Ph.D. Admission Information

This path allows you direct access from undergraduate to Ph.D. level and an opportunity to apply for a scholarship for direct access to the Ph.D. program from an undergraduate program.

If you want to follow this path to enrol in the Ph.D. program, you must:

• have a degree of doctor in medicine (M.D.), dentistry (D.M.D.), veterinary medicine (D.M.V.) or a Bachelor of Science degree (B.Sc.) in an appropriate field, or a diploma judged equivalent.
• have a minimum undergraduate grade point average corresponding to 3.7 at the Université de Montréal, unless, in the opinion of the Dean, experience or studies subsequent to the undergraduate degree allow to conclude that you possess skills required to undertake graduate studies;
• provide a curriculum vitae and two letters of recommendation.

In addition, you will need to provide proof of relevant research experience that allows you to qualify for a Ph.D. program.

The Ph.D. program by direct access includes 101 credits, of which

• at least 15 credits must be taken at M.Sc. and Ph.D. level (21 credits in the case of the Systems Biology option)
• 86 credits attributed to the research project and written thesis.

For students who have completed an Honours program, some courses may be credited. Please contact the program office.

The fast-track from M.Sc. to Ph.D. program allows you, under certain academic and temporal conditions,  to transition from M.Sc. to Ph.D. level without writing a thesis, and an opportunity to apply for a fast-track scholarship.

This pathway is for students demonstrating a marked aptitude for research, having excellent grades, and who have the support of their research supervisor. To be eligible, you must have achieved a minimum GPA of A- (3.7, or equivalent) in your undergraduate and graduate programs; have completed your coursework and no more than three full trimesters in a thesis-based Master’s program at the time of transition to the doctoral program; and be able to demonstrate substantial progress in your research project.

In keeping with the university’s vision of equity, diversity, and inclusion, any special circumstances that may have affected your academic path will be considered in the evaluation of your application.

Deadlines for the request (step 1 below):

• June 15, to start the Ph.D. program in Fall trimester
• October 15, to start the Ph.D. program in Winter trimester
• February 15, to start the Ph.D. program in Summer trimester

**Please note: Due to the time required to obtain new immigration documents necessary for admission to the doctoral program, the deadlines are two months earlier for international students (April 15 / August 15 / December 15).**

The procedure is as follows:

1.  You must signal your intent to apply for the fast-track to the Ph.D. program by sending to the director of the programs:
   1. a letter of intent summarizing your qualifications for the fast-track, countersigned by your supervisor
   2. a copy of your curriculum vitae
   3. a copy of all your undergraduate and graduate transcripts
   4. a confidential letter of support from your research supervisor (to be sent directly to the director of the programs), highlighting your suitability for a doctoral program
2. After obtaining the approval of the director of the programs, you should form a committee that includes the Molecular Biology Program representative of your research centre or his/her delegate (president of the committee) and a member external to the above-mentioned research centre. This committee must be approved by the representative of your research centre and the director of the programs. Jury nomination form
3.  You will need to prepare a report of 15 double-spaced pages. This document should be divided into two parts:
   1. 10 pages (excluding figures and references) on the progress of your current work, including a general introduction and a review of the relevant literature, a clearly identified research problem, and a description of the approaches and systems used, experiments already conducted, and results obtained;
   2. 5 pages on your proposed doctoral project, including clearly defined research objectives and hypotheses, a description of the planned experiments, the expected results, and the relevance and significance of the project.

If there is any submitted article relating to your main project, this article may be used as the first part of the report. In case of multiple authors, the research supervisor should provide a letter explaining your contribution.

We highly recommend that you present a neat and well-organized document.

Within the two weeks following the approval of the director of the programs, you must submit to the PhD program administrator (phd-biologie-moleculaire@meddir.umontreal.ca) your report along with your curriculum vitae and all university transcripts.

The committee will examine your file within the two following weeks and may make a recommendation or request an oral presentation. If you meet the committee for an oral presentation and the fast-track is recommended, this meeting will replace of the first thesis advisory committee meeting. If the fast-track is accepted without an oral presentation, you must have a thesis advisory committee meeting in the trimester following the fast-track. The president of the jury will make a recommendation to the director of the programs (a brief report which will be added to your file).

With reference to this recommendation, the director of the programs will notify you of his/her decision. In the case of acceptance, you will need to apply immediately for admission to the Ph.D. program. In the case of a refusal, you will continue your M.Sc. program.

The Master’s thesis exemption allows you to transition to the Ph.D. program without writing a Master’s thesis. To be eligible, you must have a minimum grade point average corresponding to 3.4 in your graduate courses; have completed your minimum course work and 4, 5, or 6 trimesters full-time in a thesis-based Master’s program at the time of transition to the doctoral program; and be able to demonstrate substantial progress in your research project.

In keeping with the university’s vision of equity, diversity, and inclusion, any special circumstances that may have affected your academic path will be considered in the evaluation of your application.

Applications for transfer to the Ph.D. program with a Master’s thesis exemption must be submitted during the 4th, 5th or 6th trimester. Deadlines for the request (step 1 below) are:

• June 15, to start the Ph.D. program in Fall trimester
• October 15, to start the Ph.D. program in Winter trimester
• February 15, to start the Ph.D. program in Summer trimester

**Please note: Due to the time required to obtain new immigration documents necessary for admission to the doctoral program, the deadlines are two months earlier for international students (April 15 / August 15 / December 15).**

The procedure is as follows:

1.  You must signal your intent to apply for the Master’s thesis exemption by sending to the director of the programs:
   1. a letter of intent summarizing your qualifications, countersigned by your supervisor
   2. a copy of your curriculum vitae
   3. a copy of all your undergraduate and graduate transcripts
   4. a confidential letter of support from your research supervisor (to be sent directly to the director of the programs), highlighting your suitability for a doctoral program
2. After obtaining the approval of the director of the programs, you should form a committee that includes the Molecular Biology Program representative of your research centre or his/her delegate (president of the committee) and a member external to the above-mentioned research centre. This committee must be approved by the representative of your research centre and the director of the programs. Jury nomination form
3.  You will need to prepare a report of 15 double-spaced pages.  This document should be divided into two parts:
   1. 10 pages (excluding figures and references) on the progress of your current work, including a general introduction and a review of the relevant literature, a clearly identified research problem, and a description of the approaches and systems used, experiments already conducted, and results obtained;
   2. 5 pages on your proposed doctoral project, including clearly defined research objectives and hypotheses, a description of the planned experiments, the expected results, and the relevance and significance of the project.

If there is any submitted article relating to your main project, this article may be used as the first part of the report. In case of multiple authors, the research supervisor should provide a letter explaining your contribution.

We highly recommend that you present a neat and well-organized document.

Within the two weeks following the approval of the director of the programs, you must submit to the PhD program administrator (phd-biologie-moleculaire@meddir.umontreal.ca) your report along with your curriculum vitae and all university transcripts.

The committee will examine your file within the two following weeks and may make a recommendation or request an oral presentation. If you meet the committee for an oral presentation and the fast-track is recommended, this meeting will replace of the first thesis advisory committee meeting. If the fast-track is accepted without an oral presentation, you must have a thesis advisory committee meeting in the trimester following the fast-track. The president of the jury will make a recommendation to the director of the programs (a brief report which will be added to your file).

With reference to this recommendation, the director of the programs will notify you of his/her decision.  In the case of acceptance, you will need to apply immediately for admission to the Ph.D. program. In the case of a refusal, you will continue your M.Sc. program.