Applicants to the Ph.D. program must hold a B.Sc. or M.Sc. degree.
International applicants should verify International credentials and grade equivalencies.
Candidates entering the Ph.D. program with a B.Sc. degree will begin as Ph.D. 1 students. Candidates entering with a M.Sc. degree will start the program as Ph.D. 2 students.
For Ph.D. 1 candidates, the minimum duration required to complete the Ph.D. degree is 4 years of full-time study. For Ph.D. 2 candidates, the minimum duration is 3 years of full-time study. The expected duration for completing the Ph.D. degree is 4-5 years, depending on the thesis project and field of study.
Course Requirements
Ph.D. students who joined the program prior to Fall 2021 are required to earn 6 credits from complementary courses.
Students joining the program in Fall 2021 or later are required to earn 9 credits: 3 credits from the newly offered introductory graduate research/skills courses BIOL601 & BIOL602 or BIOL601 & BIOL603, which they are strongly recommended to take during their first year, and 6 credits from complementary courses (see below).
Students register for BIOL 700 in the semester when their Qualifying Examination will be taken.
Students register for BIOL 702 in the semester when their Ph.D. Seminar (see below) will be presented.
Complementary courses
- Must be at the 500-level or above.
- Course selections must be approved by the Thesis Supervisor.
- Courses may be selected from the Biology Department, other departments or other universities in Quebec (taken through CREPUQ).
- Students must attain a passing grade of B- in all required courses. Requests to take supplemental exams should be directed to the Graduate Training Committee.
- Students may take additional courses not required for their degree (e.g. writing, language and teaching courses), as long as a minimum average of B- is maintained.
- Graduate-level courses offered by the Department of Biology are listed here.
Seminars & Presentations
Ph.D. students are expected to regularly attend at least one of the department's weekly seminar series. A list of these is available on the Seminars & Events page. In addition, Ph.D. students are are expected to give at least one research seminar a year to a scientific audience outside of their lab. Presentations should be at least 15 minutes long. First year students are exempt from this requirement.
Qualifying Examination
The Ph.D. Qualifying Examination is a formal evaluation of the candidate's ability to proceed to the attainment of the Ph.D. degree and consists of a written proposal, an oral presentation and an oral examination.
The Qualifying Examination is not a “comprehensive” examination, insofar as this term implies that all areas of biology will be covered. Rather, the intent is to assess the candidate's background knowledge in the field of their proposed research and in relevant areas connected to this subject.
Information about each component of the Qualifying Examination and the method of evaluation is available in the Ph.D. Qualifying Examination Report.
Ph.D. Seminar
Ph.D. candidates are required to present a seminar on their research toward the end of their studies (preferably at least 3 months prior to the expected date of initial thesis submission). Most students will be registered for this seminar in their third or fourth year.
This seminar is not to be regarded as an exam; rather it is intended to give students an opportunity to present their thesis work prior to writing their thesis and holding their Oral Defense. Nevertheless, it is a degree requirement and a grade of "incomplete" will be recorded on the student's transcript for BIOL 702 if they do not give their seminar during the term in which they are registered for this course. In order to receive a grade for BIOL 702, the student’s supervisor must submit the PhD seminar form after the seminar.
The Ph.D. Seminar should be scheduled, whenever possible, within one of the seminar series offered by the Department. It should be identified as such and widely advertised.
Thesis
A thesis demonstrating independent and original research in a specialized field, written in accordance with McGill's Policies on Research Ethics and Intellectual Property, is the major requirement for the Ph.D. degree.
Resources relevant to the preparation and submission of a thesis are available on the Thesis page.
Oral Examination
Following the submission and approval of their thesis, Ph.D. candidates are required to defend their thesis in an open forum.
NOTE: The program requirements for the Specialized Options in Biology differ from the requirements of the regular Biology Graduate Programs. More...