Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Program

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When you join the PhD program, you will perform research in your supervisor’s laboratory.

It will take approximately 5 - 6 years to complete a PhD.

Your PhD project will be guided by your thesis advisory committee comprised of your supervisor and two University of Toronto faculty members.

The data that you generate during your program will be approximately equivalent to the amount of data in two peer-reviewed journal articles.

Your required coursework will depend on whether you joined the PhD program after completing:

An MSc degree (or equivalent)
A BSc (direct entry) or an MSc-to-PhD transfer exam.

1. If you enter with an MSc or equivalent degree

You will take a two-year student seminar series course, LMP1003H.

In the first year of this course, you will attend seminars and learn about the research that is being carried out by your peers.

In the second year, you will attend seminars and give a presentation of your own research.

In addition to the seminar course, you will take 0.5 full course equivalent (FCE) elective course(s) during the program. This means that you will take either one 0.5 FCE course (24 hours of class time) or two 0.25 FCE courses (12 hours of class time per course).

Requirements (if you are a PhD student holding a MSc degree or equivalent)

LMP1003H Student Seminar Series III (0.5 FCE) 
Elective courses (0.5 FCE) – students may take either one 0.5 FCE or two 0.25 FCE LMP courses (courses offered by other departments may be substituted with the permission of the graduate office) 
RST9999Y - Thesis

2. If you enter with a BSc or MSc-to-PhD transfer

If you join the PhD program directly after receiving a BSc or if you passed the MSc-to-PhD transfer exam, you will:

take the courses required for the MSc program (listed above), and
the courses required for the PhD program (listed below).

Requirements (if you have a BSc or MSc-to-PhD transfer)

LMP1001H – Student Seminar Series I (0.5 FCE) 
LMP1002H – Student Seminar Series II (0.5 FCE) 
LMP1003H Student Seminar Series III (0.5 FCE) 
LMP1005H - Fundamentals of Research Practice (0.5 FCE) 
Elective courses (0.5 FCE) – students may take either one 0.5 FCE or two 0.25 FCE LMP courses (courses offered by other departments may be substituted with the permission of the graduate office) 
RST9999Y - Thesis

Eligibility

There are two routes of entry available to a PhD.

You have an MSc degree (or equivalent)
You are a talented undergraduate with a BSc (direct entry) or you complete an MSc-to-PhD transfer exam.

1. You have an MSc degree

If you have a MSc, MD, DDS, DVM (or equivalent) degree.

You also need to have:

a minimum A- average in your graduate courses, or in senior-level BSc coursework if MSc course requirements were minimal or absent
evidence of research competence, based on scientific publications, abstracts, or conference presentations.

2. You are a talented undergraduate with a BSc (direct entry) or you complete an MSc-to-PhD transfer exam

You can apply directly to the PhD program if you are a highly qualified BSc graduate meeting the following requirements:

An appropriate bachelor's degree in the Life Sciences from a recognized university
A minimum A average in the third and fourth years
Evidence of strong research experience

If you are completing an MSc at LMP and are showing excellence, the graduate advisory committee can recommend you for transfer into the PhD program.

Transfer exams are held within 18 months after the start of the MSc program.

How to apply

See Application process for the research stream (MSc and Phd).

To be fully accepted into the MSc program, you will need to secure a supervisor. See Finding a supervisor.