PhD Program Requirements

Doctor of Philosophy

Program Requirements

  • All students are required to take 2.5 full-course equivalents (FCEs) in physiology courses in which an average standing of at least A- is maintained, with the following guidelines:
    • ​​0.5 FCE in PSL2000H Seminars in Physiology PhD (Credit/No Credit), mandatory for all graduate students in Physiology
    • 0.5 FCE in PSL1066H Research Grant Proposal (Credit/No Credit), mandatory for all PhD students in physiology
    • 0.5 FCE in Physiology graduate-only courses
    • 1.0 FCE with a choice of (i) a physiology graduate-only course or physiology joint graduate-undergraduate course (preferable option) or (ii) a course taken in another department (rare choice), subject t​o approval by the Graduate Studies Committee
    • Students who transfer from the MSc program in Physiology may claim up to 1.0 FCE from the MSc program in Physiology; students who completed MSc program in another department or university may claim up to 1.0 FCE, subject to approval of the Graduate Studies Committee.
  • Courses are selected in consultation with the supervisor and/or advisory committee.
  • The recommended completion time for the doctoral program is approximately four years for PhD students admitted with completed master's degree, approxiamtely five years for PhD (direct entry) and transfer students from the start of the MSc, by which time the candidate will write and defend a research thesis, first before a departmental committee and subsequently before a committee approved by the School of Graduate Studies.