Course Requirements

Students will select their courses in consultation with their Supervisor and approval by their Supervisory Committee. The selection of courses should be based on the previous training of the student and on their research interests.

Transfer credit for courses completed in a non-related MSc program or at another institution is evaluated and awarded at the discretion of the supervisory committee and subject to approval by the program director.

Please visit the MDBC Program Description in the Graduate Calendar for further details. Any exceptions to the below requirements require the approval of the Graduate Program Director.

Extramural course policy: When relevant to a student’s thesis or dissertation research, and in consultation with their supervisory committee, early stage BMB students may elect to apply to practical training workshops, summer school programs, or extramural courses at institutions such as Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories, the Wellcome Sanger Institute, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, European Molecular Biology Organization, Human Proteome Organization, Canadian Bioinformatics Workshops, or to those offered by institutions or organizations with a similar international profile. While BMB does not have funds to subsidize enrolment in such courses, students are encouraged to discuss options and funding with their supervisors. On a case by case basis, the program will adjudicate requests for waiving 1 unit of course requirements towards a degree upon the successful completion of such a course. Usually only one waiver per degree program will be considered.  In order to receive a waiver, program approval must be obtained prior to course attendance. Requests for consideration can be submitted to the program office (bmbgrad@ucalgary.ca) along with information demonstrating the relevance of the course to the student’s research, support of the supervisory committee in enrolment, and supporting information on the significance and reputation of the course.

  1. Master of Science (MSc) Requirements

    The minimum academic course requirement is normally 6 units, which is met by: 

    • the satisfactory completion of MDGE* 721 (1 unit) 
    • the satisfactory completion of additional 5 units in graduate-level courses in an area that is pertinent to the student's thesis project and approved by the supervisor and supervisory committee.
    • Bioinformatics specialization:
      - MDGE 721 (1 unit, required)
      - MDGE 610 Foundations of Bioinformatics (1  unit, required)
      - MDGE 612 Foundations of Machine Learning (1 unit, recommended)
      - For students without biological training, MDGE  614 Biology for Bioinformatics (1 unit, recommended)
      - Additional units selected from graduate course offerings to reach 6 units total (chosen in consultation with supervisory committee)

    To register, students must complete the MDGE Course Request Form and submit it DIRECTLY to the course instructors NOT to the Course Coordinators. These are typically done in batches in August (for Fall), December (for Winter), and April (for Spring).

    The course instructors will check your eligibility. 

    Instructors will coordinate with GSE to unblock/enroll students.  

  2. Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Requirements

    The minimum academic course requirement is normally 9 units, which is met by:

    • the satisfactory completion of MDGE* 721 (1 unit) 
    • the satisfactory completion of additional 8 units in graduate-level courses in an area that is pertinent to the student's thesis project and approved by the supervisor and supervisory committee.
    • Only one MDSC 755 or MDGE 755 course can be taken for credit.
    • Bioinformatics specialization:
      - MDGE 721 (1 unit, required)
      - MDGE 610 Foundations of Bioinformatics (1  unit, required)
      - MDGE 612 Foundations of Machine Learning (1 unit, recommended)
      - For students without biological training, MDGE 614 Biology for Bioinformatics (1 unit, recommended)
      - Additional units selected from graduate course offerings to reach 9 units total (chosen in consultation with supervisory committee)

    To register, students must complete the MDGE Course Request Form and submit it DIRECTLY to the course instructors NOT to the Course Coordinators. These are typically done in batches in August (for Fall), December (for Winter), and April (for Spring).

    The course instructors will check your eligibility.

    Instructors will coordinate with GSE to unblock/enroll students

The MDCH course requirements are dependant on a student's specialization. Please visit the MDCH Specializations & Requirements page and select your specialization to view your course requirements.  Please visit the MDCH Program Description in the Graduate Calendar for further details

Please visit the MDCV Program Description in the Graduate Calendar for further details

The minimum course requirement is normally two half courses for an MSc, and three half courses for a PhD program. At least one course for an MSc program and two courses for a PhD program should be from the list of recommended MDCV graduate courses. The amount of course work is determined by the student’s supervisory committee; however it also must meet the program’s minimum requirements:

(a) Students holding a completed BSc degree entering the PhD program are required to successfully complete a minimum of three half courses
(b) Students holding a completed MSc degree in the same area of study entering the PhD program are required to complete a minimum of one half course provided that a minimum of two half courses were completed in their MSc program
(c) Students transferring from the MSc program to the PhD program are required to complete a minimum of one additional half course.
(d) Students holding a completed MSc degree in an unrelated field of studies entering the PhD program are required to complete a minimum of three half courses unless otherwise agreed by the student’s supervisory committee.

Requests for Directed Study courses (MDSC 755) submitted to the Associate Dean (Graduate Sciences Education) will be evaluated by the MDCV Program Director prior to approval.  Normally students will be permitted to include only one MDSC 755 Directed Studies course as part of their academic course requirement. The actual amount of course work is determined by the supervisory committee (see above) and approved by the Program Director.

Seminars

Each graduate student is required to participate in an annual Work-In-Progress research seminar series and also give an annual Journal Club Presentation within their respective Research Group.

Graduate students must take the required instruction concerning biohazards, radiation safety, and WHMIS as well as instruction in the use of live animals in research by attending the relevant portion of MDSC 603.

  1. Recommended Courses

    • MDSC 621.01 Basic Principles of Pharmacology
    • MDSC 623.01 Pulmonary Mechanics and Gas Exchange
    • MDSC 623.02 Respiratory Muscle Physiology and control of Breathing
    • MDSC 623.03 Respiratory Science: Basic
    • MDSC 623.04 Respiratory Science: Applied
    • MDSC 629.01 Cardiovascular Physiology
    • MDSC 629.02 Cardiovascular Pathophysiology
    • MDSC 639.04 Inflammation
    • MDSC 751.09 Topics In Medical Sciences - Ion Channel Diseases

  2. Other Graduate Courses

    • MDSC 619.01 Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
    • MDSC 619.02 Systems Neurosciences
    • MDSC 639.01 Principles of Immunology

  3. Courses to Address Academic Deficiencies

    Recommended courses to address academic deficiencies students may have, but are not normally accepted as part of the students' course requirements:

    • MDSC 501* Principles and Mechanisms of Pharmacology
    • MDSC 503* Pharmacology of Organ Systems
    • MDSC 639.03 Immunological Basis of Disease
    • MDCH 610 Biostatistics I

    *Graduate Students enrolled in these courses are required to do additional work to that of undergraduate students (i.e. term paper)

Students must maintain a GPA of at least 3.0 (B) or higher. 

A large variety of other courses in the Medical Sciences program are also available to students training in Gastrointestinal Sciences.  A complete listing can be found in the Faculty of Graduate Studies calendar.

Please visit the MDGI Program Description in the Graduate Calendar for further details

The Immunology program also offers MDSC 640 - Principles of Immunology, which can be used to fulfill the option requirement. 

Students must maintain a GPA of at least 3.0 (B) or higher. 

A large variety of other courses in the Medical Sciences are also available to students training in Immunology. A complete listing can be found in the Faculty of Graduate Studies Calendar. 

Please visit the MDIM Program Description in the Graduate Calendar for further details

MSc students must complete 2 half courses (3 credits each) 

PhD students must complete 3 half courses (3 credits each) 

  • MDGE 651 (Microbial Virulence Factors) 
  • MDGE 652 (Microbial Interactions at Epithelial Surfaces)
  • MDGE 653 (Antimicrobials and Resistance) 
  • MDSC 611 (Medical Microbiology)
  • MDSC 613.05 (Regulation of Gene Expression in Bacteria)

For MDGE 651, 652, and 653:
Course Hours:1 unit (13 hours)
Prerequisite(s): Medical Science 611, Cellular, Molecular and Microbial Biology 431, or consent of the program.

The following courses are applicable to students in the Microbiology & Infectious Diseases Graduate Program. Should you wish to view other courses of interest, please see the GSE Courses page.

Please visit the MDMI Program Description in the Graduate Calendar for further details

MSc Students are required to take both the Neuroscience Core courses.

PhD Students must take a minimum of one additional half course equivalent (3 credits) as approved by their Supervisory Committee and program.

Students also have the opportunity to take graduate courses offered by other departments, to best suit their educational needs. The UofC Course Master Timetable is available through the MyUofC in the On-Line Student Centre for registered students.

Please visit the MDNS Program Description in the Graduate Calendar for further details

  1. Core Courses

    MDSC 619.01: Cellular, Molecular And Developmental Neuroscience

    This course covers the basic techniques commonly used in neuroscience laboratories, and the cellular and molecular mechanisms of neuronal function as well as development of the nervous system.  Please contact Drs. Minh Dang Nguyen (mdnguyen@ucalgary.ca) and Jaideep Bains (jsbains@ucalgary.ca) for details.

    Typically offered in the fall term of each year

    MDSC 619.02: Systems Neuroscience and Neuropathology

    This course covers the essential systems of the nervous system, their component parts and how they function as well as neuropathological changes in nervous system function.  Please contact Drs. Deborah Kurrasch (kurrasch@ucalgary.ca) and Stephanie Borgland (slborgla@ucalgary.ca) for details.

    Typically offered in the winter term of each year.

  2. Other Courses

     MDSC 621.01: Principles in Pharmacology

    This course emphasizes the principles, concepts and mechanisms underlying drug action in mammals at the molecular, cellular and tissue levels. Topics to be covered include: Signal transduction linked to G-protein coupled receptors, ion channel function and pharmacology, receptor signaling for steroids, growth factors and cytokines, smooth muscle function and pharmacology, pharmacology relating to pain and inflammation, introduction to toxicology, pharmacokinetics and pharmacogenomics. For further information contact course coordinators Drs. Andrew Braun (abraun@ucalgary.ca) and Mark Giembycz (giembycz@ucalgary.ca).

    MDSC 622: Neurobiology of Mental Illness (Fall term):

    This course is coordinated by Dr. Matthew Hill. Students are exposed to up to date research regarding the neurobiological theories of various mental illnesses (such as depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, etc.). The format will be a seminar where both research and review articles in the area will be discussed. Focus of discussion will be on both preclinical research and clinical studies that shed insight into the neurobiology of mental illnesses or their treatments. For additional information please contact  Dr. Matthew Hill .

    MDSC 751.42: Neuroanatomy (Fall Term):

    This course is a detailed introduction to neuroanatomy. It uses Homo sapiens as the primary experimental species but relies on other vertebrates for additional details. The course presents detailed anatomic aspects of each major brain region, along with major connections and functions related to those regions. It has weekly laboratories that examine gross specimens, virtual microscopic images, and other anatomic images. Students present two half-hour seminars on related topics of their choice, as well as a writing assignment relating neuroanatomic aspects of their research. For additional information, please contact Dr. Jeff Joseph or Dr. Megan Gray.

    MDSC 751.09: Ion Channel Diseases (Winter term):

    This course explores the role of channelopathies in human disease. For additional information, please contact Dr. Bob French (french@ucalgary.ca). 

MSc Students: The minimum academic course requirement is normally 6 units at the graduate level in an area that is pertinent to the student's thesis project and approved by the supervisor and supervisory committee.

PhD Students: The minimum academic course requirement is normally 9 units at the graduate level in an area that is pertinent to the student's thesis project and approved by the supervisor and supervisory committee.

Only one MDSC 755 or MDGE 755 course can be taken for credit.

Exceptions require the approval of the Graduate Program Director.

Please visit the MDSC Program Description in the Graduate Calendar for further details.

Please see the MDBT Milestones and Program Requirements page for information on course requirements. Please visit the MDBT Program Description in the Graduate Calendar for further details.

Please see the MDPA Milestones and Program Requirements page for information on course requirements. Please visit the MDPA Program Description in the Graduate Calendar for further details.

Please visit the appropriate specialization page for information on course requirements:

Health Professions Education Leadership

Innovation and Entrepreneurship 

Precision Medicine

Quality and Safety Leadership

You can also visit the MDPR Program Entry in the Graduate Calendar for links to the course descriptions.