Note: This is the 2019–2020 eCalendar. Update the year in your browser's URL bar for the most recent version of this page, or .
Program Requirements
The Major requires 58 or 59 credits depending on a student's choice of complementary courses.
Students in the Major program are permitted to take a maximum of 9 credits of research courses.
Required Courses
25-26 credits:
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BIOL 200 Molecular Biology (3 credits)
Overview
Biology (Sci) : The physical and chemical properties of the cell and its components in relation to their structure and function. Topics include: protein structure, enzymes and enzyme kinetics; nucleic acid replication, transcription and translation; the genetic code, mutation, recombination, and regulation of gene expression.
Terms: Fall 2019
Instructors: Roy, Richard D W; Bureau, Thomas E; Hastings, Kenneth E M (Fall)
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BIOL 201 Cell Biology and Metabolism (3 credits)
Overview
Biology (Sci) : This course introduces the student to our modern understanding of cells and how they work. Major topics to be covered include: photosynthesis, energy metabolism and metabolic integration; plasma membrane including secretion, endocytosis and contact mediated interactions between cells; cytoskeleton including cell and organelle movement; the nervous system; hormone signaling; the cell cycle.
Terms: Winter 2020
Instructors: Brouhard, Gary (Winter)
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BIOL 202 Basic Genetics (3 credits)
Overview
Biology (Sci) : Introduction to basic principles, and to modern advances, problems and applications in the genetics of higher and lower organisms with examples representative of the biological sciences.
Terms: Winter 2020, Summer 2020
Instructors: Moon, Nam Sung; Nilson, Laura; Schoen, Daniel J; Western, Tamara (Winter) Dankort, David; Hipfner, David (Summer)
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BIOL 205 Biology of Organisms (3 credits)
Overview
Biology (Sci) : Unified view of form and function in animals and plants. Focus on how the laws of chemistry and physics illuminate biological processes relating to the acquisition of energy and materials and their use in movement, growth, development, reproduction and responses to environmental stress.
Terms: Winter 2020
Instructors: Sakata, Jon; Hargreaves, Anna (Winter)
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BIOL 206 Methods in Biology of Organisms (3 credits)
Overview
Biology (Sci) : Introduction to modern methods used in organismal biology, including ecological sampling, experimental methods and statistics, taxonomic and phylogenetic analysis of biodiversity, experimental behavioural ecology, microbiological methods, and library search procedures.
Terms: Fall 2019
Instructors: Cristescu, Elena; Miller-Nesbitt, Andrea; Larsson, Hans Carl; Lefebvre, Louis; Gonzalez, Andrew (Fall)
Fall
1.5 hours lecture, 3 hours laboratory and local field trip in week 1
Prerequisite: BIOL 111 or equivalent
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BIOL 215 Introduction to Ecology and Evolution (3 credits)
Overview
Biology (Sci) : An introduction to the fundamental processes of ecology and evolution that bear on the nature and diversity of organisms and the processes that govern their assembly into ecological communities and their roles in ecosystem function.
Terms: Fall 2019
Instructors: Price, Neil; Abouheif, Ehab; Sunday, Jennifer (Fall)
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BIOL 301 Cell and Molecular Laboratory (4 credits)
Overview
Biology (Sci) : An introduction to laboratory techniques with a focus on methods used to investigate fundamental questions in modern cell and molecular biology. Techniques including gene cloning, DNA and protein isolation and manipulation are covered, along with functional analysis of genes and proteins, basic bioinformatics, and computer-based experimental design and data analysis.
Terms: Fall 2019, Winter 2020
Instructors: Zheng, Huanquan; Harrison, Paul; Reyes Lamothe, Rodrigo (Fall) Zheng, Huanquan; Reyes Lamothe, Rodrigo (Winter)
Fall or Winter
1 hour lecture and one 6-hour laboratory
Prerequisites:BIOL 200, BIOL 201 (or ANAT 212/BIOC 212) and BIOL 202; or BIOL 219 and BIOL 202.
Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken or are taking BIOC 300, or BIOC 220 and BIOC 320. Requires departmental approval.
For approval email anne-marie.sdicu [at] mcgill.ca. Specify your ID number as well as the term and two lab day preferences.
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CHEM 212 Introductory Organic Chemistry 1 (4 credits) *
Overview
Chemistry : A survey of reactions of aliphatic and aromatic compounds including modern concepts of bonding, mechanisms, conformational analysis, and stereochemistry.
Terms: Fall 2019, Winter 2020, Summer 2020
Instructors: Pavelka, Laura; Vlaho, Danielle; Daoust, Michel (Fall) Pavelka, Laura; Luedtke, Nathan; Vlaho, Danielle; Gauthier, Jean-Marc (Winter) Sirjoosingh, Pallavi; Vlaho, Danielle; Pavelka, Laura (Summer)
Fall, Winter, Summer
Prerequisite: CHEM 110 or equivalent.
Corequisite: CHEM 120 or equivalent.
Restriction: Not open to students who are taking or have taken CHEM 211 or equivalent
Each lab section is limited enrolment
Note: Some CEGEP programs provide equivalency for this course. For more information, please see the Department of Chemistry's Web page ().
* If a student has already taken CHEM 212 or its equivalent, the credits can be made up with a 3- or 4-credit complementary course to be approved by the Biology Adviser.
Core Complementary Courses (12 credits)
12 credits selected from:
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BIOL 300 Molecular Biology of the Gene (3 credits)
Overview
Biology (Sci) : A survey of current knowledge and approaches in the area of regulation of gene expression, post-transcriptional control of gene expression, and signal transduction.
Terms: Fall 2019
Instructors: Schöck, Frieder; Moon, Nam Sung (Fall)
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BIOL 303 Developmental Biology (3 credits)
Overview
Biology (Sci) : A consideration of the fundamental processes and principles operating during embryogenesis. Experimental analyses at the molecular, cellular, and organismal levels will be presented and discussed to provide an overall appreciation of developmental phenomena.
Terms: Winter 2020
Instructors: Gerhold, Abigail; Rao, Yong; Dufort, Daniel (Winter)
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BIOL 304 Evolution (3 credits)
Overview
Biology (Sci) : A comprehensive introduction to evolutionary biology. It covers both short-term and long-term evolutionary processes. Topics include the history of life, the origin of species, adaptation, natural selection and sexual selection.
Terms: Fall 2019
Instructors: Bell, Graham (Fall)
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BIOL 306 Neural Basis of Behaviour (3 credits)
Overview
Biology (Sci) : Neural mechanisms of animal behaviour; neuroethology; cellular neurophysiology, integrative networks within nervous systems; neural control of movement; processing of sensory information.
Terms: Fall 2019
Instructors: Sakata, Jon; Dent, Joseph Alan; Watt, Alanna (Fall)
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BIOL 308 Ecological Dynamics (3 credits)
Overview
Biology (Sci) : Principles of population, community, and ecosystem dynamics: population growth and regulation, species interactions, dynamics of competitive interactions and of predator/prey systems; evolutionary dynamics.
Terms: Fall 2019
Instructors: Guichard, Frederic (Fall)
Other Complementary Courses (21 credits)
21 other credits of Biology courses at the 300+ level, of which 6 credits must be at the 400+ level. With permission of the Biology Adviser, up to 9 credits may be taken from other Science department courses (300+-level).
