Thesis
Timelines
Because of the sequence of steps involved in the preliminary acceptance of the thesis, inviting the external examiner, and obtaining his/her report, students need to plan to have the final draft of the thesis in the hands of their supervisor and supervisory committee at least twelve weeks before the desired date of the final oral examination (thesis defense). This time frame is especially important if the student hopes or needs to defend by a particular convocation deadline. Students must also ensure that they are registered in Thesis in their last registration prior to convocation.
Preliminary acceptance of the thesis
The first step is for supervisory committee members to declare in writing to the supervisor either that the thesis is of adequate substance (and quality) to warrant that the student proceed to the final oral examination or that the thesis is unsatisfactory and the student should not be allowed to proceed to the final oral examination. These declarations are then formalized through the signing of the “Preliminary Acceptance of Thesis” form (available from the Graduate Secretary). Committee members should expect to be given at least three weeks to read and evaluate the thesis.
Choosing and inviting the external examiner or reader
The external (known as the “external/external”) is a faculty member from another university whose function is to guarantee both the quality of the thesis and the academic integrity of the examination process. Accordingly, the external must be both a recognized authority in the special field of research of the thesis and an experienced supervisor of doctoral students. He/she must be in a position to review the thesis objectively and to provide a critical analysis of the work and the presentation, and therefore may not have a current or previous association with the student, the supervisor, or the Department that would hinder this type of objective analysis. The Associate Chair (Graduate Studies) is to nominate the external to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research at least two months in advance of the examination date (and the external must provide a CV before the invitation is issued).
Report of the external
The external (whether examiner or reader) must receive the thesis at least four weeks before the final oral examination, and the thesis may not be sent before it receives preliminary acceptance from the supervisory committee or before the official invitation is issued by the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research. The external should not contact the supervisor directly regarding the thesis.
The normal practice in the Department is for the external to attend the final oral examination as an examiner. In this case, the external is requested in the letter of invitation sent by the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research to place the thesis temporarily in one of the following categories:
- the thesis is acceptable with minor or no revisions.
- the external wishes to reserve judgment until after the examination.
- the thesis is unacceptable without major revisions. If the external judges the thesis to fall into this category, he/she is asked to contact the Associate Dean, FGSR, immediately, since the final examination may have to be postponed.
In addition, the external examiner is requested to prepare and send to the Associate Chair (Graduate Studies), at least one week in advance of the examination, a brief written commentary (approximately two to three pages) on the structure, methodology, quality, significance, and findings of the thesis for the reference of both the candidate and supervisor. The commentary should not be given to the student prior to the examination.
If the external participates in the process as a reader and does not attend the final oral examination, he/she is requested to provide to the Associate Chair (Graduate Studies) and the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, at least one week in advance of the examination, a written evaluation of the thesis, including the following items:
- a statement that the thesis is acceptable for the doctoral degree.
- either a brief, written commentary on the scope, structure, methodology, and findings of the thesis, which can be read to the candidate for response, or a list of clear, direct, contextualized questions (preferably no more than five) for the candidate to address during the examination.
- a list of minor corrections (if any).
The chair of the examining committee will present the external reader’s report and questions to the student for the first time during the examination and the committee will evaluate the student’s answers as part of the examination.
Specific student instructions
The Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research instructions for formatting the thesis are available online at "Preparing the Thesis". This site also contains the “Thesis Approval/Program Completion” form; students are to bring a printed copy of this form, with Part I completed, to the oral thesis defense in case of acceptance of the thesis.