Biology (PhD)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Why pursue a Doctorate in Biology?
The Doctorate in Biology is a research-intensive program, which places a heavy emphasis on creativity and innovation yet remains firmly grounded in fundamental science. Working closely with a faculty mentor, you will develop a mastery of modern research methodologies while expanding your disciplinary knowledge, analytical skills and critical thinking. You will also develop an in-depth understanding of current scientific literature and enhanced communication skills. Our program gives students the training, knowledge and techniques to become effective and engaged scientists.
Our faculty members are internationally known for their work across a wide spectrum of biological sciences. The breadth of our department and cognate programs offers a diverse range of disciplinary and cross-disciplinary research opportunities.
Areas of research conducted within our Department include:
- Animal Biology and Behaviour
- Cellular and Developmental Biology and Biochemistry
- Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology
- Microbiology
- Microscopy
- Molecular Biology and Genomics
- Plant Biochemistry and Biotechnology
- Synthetic Biology and SynBioApps program
Thrive in Montreal, a major centre for academic and applied research. We have four universities (and affiliated research centres) and Federal and Provincial Government research agencies as well as private companies engaged in partnerships with academic researchers.
Program details
Applicants should have an MSc degree in life sciences and will be assessed by the departmental Graduate Studies Committee on the basis of undergraduate and graduate grades, letters of reference and research ability. Applicants should have at least a B average overall. Prior to final acceptance, the student must have a thesis supervisor chosen by mutual agreement among the student, the Graduate Studies Committee and the potential supervisor. Students will normally be accepted only for full-time study. Students with a Master's degree from a foreign university will normally not be directly admitted into the PhD program, but will be accepted into the Master of/Magisteriate in Biology program. They will, however, on demonstration of the ability to complete a PhD, be eligible to transfer to a PhD as described below.
Students registered in the Master of/Magisteriate in Science in Biology who demonstrate exceptional potential for independent research and have attained an A- average in graduate courses in the program may request to transfer to the PhD program during the first six months of the second year of enrolment. The transfer must be approved by the student's supervisory committee and the departmental Graduate Studies Committee.
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 Graduate Admission page for further information on the Language Proficiency requirements and exemptions.
- Credits. A fully-qualified candidate entering the program with a master's degree is required to complete a minimum of 90 credits. Students transferring from the MSc program will be required to complete 90 credits in addition to the course requirements for the Master's program (9 credits). Students may be required to take up to 12 credits, at the graduate or advanced undergraduate level, in addition to the above. These courses may be required to strengthen understanding of peripheral areas or of the student's area of specialization. The additional course work may be assigned as an admission requirement or following the BIOL 850 - Research proposal and qualifying exam.
- Courses. To graduate, students must meet the following requirements:
- 3 credits from BIOL 616, BIOL 670, BIOL 671 or any of the Advanced Topics or Reading Courses listed at the end of the Biology calendar entry. Other courses in the list may be chosen upon recommendation of the supervisory committee and the Graduate Program Director.
- BIOL 801 - Pedagogical training
- BIOL 802 - Research seminar
- BIOL 850 - Research proposal and qualifying exam
- BIOL 890 - Research and thesis
- Research Proposal and Qualifying Exam. The examining committee consists of the student's supervisory committee plus two additional members of the Department of Biology and is chaired by the Graduate Program Director. The student is evaluated on the basis of the quality of the oral and written presentations of the proposal and on responses to questions from the examining committee. These questions extend into general areas as well as focusing directly on the thesis topic. The examining committee assigns one of the following three grades:
- PASS: The student is admitted to candidacy for a PhD in Biology.
- CONDITIONAL PASS: The student is admitted to candidacy but is required to complete at least one additional course. This grade is assigned only if the background preparation of the student is judged to be insufficient.
- FAIL: The student must withdraw from the program.
If the examining committee judges that the proposal has weaknesses that can be corrected with minor revisions, it may suspend assigning a mark for a period not exceeding three months. The revised proposal then is assigned one of the three above grades.
- Thesis. A major portion of the PhD program involves the planning and execution of innovative and original research under the direction of a supervisor. It is expected that this research should result in publication in reputable journals, on which the candidate is the first author and the major contributor of ideas and experimental data. The thesis will be examined by a Thesis Examining Committee and will be defended orally.
1. Ensure that your completed application includes:
- Application form and Fee
- Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Three Letters of Reference and assessment form
- Statement of purpose
- Transcripts for all post-secondary institutions attended
- Proof of Canadian citizenship (if applicable)
- Applicants whose primary language is not English, are required to submit official language test scores, unless exempted.
2. An admission offer will not be issued until a supervisor match has been made. Students are encouraged to review the list of faculty members' field of interests and directly contact those with whom you would like to work. When you are accepted by a supervisor, forward an email with your supervisors approval to biograd.fas@concordia.ca, be sure to include your full name and student ID number as well as the email exchange with the approval of the supervisor.
Courses typically offered include:
- Current Advances in Ecological Research
- Advanced Techniques in Ecology
- Advanced Applied Ecology and Conservation
- Advances in Decomposer Communities and Nutrient Cycling
Consult the graduate calendar for a complete list of current courses
We’re committed to providing students the support they need to focus on their studies. Top students benefit from scholarships, teaching assistantships, fellowships, and research stipends, usually in the amount of at least $15,000 a year.
Our students have also received support from the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Fonds de recherche du Québec. Additionally, internal awards and tuition remissions are available on a competitive basis for incoming students.
The departments of Biology, Chemistry and Physics in the Faculty of Arts and Science are seeking graduate students for specific research areas. Please visit this page for new opportunities regularly.
You’ll benefit from access to a greenhouse, animal holding facilities, epifluorescent and confocal microscopes, darkrooms, instrument rooms with centrifuges, spectrophotometers, basic biochemical instrumentation, a sterile transfer laboratory, cold rooms, environment controlled rooms and radioisotope laboratories.
Concordia is home to the Centre for Structural and Functional Genomics, the Centre for Biological Applications of Mass Spectrometry and the Centre for Microscopy at Concordia (CMAC).
Choose your supervisor from amongst leading researchers.
See what our students are working on. Review an inspiring list of thesis topics.
