One of the best things about the Master's and Certificate in Biotechnology is the opportunity for each student to pick the direction of their studies.
A good overview of these courses is available on the program website. Although they are organized into separate 'concentrations', you are able to take anything you find interesting. The list is definitely not comprehensive! You have the opportunity to look up graduate-level (500+) courses that you think will complement your studies. Some popular examples of these courses are shown below. Something to keep in mind is that your complementary courses need to fit around your required lab time and courses. We suggest that you start looking early and contact the professors of any courses that require permission! |
HGEN 660 |
Genetics and Bioethics - This course is arguably the most pertinent to the field of Biotechnology relative to the other of Ethics courses offered in the complementary course list: This course explores the ethical considerations involved in obtaining, propagating, and utilizing human genetic information. Human Genetics graduate students and Biotechnology graduate students usually represent the majority of the students taking the course. After taking this course, most young scientists should gain an appreciation for the ethical aspects surrounding human genetic research.
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BUSA 665 |
Managing the Small Enterprise - This course is very popular with Biotechnology graduate students and is offered through the MBA program. It is aimed at teaching students the fundamentals of entrepreneurship and running a small business. This includes accounting, finance, marketing, strategy, operations, and HR. In the past, additional sections of the course have been opened so there is less competition for spots!
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BUS2 502 |
Intellectual & Industrial Property - IP is a vital part of the Biotechnology industry and anyone thinking of starting their own company or transitioning into business needs to have a working knowledge of IP. Although the Biotechnology Management course covers patent IP, if you're interested in going beyond a general understanding, this Law School course is highly valuable. Keep in mind that this is a course through the Law School, so permission will be required and there will be a significant learning curve.
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PHGY 518 |
Artificial Cells - Artificial Cells is a fascinating course lead by Dr. Thomas Ming Swi Chang, a renowned medical scientist, physician, inventor, and inspiring professor. The course content involves a medley of cutting-edge biomedical technologies including artificial cells, blood substitutes, microorganisms and cells, artificial kidneys, hemoperfusion, and drug delivery systems. The spots available in this course are limited and there is considerable competition- so try to register as early as possible.
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BINF 511 |
Bioinformatics for Genomics - Bioinformatics is becoming a popular field in biological sciences. This course teaches you about bioinformatics methods and reasoning in relation to genomics, proteomics and metabolomics strategies with an emphasis on functional genomics data. This course covers introduction to UNIX, Perl programming, data processing and integration, file parsing, relational database design and implementation, angled towards solutions relevant for genomics.
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EXMD 610
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Molecular Methods in Medical Research - Each lecture in this course is given by a different speaker, you will learn a wide array of techniques used in biological research from world class researchers at McGill University. Some of the topics include: Chromatography, Mass Spectrometry, Stem Cells, Viral Vectors, and Generation of Transgenic Mice to name a few.
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EXMD 607
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Molecular Control of Cell Growth - This is also a course with different speakers for each lecture from the researchers at the Goodman Cancer Research Center and Bellini Life Sciences Building, Some of the topics include: angiogenesis, chemotherapy, stem cells, signaling cascades, bioinformatics and cancer, to name a few. The final exercise in this class is to write a grant proposal, good practice for those of you wishing to transition into academia.
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