Students who hold an M.Sc. degree from McGill or an equivalent degree from another recognized university (see international degree equivalency at: https://www.mcgill.ca/gradapplicants/international/equivalency) may be considered for admission at the Ph.D. level. Such candidates are accepted at the Ph.D. 2 level. Candidates with a strong academic and research background may be considered for direct entry into the Ph.D. program from the B.Sc. Such candidates are accepted into Ph.D. 1.
Ph.D. Timeline
(minimum of 6 terms of residency) Printable PDF of Ph.D. Timeline
| First Term Courses |
PHGY 720
Ph.D. Seminar Course 1
1 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Physiology: Required for Ph.D. students. Coordinated in conjunction with the weekly Departmental seminar series, students will meet for one hour before each seminar to critically discuss papers on the subject of the weekly seminar. Students will take turns introducing the papers and leading discussions on an overview of the research topic, some of the methodologies, results and conclusions.
Offered by: Physiology
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
|
PHGY 604
Responsible Conduct in Res.
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Physiology: This course provides students with information on the following areas: 1) an ethics overview; 2) scientific conduct and misconduct; 3) research authorship and peer review; and 4) research on human and animal subjects.
Offered by: Physiology
- Students having taken this course during the M.Sc. in Physiology will not be obliged to re-take the course if transferring to the Ph.D.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
|
| + 3 credits selected from the list of acceptable graduate level courses in the program details |
| Second Term Courses |
PHGY 721
Ph.D. Seminar Course 2
1 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Physiology: Required for Ph.D. students. Coordinated in conjunction with the weekly Departmental seminar series, students will meet for one hour before each seminar to critically discuss papers on the subject of the weekly seminar. Students will take turns introducing the papers and leading discussions on an overview of the research topic, some of the methodologies, results and conclusions.
Offered by: Physiology
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
|
| + 3 credits selected from the list of acceptable graduate level courses in the program details |
| Third Term Courses |
PHGY 701
Ph.D.Comprehensive Examination
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Physiology: The Ph.D. comprehensive exam will be completed between 12-18 months of commencing the program and is designed to ensure that the student's research encompasses the i) acquisition of a comprehensive knowledge of scientific literature; ii) the development of experimental skills and technical expertise with a deep understanding of the experimental design thus iii) ensuring a high degree of scholarship in the thesis submission.
Offered by: Physiology
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
|
PHGY 722
Ph.D. Seminar Course 3
1 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Physiology: Required for Ph.D. students. Coordinated in conjunction with the weekly Departmental seminar series, students will meet for one hour before each seminar to critically discuss papers on the subject of the weekly seminar. Students will take turns introducing the papers and leading discussions on an overview of the research topic, some of the methodologies, results and conclusions.
Offered by: Physiology
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
|
| Fourth Term courses |
PHGY 723
Ph.D. Seminar Course 4
1 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Physiology: Required for Ph.D. students. Coordinated in conjunction with the weekly Departmental seminar series, students will meet for one hour before each seminar to critically discuss papers on the subject of the weekly seminar. Students will take turns introducing the papers and leading discussions on an overview of the research topic, some of the methodologies, results and conclusions.
Offered by: Physiology
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
|
| + 3 credits selected from the list of acceptable graduate level courses in the program details |
| Fifth Term Courses |
PHGY 703
Ph.D. Progress Seminar 1
1 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Physiology: The Progress Seminar is a "work in progress" seminar on what the student has accomplished to date. Following completion of the comprehensive exam, the seminar should be presented to the student's supervisory committee as a formal presentation of approximately 30 minutes followed by a question and discussion period.
Offered by: Physiology
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
|
PHGY 724
Ph.D. Seminar Course 5
1 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Physiology: Required for Ph.D. students. Coordinated in conjunction with the weekly Departmental seminar series, students will meet for one hour before each seminar to critically discuss papers on the subject of the weekly seminar. Students will take turns introducing the papers and leading discussions on an overview of the research topic, some of the methodologies, results and conclusions.
Offered by: Physiology
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
|
| Sixth Term courses |
PHGY 704
Ph.D. Progress Seminar 2
1 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Physiology: A "work in progress" seminar, intended as a report on student progress following the Thesis Proposal Seminar.
Offered by: Physiology
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
|
PHGY 725
Ph.D. Seminar Course 6
1 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Physiology: Required for Ph.D. students. Coordinated in conjunction with the weekly Departmental seminar series, students will meet for one hour before each seminar to critically discuss papers on the subject of the weekly seminar. Students will take turns introducing the papers and leading discussions on an overview of the research topic, some of the methodologies, results and conclusions.
Offered by: Physiology
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
|
Note – Dr. Maurice Chacron is the Graduate Program Director. Although he is listed as the instructor for some of the graduate courses above (PHGY 703 & PHGY 704), the students will actually be assessed by their supervisors.
Ph.D. program outline:
All Ph.D. students are required to take the Ph.D. Seminar Course for 6 terms (PHGY 720-725, 1 credit each). This course is coordinated in conjunction with the weekly Departmental seminar series and meets one hour before each seminar to critically discuss papers on the subject for that week. Attendance at the course and the following seminar is compulsory. Students who do not attend a minimum of 75% of the classes will be required to complete an additional assignment in order to receive a passing grade. In addition to the above, students are required to take 9 credits of Physiology or Science at the 500 level or above, in consultation with their supervisor (please see acceptable graduate level courses in the program details). The passing grade for a graduate student is 65% (B-). Anything lower is considered an F.
The formal Ph.D. program requirements are:
- The course work as stipulated above, as well as other any other course identified by the supervisor as necessary for the student's training
- A proposal seminar, to be presented within 5-9 months of starting the program
- Successful completion of the Ph.D. Comprehensive exam (PHGY 701). For detailed information see: https://www.mcgill.ca/physiology/files/physiology/guidelines_for_students_and_examiners.pdf
- Yearly Progress Seminars: to be done after the successful completion of the Comprehensive exam. Progress seminars are mandatory until submission of a thesis. A final progress seminar needs to be done 6-8 weeks before the submission of the initial thesis
- Participation in the Annual Research Day in May
- Submit a thesis and defend it orally. It is expected that a Ph.D. thesis will generate a body of work comprised of 3 units of published and/or publishable material.
- Ph.D degree is to be completed by the end of year 7
Important note: Graduate students may be required to withdraw from their program of study for documented lack of performance in research or two course failures. More info can be obtained at https://www.mcgill.ca/study/2020-2021/university_regulations_and_resources/graduate/gps_gi_failure_policy. Details on graduate policies and tracking can be obtained at www.mcgill.ca/gps/students/research-tracking.
Doctoral Program details here