Doctor of Philosophy in Biological and Chemical Sciences
The PhD program in biological and chemical sciences is an interdisciplinary program offered jointly by the Departments of Biology and Chemistry. This is a research-intensive program, with selected coursework and seminar requirements structured to complement the research component and ensure the interdisciplinary nature of the program. Student research is supervised by faculty using an apprenticeship training model, in which faculty assist students in developing and conducting research that is focused on the students developing into independent researchers.
Admission to the program requires a Master's degree in Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry, or related discipline(s), with a minimum overall GPA of A- in the graduate program. Alternatively, students enrolled in either the MSc in Integrative Biology or MSc in Chemistry program for 8-12 months who have completed all of the degree requirements for those programs (except for the thesis and the full seminar requirements), and with the recommendation of the student's MSc advisory committee, and approval of the co-ordinators of the PhD program, will be eligible for early entry into the PhD program. In this case, all MSc course requirements and the MSc research proposal must be completed before admission to the PhD program will be considered. This option is for exceptional students, and all requirements as outlined in the Graduate Calendar must be met.
The doctoral program is designed to emphasize the multidisciplinary nature of research and scholarship in biological and chemical sciences. The research component of the program is based on an apprenticeship-training model, in which students work closely with faculty supervisors who mentor students in the development, execution and interpretation of their research, and focus on the development of students into independent researchers. In their research project, students in the program will be exposed to a variety of diverse but interrelated theoretical and experimental techniques to address problems at the forefront of both biological and chemical sciences. Students are required to present and defend a research proposal in conjunction with a qualifying exam (BH810), and write and defend their dissertation (BH899).
In addition to accomplishing the goals of their research project and defending their dissertation (BH899, 6 credits), students must complete BH810 - Research Proposal and Qualifying Examination (0.5 credit), BH820 - Chemistry-Biology Interface Seminar (non-credit) and BH821 - Research Seminar (0.5 credit). Students are also required to take two 0.5 credit electives (1.0 credit total), at least one of which must be at the 800 - level from within the program (BH800 - BH890). The other 0.5-credit elective may be any other graduate-level course, such as those offered by the Departments of Biology and Chemistry; the available courses are listed in the MSc in Integrative Biology, and MSc in Chemistry sections of the Graduate Calendar. Students are also required to participate in the annual Chemistry-Biology Interface (CBI) Symposium (non-credit) at least twice during the program, normally in the 2nd and 3rd year. Overall, employing a research-based curriculum together with interdisciplinary courses ensures that the graduates of this program will acquire current specialized and broad knowledge, and practical skills in different aspects of biological and chemical sciences.
The program is designed to be completed in four years or less, as follows:
| Year | Fall | Winter | Spring |
| Year 1 |
BH820 - Chemistry-Biology Interface Seminar, BH899 - PhD Dissertation Elective(s)1, Formalize the Dissertation Advisory Committee |
BH820 - Chemistry-Biology Interface Seminar, BH899 - PhD Dissertation Elective(s)1 |
BH899 - PhD Dissertation
Annual Report due April 152 |
| Year 2 |
BH810 - Research Proposal and Qualifying Examination3, BH820 - Chemistry-Biology Interface Seminar, BH899 - PhD Dissertation, Elective(s)1 |
BH820 - Chemistry-Biology Interface Seminar, BH899 - PhD Dissertation, Elective(s)1 |
BH899 - PhD Dissertation, CBI Symposium Annual Report due April 152 |
| Year 3 |
BH820 - Chemistry-Biology Interface Seminar, BH899 - PhD Dissertation |
BH820 - Chemistry-Biology Interface Seminar, BH899 - PhD Dissertation |
BH899 - PhD Dissertation, CBI Symposium Annual report due April 152 |
| Year 4 |
BH820, BH899 - PhD Dissertation |
BH820 - Chemistry-Biology Interface Seminar, BH821 - Research Seminar, BH899 - PhD Dissertation Meeting of DAC to approve scheduling of dissertation defence |
BH899 - PhD Dissertation |
1Elective courses should be taken until the requirement of two 0.5-elective credits (1.0-credits total) has been fulfilled. At least one 0.5-credit elective must be either BH800 or BH890. The other elective may be any other graduate level course, such as those already offered in the Departments of Biology and Chemistry. Normally, elective courses are taken in Years 1 and 2.
2 The Annual Progress report for doctoral students is a requirement of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, and should normally be completed in conjunction with a meeting of the Dissertation Advisory Committee.
3The Research Proposal and Qualifying Exam (BH810) is normally taken in the 4th term, and not later than the 5th term in the program.
In order to emphasize the interdisciplinary nature of research in biological and chemical sciences, and to promote interaction among students, postdoctoral fellows and faculty in the program, all doctoral students are encouraged to present their work in the form of a poster at an annual one-day Chemistry- Biology Interface Symposium at least twice during their program. As part of the Symposium, faculty and/or postdoctoral fellows from laboratories participating in the PhD program may be asked to give short presentations on their work. Depending on the availability of funds, a guest speaker with expertise in interdisciplinary research in biological and chemical sciences could be invited as a keynote speaker of this Symposium.
The Research Proposal and Qualifying Exam is required of PhD candidates to demonstrate broad knowledge in their research area in addition to their specific research topic; it is normally completed in the 4th and not later than the 5th term after entering the program. The exam is performed in the presence of the Qualifying Exam Committee (QEC), which is composed of the Dissertation Advisory Committee (DAC) and one member external to the committee, who may be a faculty member from outside the program. The external examiner of the QEC is approved by the Program Coordinator after consultation with the DAC. A written Research Proposal outlining the planned dissertation research must be submitted to the QEC at least 7-9 weeks before the date of the exam. Based on the candidate's defence of his/her research proposal and responses to questions, the QEC will render a Pass/Fail/Deferred decision on the exam. Students must pass the Research Proposal and Qualifying Exam in order to continue in the program. If the student's performance is deemed to be unsatisfactory (Failed decision), the examination may be repeated no later than 6 months from the date of the first examination. If the student does not receive a pass following the second examination, the Program Coordinator will recommend to the FGPS that the student withdraws from the PhD program.
Successful completion of the Research Proposal and Qualifying Exam allows students to progress to the research and writing of the dissertation. Candidates who fail to satisfy this requirement within the established time frame may be asked to leave the program.
The regulations and procedures at the university in which the student is registered will govern both the dissertation and the examination formats.
