About
How does life work? In the Life Sciences major, you will learn about the molecular and biochemical foundations of life that lead to genes, cells and the organisms around us. You will be immersed in a field of constant discovery. New knowledge emerges every year, along with new applications in the areas of biotechnology, medicine, forensics, and much more.
Life Sciences involves laboratory science and most of your courses will have lab sections to help you gain hands-on experience. Other courses will have outdoor labs in the unique natural settings of the Macdonald Campus. Its fields, forests and lakeshore are ideal places to explore life in all its complexity. As you progress in your program, you can follow your own path of discovery in a laboratory, with a field project or internship. Investigating microbes in the Arctic, researching epigenetics in Grenoble, France, working on improving water and soil quality in Shanghai, and interning at a veterinary clinic in Quebec are some of the ways our students have spent their summers.
For more information, please contact the bsc-advisor.agenvsc [at] mcgill.ca (student advisor).
Specializations
Each specialization consists of 24 credits of courses (required and complementary) that provide a coherent package designed to prepare you for a future career in a given discipline.
Suggested Specializations
- Animal Biology: Biology of large mammals and birds; Animal physiology, reproduction, genetics and biotechnology; Can lead to veterinary medicine, pharmaceutical industry or animal science research
- Animal Health and Disease: Animal physiology, function and disease; Understanding of disease prevention and treatment in domestic animals; Can lead to an opportunity to pursue veterinary medicine
- Life Sciences (Multidisciplinary): A flexible, multidisciplinary approach to the study of pure and applied life sciences
- Microbiology and Molecular Biotechnology: Pure and applied microbiology, molecular genetics and pathogenicity, environmental microbiology, genomics, biotechnology and bioinformatics; A strong emphasis on lab-based learning
- Plant Biology: Molecular, biochemical and cellular biology of plants; Management of plant diversity and beneficial plant interactions; Active learning to identify and propagate plants for multiple purposes: food, fibre, fuel and medicinal compounds
Some students may also choose to do a Wildlife Biology specialization.
May I take any other specializations?
Courses
The Life Sciences Major consists of a core of 42 credits plus a 24-credit Specialization. To view the list of courses:Program Requirement:
The Life Sciences (Biological and Agricultural) Major provides a strong foundation in the basic biological sciences. It will prepare graduates for careers in the agricultural, environmental, health, and biotechnological fields. Graduates with high academic achievement may go on to postgraduate studies in research, or professional programs in the biological, veterinary, medical, and health sciences fields.
Program Director: Professor Jacqueline Bede
For information on academic advising, see: http://www.mcgill.ca/macdonald/studentinfo/advising
Program Prerequisites
Please refer to "Faculty Information and Regulations" > "Minimum Credit Requirements", in this eCalendar for prerequisites and minimum credit requirements.
Default Specialization: Students who do not select a Specialization will automatically be assigned to the Life Sciences (Multidisciplinary) Specialization upon entering U2.
Required Courses (33 credits)
* Other appropriate Statistics courses may be approved as substitutes by the Program Director.
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AEBI 210 Organisms 1 3 Credits
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Offered in the:Biology (Agric & Envir Sc): The biology of plants and plant-based systems in managed and natural terrestrial environments. The interactions between autotrophs and soil organisms and selected groups of animals with close ecological and evolutionary connections with plants (e.g., herbivores and pollinators) will be explored in lecture and laboratory.
Offered by: Plant Science
- 2 hour lecture and 3 hour lab
- Symbols:
- Terms
- Fall 2020
- Instructors
- Mehran Dastmalchi
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AEBI 211 Organisms 2 3 Credits
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Offered in the:Biology (Agric & Envir Sc): Introduction to the biology, physiology, structure and function of heterotrophs and their interactions with other organisms. This course will focus on animals in terrestrial, freshwater and marine environments. Topics include bioenergetics and functional metabolism, adaptations to environments, animal-animal, animal-plant, and animal-pathogen interactions.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Winter
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken WILD 200
- Symbols:
- Terms
- Winter 2021
- Instructors
- Shaun Turney
-
AEBI 212 Evolution and Phylogeny 3 Credits
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Offered in the:Biology (Agric & Envir Sc): A phylogenetic-based overview of the tree of life and examination of relationships between major taxa, from bacteria and archaea to eukaryotes. Evolution will be discussed via topics including: evolution by natural selection, neo-Darwinism and alternatives, myths and misconceptions in evolution, species and speciation.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Winter
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken WILD 212.
- Symbols:
- Terms
- Winter 2021
- Instructors
- Jessica Gillung
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AEHM 205 Science Literacy 3 Credits
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Offered in the:English (Agric & Envir Sc): Development of English language and information literacy. Problem-based approach using science topics from specializations offered by the Faculty will be central to skill development. The course includes how to research and compose work in scientific format and will encourage a reader-oriented style.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Students whose first language is not English are encouraged to register for CESL 299, ESL: Academic English Seminar, or equivalent, prior to starting their program.
- Symbols:
- Terms
- Fall 2020
- Winter 2021
- Instructors
- Carole Newman, Emily MacKenzie
- Carole Newman, Emily MacKenzie
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AEMA 310 Statistical Methods 1 3 Credits*
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Offered in the:Mathematics (Agric&Envir Sci): Measures of central tendency and dispersion; binomial and Poisson distributions; normal, chi-square, Student's t and Fisher-Snedecor F distributions; estimation and hypothesis testing; simple linear regression and correlation; analysis of variance for simple experimental designs.
Offered by: Plant Science
- Two 1.5-hour lectures and one 2-hour lab
- Please note that credit will be given for only one introductory statistics course. Consult your academic advisor.
- Symbols:
- *
- Terms
- Fall 2020
- Winter 2021
- Instructors
- Pierre R L Dutilleul, Valerio Hoyos-Villegas
- Pierre R L Dutilleul, Valerio Hoyos-Villegas
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ANSC 400 Eukaryotic Cells and Viruses 3 Credits
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Offered in the:Animal Science: The basic principles of molecular biology and the underlying molecular basis for various methodologies in molecular biology are covered. The molecular genetic basis for viral infections and tumorigenesis will be covered as examples of the use of molecular genetic approaches to address biological problems.
Offered by: Animal Science
- Winter
- Prerequisites: CELL 204 or LSCI 204
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken PARA 400
- Symbols:
- Terms
- Winter 2021
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year
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LSCI 202 Molecular Cell Biology 3 Credits
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Offered in the:Life Sciences: Organization and function of intracellular organelles in eukaryotic cells. Mechanisms of membrane transport. Protein sorting and vesicular transport. Cytoskeleton. DNA and chromosome structure. DNA replication. Mechanisms of RNA and protein synthesis. Control of gene expression. Cell cycle and the control of cell division. Mechanisms of cell communication and signal transduction. Apoptosis. Neuronal signaling.
Offered by: Parasitology
- Symbols:
- Terms
- Winter 2021
- Instructors
- Fernando Altamura
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LSCI 204 Genetics 3 Credits
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Offered in the:Life Sciences: The course integrates classical, molecular and population genetics of animals, plants, bacteria and viruses. The aim is to understand the flow of genetic information within a cell, within families and in populations. Emphasis will be placed on problem solving based learning. The laboratory exercises will emphasize the interpretation of genetic experimental data.
Offered by: Plant Science
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken BIOL 202.
- Symbols:
- Terms
- Fall 2020
- Instructors
- Jean-Benoit Charron
-
LSCI 211 Biochemistry 1 3 Credits
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Offered in the:Life Sciences: Biochemistry of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids; enzymes and coenzymes. Introduction to intermediary metabolism.
Offered by: Parasitology
- Symbols:
- Terms
- Fall 2020
- Winter 2021
- Instructors
- Igor Cestari, Thavy Long
- Thavy Long, Reza Salavati, Igor Cestari
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LSCI 230 Introductory Microbiology 3 Credits
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Offered in the:Life Sciences: The occurrence and importance of microorganisms (especially bacteria) in the biosphere. Principles governing growth, death and metabolic activities of microorganisms. An introduction to the microbiology of soil, water, plants, food, man and animals.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Winter
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken MICR 230.
- Symbols:
- Terms
- Winter 2021
- Instructors
- Sebastien Faucher
-
PARA 438 Immunology 3 Credits
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Offered in the:Parasitology: An in-depth analysis of the principles of cellular and molecular immunology. The emphasis of the course is on host defence against infection and on diseases caused by abnormal immune responses.
Offered by: Parasitology
- Symbols:
- Terms
- Fall 2020
- Instructors
- Fernando Lopes
Complementary Courses (9 credits)
9 credits of the complementary courses selected from:
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ANSC 234 Biochemistry 2 3 Credits
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Offered in the:Animal Science: Metabolism in humans and domestic animals. The chemistry of alimentary digestion, absorption, transport, intermediary metabolism and excretion.
Offered by: Animal Science
- Symbols:
- Terms
- Winter 2021
- Instructors
- Deborah Martin, Xin Zhao
-
ANSC 250 Principles of Animal Science 3 Credits
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Offered in the:Animal Science: Introduction to the scientific principles underlying the livestock and poultry industries. Emphasis will be placed on the breeding, physiology and nutrition of animals raised for the production of food and fibre.
Offered by: Animal Science
- Fall
- 3 lectures and one 2-hour lab
- Symbols:
- Terms
- Fall 2020
- Instructors
- Kevin Wade
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ANSC 312 Animal Health and Disease 3 Credits
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Offered in the:Animal Science: An introduction to the pathogenesis and control of diseases in farm animals. Immune response and other protective mechanisms. Implications of animal diseases and drug therapy for product safety and public health.
Offered by: Animal Science
- Symbols:
- Terms
- Winter 2021
- Instructors
- Vilceu Bordignon
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ANSC 323 Mammalian Physiology 3 Credits
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Offered in the:Animal Science: A study of the organization, functions and regulation of various organ systems in mammals. The nervous, endocrine, muscular, cardiovascular, respiratory, urinary, digestive and reproductive systems are discussed.
Offered by: Animal Science
- Symbols:
- Terms
- Fall 2020
- Instructors
- Denyse Laurin, Sarah Kimmins, Christine I Lafleur
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ANSC 324 Devel. Biology & Reproduction 3 Credits
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Offered in the:Animal Science: Focus on the hormonal, cellular and molecular aspects of reproduction and development (gametogenesis, folliculogenesis, fertilization, embryonic and foetal development, parturition, lactation period, periods before and after puberty). Emphasis on underlying cellular mechanisms and their regulation by hormones and the environment.
Offered by: Animal Science
- Symbols:
- Terms
- Winter 2021
- Instructors
- Sarah Kimmins
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ANSC 326 Fundamentals of Pop'n Genetics 3 Credits
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Offered in the:Animal Science: Population genetics mechanisms in mammals, birds and plant. Factors influencing gene, genotype, and phenotypic frequencies. Effects of different types of selection, Hardy-Weinberg, linkage and recombination, polymorphisms and heterozygosity, population size, random drift and inbreeding on gene and genotype frequencies. Relationship between quantitative genetic parameters and gene frequencies.
Offered by: Animal Science
- Fall
- Prerequisites: AEMA 310 or equivalent or permission of instructor and CELL 204 or LSCI 204 or equivalent or permission of instructor.
- Symbols:
- Terms
- Fall 2020
- Instructors
- Roger I Cue
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ANSC 420 Animal Biotechnology 3 Credits
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Offered in the:Animal Science: Applications of animal biotechnology in agriculture, biomedicine and environmental preservation, including culture, manipulation and transformation of somatic cells, isolation of stem cells, reproductive biotechnologies, animal cloning by nuclear transplantation, production of transgenic animals, and cell and gene therapies.
Offered by: Animal Science
- Symbols:
- Terms
- Fall 2020
- Instructors
- Vilceu Bordignon
-
BINF 511 Bioinformatics for Genomics 3 Credits
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Offered in the:Bioinformatics: Bioinformatics methods and reasoning in relation to genomics, proteomics and metabolomics strategies with an emphasis on functional genomics data. The course will cover introduction to UNIX, Perl programming, data processing and integration, file parsing, relational database design and implementation, angled towards solutions relevant for genomics.
Offered by: Plant Science
- Prerequisite: Understanding of cell and molecular biology (equivalent to a cell or molecular biology course) or permission from instructor.
- Symbols:
- Terms
- Winter 2021
- Instructors
- Martina V Stromvik
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BTEC 306 Experiments in Biotechnology 3 Credits
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Offered in the:Biotechnology: Practical laboratory-based research experience. Techniques in cellular and molecular biology, designing experiments and developing skills in interpretation and communication of experimental results.
Offered by: Plant Science
- Symbols:
- Terms
- Winter 2021
- Instructors
- Jean-Benoit Charron
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ENVB 210 The Biophysical Environment 3 Credits
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Offered in the:Environmental Biology: With reference to the ecosystems in the St Lawrence lowlands, the principles and processes governing climate-landform-water-soil-vegetation systems and their interactions will be examined in lecture and laboratory. Emphasis on the natural environment as an integrated system.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Fall
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken SOIL 210
- Symbols:
- Terms
- Fall 2020
- Instructors
- Cynthia Kallenbach
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ENVB 222 St. Lawrence Ecosystems 3 Credits
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Offered in the:Environmental Biology: Integrative field biology course about the biodiversity and ecology of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems within the St. Lawrence Lowlands. Research projects about the natural history of the regional flora and fauna. Fundamentals of community, ecosystem and landscape ecology.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Fall
- Symbols:
- Terms
- Fall 2020
- Instructors
- Melissa McKinney
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FAES 300 Internship 2 3 Credits
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Offered in the:Faculty of Agric & Envir Sci: Full-time work-term intended to complement the student's undergraduate studies. Course work will be graded by a Faculty member with expertise relevant to the student's area of study. Finding a work placement is the responsibility of the student and facilitated by the Faculty's Internship Office.
Offered by: Agricultural & Env.Sc.-Dean
- Students will receive a final grade on their transcript. Students must be registered as a full-time student prior to and after enrollment in this course. A mandatory report must be submitted at the end of the Internship to the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Internship Office.
- Restrictions: Students must be registered as a full-time student prior to and after enrollment in this course. Minimum CGPA of 2.7 required. Open to all students in the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
- Symbols:
- Terms
- Fall 2020
- Summer 2021
- Instructors
- Kendra D Gray
- Kendra D Gray
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LSCI 451 Research Project 1 3 Credits
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Offered in the:Life Sciences: A research project on a topic relevant to the life sciences. This course is intended for senior (U3) undergraduates.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Fall and Winter
- Prerequisite(s): PARA 438 as a prerequisite or corequisite, and permission of instructor.
- Restriction: Open to students with a minimum CGPA of 3.0.
- Enrolment is limited by availability of research project supervisors and to students in the Life Sciences (Biological and Agricultural) Major. Students should make arrangements with a willing supervisor, and the proposed supervisor and project are subject to approval. Recommended for students in their final year (U3).
- Not open to students who have taken AEBI 451.
- Symbols:
- Terms
- Fall 2020
- Winter 2021
- Instructors
- Jacqueline C Bede
- Jacqueline C Bede
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LSCI 452 Research Project 2 3 Credits
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Offered in the:Life Sciences: Continuation of the project begun in LSCI 451 on a topic relevant to the life sciences.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Fall and Winter
- Prerequisite: LSCI 451
- Restrictions: Enrolment is limited by availability of research project supervisors and to students in the Life Sciences (Biological and Agricultural) Major. Students should make arrangements with a supervisor; the proposed supervisor and project are subject to approval. Not open to students who have taken AEBI 452.
- Symbols:
- Terms
- Fall 2020
- Winter 2021
- Instructors
- Jacqueline C Bede
- Jacqueline C Bede
-
MICR 331 Microbial Ecology 3 Credits
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Offered in the:Microbiology (Agric&Envir Sc): The ecology of microorganisms, primarily bacteria and archaea, and their roles in biogeochemical cycles will be discussed. Microbial interactions with the environment, plants, animals and other microbes emphasizing the underlying genetics and physiology. Diversity, evolution (microbial phylogenetics) and the application of molecular biology in microbial ecology.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Winter
- Prerequisite(s): LSCI 204 or LSCI 230 or AEBI 212 or ENVR 202 or permission of the instructor.
- Symbols:
- Terms
- Winter 2021
- Instructors
- Brian T Driscoll
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MICR 338 Bacterial Molecular Genetics 3 Credits
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Offered in the:Microbiology (Agric&Envir Sc): Basic bacterial genetics, DNA damage and repair, mutagenesis, gene cloning, mapping and regulation, molecular biology. Laboratory sessions will provide the student with practical experience in the genetic manipulation of microbes and in molecular biology techniques.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Fall
- Prerequisites: LSCI 211, LSCI 230 and LSCI 204, or permission of instructor.
- Restriction: Not open to students who have successfully completed NRSC 338.
- Symbols:
- Terms
- Fall 2020
- Instructors
- Brian T Driscoll
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MICR 341 Mechanisms of Pathogenicity 3 Credits
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Offered in the:Microbiology (Agric&Envir Sc): A study of the means by which bacteria cause disease in animals and humans. Includes response of host to invading bacteria, bacterial attachment and penetration processes, and modes of actions of exotoxins and endotoxins.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Symbols:
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year
-
MICR 450 Environmental Microbiology 3 Credits
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Offered in the:Microbiology (Agric&Envir Sc): Focus on microbes in the environment. Topics include extreme environments, polar microbiology, biotechnology and bioremediation. Emphasis will be on population studies based upon molecular biological methods.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Symbols:
- Terms
- Winter 2021
- Instructors
- Lyle Whyte
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NRSC 333 Pollution and Bioremediation 3 Credits
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Offered in the:Natural Resource Sciences: The environmental contaminants which cause pollution; sources, amounts and transport of pollutants in water, air and soil; waste management.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Fall
- 3 lectures
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken WILD 333
- Symbols:
- Terms
- Fall 2020
- Instructors
- Lyle Whyte, Jessica Head
-
PARA 410 Environment and Infection 3 Credits
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Offered in the:Parasitology: Infectious pathogens of humans and animals and their impact on the global environment are considered. The central tenet is that infectious pathogens are environmental risk factors. The course considers their impact on the human condition and juxtaposes the impact of control and treatment measures and environmental change.
Offered by: Parasitology
- Symbols:
- Terms
- Winter 2021
- Instructors
- Marilyn E Scott
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PARA 424 Fundamental Parasitology 3 Credits
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Offered in the:Parasitology: Systematics, morphology, biology and ecology of parasitic protozoa, flatworms, roundworms and arthropods with emphasis on economically and medically important species.
Offered by: Parasitology
- Prerequisite(s): AEBI 211 or LSCI 230 or permission of instructor
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken WILD 424.
- Symbols:
- Terms
- Winter 2021
- Instructors
- Petra C Rohrbach
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PLNT 304 Biology of Fungi 3 Credits
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Offered in the:Plant Science: This course describes the various groups of fungi and explores in depth their biology and physiology, their ecological niches and the role in various ecosystems and their benefits and uses in industry and biotechnology.
Offered by: Plant Science
- 3 lectures and one 3-hour lab
- Restriction: U2 or above, or permission of instructor.
- Symbols:
- Terms
- Winter 2021
- Instructors
- Suha Jabaji
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PLNT 353 Plant Structure and Function 3 Credits
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Offered in the:Plant Science: The general anatomy and physiology of vascular plants with emphasis on how physiological processes influence function.
Offered by: Plant Science
- Winter
- 2 lectures and one 3-hour lab
- Prerequisites: AEBI 210 and LSCI 204 and LSCI 211 or permission of instructor.
- Symbols:
- Terms
- Winter 2021
- Instructors
- Jacqueline C Bede
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PLNT 426 Plant Ecophysiology 3 Credits
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Offered in the:Plant Science: This course investigates the complex interactions between plants and their environment, focusing on the mechanisms underlying plant physiological processes. Plasticity of plants to their ecological environment; topics include phytoremediation, plant stress responses, plant-symbiosis and plant-insect interactions.
Offered by: Plant Science
- Symbols:
- Terms
- Winter 2021
- Instructors
- Jacqueline C Bede
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PLNT 435 Plant Breeding 3 Credits
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Offered in the:Plant Science: Principles and practices of plant breeding, including reproduction of crop plants; plant hybridization; sources of genetic variation; selection methods used for self- and cross-pollinated crops and for clonally reproduced crops; breeding for diseases and pest resistance; applications of biotechnology in plant breeding.
Offered by: Plant Science
- Winter
- Prerequisites: PLNT 201 or AEBI 210 and CELL 204 or LSCI 204
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken PLNT 535.
- Symbols:
- Terms
- Winter 2021
- Instructors
- Jaswinder Singh
Specialization
At least one specialization of 18-24 credits from:
Specializations designed to be taken with the Life Sciences (Biological and Agricultural) Major:
- Animal Biology
- Animal Health and Disease
- Life Sciences (Multidisciplinary)
- Microbiology and Molecular Biotechnology
Note: For a complete list of specializations offered for students in the Bachelor of Science in Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, please refer to "Browse Academic Units & Programs" > "Bachelor of Science (Agricultural and Environmental Sciences) - B.Sc.(Ag.Env.Sc.)" > "Specializations" in this eCalendar.
Electives
To meet the minimum credit requirement for the degree.
Careers
Career paths include:
■ Veterinary science/medicine
■ Food and fermentation industries
■ Bioscience and pharmaceutical industries
■ Agricultural biotechnology
■ Environmental sciences
■ Forensic sciences
For more career options: mcgill.ca/caps/discipline
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