About the Department

The University of Saskatchewan (USask) is located in Saskatoon, an attractive city of 270,000 people along the South Saskatchewan River. Saskatoon is situated in the transition zone between the northern Great Plains and the aspen parkland that forms the southern edge of the boreal forest. The landscape is flat to undulating and is dotted with sloughs and aspen groves. The primary land use around Saskatoon is agriculture. The boreal forest is a few hours drive to the north and it is a short distance to the open short-grass prairies to the south. Founded in 1907, USask now has an enrolment of around 26,000 students. Graduate students play an important role in the life of the university and there is a wide range of opportunities for graduate study and research here.

The department of Biology has graduate programs leading to Postgraduate Diploma, M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees. The faculty, which includes associate members and adjunct professors from other departments and institutes on campus, has particular strength in ecology and behaviour, plant biotechnology and developmental biology. Joint graduate research programs can be arranged with other colleges of the University (Western College of Veterinary Medicine, College of Medicine, College of Agriculture and Bioresources) and several government institutions on the campus [ Canadian Wildlife Service, Prairie and Northern Wildlife Research Centre; National Research Council, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Research Centre, National Water Research Institute, Environment Canada; Saskatchewan Environment and Resource Management].