Graduate Programs

Programs Overview

The Department of Microbiology & Immunology at the University of Saskatchewan offers graduate programs leading to M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees. All aspects of the graduate program in Microbiology are administered and monitored by the departmental Graduate Affairs Committee (GAC), chaired by a faculty member appointed by the Head of Microbiology. The department has expertise necessary for the instruction and training of advanced students in areas that include cellular and molecular biology of eukaryotes, microbial genetics and molecular biology, immunology, medical microbiology, medical virology, microbial physiology, and molecular virology of eukaryotes. Students are generally admitted for advanced study and specialization in one of these seven subspecialties. The department selects graduate students from among a wide pool of applicants, including honours students in Microbiology at the U. so S., as well as Canadian and foreign students with degrees in microbiology and related disciplines. Typically, new students enter into a M.Sc. program and are transferred in their second year to a Ph.D. program, upon demonstrated performance in graduate coursework, satisfactory laboratory research progress, and the successful completion of a Qualifying examination. Emphasis is directed toward attracting students capable of transferring into a Ph.D. program, and who would be competitive for University of Saskatchewan graduate scholarships.

The Department of Microbiology and Immunology offers graduate programs leading to the M.Sc., and Ph.D. degrees. Current research carried out in the department deals with the following topics:
MOLECULAR GENETICS / MICROBIAL PHYSIOLOGY: Molecular regulation and secretion of virulence factors in pathogenic bacteria, genetic regulation of gluconeogenic enzymes, catalytic and regulatory mechanisms of microbial enzymes, chromosomal rearrangements, carcinogenesis, chemical mutagenesis, mutagenic mechanisms, DNA alkylation damage and repair in eukaryotes, and mechanism of replication initiation.
IMMUNOLOGY / VIROLOGY: Molecular and cellular mechanisms responsible for self-non discrimination and immune class determination, cellular and molecular interactions involved in lymphocyte activation and differentiation, analysis of regulatory function of CD8 T cells.
PATHOGENESIS / INFECTIOUS DISEASES / EPIDEMIOLOGY: development of effective vaccination and immunotherapeutic strategies against intracellular pathogens causing chronic disease and against cancers, clinical bacteriology.
TUMOR BIOLOGY / IMMUNOLOGY: Tumor metastasis, molecular tumor immunology.

Program Requirements

Master of Science (M.Sc.)

ADMISSION Requirements: B.Sc. (Honours)

DEGREE Requirements:

  • a minimum of 9 credit units of graduate courses plus:
  • MCIM 990.0-Seminar
  • MCIM 994.0-Research
  • thesis defence

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

ADMISSION Requirements: M.Sc.

DEGREE Requirements:

  • a minimum of 3 credit units of graduate courses if the student entered the Ph.D. program directly from another institution plus:
  • MCIM 990.0-Seminar
  • MCIM 996-Research
  • a comprehensive examination to establish candidacy for the awarding of the Ph.D.
  • thesis defence

Transfer from Master of Science to Ph.D

ADMISSION Requirements: A qualifying examination

DEGREE Requirements:

  • a minimum of 9 credit units of graduate courses including any such courses taken at the M.Sc. level plus:
  • MCIM 990.0-Seminar
  • MCIM 996.0-Research
  • a comprehensive examination to establish candidacy for the awarding of the Ph.D.
  • thesis defence

Graduate Student Funding

The department restricts admission to students for which funding, sufficient to defray the costs for research and stipend, has been secured; although, a somewhat greater number of students are accepted, pending funding. Hence, the number of newly admitted students is limited to several per year. Over the past ten years the department has maintained an average graduate program comprising 12-16 graduate students working toward advanced degrees. The admitted students are, in the main, financed via University of Saskatchewan scholarships, grant funds, and departmental teaching assistantships. Other funding sources may, on occasion, include College of Medicine scholarships, University of Saskatchewan graduate teaching fellowships, and student Bursaries.

Graduate Instruction in Microbiology

A unique Advisory/Supervisory committee is formed for each student, consisting of a the student's supervisor, the GAC Chair, and faculty from within the department, and from related departments (as required). The committee members are selected because of their knowledge of the proposed research field and are generally chosen by the student's supervisor in consultation with the GAC Chair. The student's Advisory committee is responsible for periodic reviews of the candidate's progress to the degree, and they must also agree that the thesis/dissertation is ready to be defended. The Advisory committee, through the GAC Chair, submits for approval by the College of Graduate Studies and Research (on the student's behalf) a program of studies, indicating the courses to be taken (or recommended for credit for previously completed course work). The department provides instruction in advanced microbiology, with an emphasis on areas of infection and immunity, virology, bacterial pathogenesis and physiology, oncology, and microbial/molecular genetics and molecular biology. Numerous courses have been given on special advanced topics in microbiology.

Graduate Faculty Research

For more information, link to: Research Specialty of Faculty and Associate Members