Applicants to the M.Sc. program must hold a B.Sc. degree or its equivalent.
International applicants should verify International credentials and grade equivalencies.
The residence requirement for the M.Sc. degree is 3 terms of full-time study. This is the minimum duration required to complete the M.Sc. degree. The expected duration for completing the M.Sc. degree is 2 years. In some cases, 3 years may be required; students are however cautioned to avoid research projects that cannot be completed in 2 years.
Course Requirements
The following Thesis Courses are required for all M.Sc. students:
-
BIOL 697
Master's Thesis Research 1
13 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Biology (Sci): Independent research work under the direction of the Thesis Supervisor and the Supervisory Committee.
Offered by: Biology
- Terms
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
-
BIOL 698
Master's Thesis Research 2
13 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Biology (Sci): Independent research work under the direction of the Thesis Supervisor and the Supervisory Committee.
Offered by: Biology
- Terms
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
-
BIOL 699
Master's Thesis Research 3
13 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Biology (Sci): Independent research work under the direction of the Thesis Supervisor and the Supervisory Committee.
Offered by: Biology
- Terms
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
M.Sc. students are required to earn an additional 6 course credits during their degree.
Students joining the program in Fall 2021 or later earn 3 credits from the newly offered introductory graduate research/skills courses BIOL601 & BIOL602 or BIOL601 & BIOL603, which they are encouraged to take during their first year. The remaining 3 credits will be from complementary courses (see below).
-
BIOL 601
Intro to Grad Studies: Biology
1.5 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Biology (Sci): Foundational, cross-disciplinary skills in research and communication, including graduate student orientation, research integrity and ethics, equity, diversity and inclusion, science communication for a general audience, seminar critiques, elevator pitches, science writing for a general audience, finding/reading the literature, and peer review.
Offered by: Biology
- Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor
- Terms
- Instructors
- Abigail Gerhold, Fiona M Soper
-
BIOL 602
Molecular Biol Res&Prof Skills
1.5 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Biology (Sci): Core skills in reading, writing, critical thinking and experimental design/interpretation and career opportunities, pertaining to the Molecular Biology research stream. Preparation for the first supervisory committee meeting, including paper/pre-print reviews, research presentations, and research proposals, related to students’ thesis research projects.
Offered by: Biology
- Prerequisite: Permission of instructor
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken or are taking BIOL 603.
-
BIOL 603
Orgnsml Biol Res & Prof Skills
1.5 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Biology (Sci): Core skills in proposal writing, peer review, oral presentation, and practical workflows for reproducibility in science, pertaining to the Organismal Biology research stream, and including stream-specific topics such as field safety and career options. Topics include: paper/pre-print discussion and written review, research presentations,research proposals, rubric-guided peer review, and experimental design in field research disciplines.
Offered by: Biology
- Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken or are taking BIOL 602.
MSc students who joined the program prior to Fall 2021 earn all 6 credits from complementary courses.
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 listedÌýhere.
Seminars & Presentations
Students in the M.Sc. program are expected to regularly attendÌýat least one of the department's weekly seminar series. A list of these is available on the Seminars & Events page.ÌýIn addition, M.Sc. students are are expected to give at least one research seminar a year to a scientific audience outside of their lab.ÌýPresentations should be at least 15 minutes long. First year students are exempt from this requirement.
M.Sc. Thesis
A thesis demonstrating independent and original research in a specialized field, written in accordance with ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ's Policies on Research Ethics and Intellectual Property, is the major requirement for the M.Sc. degree. Our Thesis Guidelines contain the resources relevant to the preparation and submission of a thesis.
NOTE:ÌýThe program requirements for the Specialized Options in Biology differ from the requirements of the regular Biology Graduate Programs. More...
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