As an M.Sc. candidate in the Department of Biochemistry, a student has the following options:

Completion of a Masters Degree

On entry into the M.Sc. program it may be the student’s intention to proceed only as far as the M.Sc. degree or he/she may make this decision during the first two years in the program.

It is also possible that the student may intend to proceed into the Ph.D. program but that his/her supervisory committee will ask the student to complete his/her M.Sc. degree before seeking admission to the Ph.D. program.

In both cases the student will go through an M.Sc. defense in which the examining committee will not only evaluate his/her thesis and defense, but will also make a recommendation regarding his/her suitability for the Ph.D. program.

To pursue a Ph.D. degree after the student’s successful M.Sc. defense, he/she must apply to the program through the School of Graduate Studies in the normal fashion.


Transferring into the Ph.D. Program Without Completing the M.Sc. Program

If the student wishes to transfer into the Ph.D. program without completing an M.Sc. degree he/she must have the approval of his/her supervisory committee to schedule a Transfer Exam and he/she must have completed one half-credit in Selected Topics in Biochemistry or BCH2024H (Focused Topics in Biochemistry) (or equivalent, subject to approval by the Graduate Coordinator) and presented one half-hour student seminar in BCH2020L.

Transfer Exams and Qualifying Exams (see next section) are essentially identical in format and style and are meant to examine a student's qualifications and potential to complete the Ph.D. degree. The student must have his/her Transfer Exam within 18-21 months of initial registration in the M.Sc. program. If the student’s start date was September 1, he/she must have the Transfer Exam prior to June 15 of the second year in the M.Sc. program. If the student started the program on January 1, then the Transfer Exam must be prior to October 15 of the second year.