Interdisciplinary Oncology Graduate Specialization (IOGS)

 

APPLICATION

Application to the program is through the Interdisciplinary Oncology Steering Committee (email to sga49@sfu.ca): 

Note that to enroll in the Interdisciplinary Oncology Graduate Specialization, a student must be a thesis-based MSc or PhD student at SFU and must first be accepted into a home department (usually based on their senior supervisor's affiliation). IOGS core courses are ONC 502 and ONC 510 but overall program requirements may vary depending on the home department. 

MSC REQUIREMENTS

Students complete the following graduate courses, including:

and one unit of MBB colloquia by completing one of:

*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.

PHD Requirements

Entry with a BSc or equivalent

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

and one unit of MBB colloquia by completing one of:

and at least one of the following elective courses*:

*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.

Entry with a MSc Degree

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

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.

ONCOLOGY COURSE OUTLINES

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.