Program
| Program | Expected Length | Project and/or thesis | Course based |
|---|---|---|---|
| M.Sc. | 2 years | ||
| Ph.D. | 4 years |
The Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology offers graduate programs leading to M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees. The Department has the expertise necessary for the instruction and training of advanced students in areas that include cellular and molecular biology of eukaryotes, microbial genetics and physiology, virology, immunology, vaccinology, enzymes, metabolic pathways, and the synthesis structure, and function of proteins and nucleic acids.
Key research areas include:
- Analytical biochemistry
- Cell biochemistry
- Cell biology and cancer
- Enzymes and metabolism
- Host-pathogen interactions
- Immunology
- Molecular genetics/Microbial physiology
- Molecular virology
- Nucleic acids and gene expression
- Plant biochemistry
- Protein structure and molecular mechanism
- Tumor Biology/Immunology
While at the University of Saskatchewan, you will have access to state of the art facilities and research centers including:
- Canadian Light Source, Canada's only synchrotron
- Saskatchewan Centre for Cyclotron Sciences (SCCS)
- Saskatchewan Cancer agency
- Core Mass Spectrometry Facility
- Saskatchewan Structural Sciences Centre
- National Research Council Plant Biotechnology Institute
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization – International Vaccine Centre (VIDO)
- Western College of Veterinary Medicine
The Department selects graduate students from among a wide pool of applicants, including honours students in biochemistry, microbiology and immunology at the University of Saskatchewan, as well as Canadian and foreign students with degrees in biochemistry, microbiology, immunology and related disciplines. Typically, new students enter into a MSc 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 Ph.D. qualifying examination.
Research supervisors
We recommend that you contact the faculty that are doing research in an area that interests you before beginning a formal application.
| Name | Research areas |
|---|---|
| Harold Bull | Trypanosome Major Surface Proteases , DNA damage dependent stress responses in E. coli |
| Debby Burshtyn | Natural killer cells, immunoglobulin-like receptors, immunogenetics, cytomegalovirus immune evasion |
| Dean Chamberlain | Cancer, Tumor microenvironment, 3D tumor models, Drug Resistance |
| Linda Chelico | HIV restriction factors, DNA deaminases, mutagenesis, enzyme mechanisms |
| Jeffrey Chen | Mycobacterial virulence factors, TB host-pathogen interactions and aerobiology, Anti-TB vaccines and therapies, Animal models of TB |
| Miroslaw Cygler | Host-Pathogen Interactions, Synthesis and degradation of glycosaminoglycans |
| Neeraj Dhar | Mycobacterium tuberculosis, infection biology, antibiotics, persistence, 3D microtissue models, single-cell imaging |
| Jo-Anne Dillon | Antimicrobial resistance, cell division, sexually transmitted infections, international health, molecular technologies for microbial diagnostics |
| Oleg Dmitriev | Interactions between proteins and small molecules, mapping contacts of drugs and their protein targets, regulating enzymes for therapeutic use |
| Yifei Dong | |
| Christopher Eskiw | Nutrigenomics, Molecular Geontology, Genome Organization |
| Andrew Freywald | Molecular mechanisms that determine cancer invasiveness and metastasis |
| Clarence Geyer | Cancer-associated proteins, antibody production, synthetic antibodies |
| Sidney Hayes | Molecular Genetics, Microbial Physiology |
| Kerri Kobryn | Biochemistry and Molecular Biological studies of the Lyme Disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi |
| Kerry Lavender | Viral Immunology, HIV-1, Humanized mice, Interferon-alpha |
| Scot Leary | Molecular genetic regulation of cellular copper homeostasis |
| Erique Lukong | Breast tumor kinase (BRK) and two other BRK family members, FRK and SRMS |
| Yu Luo | Structure, function and inhibitory studies on key proteins involved in DNA repair and in D-alanylation of teichoic acids in Gram-positive bacteria |
| Stanley Moore | Flagellum secretion system in Helicobacter pylori, and chromatin modifying systems in higher eukaryotes |
| Scott Napper | Vaccine Development, Prion Diseases, Kinome Analysis, Infectious Disease |
| Peter Pioli | Antibody-Secreting Cells (aka plasma cells), Hematopoiesis, Autoimmunity, Inflammation Aging, Gene Expression |
| Tony Ruzzini | Microbe-host interactions: molecules in symbiosis and pathogenesis, Plasmid-encoded biosynthetic gene clusters, bacterially produced small molecules |
| Jessica Sheldon | Host-pathogen interactions, nutritional immunity, molecular genetics, bacteriology, transitional metal homeostasis |
| Scot Stone | Acyltransferase, triglyceride, lipid droplet, obesity, diabetes |
| Aneesh Thakur | Vaccine formulation, mucosal immunology, mRNA vaccines, subunit vaccines, adjuvants, animal models, particle engineering, molecular imaging |
| Jenny-Lee Thomassin | Molecular microbiology, molecular genetics, and bacteriology |
| Sylvia van den Hurk | Molecular pathogenesis of herpesviruses, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV) |
| Anil Kumar | Molecular virology, virus-host interactions, innate immune response |
| Jennifer Wachter | Molecular genetics, pathogenic microbiology, tick-pathogen transmission, animal models, Lyme disease, vaccine development |
| Hong Wang | Plant cell cycle regulation |
| Aaron White | Salmonella transmission and virulence, gene expression associated with Salmonella biofilm information, Salmonella vaccine development |
| Joyce Wilson | HCV interaction with the host miRNA machinery |
| Yuliang Wu | Cancer, genome stability, DNA repair, helicase |
| Wei Xiao | Mechanisms of action of genotoxic chemicals and cellular responses to DNA damage. |
Tuition and funding
Funding
Admission is restricted to students for which there is available funding. Funding is generally through scholarships, grant funds, and departmental teaching assistantships.
Graduate students at USask can receive funding from a variety of sources to support their graduate education.
Tuition
Thesis or project-based master's program
Graduate students in a thesis or project-based program pay tuition three times a year for as long as they are enrolled in their program.
| Term | Canadian students | International students |
|---|---|---|
| September 1 - December 31, 2023 | ||
| January 1 - April 30, 2024 | ||
| May 1 - August 31, 2024 | ||
| Total per academic year |
Doctoral program
Doctoral students pay tuition three times a year for as long as they are enrolled in their program. Both international and domestic PhD students pay the same rate.
| Term | |
|---|---|
| January 1 - April 30, 2024 | $1,644.00 CAD |
| May 1 - August 31, 2024 | $1,644.00 CAD |
| September 1 - December 31, 2023 | $1,644.00 CAD |
| Total per academic year | $4,932.00 CAD |
Student fees
In addition to tuition above, students also pay fees for programs like health and dental insurance, a bus pass, and other campus services. The amount you need to pay depends on if you are taking classes full time or part time, and if you are on campus or not. The table below assumes you are on campus full-time.
| Fall 2023 | Winter 2024 | Spring 2024 | Summer 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Student fees | $497.88 CAD | $659.51 CAD | $35.00 CAD | $35.00 CAD |
Tuition information is accurate for the current academic year and does not include student fees. For detailed tuition and fees information, visit the official tuition website.
Admission requirements
- Language Proficiency Requirements: Proof of English proficiency may be required for international applicants and for applicants whose first language is not English.
- A minimum overall TOEFL score of 90 is required with a minimum score of 20 in each area, or a minimum overall IELTS score of 6.5 with a minimum score of 6.5 in each area, or another approved test as outlined in the College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Academic Policies.
- Acumulative weighted average of at least a 75% (USask grade system equivalent) in the last two years of study (i.e. 60 credit units). Students with a lower average may be accepted under exceptional circumstances.
- A four-year honours degree, or equivalent, from a recognized college or university in an academic discipline relevant to the proposed field of study.
- Language Proficiency Requirements: Proof of English proficiency may be required for international applicants and for applicants whose first language is not English.
- A minimum overall TOEFL score of 90 is required with a minimum score of 20 in each area, or a minimum overall IELTS score of 6.5 with a minimum score of 6.5 in each area, or another approved test as outlined in the College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Academic Policies.
- A master's degree, or equivalent, from a recognized university in a relevant academic discipline
- A cumulative weighted average of at least a 80% (USask grade system equivalent) in the last two years of study (i.e. coursework required in master's program).
Application process
Find a supervisor
Using the list above, find a potential supervisor, read about the work they are currently doing and their past publications. If you think you'd like to work with them, contact them and describe your research interests and past academic experience. If they are accepting students, they will instruct you to begin a formal application.
Submit an online application
Before beginning your online application, be sure that you have carefully reviewed all program information and admission requirements on this page.
During the application, you'll be asked for:
- Personal information such as your name, address, etc.
- Contact information of your three referees
- For your letters of recommendation, two of your referees must be academic contacts, and the third may be academic or professional
- Your complete academic history from all previous post-secondary institutions
The application takes about 30 minutes to complete. You may save your application and return to it later.
At the end of the application, you will need to pay a non-refundable $120 application fee. Your application will not be processed until payment is received.
Submit required documents
Once you've submitted your online application, you will have access to upload your required documents, and provide the contact information for your references. To do this, go to the "Supplemental Items & Documents" tab in your application, and upload the documents outlined below.
Preliminary Statement of Marks
- Once you have submitted your application for admission and paid the application fee, you will be required to upload unofficial PDF copies of your academic transcript(s) from each post-secondary institution attended. This requirement will appear as Preliminary Statement of Marks or Additional Prelim. Statement under admission requirements on your Application Summary when you check your application status.
- The uploaded transcript can be an unofficial copy of the transcript issued by the university or college, and must include a grading key/legend.
- All pages of a transcript must be uploaded as a single PDF document.
- Uploaded transcripts will be considered unofficial or preliminary. Official copies of your transcripts will be required only for applicants offered admission. This requirement will appear as Post-secondary Transcript under admission requirements on your Application Summary when you check your application status.
Post-secondary Transcripts
If you receive an offer of admission, you will then be required to have your official post-secondary transcripts sent (by mail in a sealed envelope directly from the institution) to the address below. Please do not send official documents until we request them.
College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
Room 116 Thorvaldson Building, 110 Science Place
Saskatoon, SK CANADA S7N 5C9
- Transcripts usually indicate the institution’s name, grading scheme (typically on back of transcript), your name, course names, numbers, credits, and the grades you have received. Depending on the country or institution, some features may not be available.
- Transcripts in languages other than English must be accompanied by a certified translation.
- If you are a current University of Saskatchewan student completing your undergraduate program then a letter of completion of degree requirements will be required from your college.
Proof of English language proficiency may be required for international applicants and for applicants whose first language is not English.
For students who are required to provide proof of English proficiency:
- It is your responsibility to have completed an official and approved test with the appropriate score before the application deadline.
- Tests are valid for 24 months after the testing date and must be valid at the beginning of the student's first term of registration in the graduate program.
- Applicants will be required to upload a PDF copy of any required language test score. Uploaded test scores will be considered unofficial or preliminary.
If you receive an Offer of Admission you may be required to have your official language test scores sent to the address below. Please do not send official documents until we request them.
College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
Room 116 Thorvaldson Building - 110 Science Place
Saskatoon, SK CANADA S7N 5C9
Contact
Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology
107 Wiggins Road
University of Saskatchewan
Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E5
Graduate Chair
Dr. Scot Stone
Email: scot.stone@usask.ca
Graduate Administrator
Barb Stuckless
Email: bmi.grad@usask.ca
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology
Learn more about the academic unit offering this program - Program and Course Catalogue
To view official admission and program requirements