Setting Up Your Graduate Oral Examination
Information for Faculty of Science MSc and PhD students on candidacy and dissertation procedures.
Candidacy Examination
Doctoral students must be admitted to candidacy before they can complete a thesis
Purpose of the Candidacy Exam: to ascertain that the student is ready and able to carry out high-quality doctoral level research independently, with the support of the supervisory committee.
Responsibility: as your primary mentor, it is your supervisor’s responsibility to guide you through the candidacy process and schedule your candidacy exam.
The Faculty of Science Candidacy procedure falls under the Faculty of Graduate Studies Candidacy Regulations.
Guidelines for Neutral Chair: The Neutral Chair Duties for a Candidacy Examination are outlined below in each department’s candidacy requirements document, under the Candidacy Exam Checklist-> 3. Meet Candidacy Program requirements section.
For a student to be eligible to proceed to their candidacy exam they must follow these five checklist items:
1. Be active in program: A student must have an active registration status, and their student account is in good standing.
2. Follow time-line to Candidacy: The entire candidacy process must be completed within 28 months of registering in the program. If that is not the case, an extension to candidacy must be applied for.
3. Meet Candidacy Program requirements: The student must meet all program requirements to proceed to the Candidacy Examination. Each department has candidacy requirements that are specific to their department.
Each department's candidacy requirements:
Biological Sciences:
Candidacy requirements
Chemistry:
Candidacy Requirements (as of September 2015)
Master’s Candidacy Program Checklist
Doctoral Candidacy Program Checklist
Computer Science
Candidacy Requirements
Computational Media
Candidacy Requirements
Earth, Energy, and Environment:
Thesis proposal and doctoral candidacy requirements
Mathematics and Statistics:
Candidacy Requirements
Physics and Astronomy:
Candidacy examination document
4. Submit Supervisory Committee approval document: Document from the Supervisory Committee approval submitted to the Graduate Science Center.
__________________
Once a student is eligible to proceed to their candidacy exam, the supervisor must:
5. Schedule the exam: Supervisor can then initiate arrangements for scheduling the candidacy oral examination by submitting:
Candidacy Oral Exam Scheduling Request Form
Candidacy oral exam examination committee and scheduling requests should be submitted 3 weeks ahead of the proposed exam date.
Schedule your Candidacy Oral Exam
Candidacy oral exam examination committee and scheduling requests should be submitted 3 weeks ahead of the proposed exam date.
Thesis Examination
All thesis-based students must complete an oral examination to defend their thesis.
Purpose of the Thesis Exam: is not only to defend independently the thesis, but also to serve as confirmation of the student’s knowledge of the research topic within the context of their field of study.
Responsibility: as your primary mentor, it is your supervisor’s responsibility to schedule your thesis exam and coordinating your supervisory committee.
The Faculty of Science Thesis procedure falls under the Faculty of Graduate Studies Thesis Regulations and thesis exam administrative procedures.
Guidelines for Neutral Chair: A Neutral Chair ensures that policy and procedure are correctly followed during and after an oral examination, and guards against perceived conflict of interest or undue influence. Here is the link Faculty of Graduate Studies - Guidelines for Neutral Chair for a Thesis Examination
For a student to be eligible to proceed to their thesis exam they must follow these five checklist items:
1. Be active in program: A student must have an active registration status, and their student account is in good standing.
2. Follow maximum completion time: The student must not have exceeded their maximum completion time in the program. If the maximum completion time will be exceeded, then an Extension to Program form needs to be submitted.
3. Meet program requirements: The student must meet all program requirements to proceed to the Thesis Examination.
4. Have Supervisory Committee thesis approval: Document from the Supervisory Committee approval on file.
__________________
Once a student is eligible to proceed to their thesis exam, the supervisor must:
5. Schedule the exam: Supervisor can then initiate arrangements for scheduling the thesis oral examination by submitting:
Master of Science
MSc Oral Exam Scheduling Request Form
In order to meet FGS requirements, MSc oral exam examination committee and scheduling details be submitted 6 weeks ahead of the proposed exam date. FGS must approve the Notice of Thesis Oral Examination at least 4 weeks before the exam date.
Doctor of Philosophy
External Examiner Scheduling Form
In order to meet FGS requirements, the External Examiner Scheduling Form must be submitted to the Graduate Science Center (GSC) 8 weeks ahead of the proposed exam date. FGS must approve the External Examiner at least 6 weeks before the exam date.
External Examiner CV requirements for FGS approval:
- have a well-established research reputation
- Note: research reputation is based on publications, grants/funding received and presentations at conferences, membership of important bodies etc.
- have expertise in the area of the student’s research
- have experience in evaluating theses at the graduate level
- have experience in supervising to completion at the graduate level
- is not a close personal friend of the supervisor
- Note: Website searches to look for collaboration
- have not collaborated with the supervisor in past five years
- is not closely related to, or have worked with the candidate
- must not have been a supervisor in the candidate’s graduate program in the past three years
- must not have served as external examiner in the candidate’s program in the past two years.
PhD Oral Exam Scheduling Request Form
In order to meet FGS requirements, the PhD Oral Exam Scheduling Request Form must be submitted 6 weeks ahead of the proposed exam date. FGS must approve the Notice of Thesis Oral Examination at least 4 weeks before the exam date.
Schedule your MSc Oral Exam
MSc oral exam examination committee and scheduling requests should be submitted 6 weeks ahead of the proposed exam date. FGS must approve the Notice of Thesis Oral Examination at least 4 weeks before the exam date.
Schedule your PhD Oral Exam
PhD oral exam examination External Examiner Form must be submitted 8 weeks ahead of the proposed exam date. FGS must approve the External Examiner at least 6 weeks before the exam date.
PhD oral exam examination Form must be submitted 6 weeks ahead of the proposed exam date. FGS must approve the Notice of Thesis Oral Examination at least 4 weeks before the exam date.