New school will combine current programs into one major, offering students ‘more options and fluidity’
Photo via the University of Victoria.
This fall, UVic’s Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology (BCMB) will become the School of Molecular Life Sciences (MLSC), combining their current two undergraduate programs in biochemistry and microbiology into one molecular life sciences major.
The current master’s and PhD programs in Biochemistry and Microbiology will remain unchanged, and MLSC will retain BCMB’s honours, combined major, and co-op programs.
Current declared students in BCMB have the option to continue with their current program, or transition to the MLSC major. Any incoming first years and transfer students starting after September 2026 will go into the new program.
In an interview with the Martlet, Dr. Jennifer Cobb, the BCMB department chair, explained that the changes are intended to “create more options and fluidity” for students.
MLSC majors can specialize in biochemistry or microbiology, where their transcripts will say either “Option in Biochemistry” or “Option in Microbiology.” These specializations resemble the requirements for the old majors, Cobb said.
According to a statement from the university, the main program changes include removing certain requirements including the first year physics course, adding two new required classes at the 100- and 300-levels, and the amalgamation of two 400-level lab courses.
Bronte Coyle, who is entering her fourth year of biochemistry, said she likes that MLSC has created a first year class to introduce incoming students to the fields of biochemistry and microbiology.
UVic Senate approved the MLSC proposals in December 2025. The rationale for the proposed changes provided to Senate noted that other Canadian and international institutions have made similar shifts in their language to incorporate “molecular terminology,” and said the new name would align with a “trend toward broader, interdisciplinary, and molecularly-focused branding.”
Cobb said that their designation as a school rather than a department was intentional, though the reporting structure of the two are almost identical.
“We felt [a department] kind of sounds more … like a physical location, and currently about 35 per cent of the research that’s going on isn’t physically located here.”
MLSC, Cobb explained, has partnerships with the BC Cancer Deeley Research Centre at Royal Jubilee Hospital and the Genome BC Proteomics Centre at the Vancouver Island Technology Park.
Dr. Shay Waugh, a two-time UVic microbiology grad, thinks the changes could be very beneficial by enhancing the interdisciplinary nature of the training students receive. Waugh’s own research combines microbiology with disciplines like molecular biology, immunology, biochemistry, and bioinformatics.
Waugh, having finished her PhD in microbiology, will soon begin a post-doctoral fellowship at UBC’s Life Sciences Institute.
“It seems like life sciences is this term that is trying to encompass the diversity and the intersection of all these different fields,” Waugh said. “I think… [UVic is] utilizing this to expand their program to be more representative of the actual practical work of doing science nowadays.”
Discussions around a name change began as early as 2024 following an external departmental review, and in May 2025, faculty members voted unanimously for the name change.
Cobb said that MLSC also used feedback from a student survey while developing the changes.
Dr. Al Boraston, BCMB undergraduate advisor, also told the Martlet that the new name captures the interdisciplinary nature of the work in the department. “The distinction between biochemistry and microbiology has blurred more and more over the years,” he said.
However, students have mixed thoughts about the changes.
“It seems like there’s been a lot of stuff that maybe wasn’t really told to students,” said Isabel Washeim, a 2026 biochemistry grad and MLSC lab assistant. “A lot of these changes came … very quickly, at least from the student perspective.”
Coyle said that if MLSC were to make this change again, she wishes they would take students’ opinions into account, and let students know earlier. She told the Martlet that she was first introduced to potential changes in fall 2025 when students were asked to complete the survey, but “didn’t realize how serious it was.”
The survey had 70 students participate; fourth year biochemistry major Josiah Lee Nelson was not a participant, and says he learned about the changes through email and word of mouth.
Despite the sudden changes to the curriculum, Washeim believes the faculty and lab instructors are well-equipped to support students.
“I have full faith that they’re going to do a fantastic job,” she said.
Incoming transfer student Lex Robillard said they only learned about the transition from BCMB to MLSC when emailing admissions with a different question and were told they were no longer a biochemistry student.
Robillard said they were upset to learn about the changes, having already moved to Victoria for the BCMB program and declined offers from other institutions.
As a transfer student, Robillard is considered a “new entrant” per UVic’s policy.
“It’s just really frustrating to me that other people who’ve done the same amount of schooling as me have a choice, but I don’t,” they said.
Robillard’s partner is also transferring into MLSC, and has not yet been notified of the change, they said.
“He only knows that he’s not doing … microbiology because I told him.”
Several students that spoke with the Martlet expressed concerns around hirability and having a competitive edge for grad school applications with a MLSC major.
Coyle wonders if the workforce outside of UVic is ready for the transition to MLSC.
“I don’t know if we fully prepped… [employers to receive] a resume and a cover letter that says [you] graduated with a molecular life sciences degree rather than a biochemistry degree,” she said.
Robillard similarly worries an MLSC major may impact their chances when applying for master’s or PhD programs.
“My concern is … having a degree that’s just an ‘option in biochemistry’ might put me below other candidates because they have the actual fully specialized biochemistry degree that I would not end up receiving,” they shared.
In response to these concerns, Cobb, whose own undergrad was in psychology, explained that students often cross between disciplines after graduation.
“If you look at individuals who are in labs, many don’t have the same [background],” she said.
Waugh shared similar advice, saying that her journey to grad school and lab work was based more on her research experience and publications.
Boraston believes MLSC will have a positive impact instead of limiting students after graduation. “When [you] have a biochemistry degree, people are automatically assuming that you have a certain skill set, and that skill set may or may not match what they want,” he said.
“With [MLSC], you don’t have that bias anymore. The students are going to be evaluated based on what they’ve done.”
