The MSc program aims to prepare students for scientific careers in various areas of microbiology and immunology. Research training covers key topics in the department, including molecular biology, microbiology, microbial physiology, virology, genetics, immunology, drug design, and parasitology. Students receive training in the latest experimental methods in molecular and cellular biology, addressing significant issues in microbiology and immunology. For detailed course descriptions, additional program requirements, and information on thesis preparation and submission, please consult the MSc Handbook.


MSc Forms & Guidelines

File Seminar Attendance Form

PDF icon msc_advisory_committee_nomination_form.pdf

PDF icon MSc Advisory Committee Report Form

PDF icon mimm_letter_of_understanding_lou.pdf

PDF icon mimm_611_seminar_evaluation_form.pdf

The PhD degree is now essential for many scientific positions that involve higher levels of responsibility. Our program aims to develop scientists who can tackle fundamental biological and health-related problems and who will be competitive for leadership roles in universities, government labs, and the private sector.For detailed descriptions of courses, additional program requirements, and information on thesis preparation and submission, please consult the following:

  •  The PhD Handbook is for students entering the PhD program with an MSc degree.
  •  The PhD Handbook - Switch is for students transferring internally from the MIMM MSc program to the PhD program.

 

PhD Forms and Guidelines

File Seminar Attendance Form

PDF icon MIMM Letter of Understanding (LOU)

Transfer Seminar Committee Evaluation Form

PDF icon phd_advisory_committee_nomination_form.pdf

PDF icon PhD Advisory Committee Report Form

PDF icon comprehensive_exam_pre-exam_report_20240903.pdf

PDF icon mimm_comprehensive_exam_2024_20240903.pdf

Comprehensive Exam Guidelines for students internally transferring from M.Sc. to Ph.D. 

Comprehensive Exam Committee Nomination Form

Letter Template to Contact an Oral Defence Committee Member

PhD Advisory Committee Guidelines for Members

Reading & Conference Courses

The Reading and Conference courses can be any life science related course at the 500 level or higher held at McGill University. The Department of Microbiology and Immunology offers three Reading and Conference courses: 

  • MIMM 616. Reading and Conference 1.

    Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

    Credits: 3
    Offered by: Microbiology & Immunology (Graduate Studies)
    This course is not offered this catalogue year.

    Description

    Student presentations, taken from current literature, are concerned with aspects of a central topic. Presentations are designed to be informal and to generate student discussions. Topic will change from term to term.
    • Restriction: M.Sc. students - two of these courses required throughout the course of their degree program

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  • MIMM 607. Biochemical Pathology.

    Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

    Credits: 3
    Offered by: Microbiology & Immunology (Graduate Studies)
    This course is not offered this catalogue year.

    Description

    Immunopathogenesis of Human Disease: Lectures and seminars on immune-regulatory mechanisms (cellular/molecular), maintaining the balance between protection and pathology; pathogenesis of major infectious diseases with bacterial, viral and parasitic involvement (e.g. tuberculosis, AIDS, malaria) and classical immune disorders (e.g. asthma).
    • Restriction(s): Not open to students who have taken or are taking PATH 607.

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  • MIMM 617. Reading and Conference 2.

    Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

    Credits: 3
    Offered by: Microbiology & Immunology (Graduate Studies)
    This course is not offered this catalogue year.

    Description

    Student presentations, taken from current literature, are concerned with aspects of a central topic. Presentations are designed to be informal and to generate student discussions. Topic will change from term to term.
    • Restriction: M.Sc. students - two of these courses required throughout the course of their degree program

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  • MIMM 613. Current Topics 1.

    Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

    Credits: 3
    Offered by: Microbiology & Immunology (Graduate Studies)
    This course is not offered this catalogue year.

    Description

    Graduate students are required to attend eight scientific seminars each term, for three terms. A minimum of four seminars should be attended from the Infection and Immunity Seminar Series offered by the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. A maximum of four life sciences-related seminars presented by principal investigators can be attended at McGill University or its affiliated centers (MUHC, LDI, IRCM).

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It is recommended that all Graduate Students take a Statistics course as part of their Reading and Conference requirements. These are some of the courses frequently taken by MIMM graduate students:

  • BINF 531. Statistical Bioinformatics.

    Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

    Credits: 3
    Offered by: Animal Science (Faculty of Agric Environ Sci)
    Terms Offered: Winter 2026
    View offerings for Winter 2026 in Visual Schedule Builder.

    Description

    Underlying concepts and techniques for the analyses of large-scale data sets, generated from "omics" platforms (e.g., metagenomics, metabolomics, transcriptomics, etc.), as well as different approaches for working with high-dimensional data. Students will gain experience in such software packages as R and Bioconductor for statistical analysis and data visualization.
    • Prerequisites: AEMA 310 or equivalent; LSCI 204, LSCI 211, LSCI 230, or equivalent
    • Restriction: Open to U3 students and above

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  • BIOL 598. Advanced Design and Statistics.

    Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

    Credits: 3
    Offered by: Biology (Faculty of Science)
    This course is not offered this catalogue year.

    Description

    This course will address issues related to experimental design and multivariate statistical analysis. The first third of the course will focus on experimental design, and the remainder of the course will focus on multivariate approaches to data analysis. The course is designed to inform students on best practices to analytically address their experimental questions.
    • Prerequisite(s): BIOL 373 and permission of Instructor.
    • Restriction(s): Not open to students who have taken or are taking BIOL 596 and/or BIOL 597.
    • This course is equivalent to taking BIOL 596 and BIOL 597.

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  • EPIB 507. Biostats for Health Sciences.

    Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

    Credits: 3
    Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Faculty of Medicine & Hlth Sci)
    Terms Offered: Summer 2025
    View offerings for Summer 2025 in Visual Schedule Builder.

    Description

    Basic principles of statistical inference applicable to clinical, epidemiologic, and other health research. Topics include: methods of describing data, statistical inference for means, statistical inference for proportions, non-parametric statistics, correlation and introduction to linear regression.
    • Due to the intensive nature of this course, the standard add/drop and withdrawal deadlines do not apply. Add/drop is the third lecture day and withdrawal is the sixth lecture day.
    • Prerequisite: Permission of instructor
    • Restriction: Restricted to students registered in the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry, Human Nutrition, Medical Residents, and Clinical Fellows.
    • Course not opened to students registered in the Epidemiology and Biostatistics programs.
    • Due to the intensive nature of this course, the standard add/drop and withdrawal deadlines do not apply. Add/drop is the third lecture day and withdrawal is the sixth lecture day.

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  • EXMD 634. Quantitative Research Methods.

    Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

    Credits: 3
    Offered by: Medicine (Graduate Studies)
    This course is not offered this catalogue year.

    Description

    Topics covered include: 1) An overview of common research designs based on examples from research currently undertaken in the Division of Experimental Medicine; 2) Types of data arising from these designs; 3) Basic methods for data analysis; and 4) Application of these methods to student research projects.
    • Restriction: Must be registered for graduate or postdoctoral studies in the Faculty of Medicine or the Faculty of Science.

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These are some Reading & Conference courses already approved and frequently taken by MIMM graduate students: 

  • BIOC 600. Advanced Strategies in Genetics and Genomics.

    Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

    Credits: 3
    Offered by: Biochemistry (Graduate Studies)
    This course is not offered this catalogue year.

    Description

    Advanced technologies and methods in genomics research, presented by experts actively pursuing the experimental approaches discussed.
    • Enrolment limited to 15 graduate students.
    • Prerequisite: BIOC 454 or equivalent
    • Restriction: Must take part in the Biochemistry graduate program

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  • BTEC 555. Structural Bioinformatics.

    Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

    Credits: 3
    Offered by: Parasitology (Faculty of Agric Environ Sci)
    Terms Offered: Winter 2026
    View offerings for Winter 2026 in Visual Schedule Builder.

    Description

    Fundamentals of protein structure and the application of tools for structure determination, how protein structure allows us to understand the complex biological functions, and how knowledge of protein structure can contribute to drug discovery.
    • Winter
    • 1-hr lecture, followed by 2 hrs of computer lab.
    • Prerequisite: Molecular biology or biochemistry, and basic bioinformatics, or permission of instructor.

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  • Course information not available.
  • EXMD 509. Gastrointestinal Physiology and Pathology.

    Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

    Credits: 3
    Offered by: Medicine (Faculty of Science)
    Terms Offered: Winter 2026
    View offerings for Winter 2026 in Visual Schedule Builder.

    Description

    Course deals with various aspects of gastrointestinal and hepatic function in health and altered physiological states. The principal focus is on the recent literature pertaining to cell and molecular mechanisms underlying the motility secretory process, absorption and secretion. The molecular biology of the hepatic viruses and various aspects of colonic neoplasia will also be considered.
    • Fall and Winter
    • Prerequisite: Graduate students, U3 undergraduates

    Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

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  • EXMD 609. Cellular Methods in Medical Research.

    Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

    Credits: 3
    Offered by: Medicine (Graduate Studies)
    This course is not offered this catalogue year.

    Description

    Different cellular methods used in biomedical research, including spectroscopic, microscopic and immunological techniques as well as statistics. Lectures, some demonstrations by faculty as well as short seminars given by the students.

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  • EXMD 610. Molecular Methods in Medical Research.

    Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

    Credits: 3
    Offered by: Medicine (Graduate Studies)
    Terms Offered: Winter 2026
    View offerings for Winter 2026 in Visual Schedule Builder.

    Description

    Different molecular methods used in biomedical research, including chromatography, purification and analysis of proteins and nucleic acids, various techniques in molecular biology, transgenic technology, and stem cells. Lectures, some demonstrations, and short seminars given by the students.

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  • EXMD 615. Essentials of Glycobiology.

    Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

    Credits: 3
    Offered by: Medicine (Graduate Studies)
    Terms Offered: Winter 2026
    View offerings for Winter 2026 in Visual Schedule Builder.

    Description

    Examination of the structure, function, and biosynthesis of glycoproteins, glycolipids and glycosaminoglycans, and the biological role of complex carbohydrates. Lectins, methods for elucidating carbohydrate structure, glycomics, and human diseases due to disorders of glycan synthesis.
    • Winter

    Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

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  • EXMD 632. Recent Advances in Virology and Antiviral Therapeutics.

    Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

    Credits: 3
    Offered by: Medicine (Graduate Studies)
    This course is not offered this catalogue year.

    Description

    This course will explore the latest developments in virology, identify emerging viral pathogens and provide up-to-date concepts for anti-viral therapies.
    • Recommended for all graduate students in molecular and cellular biology, biochemistry, bacteriology, immunology, virology and clinical research.
    • Recommended for all graduate students in molecular and cellular biology, biochemistry, bacteriology, immunology, virology and clinical research.

    Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

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  • EXMD 642. Experimental Medicine Topic 3.

    Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

    Credits: 3
    Offered by: Medicine (Graduate Studies)
    This course is not offered this catalogue year.

    Description

    Study, through guided reading, visits, practicals, assignements, of an elected and approved topic of importance in medical science.

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  • NEUR 502. Basic and Clinical Aspects of Neuroimmunology.

    Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

    Credits: 3
    Offered by: Neurology and Neurosurgery (Faculty of Medicine & Hlth Sci)
    This course is not offered this catalogue year.

    Description

    The role of inflammation in physiological function of the nervous system, as well as in a broad range of neurological diseases where inflammation can act as a contributing factor to the development of pathology or promote recovery, including fundamentals of neuroimmunology to molecular/cellular aspects of neuroinflammation underlying the pathology seen in clinical conditions.
    • Prerequisites: (MIMM 214 or MIMM 314 or MIMM 414 or PHGY 313) and (NSCI 200 or NSCI 201 or ANAT 321 or ANAT 323 or PHGY 314) or permission of instructor.

    Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

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  • NEUR 550. Free Radical Biomedicine.

    Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

    Credits: 3
    Offered by: Neurology and Neurosurgery (Faculty of Science)
    This course is not offered this catalogue year.

    Description

    An interdisciplinary course on the biochemistry and cellular/molecular biology of free radicals, transition metals, oxidative stress and antioxidants and their roles in health and disease.
    • Winter
    • Prerequisite: BIOL 200, BIOL 201, BIOC 311, BIOC 312, PHGY 209, PHGY 210 or permission of instructor.

    Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

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  • NEUR 602. Current Topics in Neuroscience.

    Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

    Credits: 3
    Offered by: Neurology and Neurosurgery (Graduate Studies)
    This course is not offered this catalogue year.

    Description

    Current topics in Neuroscience.
    • Fall
    • Prerequisite: Permission of unit instructor

    Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

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  • PPHS 511. Fundamentals of Global Health.

    Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

    Credits: 3
    Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Faculty of Medicine & Hlth Sci)
    This course is not offered this catalogue year.

    Description

    This exciting and interactive course aims to give students the opportunity to broaden their understanding and knowledge of global health issues, including global burden of diseases, determinants of health, transition in health and drivers of such transition, challenges in healthcare delivery in resource-limited settings, and the variety of agencies and actors engaged in addressing global health challenges. The course consists of lectures, case studies, debates, discussions and small group work.

    Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

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MIMM Graduate Student Seminars: Fall 2024 & Winter 2025

Seminars are held on Thursdays at 10 AM in-person at the DUFF Amphitheater. Check regularly as changes to the schedule are made frequently. MIMM student seminar guidelines are described in detail in our Departmental Handbooks. For MIMM Graduate Students:

  • Attendance at the MIMM Graduate Student Seminars continues to be compulsory for students enrolled in the M.Sc., Fast-Track, and Ph.D programs during both the Fall and Winter terms.
  • Students are permitted to miss only one (1) seminar day per term.
  • Students must complete an online attendance form to confirm their presence at each seminar.
  • To access this form, students will receive a QR code from the seminar facilitator after the final presentation of the day at each seminar.
  • The form also contains a section where students must provide a brief summary of the main insights gained from attending the seminar.

 

 

 

Current Topics - Scientific Seminar Attendance Form

  • All MIMM Graduate students are required to attend ten (10) scientific seminars each term.
  • Graduate students have the flexibility to attend a variety of scientific seminars.
  • Graduate students can attend up to two seminars out of the required ten from fields outside of life sciences.
  • Refer to the M.Sc. or Ph.D. program sections of the MIMM website for information on the following:

 

Graduate Student Research Day

The next Research Day is scheduled for Monday, May 5, 2025. More details will be provided soon.

For reference, here is information about the Graduate Student Research Day held in May 2024:

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Jonathan Abraham

Dr. Jonathan Abraham, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology at Harvard Medical School, delivered the keynote address. He holds a B.A. in Biochemical Sciences (Harvard College, 2005), a Ph.D. in Biophysics (Harvard University, 2010), and an M.D. (Harvard Medical School, 2012) from the Harvard-MIT M.D.-Ph.D. Program. Dr. Abraham completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Brigham & Women’s Hospital and a fellowship in Infectious Diseases through a combined program with Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital. In 2017, he established a research lab in the Department of Microbiology at Harvard Medical School, supported by a Burroughs Wellcome Career Award for Medical Scientists and an NIH Director’s Early Independence Award. His interest in infectious diseases was sparked by reading Laurie Garrett’s *The Coming of the Plague* as a high school student. Dr. Abraham’s research focuses on preparing for outbreaks before they occur, and he continues to care for patients as an Infectious Diseases physician at Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston.

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