biotechnology (3.00)

• BIOL 632 Advanced Topics in Cell Biology (3.00)

• BIOL 635 Advanced Topics in Molecular Genetics (3.00)

• BIOL 640 Advanced Topics in Plant Biology (3.00)

• BIOL 680 Advanced Topics in Biology (3.00)

• BIOL 685 Advanced Topics in Microbiology (3.00)

credits:

• BIOL 696 Master’s Research and Thesis (36.00)

Biochemistry Courses

The following courses in Biochemistry may be taken for credit in the program:

• CHEM 670 Selected Topics in Biochemistry and Biophysics (3.00)

• BIOL 622 Advanced Techniques in Ecology (3.00)

• BIOL 623 Advanced Applied Ecology and Conservation (3.00)

• BIOL 624 Advances in Decomposer Communities and Nutrient Cycling (3.00)

• BIOL 633 Advanced Immunology (3.00)

• BIOL 634 Advanced Cell Biology (3.00)

• BIOL 660 Advanced Plant Biochemistry (3.00)

• BIOL 661 Advanced Tissue Culture (3.00)

• BIOL 670 Scientific Communication (3.00)

• BIOL 671 Scanning Electron Microscopy (3.00)

• BIOL 687 Advanced Molecular Genetics (3.00)

• CHEM 677 Enzyme Kinetics and Mechanism (3.00)

• CHEM 678 Protein Engineering and Design (3.00)

• BIOL 616 Current Advances in Ecological Research (3.00)

• BIOL 688 Advances in Biological Regulatory Mechanisms (3.00)

• BIOL 689 Advanced Techniques in Molecular Biology (3.00)

• BIOL 690 Advanced Gene Structure (3.00)

Additional Degree Requirements

Each student is expected to attend and participate in departmental seminars. In addition, students will be required to present a short (20-30 minutes) seminar to the department on their research once during their residency, normally on completion of their first year.

Academic Regulations

Academic Standing. Please refer to the Academic Standing section of the Calendar for a detailed review of the Academic Regulations.
Residence. The minimum residence requirement is one year (3 terms) of full-time study.
Time Limit. Please refer to the Academic Regulations page for further details regarding the Time Limits.
Graduation Requirement. In order to graduate, students must have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.70.
Progress Report. Each student’s progress is formally evaluated by the student’s advisory committee every six months and a report is submitted to the Graduate Program Director.