The courses offered by the CELL Program are intended to ensure that a student acquires a solid understanding of the scientific fundamentals and methodologies of contemporary cell and developmental biology, and develops the critical thinking abilities and communication skills that are central to success as a scientist.
To achieve these goals, the Program offers Process and Content courses. The Process courses focus on developing students’ communication and critical thinking abilities whereas the Content courses focus on the scientific fundamentals of contemporary cell and developmental biology. Given the great diversity of research conducted by cell and developmental biologists, a modular format allow students the required flexibility to receive instruction in the topics and methodologies that are of most relevance to their individual backgrounds, specific research areas and goals.
All of the Program’s courses take place on the UBC Vancouver Campus at the Life Sciences Institute.
Important information about choosing and registering in CELL Program Courses
1. The Program Coordinator automatically registers students in the CELL Program who are required to take the Process courses. Other students interested in taking these courses should contact the CELL Program Coordinator.
2. Not all of the Content courses are offered every year. If the projected student enrollment in a given course is less than five (5) students, the course may be cancelled at the discretion of the Course Instructor(s). For this reason, you must register for Term 1 (Sept. – Dec.) Content courses before the end of the 2nd week in August. For Content courses running in Term 2 (Jan. – Apr.), the registration deadline is December 1. Advance registration allows students to identify an alternative course should their initial choice not be offered because of low enrollment. It also allows the CELL Program to open up seats in course(s) to non-CELL students on waiting lists.
3. Consult with your Research Supervisor about your selection of Content courses. Do not register in multiple courses in the belief that you can simply not turn up to some of them or drop the ones you decide that you ‘don’t like’ after the first class and only continue in the ones that you ‘do like’. This causes all sorts of problems for the Course Instructors and other students. Please consult with your Research Supervisor on Content course selection and then, barring exceptional circumstances, stick with it. If you are unsure of a given course’s content, contact the Course Instructor(s) for information.