UofC • This Is Now

Location

Health Sciences Centre, Room G321

Faculty number

(403) 210-3937

Fax

(403) 210-8109

E-mail address

mededgrad@ucalgary.ca

Web page URL

http://www.ucalgary.ca/mdim

This program, currently operating as part of the Medical Sciences program, is awaiting government approval as a separate program. If government approval is not achieved by September 2007, students entering that month will continue to be enrolled in the Medical Sciences program.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Master of Science (MSc)

A joint MD/Master's and MD/PhD program is also offered under the title "Leaders in Medicine."

In addition to Faculty requirements, the Department requires:

(a)A baccalaureate degree or its equivalent from a recognized institution with a minimum grade point average of 3.2 on a four-point scale on the work of the last two undergraduate years. Students who do not meet the minimum requirements for admission and plan to upgrade their qualifications should consult the Chair of the Immunology Graduate Education Committee.

(b)For applicants required to provide proof of proficiency in English, a minimum TOEFL score of 600 (written test), 250 (computer-based test) or 100 (internet-based test)

(c)An undergraduate course in immunology: CMMB 527 or equivalent. If an applicant has not taken this course, he/she will be required take MDSC 639.01 in the first year of program if admitted.

Canadian & US applicants:

March 15 for May admission
June 15 for September admission
October 15 for January admission

International applicants:

January 15 for May admission
May 15 for September admission
September 15 for January admission

Students applying to the MD/Master's or MD/PhD program must apply individually to each program and complete a supplementary application to the Leaders in Medicine program.

Advanced credit for previous course work is not usually given.

In addition to Faculty requirements, the Department requires:

(a)Normally, the completion of a minimum of two half-course equivalents for the Master of Science program

(b)Normally, the completion of a minimum of three half-course equivalents for the doctoral program

(c)MDSC 639.02 or MDSC 639.04 is compulsory for all MSc students in the Immunology Graduate Program. Both courses are compulsory for PhD students.

(d)Students not presenting an undergraduate course in immunology (CMMB 427 or equivalent) at admission will be required to take MDSC 639.01 during the first year of program.

(e)Participation in the seminar series organized by the Immunology Graduate Program. This involves an annual "Research In Progress" presentation of a 30-50 minute seminar, attendance at the weekly seminar or journal club and, in the last year of the student's program, a presentation on the thesis project around the time of the defence.

Contribution to journals and presentations in scientific conferences are encouraged.

No credit will be given for courses taken below the 600-level. Credit for all other courses will be reviewed on an individual basis by the IGEC.

Expected completion time is 2.5 years for the MSc program and five years for the PhD program. Maximum completion time is four years for the Master of Science program and six years for the Doctor of Philosophy program.

Expected completion time is four to five years for the MD/Master's program and six to seven years for the MD/PhD program. Maximum completion time is six years for the MD/Master's program and eight years for the MD/PhD program.

The selection of the supervisor should be by mutual agreement between the student and the faculty member concerned and must be approved by the Chair of the Immunology Graduate Program.

Every graduate student must have a supervisory committee named within six months of initial registration in the program and approved by the Chair of the Immunology Graduate Program. The supervisory committee for a Master's student must be composed of the supervisor plus two faculty members. The supervisory committee for a doctoral student must be composed of the supervisor plus three faculty members, at least two of whom shall be from the Immunology Research Group.

Master of Science students in the Leaders in Medicine Program must have supervisory committees constituted according to the regulations of the graduate program. Both Master's and doctoral students will also be evaluated and advised by a Joint Liaison Committee composed of the Associate Dean (Graduate Sciences Education), Associate Dean (Undergraduate Medical Education), and the Associate Dean (Research) of the Faculty of Medicine.

The candidacy examination has a written and an oral component. The written component consists of four questions, set by the examining committee, of which two must be answered. One answer must be written in the form of a grant proposal and another in the form of a critical review of the literature on a select topic. The candidate does not have to provide written answers for the remaining questions, but must be prepared to field questions in the specific areas during the oral examination. Three weeks is available for the student to prepare answers to the questions, and the oral examination will take place one week after the student has circulated the answers to the examining committee. The written papers form the basis of the oral examination, but questions from other areas of science related to the subject matter will be included.

Thesis oral examinations are closed.

Each student in the program must prepare a research proposal within 12 months of initial registration. The proposal should consist of the following:

a)Information obtained from the scientific literature, including a critical evaluation of previous work that forms the background of the proposal

b)A statement of the objectives of the proposed research program

c)A statement of the methods to be used in the research program

d)Some indication of the expected results and their significance

The proposal should not exceed twenty double-spaced pages, excluding references, figures, and tables. The proposal should be presented to the supervisory committee and once approved, should be submitted to the Chair of the Immunology Graduate Program to be held in the student's record. Any subsequent changes to the research proposal may be added as an addendum to the student's file.

None

Admission to the Immunology Graduate Program is conditional upon receipt of internal or external financial support. Exceptions may be made for self-funding with the approval of the Immunology Graduate Education Committee and the Associate Dean (Graduate Science Education). Sources of support are outlined in the Awards Guide of the Red Brochure of the Medical Sciences Graduate Education Program.

Exceptional students registered in the Master's program may request a change of registration status to the doctoral program. Transfers require a written request from the student, and a letter of support from the supervisor stating the reasons for transfer and the recommendation of the supervisory committee. The student will be required to give a 45 min seminar to the Immunology Group on his/her progress and future research plans, followed by a 1-hour oral examination based on the research proposal by the supervisory committee and one member of the IGEC. Approval of transfer will be determined by the examining committee. If the transfer is approved, a revised or new research proposal must be presented to the supervisory committee before the transfer can become effective. The student must meet the 36-month deadline for the candidacy examination from initial registration.

The Immunology Graduate Program offers the following four courses:

MDSC 639.01 Principles of Immunology

MDSC 639.02 Cellular and Molecular Immunology

MDSC 639.03 Topics in Immunology

MDSC 639.04 Inflammation

Additional information about the courses is available at http://www.irg.ucalgary.ca.

Faculty members and their research interests may be found at http://www.irg.ucalgary.ca/irg.nsf/IRG.