Admission to doctoral programs normally requires at least high second-class honours as well as a recognized master of science degree. Direct admission of a BSc graduate to the PhD program will only be considered in the Department if the student has an average of 80% or greater in their last two undergraduate years.

In addition to a research thesis, the minimum course requirement following an MSc degree includes the completion of the Research Topics Course, MBG*6080, and Seminars in Molecular Biology and Genetics, MBG*6000. Students must present a formal seminar on their thesis research at the end of their program. For a PhD degree following a BSc degree, four courses (2.0 credits) including the research topics course and the seminar course are required.