CELL & SYSTEMS BIOLOGY PROGRAMS and RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES

(Click on the Program Name for more information)

Open Programs

Animal Physiology – Major

Cell and Molecular Biology – Major

Genome Biology – Major

Biology – Specialist, Major, Minor (administered by EEB)

    • open to all students who have successfully completed at least 4.0 credits in any subject
    • no application for entry
    • no limit to the number of students that enter the program
    • logon to ACORN to enroll in these programs
    • enroll in these programs from 1 March to 22 September 2021

Limited Programs

Bioinformatics & Computational Biology (BCB) – Specialist

Cell and Molecular Biology (CMB) – Specialist

For both:

    • apply for entry
    • limited to approximately 30 students in each program per year
    • logon to ACORN to apply and, if accepted, to enroll in these programs
    • the first round of application for these programs is 1 March to 30 April 2021
    • the second round of application is 10 July to 24 August 2021

For BCB:

    • selection based on the average of BIO130H1 + best of CSB108H1 or CSC148H1 or CSC110Y1

OR the average of BIO230H1 + CSC236H1

For CMB:

    • must have completed 4.0 credits including:  BIO120H1, BIO130H1, CHM (135H1, 136H1)/(138H1, 139H1)/CHM151Y1, JMB170Y1/MAT (135H1, 136H1)/MAT137Y1/MAT157Y1
    • must have achieved a minimum grade of 70% in BIO130H1
    • if 70% was not earned in 130, you can apply with a minimum grade of 70% in BIO230H1 or BIO255H1
    • achieving 70% in any of these courses does not guarantee you entry into the programs; it only makes you eligible to apply

Disciplinary Focuses

Molecular Networks of the Cell
Plant Genomics and Biotechnology
Stem Cells and Developmental Biology

Each focus organizes restricted numbers of high-achieving students with interest in one of three major areas of cell and molecular biology that match major research topics in our Department.

    • apply for entry after enrolment in the Cell & Molecular Biology Major or Specialist
    • requires a minimum grade of 80% in BIO130H1
    • if 80% is not earned in 130, you can apply with a minimum grade of 80% in BIO230H1, BIO255H1 or CSB349H1
    • meeting these criteria does not guarantee entry into a focus; it only makes you eligible to apply
    • you can only apply to one focus
    • students are required to complete a subset of related program courses and to participate in a learning community for the focus
    • application deadline: 15 September 2021

The learning community:

    • appears on the co-curricular record based on student participation
    • is led by a CSB faculty member with guest faculty
    • provides community-building, professional development and enriched academics/projects with an emphasis on research
    • student participation in the learning community is required for each year of enrolment in the focus (each student will typically participate in the learning community for 3 years, allowing for student mentoring and multi-year projects)

CSB Research Opportunities

  • Summer research awards: provide funding to students while conducting a research project in a professor’s lab. Included are the NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRAs), the CSB Summer Research Awards and the University of Toronto Excellence Awards (UTEAs)
  • Independent research courses: available to 2nd, 3rd and 4th year students
  • CSB397Y0Y, Research Abroad in Cell & Systems Biology: allows students to do independent research at institutions in Europe or Asia and earn a U of T credit that counts towards their GPA
  • Workshops for independent research students: receive valuable information such as getting started in a lab, planning experiments and interpreting results and preparing research reports and presentations
  • Two poster sessions per year: exciting opportunities for students to inform people about the research they have conducted while being engaged in critical discussion and receiving feedback on their work

For More Information

Click this link for more Program Details: Program Details

Click this link for more information on the Bioinformatics & Computational Biology: BCB Program

Please visit https://csb.utoronto.ca/undergraduate-studies/undergraduate-programs/ or
contact undergrad.csb@utoronto.ca.