Our doctoral program aims to produce scientists who will be capable of solving biochemical and health-related problems and go on to hold leadership positions in both the public and private sectors.
Requirements for admission
Students who hold an M.Sc. degree from another recognized university (or from another McGill Department) may be considered for admission at the Ph.D. level. These candidates register at the Ph.D. 2 level.
Completing the Ph.D. program
Candidates entering at Ph.D. 1 must follow a program of at least three years residency at the University; this is the minimum requirement, and there is no guarantee that the degree can be completed in this time. Candidates entering at Ph.D. 2 must follow a program of at least two years of residency at the University. In the doctoral program, students must be registered on a full-time basis for one more year after completion of the residency (i.e., Ph.D. 4 year) before continuing as additional session students until completion of the program.
All doctoral students are required to:
- Successfully complete and pass BIOC 696 (Seminars in Biochemistry) as well as complete and pass 6 credits of complementary courses at the 500-600 level, and any additional coursework that may have been stipulated by the Graduate Advisory Committee (GAC) at the time of acceptance. (65% (B-) is the minimum passing grade at the graduate level).
- Successfully complete the “Research Seminar 1” (BIOC 701), to be given in the third semester of graduate studies.
- Successfully complete and pass an oral “Ph.D. Thesis Proposal” (BIOC 702), to be presented to the Graduate Advisory Committee (GAC) in the 5th or 6th semester from the commencement of graduate studies, after which the candidate is given approval to continue in the Ph.D. program.
- Successfully complete and pass, with the written approval of the Research Advisory Committee (RAC), the “Research Seminar 2” (BIOC 703) normally held as part of the Monday seminar series, approximately 6 months prior to submission of the Ph.D. Thesis.
- Submit a thesis and defend it orally.
Doctoral-level courses
Students must complete 6 credits at the 500-600 level. Students entering without credit for courses equivalent to BIOC 450 (Protein Structure and Function) or BIOC 454 (Nucleic Acids) as part of their previous program(s) will be required to complete the course(s) for which prior credit is lacking in addition to the 6 credit course requirement.
Registration for compulsory comprehensives (BIOC 701, 702, 703)
All students entering or registered in the Ph.D. program must register for the comprehensive courses (see table below). Registration for these courses is not initiated until instructed by the Student Affairs Officer (Pascale Joseph).
Questions concerning registration for comprehensives should be directed to the Student Affairs Officer. Please refer to the guidelines for Research Seminar 1, Ph.D. Thesis Proposal, and Research Seminar 2.
Thesis
Required Courses (3 credits)
BIOC 696D1
Seminars in Biochemistry
1.5 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Biochemistry: Seminars in biochemistry.
Offered by: Biochemistry
- Students must register for both BIOC 696D1 and BIOC 696D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both BIOC 696D1 and BIOC 696D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- BIOC 696D1 and BIOC 696D2 together are equivalent to BIOC 696
- Restriction: Open to M.Sc. and Ph.D. Biochemistry students only.
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BIOC 701
Research Seminar 1
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Biochemistry: Presentation on original current laboratory research carried out by student.
Offered by: Biochemistry
- Biochemistry graduate students
- Terms
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
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BIOC 702
Ph.D. Thesis Proposal
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Biochemistry: Dissertation presented to Committee.
Offered by: Biochemistry
- Biochemistry graduate students
- Terms
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
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BIOC 703
Ph.D. Seminar
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Biochemistry: Presentation of the planned thesis including central findings and original contribution to knowledge in the field of research.
Offered by: Biochemistry
- Restriction: Ph.D. students in Biochemistry
- Terms
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
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Students must complete BIOC 701 in the third term after admission to the program, BIOC 702 in the 5th or 6th term, and BIOC 703 approximately 6 months prior to submission of the Ph.D. thesis.
Complementary Courses (6 credits)
At least one course from the courses listed below plus additional credits to a minimum of 6 total complementary course credits of 500-level or higher courses in the biomedical and allied sciences, chosen in consultation with the research director.
BIOC 670
Biochemistry of Lipoproteins
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Biochemistry: Structure, function and metabolism of lipids and lipoproteins as they relate to lipid storage diseases, obesity, diabetes and heart disease.
Offered by: Biochemistry
- Prerequisite: BIOC 311 or permission of instructor
- Restrictions: Open to graduate students only with permission of instructor.
- Winter
- Terms
- Instructors
- Robert S Kiss, Tommy Nilsson
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BIOC 600
Adv Strat in Genetics&Genomics
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Biochemistry: Advanced technologies and methods in genomics research, presented by experts actively pursuing the experimental approaches discussed.
Offered by: Biochemistry
- Enrolment limited to 15 graduate students.
- Prerequisite: BIOC 454 or equivalent
- Restriction: Must take part in the Biochemistry graduate program
- Terms
- Instructors
- Thomas Duchaine, Alexandre Montpetit, Kurt Dejgaard, Josee Dostie, Vincent Giguere, Hamed S Najafabadi, Yojiro Yamanaka, Sidong Huang, Ian R Watson, Lawrence Kazak
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BIOC 603
Genomics and Gene Expression
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Biochemistry: Examination of recent developments in analysis of eukaryotic cell genomes and control of gene expression during differentiation and growth control. Molecular genetics; genomics and the bioinformatics of analysis of genomic and functional-genomic data; mechanisms and signal-transduction pathways for regulation of gene expression; applications to human disease with a strong emphasis on cancer.
Offered by: Biochemistry
- Fall
- Prerequisites: BIOC 454 and permission of instructor.
- Terms
- Instructors
- Luke McCaffrey, William Joseph Muller, Imed Eddine Gallouzi, Peter M Siegel, Sidong Huang, Logan Walsh, Lawrence Kazak, William Pastor
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BIOC 604
Macromolecular Structure
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Biochemistry: X-Ray crystallography, NMR spectroscopy, Electron Microscopy. Theory and methods used to determine macromolecular structures will be covered. Several
practical sessions with hands-on experience for students are included.
Offered by: Biochemistry
- Offered in the Winter term, in even alternate years.
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BIOC 605
Protein Biology & Proteomics
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Biochemistry: Examination of recent developments in protein biology and proteomics analysis. Proteomics, modeling and biophysical approaches to characterize the functional interactions of biological macromolecules; applications to biological problems. Lectures and in-class discussions are supplemented by practical training in proteomics.
Offered by: Biochemistry
- Winter
- Prerequisite: BIOC 450 or equivalent, or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- Instructors
- Maxime Denis, Kurt Dejgaard
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EXMD 615
Essentials of Glycobiology
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Experimental Medicine: Examination of the structure, function, and biosynthesis of glycoproteins, glycolipids and glycosaminoglycans, and the biological role of complex carbohydrates. Lectins, methods for elucidating carbohydrate structure, glycomics, and human diseases due to disorders of glycan synthesis.
Offered by: Medicine
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EXMD 635D1
Experimental/Clinical Oncology
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Experimental Medicine: The course will deal, on a site by site basis, with the incidence of cancer, present treatment, treatment outcome, underlying causes, current research and directions for development of new treatments. Chemotherapy, surgery, radiation therapy and nutrition as therapy and treatment of cancer will be included.
Offered by: Medicine
- Prerequisite: Students must request permission from the instructor.
- Students must register for both EXMD 635D1 and EXMD 635D2
- No credit will be given for this course unless both EXMD 635D1 and EXMD 635D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
- Previous solid knowledge in biochemistry and molecular biology required. Students will be required to write a long essay and give an oral presentation.
- Terms
- Instructors
- Alain Nepveu, Jose Guerreiro Teodoro, Simon Tanguay, Alexander Gregorieff, Genevieve Deblois, Abraham Fuks, George Shenouda, Michael Sebag, Pierre Fiset, Josie Ursini-Siegel
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EXMD 635D2
Experimental/Clinical Oncology
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Experimental Medicine: See EXMD 635D1 for course description.
Offered by: Medicine
- Prerequisite: EXMD 635D1 and permission from the instructor.
- Students must register for both EXMD 635D1 and EXMD 635D2
- No credit will be given for this course unless both EXMD 635D1 and EXMD 635D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
- Previous solid knowledge in biochemistry and molecular biology required. Students will be required to write a long essay and give an oral presentation.
- Terms
- Instructors
- Alain Nepveu, Mark Basik, Jose Guerreiro Teodoro, Wassim Kassouf, George Zogopoulos, Nathalie Johnson, Pierre Laneuville, Michel Tremblay, Kevin Petrecca, Walter H Gotlieb
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The Graduate Advisory Committee may stipulate additional course work depending on the background of the candidate.
BIOC 450
Protein Structure and Function
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Biochemistry: Primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary structure of enzymes. Active site mapping and site-specific mutagenesis of enzymes. Enzyme kinetics and mechanisms of catalysis. Multienzyme complexes.
Offered by: Biochemistry
- Fall
- Prerequisites: BIOC 311, BIOC 312 and/or sufficient organic chemistry.
- Restriction: Intended primarily for students at the U3 level
- Terms
- Instructors
- Bhushan Nagar, Thomas Martin Schmeing, Enrico Purisima, Kalle Gehring, Christopher J von Roretz, Reza Salavati, Alba Guarne, Maria Vera Ugalde
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BIOC 454
Nucleic Acids
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Biochemistry: RNA processing, localization and stability. RNAi mechanisms, regulation and applications. Regulation of DNA replication. Genomics: human genome sequence, regulation and organization. DNA repair mechanisms. Special topics on transgenics, genetic diseases and cancer.
Offered by: Biochemistry
- Terms
- Instructors
- William Pastor, Jose Guerreiro Teodoro, Imed Eddine Gallouzi, Alain Nepveu, Josee Dostie, Thomas Duchaine, Sidong Huang, Ian R Watson, Katie Cockburn
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These would be additional requirements for those who have not previously completed equivalent courses in their prior training.