Normally applicants should have attained a master's degree with high second-class honours standing or better in a field appropriate to their proposed area of study. Under exceptional circumstances, as noted in the Graduate Calendar, students may be permitted to transfer from an MSc to a PhD program without completing the master's degree. Interested students from other disciplines may also be acceptable subject to the decision of the department graduate admissions committee.

A candidate for the PhD degree is expected to have a general knowledge of fundamental aspects of biology and detailed knowledge of the specialty area. The specialty area will normally be one of the areas in which the Department of Environmental Biology is prepared to offer a graduate degree. In addition, students are encouraged to obtain a knowledge of both the theoretical and applied aspects of their specialty area.

Before the end of the student's first semester the advisory committee will meet informally with the student to discuss the student's background, interests and knowledge in the proposed research area. The advisory committee will then establish a program of prescribed courses and, if necessary, additional courses.

All PhD candidates must complete a thesis. A statement of the objectives of the thesis research program should be prepared as early as possible. A PhD program normally requires 9 to 11 semesters. The number of courses per semester should not normally exceed four. Graduate students must take both the Seminar, ENVB*6710, and the Advanced Seminar, ENVB*6720, unless exempted from taking any of these courses by the advisory committee. Exemptions are subject to approval by the Graduate Education Committee.