Biology McGill University

Overview

Both the M.Sc. and Ph.D. are research-intensive degrees, and the emphasis in both programs is on developing the intellectual and technical skills necessary for independent research. The main component of both Biology degrees at McGill University is a thesis presenting the results of this work in the form of a student’s original contribution to scientific knowledge. Formal coursework, usually in the form of literature-based seminar courses, is minimal and typically completed within the first year. To complement their classroom and laboratory training, students regularly attend other seminar series and journal clubs and present their own work annually in a formal seminar.

Key facts

In addition to working with world-class researchers, graduate students in Biology have access to top-notch research infrastructure. The recently renovated Stewart Biology Building and the newly constructed Bellini Life Sciences Complex are equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and facilities for sophisticated imaging, robotic, and genetic techniques, to name a few. These in-house capabilities are complemented by a wide range of field research facilities, which include:

• Gault Nature Reserve at Mont St. Hilaire (Quebec);

• Morgan Arboretum (Quebec);

• Huntsman Marine Science Centre (New Brunswick);

• Subarctic Research Station (Quebec);

• Bellairs Research Institute (Barbados);

• Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (Panama);

• Limnology research station at the Wilder and Helen Penfield Nature Reserve on Lake Memphremagog (Quebec).

These resources are also extended by affiliation with other organizations such as the Redpath Museum, the Biotechnology Research Institute of the National Research Council of Canada, the Groupe Interuniversitaire de Recherches Océanographiques du Québec (GIROQ), the McGill Macdonald campus, the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, the Jewish General Hospital, the Montreal General Hospital, the Montreal Children's Hospital, the Royal Victoria Hospital, and the Glen site.