Students entering the program will normally have completed an Honours Bachelor’s degree with a minimum admission average of B (75% and higher) in one of the following fields: biology, molecular biology and genetics, biotechnology, microbiology, biochemistry, biophysics, food science, agriculture, food production systems, commerce with a strong science background. Anyone lacking the required background will be encouraged to complete them prior to commencing their studies in the new program (typically in the immediately preceding summer semester) or, if approved by the program counsellor, during their studies. Students whose first language is not English require a minimum TOEFL score of 93 with a minimum score of 22 in each of the four categories, or a minimum IELTS score of 7.0, with a minimum of at least 6.5 in each component. Applicants who have completed an undergraduate degree from institutions where the language of instruction was English may be exempt from ESL requirements, pending departmental approval.

All components of the application, including transcript(s), graduate certificate(s), grading scale(s), language test results and assessment forms must be uploaded no later than two months after an application is submitted through the OUAC portal. Applications that are incomplete after this time period will be closed.

Graduate student applications to programs in the College of Biological Science are handled by the Office of the Associate Dean, Research (ADR). Before submitting an application, applicants are strongly encouraged to view the "Before you Apply" and "Admission Process" webpages on the ADR Future Student's site.

Space in this program will be limited and students are advised to apply as early as possible to be accepted for the following Fall. Application details are posted on the program web-site.

A total of 4.0 course credits are required to graduate, which must include BIOT*6500, BIOT*6600, BIOT*6550, BIOT*6610 and BIOT*6700 (each 0.50). In addition, the research project course BIOT*6800 (1.00) must be taken in Semester 3. Additional courses can be selected from electives.

An optional Semester 4 may be added, as a research project extension.

Students will normally take three courses per semester for two semesters (3.0 credits) and complete the Biotechnology Masters project (1.0) credit in semester 3. Therefore, the program normally takes 12 months of full-time study. There is, however, the option to continue the Biotechnology Masters project into a second fall semester, in which case the program will take 16 months of full-time study.