Thinking of Graduate School?
The Canadian Association for Graduate Studies has published
a "Guide for Potential Graduate Students" that addresses
many of the questions you may be asking yourself. You can download
a PDF version here.
Research opportunities in the Department of Biochemistry are diverse and include studies of protein structure and function, protein dynamics and folding, bioinformatics and proteomics, biomembranes and membrane transporters, signal transduction, and molecular aspects of replication, transcription, and translation.
We are now accepting applications for September 2012
Requirements for Admission
Deadlines
Application Procedure
Application Checklist
Evaluation Process
Money Matters
Selection of a Supervisor
For additional information, please contact:
Carrie Harber, Graduate Program Administrator
Email: carrie.harber@utoronto.ca
Phone: 416-978-2702 Fax: 416-946-8228
Requirements for Admission
Applicants from Canadian Universities:
We consider applications from students who have achieved at least a B+ average in their last two years of study in an Honours/Specialist B.Sc. program in Biochemistry/Molecular Biology/Cell Biology, as well as students with strong academic credentials in Honours/Specialist programs in related disciplines. Applications from students with M.Sc. degrees in these areas will also be considered for admission. Applications from outstanding students in other programs or subject areas will also be considered.
Applications that do not meet the minimum requirements will not be considered.
Applicants from Universities Outside Canada:
Applicants educated outside of Canada require a degree equivalent to that of a Canadian Honours/Specialist degree (i.e. a four-year degree) as described above. In some cases this may be an M.Sc. degree. It should be in Biochemistry/ Molecular Biology/Cell Biology or in a related subject area before being considered for entry into our graduate program. A GRE General Test score (minimum rank generally 80th percentile) is also required. In the case of outstanding applicants some of these requirements may be waived upon request to the Graduate Coordinator.
If the language of instruction at your University is not English**, we require scores for TOEFL (or an equivalent English-language facility test) as follows:
- Minimum paper-based score: Overall
score 580 / TWE 5
- Minimum computer-based score: Overall
score 237 / Essay rating 5
- Internet-based test and writing
and speaking sections: Overall score 93 / Writing score 22 / Speaking
score 22
If the language of instruction at your university is English, we will waive the TOEFL and TWE/essay writing requirements.
**Applicants are not required to complete an English-language facility test if they are Canadian citizens who study at a Canadian university where the language of instruction is French.
Outstanding Applicants:
The GRE General Test is a requirement for your graduate application to the Department of Biochemistry if you have completed your degree from outside of a Canadian university.
In the case of outstanding/exceptional applicants this requirement may be waived upon request to the Graduate Coordinator.
The minimum example of an outstanding/exceptional applicant would be someone that meets all of the general entrance requirements (i.e. Honours/Specialist four-year B.Sc. degree, English language requirements) followed by a research-based M.Sc. degree or someone with substantial research work experience.
Requests for the GRE Waiver must be submitted in the following format:
1. Send an email to the Graduate Program Administrator, Carrie Harber, at carrie.harber@utoronto.ca
2. The subject of the email should be: Requesting GRE Waiver
3. Your email should contain a brief letter to support your request for the waiver (see below for a list of documents required)
Provide the following documents with your email:
1. An electronic copy of ALL university transcripts (PDF format*)
2. Current CV (PDF format)
3. List of all publications and/or presentations (PDF format)
4. Brief description of research (PDF format)
*ALL documents should be sent in ONE PDF file.
**IMPORTANT** - incomplete requests will not be reviewed.
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Deadlines
Early Admissions Deadline: February 1, 2012
Complete applications received by the early submission deadline will be eligible for entrance awards and scholarships, and thus are strongly encouraged.
**2012 - 2013 Admission Cycle**
SEPTEMBER 2012 Admission Deadlines
* June 1, 2012 - Last day to submit application online (application fee must also be paid by this time)
* June 20, 2012 - Last day to submit required application documents (both online and hard copy items - please refer to the checklist below)
**** International applicants are encouraged to complete online applications and have all of the required documents submitted to the department no later than April 5, 2012 to ensure adequate time to apply for a student Visa.
JANUARY 2013 Admission Deadlines
* September 17, 2012 - Last day to submit application online (application fee must also be paid by this time)
* October 1, 2012 - Last day to submit required application documents (both online and hard copy items - please refer to the checklist below)
**** International Applicants are encouraged to complete online applications and have all of the required documents submitted to the department no later than September 4, 2012 to ensure adequate time to apply for a student Visa.
Applications will not be reviewed until all documents have been received by the department and the application fee has been received by the School of Graduate Studies.
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Application Procedure
We are now accepting applications for September 2012.
All applications to graduate school at the University of Toronto are made online through the School of Graduate Studies (SGS).
We require three letters of reference from people familiar with the applicant’s academic/research capabilities. An email* will be automatically sent to each of the referees, after the method of payment has been selected, with a link to the reference form and instructions on how to submit it online.
*Applicants should use institutional email addresses for their referees (gmail, Yahoo, hotmail etc. will be prohibited). It is also very important that the applicant enters the correct referee email addresses as revisions cannot be made once the application has been submitted.
Get Application: SGS Online Application
Direct Entry into Ph.D. Program:
Applicants with exceptionally strong undergraduate records or M.Sc. degrees may request direct entry into the Ph.D. program.
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Application Checklist
• Online application (submitted electronically)
• Letter of Intent (submitted electronically) 1 – 2 pages
• Curriculum Vitae (submitted electronically) 1 – 3 pages
• Three letters of reference (submitted electronically)
• Official transcripts from ALL university programs attended (see below)
- All applicants are required to upload one electronic or scanned transcript in addition to the official transcript(s) mailed to the department.
- Official transcript(s) sent to the department MUST be in the original sealed envelope from the issuing institution.
International applicants - additional documents include:
• TOEFL exam (original must be submitted directly to the university, School of Graduate Studies, with a copy sent to the department)
• GRE General Test (original must be submitted directly to the department)
Transcripts should be mailed to:
Carrie Harber, Graduate Program Administrator
University of Toronto, Department of Biochemistry
1 King’s College Circle, Room 5207
Toronto, ON
M5S 1A8
Canada
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Evaluation Process
The admissions committee evaluates the academic background and achievement, the research experience, and letters of reference of each applicant to judge her/his potential to become an independent scientist. The committee also examines the "Letter of Intent" which all applicants are strongly encouraged to include with their application. The Letter of Intent should describe why the applicant wishes to enter the Biochemistry Graduate Program, career aspirations, areas of research that interest the applicant, a description of the research experience the applicant may already have (summer work, honours project, co-op work, etc.), and any explanations about his/her background that he/she cares to include.
The minimum academic requirements are normally introductory survey courses in biochemistry and molecular biology, two advanced courses in biochemistry/molecular biology topics, and a laboratory course. Depending on the nature of the undergraduate program, the admissions committee on accepting an applicant into our graduate program may ask him/her to expand his/her background knowledge by taking an upper level, dual undergraduate/graduate course(s) during the first year of the program.
Letters of reference are important in the evaluation process. We are particularly interested in receiving letters from research supervisors. If the applicant completed an undergraduate project/thesis course or did research in a co-op session or as a summer student, he/she should ask scientists who have supervised the research projects to write letters of reference on his/her behalf.
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Money Matters
Stipends:
All graduate students in the Department of Biochemistry receive a guaranteed stipend, which is structured as a living allowance plus tuition and incidental fees. This will be reviewed on an annual basis in order to determine the living allowance.
2011 – 2012 Stipends
M.Sc. Students
Domestic Students: $25,041.36
($17,000 living allowance plus tuition and incidental fees)
International Students: $34,922.36
($17,000 living allowance plus tuition, incidental fees and University Health Insurance Plan [UHIP])
Ph.D. Students
Domestic Students: $26,041.36
($17,000 living allowance plus tuition and incidental fees)
International Students: $35,922.36
($17,000 living allowance plus tuition, incidental fees and University Health Insurance Plan [UHIP])
Students can choose to have stipends paid by direct bank deposit or a mailed cheque.
Tuition Fees:
All students are responsible for paying their own tuition fees. The tuition fees for the academic year 2011-2012 are $6,885 (not including incidental fees) for domestic students (Canadian citizens and landed immigrants) and $16,082 (not including incidental fees and the mandatory health insurance plan, UHIP) for Visa students. Supervisors are required to supplement the yearly stipends of Visa students by an amount equal to the difference in tuition fees for domestic and Visa students (i.e. $9197) for 2011-2012.
Awards:
All graduate students are expected to apply for external scholarship support (e.g. OGS, CIHR, NSERC etc.) when eligible. A student who receives $15,000 or more as a major, competitive, external scholarship will receive a $3,000 merit bonus, which is added to his/her stipend for the duration of the award.
For further information on stipends, tuition and awards see the Graduate Program Guidelines.
Entrance Scholarships:
Outstanding applicants will be considered for University of Toronto Fellowships and nominated for University entrance scholarships. Applicants enrolled in undergraduate programs at Canadian universities who wish to be considered for these awards must submit an application with all supporting material through the undergraduate university at which they are enrolled prior to Feb. 1. We encourage all non-Canadian applicants to meet this deadline.
Teaching Assistant Positions:
There is a limited number of Teaching Assistant (TA) positions, which allow students to gain teaching experience while supplementing their stipend income. Money earned from TA positions is income that can be added to their stipend. Students may work a maximum of 10 hours per week out of a 40 hour school week. This limit is to ensure that graduate students devote sufficient time to their thesis work.
Approximately 35 % of graduate students hold some type of TA position. These positions range from marking and invigilating exams, to running tutorial sessions and laboratory courses. The department will notify students via email and bulletin board postings as TA positions become available.
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Selection of a Supervisor
Final acceptance into the graduate program is conditional on finding a faculty member willing to serve as the applicant’s supervisor. When the applicant receives the conditional offer of admission to our graduate program, he/she will be invited to visit the department and to meet with faculty to discuss possible research projects. During this visit, members of the Biochemistry Graduate Student Union (BGSU) will host the applicant for lunch and give a graduate student’s perspective on our program.
Although prospective supervisors may contact applicants once they have been conditionally accepted, it is the applicant’s responsibility to contact those faculty members whose work is of interest to him/her. The department will make every effort to facilitate the process of finding a supervisor and the Graduate Program Administrator can help to set up appointments with faculty if desired. Applicants may also contact faculty members directly to set up appointments. In addition, the Graduate Coordinator is always available to help in the selection of a supervisor.
Supervisor-Student Agreement Form and Final Approval:
Before the applicant can register with the graduate school he/she and the future supervisor must complete and sign a Student-Supervisor Agreement Form. Among other things, this formalizes the faculty member's commitment to mentor the applicant and to provide him/her with a stipend. This agreement is not final until approved by the Chair of the Department.
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