FAQ

Master's:
Applicants will have a four-year undergraduate BSc (or equivalent) from an accredited University with a major or specialization in Biochemistry, Microbiology, Cell Biology, Genetics, Biology, Chemistry, or related discipline, as judged appropriate by the Biochemistry Graduate Program. During the final two years of your undergraduate program, a minimum academic average of B+ (78%), as calculated by the Department, is required.

Doctoral:
Research experience for this program is an asset but is not a requirement. Students applying to this program should have a minimum academic A average and will be competitive for national and provincial scholarships at the graduate level. It is expected that applicants will have a major or specialization degree from an accredited University in Biochemistry, Microbiology, Cell Biology, Genetics, Biology, Chemistry, or a related discipline, as judged appropriate by the Biochemistry Graduate Program.

More information can be found on the Application Process webpage.

A funding package is available to eligible students and comprises the Western Graduate Research Scholarship and Research Funding, which can be a combination of Graduate Research Assistantships, Research Assistantships, and Graduate Teaching Assistantships (as determined by the Department and depending on the availability of positions). All students are expected to apply for all scholarship competitions for which they are eligible. Any successful scholarship applications will be factored into existing funding packages.

More information can be found on the Graduate Stipends and Finances webpage.

Please see the Funding & Fees webpage of the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies  for details regarding graduate student scholarships.

No, you do not need to find a faculty member willing to supervise you before submitting an application. Some faculty may not be able to accept a student until an application has been approved by the program and some faculty may not be able to view applications until they are approved. If conditional acceptance is given, entry into the program is still dependent upon the applicant securing a supervisor.

Application deadlines for the program can be found on the Application Process webpage. These dates are an approximation and are subject to change. Applications received on or near the deadline may not be approved in time for the desired start date. International applicants should allow time for visa processing.

There are a limited number of GTA positions available. GTA assignments are made by the Undergraduate Committee in consultation with the course instructor. The receipt of a GTA will factor into the stipend amount received from a student's supervisor. Full-time graduate students may work no more than 10 hours a week in a GTA position.

For full-time Master’s students in our Biochemistry Graduate Program, the typical time for completion is 2 years (6 terms).

The goal for full-time Doctoral students in our Biochemistry Graduate Program is to complete all requirements in 4 years (12 terms). Typical completion times vary between 4 and 5.5 years.

Basic descriptions of our graduate courses are available on the Current Students webpage. Course outlines and times are also available on a term-by-term basis through the graduate course schedule. If more detailed information is necessary, inquiries should be directed to the instructor(s) of the specific course.

All official electronic communications to students will be through your Western University-issued e-mail address (yourname@uwo.ca). Non-Western email addresses will not be used, so please forward any e-mail as necessary. Letter mail and other hard-copy documents will be available in your assigned Department mailbox. It is expected that students will check their Western e-mail daily and their Department mailboxes weekly.

Occasionally, government documents like tax forms (T4, T4-A, etc.) will be sent to your home address on file. It is important to ensure this information is updated in both the Student Centre and the MyHR websites.

With supervisor approval, you may enroll in a graduate course outside of the Biochemistry Department. The form to do so may be found on the Administrative Forms webpage. Be sure to indicate if your supervisor requires this course as part of your Graduate Program or not.

A leave of absence may be issued for one, two, or three terms. Leaves are only granted in special circumstances as outlined on the Leave of Absence webpage from Western's Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies. All leave requests must be received no later than five weeks before the start of the term for which they will begin. Leaves of Absence can be requested through the Graduate Student Web Services Portal.

Students may be eligible to transfer their registration from the Master’s to the Doctoral degree within the same program, without completion of the Master’s degree. These transfers require the approval of the student’s supervisor and advisory committee, and the student must pass a transfer exam before registering in the PhD program.

Transfers from the Master’s to the Doctoral Graduate Program must take place before the sixth term of Master's registration. Further information can be found in Biochemistry's Graduate Student Handbook.

Tuition is handled by the Office of the Registrar in conjunction with Schulich's School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. For specific tuition amounts for both domestic and international students, please refer to the Fees and Tuition webpage on Western's Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies website.

Financial assistance information is available on the Funding & Fees webpage of Western's Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies.

Graduate Fellowships are processed through Western's Human Resources. All employees receive a monthly pay on the second last business day of the month. If you have set up direct deposit in the MyHR system, your pay will automatically deposit into the specified bank account. Otherwise, a cheque will be issued on the following Friday and mailed to your home address on file.

Tri-council scholarships (CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC), Ontario Graduate Scholarships, Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarships in Science and Technology, and Western Graduate Research Scholarships are all automatically deposited into your tuition account directly. If you have set up direct deposit in the MyHR system, any surplus after tuition fees have been paid will be deposited directly into your specified account.

There are a limited number of GTA positions available. GTA assignments are made by the Undergraduate Committee in consultation with the course instructor. The receipt of a GTA will factor into the stipend amount received from a student's supervisor. Full-time graduate students may work no more than 10 hours a week in a GTA position.

Stage 1 (Eligible or Obligated):

• Domestic PhD students, within their normal residency period, without external scholarships

• Students, within their normal residency period, who held GTA positions in the previous academic year

• Students are entitled to 140 hours per year or the hours determined by the previous year’s appointment

Stage 2 (Discretionary):

• Domestic PhD students, within their normal residency period, with external scholarships

• MSc student

• International PhD and MSc students, with or without external scholarships

• MSc and PhD students from Medical Biophysics and Epidemiology & Biostatistics

• Students are entitled to 70 hours per year, but there are exceptions in laboratory courses or other full-year courses

A few points to also note:

If a PhD or MSc student is offered a GTA position in a Faculty outside of Schulich, the student must complete a Non-Schulich GTA Acknowledgement Form signed by the student, supervisor, Graduate Chair, and the Associate Dean (Graduate and Post-doctoral Studies). Individual discussion is necessary between the student, supervisor, and graduate chair to determine if these appointments will impact the student’s funding package.

If a PhD or MSc student declines an Eligible or Obligatory GTA position, the stipend will be reduced by the value of a 0.5 GTA (~$6,500).

If a supervisor does not want their graduate student to hold an Eligible GTA position, then the supervisor is responsible for contributing the difference to the graduate student’s funding package. This agreement must be documented by completion of a GTA Opt-Out Form signed by the student, supervisor, and Graduate Chair.

Please note: Acceptances to PhD or MSc programs after July 15 are not assured a GTA position; therefore, the supervisor portion in the funding package may be higher.