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Introduction

The study of life, biology, has been transformed in recent decades by powerful new ways of asking fundamental questions about how living organisms work. In particular, molecular approaches are revealing both the incredible complexity of organization at the cellular level, and the underlying principles drawn from chemistry, physics and information science that will eventually enable us to understand that complexity.

The Department of Cell and Systems Biology brings together biologists who study life at the level of molecules to functioning individual organisms. Cell Biology is a vibrant and broad discipline that seeks to understand the underlying molecular processes that control cell behaviour in a developmental and physiological context. In this broad sense, cell biology comprises molecular biology, developmental biology, genetics and physiology and their sub-disciplines. Systems biology is an exciting new discipline that studies dynamic networks in biological systems through the integration of large datasets arising from the genomics revolution. Computer modeling and bioinformatics are integrated with the study of detailed information about genomes (genomics), the temporal and spatial distribution of all gene transcripts (transcriptomics), cellular proteins and their physical interactions (proteomics), and small molecules that cells assimilate or synthesise (metabolomics).

Student Counseling and Enquiries:

Associate Chair (Undergraduate): Professor S. Varmuza (416-978-2759).
Contact the Undergraduate Office, Room 424 in the Ramsay Wright Laboratories (416-978-3477) and consult the departmental web site, www.csb.utoronto.ca.

Cell and Systems Biology Programs

Animal Physiology (Science program)

Enrolment in this program requires completion of 4.0 FCEs; no minimum GPA is required.

Major program:

(8 full courses or their equivalent)
First Year: BIO150Y1BIO150Y1">BIO150Y1BIO150Y1; (CHM138H1, CHM139H1)/CHM151Y1; JMB170Y1/MAT135Y1/MAT136Y1/MAT137Y1/MAT157Y1/(PHY131H1, PHY132H1)/(PHY151H1, PHY152H1)
Higher Years:
1. (BIO240H1, BIO241H1)/BIO255Y1
2. (BIO270H1, BIO271H1)
3. 1.5 FCEs from: CSB325H1, CSB332H1, CSB343H1, CSB346H1, CSB347H1
4. 1.5 FCEs (at least 0.5 FCE must be at the 300+level) from: BCH210H1; BIO260H1/HMB265H1; CSB299Y1, CSB325H1, CSB327H1, CSB330H1, CSB331H1, CSB332H1, CSB343H1, CSB346H1, CSB347H1, CSB352H1, CSB425H1, CSB430H1, CSB445H1, CSB497H1/498Y1, CSB499Y1; EEB263Y1; PSY397H1; STA220H1

Bioinformatics and Computational Biology: see Biochemistry

Biology: see Biology

Botany: see Biology

Cell and Molecular Biology (Science program)

Enrolment in the Specialist program is limited, and requires a minimum CGPA of 2.7. Enrolment also requires the completion of four courses, including BIO150Y1BIO150Y1">BIO150Y1BIO150Y1; (CHM138H1, CHM139H1)/CHM151Y1; JMB170Y1/MAT135Y1/MAT136Y1/MAT137Y1/MAT157Y1.

Enrolment in the Major requires the completion of 4.0 FCEs; no minimum GPA is required.

Specialist program:

(12.5 full courses or their equivalent, including at least one 400-series course)

First Year:
BIO150Y1BIO150Y1">BIO150Y1BIO150Y1; (CHM138H1, CHM139H1)/CHM151Y1; JMB170Y1/MAT135Y1/MAT136Y1/MAT137Y1/MAT157Y1; (PHY131H1, PHY132H1)/(PHY151H1, PHY152H1)
Higher Years:
1. (BIO240H1, BIO241H1)/BIO255Y1, (BIO270H1, BIO271H1),BIO260H1/HMB265H1; BCH210H1; CSB349H1
2. CSB330H1/CSB350H1, CSB331H1/BCH304H1, CSB428H1
3. 0.5 FCE from the following: BCH422H1, BCH426H1, BCH445H1, CSB327H1, CSB347H1
4. 3.0 FCEs from the following: BCH440H1, BCH441H1/CSB472H1, CSB299Y1, CSB328H1, CSB332H1, CSB340H1, CSB351Y1, CSB357H1, CSB427H1, CSB429H1, CSB430H1 CSB450H1, CSB452H1, CSB458H1, CSB459H1, CSB473H1, CSB497H1/498Y1, CSB499Y1

Major program:

(8 full courses or their equivalent)
First Year: BIO150Y1BIO150Y1">BIO150Y1BIO150Y1; (CHM138H1, CHM139H1)/CHM151Y1; JMB170Y1/MAT135Y1/MAT136Y1/MAT137Y1/MAT157Y1/(PHY131H1, PHY132H1)/(PHY151H1, PHY152H1)
Higher Years:
1. (BIO240H1, BIO241H1)1/BIO255Y1
2. BIO260H1/HMB265H1; BCH210H1
3. 1.5 FCE from: CSB327H1, CSB328H1, CSB331H1, CSB340H1, CSB349H1, CSB351Y1
4. 1.5 FCE (at least 0.5 FCE must be at the 300+level) from: BCH422H1, BCH444H1, BCH445H1,CSB299Y1, CSB327H1, CSB328H1, CSB330H1, CSB331H1, CSB332H1, CSB340H1, CSB347H1, CSB349H1, CSB350H1, CSB351Y1, CSB352H1, CSB427H1, CSB428H1, CSB429H1, CSB458H1, CSB459H1, CSB460H1, CSB497H1/498Y1, CSB499Y1. No more than 0.5 FCE in BCH can be used towards this requirement.

Developmental Biology (Science program)

Enrolment in this program is limited, and requires a minimum CGPA of 2.5. Enrolment also requires the completion of four courses, including BIO150Y1BIO150Y1">BIO150Y1BIO150Y1; (CHM138H1, CHM139H1)/CHM151Y1; JMB170Y1/MAT135Y1/MAT136Y1/MAT137Y1/MAT157Y1.

Specialist program:

(12.5 full courses or their equivalent, including at least one 400-series course)
First Year:
BIO150Y1BIO150Y1">BIO150Y1BIO150Y1; (CHM138H1, CHM139H1)/CHM151Y1; JMB170Y1/MAT135Y1/MAT136Y1/MAT137Y1/MAT157Y1
Higher Years:
1. BCH210H1; (BIO240H1, BIO241H1)/BIO255Y1, BIO251Y1/(BIO270H1, BIO271H1), BIO260H1; CHM220H1/CHM247H1/CHM249H1
2. CSB349H1
3. CSB328H1, CSB340H1
4. 2.5 (or 3.5*) courses from: ANA300Y1, ANA301H1; BCH304H1, BCH340H1, BCH370H1, BCH425H1, BCH426H1; CSB327H1, CSB329H1, CSB330H1, CSB331H1, CSB350H1, CSB352H1, CSB425H1, CSB427H1, CSB450H1, CSB459H1 CSB460H1, CSB472H1, CSB473H1; EEB340H1, EEB341H1, EEB460H1; IMM334Y1, IMM429H1; JBI428H1; MGY425H1, MGY428H1, MGY451H1, MGY452H1, MGY470H1; PSL303Y1, PSL420H1
5. 1.0 (or 2.0*) courses from CSB429H1, CSB430H1, CSB458H1, CSB461H1, CSB482Y1, CSB497H1/498Y1, CSB499Y1; MGY480Y1

* Requirements 4 and 5 must include a total of at least 4.5 full courses

Neuroscience: see Life Sciences: Human Biology

Zoology: see Biology