Graduate Courses

The attached list is provided to inform you of the graduate courses provided by members of the Botany Department.  The main goal of the graduate program is to promote excellence in research.  We acknowledge that specialization is almost inevitable but we encourage students to develop strengths in other fields closely related to the main research area.  Graduate courses may serve to fill gaps or learn new techniques which are demanded by the research program, and to expand the knowledge base for comprehensive exams. The following courses are compulsory for all graduate students in Botany, Biology or Genetics registered in the Botany department:

  • BOTA 501                                               Seminar in Botany (3 credits)
  • BOTA 502                                               Thesis seminar (no credit)

Students in the Master's program have a total requirement of 30 credits.  The compulsory courses (above) count for 3, the thesis (BOTA 549) is 18, and an additional 9 credits must be taken (6 of which may be at the undergrad. level, 300-499**) at the graduate level.  Students in the Ph.D. program may be assigned additional course work at the discretion of the supervisory committee.

Students considering a transfer from M.Sc. to Ph.D. must ensure that in their first year they can obtain 12 credits of first-class average, of which, normally at least 9 credits must be at the 500 level and at least 9 credits must be of first-class standing. 

Botany

Course Code Course Title Course Term
BOTA 501 Seminar Studies in Botany 1
BOTA 502 Thesis Seminar 1 or 2
BOTA 528 Current Topics in Plant Biochemistry I 2
BOTA 544 Techniques in Plant Molecular Biology 1
BOTA 546 Topics in Botany 1 and 2

Biology

Course Code Course Title Course Term
BIOL 509 Population and Quantitative Genetics N/A
BIOL 525B Topics in Systematics and Evolution: Phylogenetic Workshop N/A
BIOL 525D Topics in Systematics and Evolution: Bioinformatics for Evolutionary Biology 1
BIOL 530 The Biology of the Cell 1
BIOL 535 Teaching and Learning in the Life Sciences N/A
BIOL 548 Advanced Topics in Biology
The following 400-level Biology courses may also be of interest to Graduate Students (for a description of these courses please refer to the Student Service Centre course schedule):
The following graduate courses from the Cell Graduate Program may be of interest to Botany students:
Course Code Course Title Course Overview
CELL 504 Current Topics in the Cytoskeleton and Cell Motility (1.5 credits)

The structure and function of the cytoskeleton and its involvement in various forms of cell and intracellular motility.

CELL 505 Current Topics in Intracellular Trafficking (1.5 credits)

Organization of membranes and organelles within cells and how intracellular trafficking targets molecules to intracellular sites.

CELL 506 Fluorescence Microscopy (1.5 credits)

Principles and applications of fluorescence microscopy in biological research and an introduction to advanced techniques in fluorescence microscopy.

Natural Resources Conservation (under the Faculty of Forestry)

Plant Science

Course Code Course Title External URL
PLNT 540 Plant Molecular Biology Laboratory (same as BOTA 544/FRST 503) https://courses.students.ubc.ca/cs/main?pname=subjarea&tname=subjareas&req=3&dept=PLNT&course=540

Zoology

Course Code Course Title External URL
ZOOL 500 Directed Studies in Zoology
ZOOL 503 Comparative Animal Physiology Seminar https://courses.students.ubc.ca/cs/main?pname=subjarea&tname=subjareas&req=3&dept=ZOOL&course=503
ZOOL 554 Topics in Comparative and Environmental Physiology https://courses.students.ubc.ca/cs/main?pname=subjarea&tname=subjareas&req=3&dept=ZOOL&course=554