Students who enter the program with a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree, or equivalent, will complete all of:

• MBB 801-3 Student Seminar in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry
• MBB 803-1 Department Seminar Series – must be taken twice
  • This course must be taken at the first opportunity in the graduate program for two consecutive offerings (Spring and Fall, or Fall and Spring).
  • Only students who started in the Spring 2022 term or later may take this course for credit.
• MBB 806-3 PhD Graduate Research Candidacy Examination - students are mandated to take MBB 806 in their 4th or 5th term depending on the scheduling/availability of MBB 806. For students planning to transfer to PhD, MBB 806 must be taken in their 6th term, or if not offered in 6th term, then must be taken in the 7th term.
• ONC 502-3 Concepts in Oncology
• ONC 510-3 Seminars in Oncology

and one unit of MBB colloquia by completing one of:

• MBB 821-1 Cell and Molecular Biology and Colloquium
• MBB 841-1 Genomics and Bioinformatics Colloquium
• MBB 861-1 Biomolecular Structure and Function Colloquium

and at least one of the following elective courses*:

• ONC 548-3 Rotation in Oncology
• BPK 851-3 Recent Advances in Experimental Carcinogenesis
• MBB 746-3 Cell Death and Cell Survival
• MBB 762-3 Human Genomics
• BISC 834-3 Essential Cell Biology
• HSCI 775-3 Seminar in Molecular Mechanisms of Epigenetics
• HSCI 776-3 Seminar in Molecular Basis of Drug Action and Environmental Exposure
• HSCI 778-3 Seminar in Molecular Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases

*Note: Any relevant Special Topics course from any department may be included upon permission of the IOGS Steering Committee. Oncology related courses at other institutions may also be used to satisfy the elective requirement. Please consult with the Interdisciplinary Oncology Graduate Specialization Steering Committee for queries regarding course eligibility.

Students who enter the IOGS program with a Master of Science (MSc) degree will complete the following courses:

• MBB 801-3 Student Seminar in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry
• MBB 803-1 Department Seminar Series – must be taken twice
  • This course must be taken at the first opportunity in the graduate program for two consecutive offerings (Spring and Fall, or Fall and Spring).
  • Only students who started in the Spring 2022 term or later may take this course for credit.
• MBB 806-3 PhD Graduate Research Candidacy Examination - students are mandated to take MBB 806 in their 4th or 5th term depending on the scheduling/availability of MBB 806.
• ONC 502-3 Concepts in Oncology
• ONC 510-3 Seminars in Oncology

If a student has already completed the specialization as an MSc student, they may still enroll in the IOGS as a PhD student upon approval by the IOGS steering committee. Note that in this circumstance, ONC 510-3 must be taken for credit again in the PhD program, but ONC 502-3 cannot be taken again for credit.

This course covers the biology and epidemiology of cancer and theories behind prevention, diagnosis and treatment of different types of cancer. A major goal of the course is to integrate knowledge and research on the biology of cancer with all disciplines in oncology. This course can only be taken once, either during an MSc or during a PhD. Prerequisite: Enrollment in a participating graduate program. No specific courses are prerequisites.

This course features cancer-related research by trainees and faculty at the BC Cancer Research Centre. Topics include recent developments in the molecular basis of oncogenesis, cancer bioinformatics, cancer epidemiology, cancer treatment and other clinical studies, and ethical issues. Students are required to present seminars on their research. Students undertaking the Interdisciplinary Oncology Graduate Specialization must enroll in this course throughout their entire time as a graduate student. This course can be taken twice, if a student does the Interdisciplinary Oncology Graduate Specialization (IOGS) as an MSc student, and also does it as a PhD student. Students who transfer from MSc to PhD would only take it once. Prerequisite: Enrollment in a participating graduate program. No specific courses are prerequisites.

This course allows students to gain hands-on experience by rotations through specialty laboratories and/or by shadowing clinicians. Students can use the rotation opportunity to learn new techniques and or gain an understanding of the clinical aspects of their research project. The supervisor and supervisory committee create a custom rotation plan for the student. A grade is assigned based on a written report by the student, which is evaluated by the student's supervisory committee. This course can only be taken once, either during an MSc or during a PhD. Prerequisite: Enrollment in a participating graduate program. No specific courses are prerequisites. Permission from instructor required.