master thesis canada

Master’s Thesis

Master’s general requirements, types of theses.

Master’s theses submitted by students in partial fulfillment of degree requirements must embody the results of original research and must be successfully defended at oral examinations. Master’s theses shall be on a topic approved by the student’s supervisor and supervisory committee, and shall include submission and approval of a thesis proposal, including appropriate ethics review and approval, in accordance with Faculty and program requirements and procedures.

Master’s theses should demonstrate that the student is familiar with and has an acceptable understanding of the literature in the subject of the thesis; that appropriate research methods have been used, and that appropriate levels of critical analysis have been applied. The research embodied in the thesis should make some original contribution to knowledge in the field.

By submitting a thesis or dissertation, a student is making the representation that it is entirely his or her own work and that it has been done while he or she was a graduate student at York University.

If such is not the case, then the student must indicate in a signed, written statement what part of the thesis or dissertation is solely his or her own or co-authored. If co-authored, the candidate must provide an account of its provenance. The supervisor must produce her or his own corroborative written statement.

If a thesis or dissertation is the result of collaborative work, then the nature of the collaboration and the extent of the candidate’s contribution must be described in a written statement signed by the candidate and approved in writing by the candidate’s supervisor. Where there has been collaboration with others in the collection or preparation of data, materials, or documentation included in the thesis or dissertation, then appropriate acknowledgment must be made in the thesis or dissertation.

If a thesis or dissertation—or any part thereof—has been published prior to submission of the thesis/dissertation, then the candidate must disclose this fact in a signed written statement, and the supervisor must approve in writing the inclusion of such work in the thesis or dissertation. In cases where one or more chapters of the thesis or dissertation have been previously published in a journal or book to which the author has assigned copyright, permission to include the chapter(s) in the thesis or dissertation must be obtained from the copyright holder(s). Please see the section on Copyright for more details.

A thesis or dissertation containing previously published material of which the candidate is the author and/or co-author should also contain a review of the literature that adequately explains the relationship to the literature of the work undertaken. In addition, it should contain a rationale for the study. These elements may form part of the body of the work – normally an introduction or opening chapter – that leads coherently into the publications. Furthermore, there should be a concluding chapter or section that discusses the body of the thesis or dissertation, including all previously published parts.

A false representation or failure to make a disclosure as outlined above is an academic offence and renders the thesis or dissertation ineligible for consideration of the relevant degree.

The general form and style of a thesis/dissertation may differ from program to program, but a thesis/dissertation should be a coherent work. This means that if a thesis/dissertation contains separate manuscripts, there needs also to be introductory and concluding chapters that explain how these separate manuscripts fit together into a unified body of research. If previously published materials are included, then it should be made clear what exactly is the student’s own work and what is the contribution of other researchers, as outlined above under Originality of a Thesis/Dissertation.

All theses and dissertations must contain a written component. Theses and dissertations may, however, include other components in addition to the written component.

A complex electronic thesis/dissertation is a work with a high reliance on slides, film or videos, electronically interactive word/image-based text on CD-ROM or the internet. For complex electronic theses/dissertations, part of the work can be produced in traditional written form, but key elements of the work depend on direct experience with or interaction with a text whose physical form may be changed as a consequence of the interaction. Students producing a multimedia thesis/dissertation should consult with the  Theses Canada Portal  on the  Library and Archives Canada  website for advice on formats supportable for preservation. However, a student may work in or submit work in an unsupported format as part of the oral exam as long as the work is readily accessible by the exam committee and the student submits a written component.

A multimodal thesis/dissertation is a work in which the key component is a performance or piece of art. For multimodal theses/dissertations, part of the work can be produced in traditional written form, but key elements of the work depend on direct experience by the exam committee with, for example, displayed artworks or theatrical productions.

For both electronic and multimodal theses/dissertations, students may wish to include supplementary files as part of their final submission (see  Final Submission Tab ).

A thesis or dissertation should be written in English, but approval may be given to a written request from a student for a thesis or dissertation to be written in French or in the language of any Aboriginal/First Nations people in North America, subject to confirmation from the director of the graduate program concerned that relevant supervision and sufficient support for the completion of such written work can be provided.

For theses/dissertation written in English, either American or British spelling is acceptable provided that it is used consistently throughout.

Students preparing their thesis/dissertation should follow a single style guide appropriate to their discipline.  The York University Libraries  provides links to various style guides for various disciplines.

Thesis Proposals

In accordance with program requirements and procedures, all students should prepare a thesis/dissertation proposal, normally in consultation with their supervisor in advance of commencing their proposed inquiry. Each program should have written guidelines and should communicate them to candidates, as and when appropriate.

At a minimum, the proposal should contain a brief statement in non-technical language on the purpose/goals of the thesis/dissertation research, its relationship to existing work in the area, through an abbreviated literature review, the research question(s), the proposed methodology(ies) with rationale, and the contribution which the researcher hopes to make to the advancement of knowledge in the field. In addition, the proposal includes a title, the name of the supervisor and the supervisory committee. The title should indicate as clearly as possible the area of research, but it is understood that this title may change. The recommended maximum length of a proposal is 3,500 words, but individual programs may require proposals of a greater length. Proposals must be reviewed and approved by a student’s thesis or dissertation committee.

Following approval of the proposal by the supervisory committee, students must submit one or more copies of the proposal to the graduate program director. After confirming that the relevant Faculty and internal program requirements have been satisfied, the program director is responsible for submitting the proposals to the Office of the Dean, Graduate Studies using the  Form TD1: Thesis/Dissertation Research Submission . As indicated on Form TD1: Thesis/Dissertation Research Submission, submission of the proposal to the Office of the Dean, Graduate Studies, includes submission of the relevant research ethics forms and documentation. For more information on required documentation and submission procedures, please refer to the Research Ethics section of this Handbook.

For a master’s thesis, the supervisory committee must review the student’s research proposal and recommend its approval not less than three months prior to the date set for the oral examination.

Please note that the deadlines outlined above are the Faculty’s minimum requirements, and individual graduate programs may have more specific requirements and timelines with respect to the development, review and approval of thesis/dissertation proposals. Students should consult their program for more details. Further, the Faculty deadlines outlined above may not provide the time necessary for ethics approval, if required. More information regarding research ethics is provided below.

Research Ethics

York University is committed to the highest standards of integrity in research. All projects involving the use of human subjects, animals, and biohazardous materials are subject to review by the appropriate University committee. York has formulated policies and procedures for the conduct of research involving all three of these areas.

As indicated on Form TD1: Thesis/Dissertation Research Submission , submission of the thesis/dissertation proposal to the Office of the Dean, Graduate Studies for approval must include the relevant research ethics forms and documentation.

All research involving human participants is governed by the Senate Policy for the Ethics Review Process for Research Involving Human Participants . The Senate Policy stipulates that all University-based research involving human participants, whether funded or non-funded, faculty or student, scholarly, commercial or consultative, is subject to an ethics review process. The Senate Policy for the Ethics Review Process for Research Involving Human Participants and corresponding review procedures adhere to the published guidelines of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, known as the Tri-Council Policy Statement (TCPS).

Please note that in accordance with the TCPS and Senate policy, graduate students undertaking research with human participants may not begin that research until their proposal has received approval from the appropriate body . Further, prior to conducting research involving human participants, graduate students are required to complete the complete the TCPS tutorial .

Details regarding the ethics review procedures for thesis/dissertation research involving human participants is available on the Faculty of Graduate Studies research ethics webpage .

Students conducting research with human participants may be required to submit the Form TD2: Human Participants Research Protocol . Additional forms may be required.

Further details regarding the University policies and ethics review procedures for thesis/dissertation research involving animals and biohazardous materials is available on the Office of Research Ethics web page.

Ethics guidelines for other research situations are also available on the Office of Research Ethics web page, including:

• Invasive Procedures
• Health and Safety Checklist
• Surveys and Research in an Online Environment
• Research Conducted by External Researchers
• Research Conducted in Hospital Clinical Settings
• Research in Educational Settings
• Research Involving Minor Age Participants
• Research with People who are Homeless

Students hold copyright to their theses and dissertations, regardless of the method of submission. Consequently, a student is free to publish his or her thesis/dissertation following a successful oral examination. Please note that if a thesis/dissertation includes any work which is copyrighted to another party, permission may be required to publish the thesis/dissertation.

After a successful oral examination the  Library and Archives Canada Thesis Non-Exclusive License (.pdf)  must be submitted to the Office of the Dean, Faculty of Graduate Studies. The student must also accept the terms of the York University Copyright License as part of the electronic submission of their thesis/dissertation using the  Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD) .

By signing these licenses, a student is confirming that his or her thesis/dissertation is his or her original work, that his or her thesis/dissertation does not infringe any rights of others, and that he or she has the right to make the grant conferred by those copyright licenses. In addition, the student is granting a Licence to York University to make copies including electronically formatted copies, and/or distribute worldwide all or part of the thesis/dissertation, subject to the conditions outlined.

If applicable, the student should submit copies of any required copyright permissions prior to the final thesis/dissertation submission to the Office of the Dean, Graduate Studies. The student should also retain copies of all copyright permission requests and approvals.

The following sections provide guidance and suggestions with respect to when and how to secure copyright permission. It is, however, the responsibility of the student to confirm that if there is copyrighted material in his or her thesis/dissertation, it either complies with the “fair dealing” provisions of the  Canadian Copyright Act  or documented permission has been obtained to use the copyrighted material. The Office of the Dean, Faculty of Graduate Studies cannot offer legal advice as to whether or not copyright permission is required.

Limit of Copyright Protection : Copyright protection applies to original, literary, musical, dramatic or artistic works in a variety of forms, including written materials, computer software, and web-based formats regardless of whether the work in question is published or not and whether someone has made it available to the public or not. This protection expires 50 years after the death of the originator, regardless of who holds copyright at that time.

Public Domain : A work that is freely available to the public is not necessarily in the public domain. For a work to be in the public domain, the originator must have specifically waived copyright to the work, or copyright must have legally expired. Work that is in the public domain can be used by anyone without copyright being violated.

Fair Dealing : A student is allowed to use copyrighted material in his or her thesis/dissertation provided it falls under the  Canadian Copyright Act’s  definition of “fair dealing”. Information on York University’s Fair Dealing Guidelines can be reviewed at  York University—Copyright .

While it is required academic practice to cite sources, proper citation does not remove the obligation to obtain documented permission to use copyrighted permission that is not covered under the “fair dealing” provisions of the Canadian Copyright Act. If a thesis/dissertation includes any of the following elements, the student should seek copyright permission. (Please note that this is not an exhaustive list. If you require additional information on York’s Copyright Policy or Fair Dealing Guidelines contact the Copyright Office at  [email protected] ).

• Material or parts of material written by the thesis/dissertation author which have been previously published in a journal and to which the author has assigned copyright
• Material co-authored with another author(s) who share copyright
• Tables, figures, and all forms of images including photos, maps, graphs, drawings, logos etc. that have been obtained from a copyrighted source, including websites, newspapers, journals, books, brochures, professors’ lecture notes, etc.
• Scripts and recordings of any performance

In cases where a student is not certain that his or her use of copyrighted material is covered under the “fair dealing” provisions of the Canadian Copyright Act, documented permission from the copyright holder(s) must be obtained in order to include the material in the thesis/dissertation. Since securing copyright permission may take some time, it is strongly recommended that students being this process sooner rather than later. Please note that the copyright holder must be aware of and agree to the terms of the York University Copyright License and Library and Archives Canada Thesis Non-Exclusive License.

If seeking permission from a journal, a good first step is to check the journal’s website, which may provide information with respect to copyright, including advance permission to journal authors who have signed over copyright, how to request permission, and uses that are specifically prohibited. There are also a number of websites that may be helpful in determining the copyright policies of particular journals/publishers, including  Sherpa Romeo  and  EPrints . Some journals and publishers provide (on their website or on request) a policy statement granting copyright permission to the author of a thesis/dissertation who signed over copyright to the journal/publisher. In such cases, retain a copy of that policy statement as evidence of documented permission.

Alternatively, a student should contact the copyright holder. Sample text for a copyright permission request is included below. Although email proof of permission is acceptable, please note that an original, signed letter on the copyright holder’s letterhead is the best protection against accusations of copyright violation.

Students should provide copies of any required copyright permissions prior to submission of their final thesis/dissertation to the Graduate Milestones and Progression Coordinator in the Office of the Dean, Graduate Studies. Students should also retain copies of all copyright permission requests and approvals.

[Date] [Name] [Address] Re: Request for Permission to Use Copyrighted Material in a Thesis/Dissertation Dear: I am a York University student preparing my thesis/dissertation for submission as part of the requirements of my master’s/doctoral degree in [program]. The title of my [thesis/dissertation] is: […] The reason I am writing is to ask permission to include the following material in my thesis/dissertation: [Provide standard reference information for the material, including figure/table number, if any, and page numbers. If appropriate, you can also briefly describe the manner/context in which the material will be used in thesis/dissertation.] The material will be fully cited in my thesis/dissertation. In the interest of facilitating research by others, my thesis/dissertation will be available on the internet for reference, study and/or copy. The electronic version of my thesis/dissertation will be accessible through the York University Libraries website and catalogue, and also through various web search engines. I will be granting Library and Archives Canada a non-exclusive license to reproduce, loan, distribute, or sell single copies of my thesis by any means and in any form or format. These rights will in no way restrict republication of the material in any other form by you or by others authorized by you. Could you please confirm in writing or by email that these arrangements meet with your approval. If you do not solely control the copyright in the material, please let me know as soon as possible. I would also appreciate any information you can provide about others to whom I should write to request permission. If you would like to confirm permission in writing, you can do so by signing and completing the information below and returning this signed and completed letter in the enclosed self-addressed stamped envelope by [date]. If you would like to confirm permission by email, my email address is […]. Sincerely, [Your Name and Signature] I, the undersigned, hereby represent and warrant that I have authority to grant the permission requested and do grant the permission. Signature: Name:

Students must include full citations for any copyrighted material used in their thesis/dissertation regardless of source, including photos, pictures, charts, graphs and tables.

Each citation must include the copyright symbol, name of the copyright holder (who may or may not be the author), and, if applicable, a statement that the use of the material or adaptation (in the case of adapted graphics) is by permission of the copyright holder.

In cases where use of copyrighted material is not covered under the “fair dealing” provisions of the Canadian Copyright Act and a student is unable to secure permission from the copyright holder (or there is a charge for obtaining permission), the material in question must be removed from the thesis/dissertation. In its place, the student should indicate that the material has been removed because of copyright restrictions.

Depending upon the nature of the material, the student may want to include additional information. In the case of a figure or image that has been removed, a description of the missing material and a full citation of source material and where it can be found (including, if possible, a link to an online source) would be helpful to those reading the thesis/dissertation. In the case of a chapter that was previously published in a journal, an abstract of the chapter content and link to the journal website where the article can be found could be provided.

Organization & Technical Requirements

Although the form, style, sections, etc. of main body (text) of the thesis/dissertation may differ from program to program, all theses/dissertations must include the following components in the following order.

The front matter of the thesis/dissertation must be numbered with lower case Roman numerals. The page number should be not be included on the title page, although the title page is considered page i. Numbering must be included starting with the abstract, as page ii, and continue until the end of the front matter, as follows:

The main body of the thesis/dissertation, starting with the introduction or chapter one, must be numbered with Arabic numerals, beginning with the number 1. Each chapter of the main body must begin on a separate page. Footnotes and/or endnotes are considered part of the main body of the thesis/dissertation.

The back matter of the thesis/dissertation includes references (or the bibliography), as well as any appendices, glossaries, indexes, where and as applicable. The back matter must be numbered with Arabic numerals, which should follow from the last page of the main body of the thesis/dissertation.

Each appendix must be assigned an alphabetical letter and title, (e.g., Appendix A: Title). Appendices are ordered in the same sequence as they are referred to in the body of the text; that is, the appendix first mentioned in the text is assigned the letter A, the second is B, etc. Materials in the appendices that are copied from other sources must meet the same requirements as the body of the paper, for example, copies or scans from books, maps, etc., must be clear and legible, and must maintain the same margins.

Technical Requirements

A sample title page is provided below. The title page should include the following information:

• Thesis/Dissertation Title: The title should provide a concise and meaningful description of the thesis/dissertation. It is recommended that the title include key words to make the thesis/dissertation more easily searchable. It is also recommended that formulas, Greek letters, symbols and abbreviations be avoided in the title, and that they be written out as words instead.
• Student Name: The name on the title page must be the one under which the student is registered at York University.
• All title pages must include the following statement: A Dissertation* submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy* [*For a master’s thesis, replace “Dissertation” with “Thesis”, and indicate the master’s degree designation (e.g. Master of Arts, Master of Science, Master of Fine Arts) in place of “Doctor of Philosophy”]
• Program and Institution: Name of Program [e.g. English, Biology, Music], York University, Toronto, Ontario
• Date: The month and year that the Chair of the Examining Committee confirmed successful defense of the thesis/dissertation
• Copyright: The universal copyright symbol ©, followed by the student name (which must be the name under which the student is registered at York University) and year that the Chair of the Examining Committee confirmed successful defense of the thesis/dissertation.

The information on the title page may be centered, as long as all margins are at least 1 inch (25 mm). The font of the title page need not be the same as that used in the sample title page provided below.

Each thesis or dissertation must contain an abstract. The abstract is expected to give a succinct account of the thesis/dissertation so that a reader can decide whether to read the complete work.

For master’s theses, the abstract cannot exceed 150 words, while, for doctoral dissertations, the abstract cannot exceed 350 words. An abstract contains a statement of the problem, the procedure or methods used, the results and the conclusions.

The abstract should be inserted immediately following the Title Page, and should be numbered “ii”.

An acknowledgements page may be included.

The Table of Contents, List of Tables and List of Figures, where applicable, should follow the abstract (or acknowledgements, if any). Curriculum vitae, list of student-authored publications, or conference presentations do not form part of the contents of the thesis/dissertation. A truncated version of the Table of Contents should not precede each chapter.

The document must be formatted using letter-sized pages (8.5 x 11 inches).

The same font type (e.g. Arial or Times New Roman) should be used throughout the thesis/dissertation, particularly the main body.

The font size of the main body of the thesis/dissertation must be a minimum of 10 points, with smaller font sizes permitted for endnotes/footnotes, graphs, formulae, appendices, etc. A font size larger than 12 points is not recommended for the main body of the thesis/dissertation.

The line spacing must be at least one-and-a-half (1.5) spaces or double-spaced. Single spacing may be used for long quotations and foot/endnotes.

All margins must beat least 1 inch (25mm). Margins may be wider but not narrower than the stated requirements. For example, the first page of every chapter may have a top margin of 2.5 inches.

Running headers to put title, name, chapter, etc., on each page are not acceptable.

All page numbers should be in a consistent location, that is either centre bottom, centre top, right top corner, or right bottom corner. They must fall at the 1 inch (25 mm) margin. There should be no blank pages or large blank spaces within the thesis or dissertation.

Each diagram and table should be numbered. Page numbers should appear in the same position on the page as they appear elsewhere in the body of the text. Tables may be horizontal or vertical as long as the required margins are used. Diagrams must be generated by graphic software.

All images included in the thesis or dissertation should be of high quality and sufficient resolution.

• Sample Title Page (.pdf)
• Sample Table of Contents (.pdf)
• Sample List of Tables (.pdf)

Oral Examination

Master’s thesis exam committees.

A thesis examining committee shall consist of at least three voting members, including the Chair, as follows:

• two graduate faculty members chosen from the program and/or supervisory committee, at least one of whom must be from the supervisory committee;
• one graduate faculty member at arm’s length from the thesis 1 , and for whom there is no conflict of interest 2 .

The Chair of the examining committee shall be chosen from among the voting members. Members of the student’s thesis supervisory committee may be members of the examining committee, but the principal supervisor may not serve as the Chair of the examining committee.

These are minimum requirements with respect to the composition of and quorum for thesis examining committees. Individual graduate programs may include one additional voting member on examining committees, in accordance with program requirements and procedures.

In exceptional circumstances, the Dean may approve a program director’s recommendation that a York University faculty member who is not a member of the graduate faculty serve as a member (but not the Chair) of an examining committee. Such recommendations are to be accompanied by a brief rationale and an up-to-date curriculum vitae, which may be attached to the  Recommendation for Oral Examination Form .

In addition to the voting members, the thesis examining committee may include the following ex-officio members (non-voting, unless present as one of the voting members named above): Vice-President Academic & Provost, Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies or their representative, Graduate Program Director.

The examination may be conducted in person, remotely by videoconference, or in hybrid format, the student’s preference of which is to be considered.

External examiners who would otherwise require local lodging will be asked to participate remotely via videoconference unless there is a demonstrable benefit to in-person participation. Local members of the examination committee are expected to participate in person, on campus.

1 “Arm’s length” refers to a relationship which is “conducted between parties that have no corporate or other direct connections, familial or financial relationships with each other, and thus act each in its own self-interest.”

2 Individuals in the Faculty of Graduate Studies are responsible for ensuring that they do not have a real, perceived, or potential conflict of interest that may impact the integrity of their activities, particularly, involving assessment and evaluation arising from current, previous, or foreseen future relationships. See Conflict of Interest Disclosure with Respect to Graduate Student Education for more information.

The membership of each master’s thesis exam committee, including designation of the Chair, must be recommended by the appropriate graduate program director for approval and appointment by the Dean of Graduate Studies as soon as possible and no later than 15 business days before the date set for the oral examination.

Copies of the master’s thesis approved by the supervisory committee must be provided to the members of the examining committee no less than 15 business days before the date of the oral examination.

Prior to the establishment of a master’s thesis exam committee, the student’s supervisory committee must read the thesis and agree that the version read is ready to proceed to oral examination.

Following agreement by the supervisory committee that the thesis is ready to proceed to oral examination, recommendation for membership of a master’s thesis exam committee (as well as the date and location of the oral exam) is formally initiated by the graduate program director via submission of a  Recommendation for Oral Examination Form  to the Graduate Milestones and Progression Coordinator in the Office of the Dean, Graduate Studies.

Final approval of master’s thesis exam committee membership recommendations rests with the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

Scheduling of Master’s Thesis Oral Exams

In consultation with the student and the members of the exam committee, the graduate program director will recommend the date, time and location of an oral exam via submission of a  Recommendation for Oral Examination Form .

Oral examinations for master’s theses shall be held normally no less than 15 business days from the date on which copies of the completed thesis approved by the supervisory committee are sent to each member of the examining committee.

The student must be registered as active for the term in which the oral exam is scheduled to take place.

Number of Copies The number of copies of a thesis required for an oral exam depends upon the number of members on the exam committee. A thesis exam committee consists of at least three voting members, including the Chair. However, it is often the case that more than three copies of the thesis are required for an oral exam. The thesis supervisor or program director will inform the student how many copies of the thesis are required for the exam.

Nature of Copies The student is responsible for ensuring that all members of the exam committee have an e-copy of the thesis, unless prior approval has been received for the submission of a paper copy. (If paper copies are submitted for the oral exam, the pagination and formatting of each page of the paper copies and the e-copies must match.)

For a complex electronic thesis, the student is responsible for ensuring that all members of the exam committee have an e-copy of the written component of the thesis, unless prior approval has been received for the submission of a paper copy. (If paper copies are submitted for the oral exam, the pagination and formatting of each page of the paper copies and the e-copies must match.) For the remaining component of the work, it is the student’s responsibility to ensure that the work produced for the thesis can be examined by the examining committee. Students producing a multimedia thesis should consult with the  Library and Archives Canada  website for advice on formats supportable for preservation. However, a student may work in/submit work in an unsupported format as part of the oral exam as long as the work is readily accessible by the exam committee and the student submits a written component.

For a multimodal thesis, the student is responsible for ensuring that all members of the exam committee have an e-copy of the written component of the thesis, unless prior approval has been received for the submission of a paper copy. (If paper copies are submitted for the oral exam, the pagination and formatting of each page of the paper copies and the e-copies must match.) For the remaining component of the work, it is the student’s responsibility to make arrangements for the exam committee to view/engage in the non-written component.

Note:  If an examining committee member requests a paper copy of the written component(s) of the thesis, it is the graduate program’s responsibility to make arrangements once an e-copy has been provided by the student.

Before an oral examination can be convened, a majority of the exam committee members must agree that the thesis is examinable. The graduate program director shall poll the members of the exam committee five business days before the scheduled date for the oral. If the student does not receive a majority vote, the members of the examining committee who do not agree that the thesis is examinable are required to give their reasons in writing to the student, the supervisor, and the Dean within five business days after the poll. In such cases, the oral shall be postponed for a period not to exceed 12 months. However, the student has the right to insist that the oral proceed as planned.

External examiners who would otherwise require local lodging will be asked to participate remotely via videoconference unless there is a demonstrable benefit to in-person participation. Local members of the examination committee are expected to participate in person, on campus. For doctoral oral examinations, if more than two participants in the examination in total wish to participate remotely via videoconference, then the candidate and supervisor must consent, with a rationale provided to the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies for approval. The wishes of the examination candidate are paramount to the Dean’s decision.

With the consent of the voting members of the examination committee, the program director and the student, the Dean may approve a recommendation that an oral examination be rescheduled due to exceptional circumstances.

The use of audio-visual (AV) equipment at oral exams is governed by the following principles:

• AV equipment may be used for oral exam presentations but the Faculty of Graduate Studies is not responsible for ordering supplies or equipment (e.g., overhead projectors).
• Audio-taping or videotaping of oral exams is not permitted.

The oral exam is a public academic event. Faculty members, graduate students and others may attend oral exams at the discretion of the Chair of the exam committee. They may, at the discretion of the Chair, participate in the questioning. Only members of the exam committee may be present for the evaluation and for the vote at the conclusion of an oral exam.

Master’s Thesis Oral Exam Evaluation Guidelines and Reporting of Results

• Master’s theses submitted by students in partial fulfillment of degree requirements must be successfully defended at oral examinations. The oral examination will centre on the thesis.
• the committee accepts the thesis with no revisions; or,
• the committee accepts the thesis with specified revisions.
• Specified revisions could range from typographical errors or changes of a minor editorial nature, to specified insertions or deletions which do not radically modify the development/argument of the thesis. The committee must specify such changes with precision. It is the responsibility of the supervisor to ensure that all such changes are made and the Chair will confirm that this is the case. Specified revisions must be completed within six months of the date of the oral examination.
• In cases where there is one vote for major revision, specified revisions are expected.
• the committee agrees that the thesis requires substantive changes in order to be acceptable; or,
• there are a minimum of two votes for major revision; or,
• there is one vote for failure.
• the committee will reconvene within twelve months to continue the oral examination; or,
• the revised thesis will be circulated within twelve months to all members, who will inform the Chair whether they feel the stipulated requirements have been met.
• Detailed reasons for referring pending major revisions must be supplied in writing by the Chair to the Dean, the program director and the student within 10 business days.
• After an adjournment and when the major revisions have been completed, the thesis is failed if there are two or more votes for failure. A thesis cannot be referred for major revisions more than once and no further adjournment is permitted. In the event of failure, detailed reasons must be supplied in writing by the Chair to the Dean, program director and student within 10 business days.
• A thesis is failed if there are a minimum of two votes for failure. In the event of failure, detailed reasons must be supplied in writing by the Chair to the Dean, program director and student within 10 business days.

The results of the oral exam, as determined by the exam committee in accordance with the evaluation guidelines described above, are reported to the Office of the Dean, Graduate Studies, via the  Oral Examination Report Form . The form should be signed by the Chair of the exam committee and should include, where appropriate, details regarding any required revisions under “comments”.

In accordance with the evaluation guidelines described above, the Oral Examination Report Form requires that the committee reach one of the following four decisions:

• Accepted with No Revision
• Accepted Pending Specified Revisions The nature of the revisions should be agreed to by the exam committee and reported in detail on Oral Examination Report Form under “comments”. Specified revisions must be completed within six months of the date of the oral exam. It is the responsibility of the supervisor to ensure that all of the specified revisions are made and the Chair will confirm that this is the case. Approval of specified revisions should be reported to the Office of the Dean, Graduate Studies, via the  Revisions Approved Memorandum  or via email to the appropriate  Graduate Milestones and Progression Coordinator .
• Referred Pending Major Revisions In cases involving a referred pending major revisions decisions, one of the following procedures, agreed upon by the committee before the examination is adjourned, must be used to finalize the oral results: a) the committee will reconvene within twelve months to continue the oral examination, or b) the revised thesis will be circulated within twelve months to all members, who will inform the Chair whether they feel the stipulated requirements have been met. Please note that a clear consensus must be reached by the committee as to the extent and nature of the revisions required. Detailed reasons for referring pending major revision must be supplied in writing by the Chair of the exam committee to the Dean, the program director and the candidate concerned within 10 business days. Approval of major revisions should be reported to the Office of the Dean, Graduate Studies, via the  Revisions Approved Memorandum  or via email to the appropriate  Graduate Milestones and Progression Coordinator .
• Failed In the event of failure, detailed reasons must be supplied in writing by the Chair of the exam committee to the Dean, program director and candidate within 10 business days.

Exam Committee Roles and Responsibilities

Before an oral examination can be convened, a majority of the exam committee members must agree that the dissertation is examinable. The graduate program director shall poll the members of the exam committee five business days before the scheduled date for the oral. If the student does not receive a majority vote, the members of the examining committee who do not agree that the thesis is examinable are required to give their reasons in writing to the student, the supervisor, and the Dean within five business days after the poll. In such cases, the oral shall be postponed for a period not to exceed 12 months. However, the student has the right to insist that the oral proceed as planned.

For master’s theses, the Chair of the exam committee shall be chosen from among the voting members. Members of the student’s thesis supervisory committee may be members of the exam committee, but the principal supervisor may not serve as the Chair of the exam committee.

The Chair of the exam committee normally participates fully in the questioning of the candidate, the discussion and the vote.

In general, the role of the Chair of the exam committee is to ensure:

• that the process of oral exam is fair and orderly,
• that the student is truly being examined and challenged, and
• that high standards of scholarship are met.

Prior to the formal start of the oral exam, the Chair should:

• verify that all members of the exam committee are present. (If any member is not in attendance, the examination shall be postponed. Only under rare, exceptional and compelling circumstances can an oral examination proceed in the absence of the external examiner. Please see  Role of the External Examiner  below for more details.)
• verify that the members of the exam committee are agreed that the thesis/dissertation is “examinable”. (If the thesis/dissertation is found to be unexaminable at this time, the oral exam may be postponed for a period not to exceed 12 months. However, the student has the right to insist that the oral proceed as planned.)
• discuss with the members of the Committee the expected length of the examination, and the order in which the exam committee will question the student.

At the outset of and during the oral exam, the Chair should:

• clarify to both the exam committee and the student the procedures to be followed,
• determine the point at which further questioning will not produce additional useful information for the consideration of the exam committee, and
• monitor the procedures throughout the oral exam.

After the candidate and any observers have left the room, the Chair should:

• assess the committee’s opinion from the discussion, including whether the exam committee considers the work sufficiently outstanding to merit nomination for the Faculty of Graduate Studies Thesis/Dissertation Prize.
• If there is no consensus, the Chair should call for a vote to determine the outcome of the oral exam. The outcome of the vote shall be governed by the master’s thesis oral exam evaluation guidelines.
• In cases of accepted pending specified revisions, the Chair should ensure the nature of the on the Oral Examination Report Form under “comments”. A clear consensus must be reached by the committee as to the extent of the revisions required.
• the revised dissertation will be circulated within twelve months to all members, who will inform the Chair whether they feel the stipulated requirements have been met.

After the exam committee has reached a decision, the Chair should:

• recall the candidate to convey the decision, including a description of any required revisions, as appropriate, and
• inform the program director if the thesis/dissertation has been nominated for the Faculty of Graduate Studies Thesis/Dissertation Prize, where applicable.

If the thesis/dissertation was  accepted with no revisions , the Chair should:

• ensure that a properly completed and signed Oral Examination Report Form, is returned to the Graduate Milestones and Progression Coordinator in the Office of the Dean, Graduate Studies.

If the thesis/dissertation was  accepted pending specified revisions , the Chair should:

• ensure that a properly completed (including a clear description of the required revisions) and signed Oral Examination Report Form is returned to the Graduate Milestones and Progression Coordinator in the Office of the Dean, Graduate Studies. It is the responsibility of the supervisor to ensure that all of the specified revisions are made and the Chair will confirm that this is the case. Specified revisions must be completed within six months of the date of the oral exam.
• Approval of specified revisions should be reported to the Office of the Dean, Graduate Studies, via the Revisions Approved Memorandum  or via email to the  Graduate Milestones and Progression Coordinator .

In cases of  referred pending major revisions , the Chair should:

• ensure that a properly completed (including a clear description of the required revisions) is returned to the Graduate Milestones and Progression Coordinator in the Office of the Dean, Graduate Studies, and
• provide detailed reasons for the exam committee’s decision in writing to the Dean, program director and student within 10 business days of the oral exam.

When major revisions have been completed satisfactorily as decided by the exam committee, the Chair should:

• Report approval of the major revisions to the Office of the Dean, Graduate Studies, via the  Revisions Approved Memorandum  or via email to the  Graduate Milestones and Progression Coordinator .

In cases of  failure , the Chair should:

• ensure that a properly completed and signed Oral Examination Report Form is returned to the Graduate Milestones and Progression Coordinator in the Office of the Dean, Graduate Studies, and

The exam committee members have the responsibility of ensuring that high standards of scholarship are met.

The “at arm’s length from the thesis/dissertation” committee member has a particular responsibility of ensuring that these high standards of scholarship are met from a perspective broader than that of the student’s own program. Such exam committee members who are appointed to the student’s program should be especially mindful of this responsibility.

Note:  The following description of external examiner roles and responsibilities applies to those master’s programs that require an external or outside examiner on their exam committee.

External examiners are expected to be established academics, normally members of a graduate Faculty at another university. The assessment of the dissertation provided by the external examiner should be treated as the yardstick by which to measure the quality of the candidate’s work relative to standards at other universities. The external examiner is a voting member of the Committee and must have been at arm’s length from the dissertation. The external examiner does not have a formal power of veto, but the exam committee must have substantial reasons for not accepting an external examiner’s recommendation, especially if the recommendation is negative. The external examiner’s written comments will be provided to the other members of the exam committee prior to the oral exam and, where the exam committee deems advisable and the external examiner agrees, may be made available to the student at the end of the oral exam.

Only under rare, exceptional and compelling circumstances can an oral examination proceed in the absence of the external examiner, and only with the express permission of the Dean. In such circumstances, the following conditions must be met:

• the external’s absence must be unplanned and unavoidable (i.e. it must have been the initial intent that the external would be present);
• a written assessment of the dissertation must be received before the scheduled examination, including certification that the dissertation is examinable, and identification of any areas that need revision, or questioning and clarification at the oral exam. However, if the external examiner feels that the result of the examination depends upon the oral exam, then the external examiner shall be present or the oral exam will be postponed until the external examiner can be present or an alternative external examiner is appointed.

In addition to the voting members, the Vice-President Academic & Provost and Graduate Program Director may along with the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies or his/her representative, participate as ex-officio members (non-voting, unless present as one of the voting members) on master’s thesis exam committees.

As the oral examination is the culmination of a graduate student’s study and advances the mission of York University as a whole, the inclusion of these positions as ex-officio members of the thesis and dissertation exam committees recognizes and emphasizes the importance of the oral exam. Due to the nature of the workload of the incumbents in these positions, they are not expected to attend every oral exam. When they do attend in their capacity as ex-officio members, they are encouraged to be active participants, but they do not vote.

• For those master’s programs that require an external or outside examiner, the written comments provided by the external examiner will be made available to the committee prior to the oral exam.
• At the oral exam, the student may be given the opportunity to present an oral summary of his or her work. If this procedure is followed, the Chair of the exam committee will inform the student and indicate the time available.
• Normally, the first round of questions will refer to general aspects of the work. Subsequent questions will deal with more detailed matters. For all doctoral dissertation oral exams and for those master’s programs that require an external or outside examiner, the external examiner will normally begin each round of questioning and will be followed by the other members of the committee in an order agreed upon before the exam.
• The Chair of the exam committee will ensure that each member of the exam committee has an equal opportunity to pose questions. After the formal rounds of questioning, general discussion and order of further questioning will be at the Chair’s discretion.
• The question period should normally run its natural course, with members of the exam committee indicating when they are satisfied. The Chair of the exam committee will, however use his/her discretion as to the appropriate closing point. For a master’s thesis, a general guideline for the length of the oral exam is approximately 10 to 20 minutes for presentation (if applicable) and 1.5 hours for questioning. For a doctoral dissertation, a general guideline for the length of the oral exam is 20 to 40 minutes for presentation (if applicable) and 2 hours for questioning.
• After the candidate and any observers have left the room, the exam committee will discuss the work and the oral defense of that work, the discussion beginning with the external examiner’s remarks.
• The Chair of the exam committee will then assess the committee’s opinion from the discussion.
• If there is no consensus, the Chair of the exam committee will call for a vote to determine the outcome of the oral exam. The outcome of the vote shall be governed by the master’s thesis oral exam evaluation guidelines and doctoral dissertation oral exam evaluation guidelines.
• In cases of  accepted pending specified revisions , the nature of the revisions will be agreed to by the exam committee and reported in detail by the Chair in the “comments” section of the Oral Examination Report Form.
• In cases of  major revision , the Chair of the exam committee will confirm which of the following two procedures, agreed upon by the committee before the exam is adjourned, will be used to finalize the oral results: a) the committee will reconvene within twelve months to continue the oral examination; or, b) the revised dissertation will be circulated within twelve months to all members, who will inform the Chair whether they feel the stipulated requirements have been met.
• After the exam committee has reached a decision, the candidate will be recalled and informed by the Chair of the outcome of the examination. Should revisions be required, their exact nature will be transmitted to the student by the Chair.
• The written comments of the external examiner will, with his or her permission, be provided to the student and program director.
• In cases of  accepted pending specified revisions , it is the responsibility of the supervisor to ensure that all of the specified revisions are made and the Chair will confirm that this is the case. Specified revisions must be completed within six months of the date of the oral examination. Approval of specified revisions should be reported to the Office of the Dean, Graduate Studies, via the  Revisions Approved Memorandum  or via email to the  Graduate Milestones and Progression Coordinator .
• In cases of  referred pending major revisions  or  failure , the Chair will provide detailed reasons for the exam committee’s decision in writing to the Dean, program director and student within 10 business days of the oral exam. When major revisions have been completed satisfactorily as decided by the exam committee, the Chair should report approval of the major revisions to the Office of the Dean, Graduate Studies, via the  Revisions Approved Memorandum  or via email to the  Graduate Milestones and Progression Coordinator .

Final Submission

Following a successful oral exam (including confirmed approval of any specified revisions or major revisions), submission by the student of the final approved thesis/dissertation is a requirement for graduation and convocation.

The thesis or dissertation is submitted electronically using York University’s Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD) platform. The Graduate Milestones and Progression Coordinator in the Office of the Dean, Graduate Studies, will check that the thesis/dissertation meets the Faculty’s organizational and technical requirements, and has the right to refuse any unacceptable document until it is submitted in acceptable form.

Once the submission is approved and all requirements for graduation are met, the thesis/ dissertation will be transferred to YorkSpace, York University’s institutional repository of research outputs, where it will be accessible to Library and Archives Canada as well as major search engines and other repositories.

The degree completion date is NOT based on the date of the oral examination; it is based on the date of submission to the Electronic Thesis & Dissertation Tool (ETD) and to the Office of the Dean, Graduate Studies of the acceptable final approved copy. Students are responsible for active registration and all tuition fees until the final copy is submitted to and approved by the Office of the Dean, Graduate Studies.

Submission deadlines with respect to convocation can be found under  Important Dates .

An ETD record will be created for each student by the Graduate Milestones and Progression Coordinator in the Office of the Dean, Faculty of Graduate Studies once all of the following have been received:

• Oral Examination Report (passed)
• Revisions Approved Memorandum, if applicable
• Library and Archives Canada Theses Non-Exclusive License form, signed and dated
• Copies of copyright permissions (if applicable)

Once an ETD record is opened, the student will receive an email with instructions on how to log in and complete their submission. Students should ensure that they have followed the organization and technical requirements for theses/dissertations prior to making a submission to the Office of the Dean, Graduate Studies through the ETD platform . If, after reading the Organization & Technical Requirements section of this handbook, students have any questions concerning formatting and preparation, they should direct these questions to the appropriate Graduate Milestones and Progression Coordinator . Instructions for the use of the ETD platform are available at Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD) below.

By signing the Library and Archives Canada (LAC) Theses Non-Exclusive License form, the student authorizes LAC to reproduce, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, communicate to the public, loan, distribute and sell the thesis/dissertation for commercial or non-commercial purposes. Further information about the Non-Exclusive License and the Library & Archives Canada thesis program is available on the  Library and Archives Canada  website.

The student must also accept the terms of the York University Copyright License as part of the electronic submission of their thesis/dissertation using the Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD) application.

If required, students should provide copies of any needed copyright permissions prior to the final thesis/dissertation submission. Students should also retain copies of all copyright permission requests and approvals.

As a publicly funded institution, York University has an obligation to ensure that research produced by its graduate students is available for the benefit of the public, particularly by making successfully defended theses and dissertations available through York University Libraries and Library and Archives Canada. With that in mind, there is normally no restriction on the publication of and access to successfully defended theses and dissertations. However, in some exceptional instances it may be detrimental to the author or sponsor of the thesis/dissertation research to have the thesis/dissertation publicly available immediately following a successful defence. Valid reasons to delay publication/restrict access to a successfully defended thesis/dissertation may include:

• approved intellectual property contract between a research sponsor and the University that specifies a period of confidentiality;
• that public distribution of the thesis/dissertation would invalidate a patent application;
• that public distribution of the thesis/dissertation would invalidate a publication contract; and,
• that public distribution of the thesis/dissertation would pose a risk to the personal safety of the author.

Prior to submission of the final version of their thesis being accepted on the Electronic Thesis & Dissertation Tool (ETD), students may request to delay (or to extend a previously approved delay) publication of/restrict access to their thesis/dissertation for a maximum of three years. Requests for embargo must be made to the Office of the Dean, Faculty of Graduate Studies, through the  Request for a Delay of Publication (Embargo) on a Thesis or Dissertation form , prior to the submission of the final version of the thesis/dissertation. Requests will only be considered with the recommendation of the student’s supervisor and graduate program director. If approved, the body of the thesis/dissertation will be withheld from York University Libraries and Library and Archives Canada for the approved period. At the end of the approved period, the body of the thesis/dissertation will be released to York University Libraries and Library and Archives Canada via YorkSpace. To submit a request for an embargo/delay of publication, including extension requests, please do so using the  Request for a Delay of Publication (Embargo) on a Thesis or Dissertation Form . Your request will be reviewed by the Faculty of Graduate Studies and a decision will be communicated to you by email. For more information on the Delay of Publication/Embargo Processes, please contact the  Graduate Record & Enrolment Coordinator  for your Faculty.

Students who wish to have personal copies of the thesis/dissertation bound must make their own arrangements.

How to Submit

Submitting your thesis/dissertation using York University’s Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETD) application is a quick and easy process.

The instructions below outline the step-by-step process of using the application. Please refer to the  Thesis, Dissertation and Submission Guidelines  above for details on the policies and process leading up to the point of final submission, including formatting and other requirements. To view the York University ETD collection, visit the  Faculty of Graduate Studies section on YorkSpace .

You can access the ETD application from any computer with an internet connection. Recommended browsers include Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Opera.

Instructions for converting your thesis to a PDF file are available on the  YorkSpace Resources Site .

An ETD record will be set up for you by a staff member in the Office of the Dean, Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS). FGS will need to receive the following before you will be able to access your record:

• Oral Examination Report (normally provided by the Dean’s representative on your Examining Committee as soon as possible following your defense);
• Revisions Approved Memorandum, if applicable (if your thesis/dissertation was approved with specified revisions). A blank form is usually provided to you by FGS prior to your defense. You will need to ensure it is completed and returned to FGS;
• Library and Archives Canada Theses Non–Exclusive License form (.pdf) , signed and dated;
• Copies of copyright permissions, if applicable.

Once all of the above items have been received, you will receive an email from a  Graduate Milestones and Progression Coordinator letting you know that your ETD record has been created and inviting you to log in using your  Passport York ID . Click on the link provided in the email to take you to  etd.library.yorku.ca .

You’ll notice that there is a navigation bar across the top of the screen. You can click on any of the “tabs” to move back and forth through the process.

At the bottom right of each screen there are also arrows you can click on to move on to the next step (or move back).

You will not lose data by moving back and forth.

You can stop and save your work at any point in the process, and resume your submission simply by logging back in. To save your work, click on the navigation arrow at the bottom right of your screen. The information you have entered will be stored until you log back in.

As long as the status of your ETD record is “Open”, you can continue to make edits, updates and changes. Only once you have clicked on “I accept and send for review” on the “Submit for Review” tab will your record be closed.

If for some reason you need to request that your submission be re-opened (for example if you notice a mistake or forgot to add something), please email a  Graduate Milestones and Progression Coordinator .

If you’d like more information or instructions for any of the fields you are being asked to fill out, just click on the question mark icon next to the field.

If you still have questions, you may wish to contact:

• A Graduate Milestones and Progression Coordinator in the Office of the Dean, Faculty of Graduate Studies;
• Your Graduate Program Assistant.

Step by Step Instructions

On the first screen you will find welcome text, along with the title of your thesis/dissertation and some other information from your student record (such as your degree name and program).

To begin entering your details, click on the title of your thesis/dissertation. Alternatively, you can click on the “Update Details” button on the bottom right, or on the “Update Details” tab in the navigation bar.

On the second screen, “Update Details”, you’ll notice that there are some fields already filled in, and others that you will need to complete.

The fields that are already filled in are automatically pulled from your Student Information System (SIS) and Graduate Event Module (GEM) records. You cannot edit these fields yourself, so if you notice an error, please contact a Graduate Milestones and Progression Coordinator at a  Graduate Milestones and Progression Coordinator . In the second section, you’ll find the following fields for you to complete:

Language : Click on the arrow to see the drop down menu. You will be able to select English, French, or Other (a thesis or dissertation normally should be written in English, but approval may be given to write in French or the language of any Aboriginal/First Nations people in North America).

Abstract: Copy and paste your abstract into this field (the abstract must be provided in English regardless of the language of your thesis or dissertation). Please note the maximum number of words allowed (Master’s thesis 150 words; doctoral dissertation 350 words). Subjects: Click on the arrow to see the drop down menu. You must select at least one subject that best describes the overall subject of your thesis or dissertation. You have the option of selecting up to two additional secondary subjects from the other drop down menu boxes.

Keywords: Enter as many terms or search phrases as you like. Please use a comma to separate each keyword or string of keywords. Tip: the more terms you provide, the more likely it is that users will find your work in their searches.

When you are finished updating your details, click “Save Details” on the bottom right to move to the next screen, or to save and return later to make further updates.

Uploading Files

Before uploading your files, you will need to save your thesis or dissertation as a PDF file (.pdf), which must be compatible with Adobe Acrobat version 5.0 or higher

This PDF document should contain the full body of your thesis/dissertation, including:

• title page;
• dedication (optional);
• acknowledgements (optional);
• table of contents;
• list of tables, figures and illustrations (if applicable);
• all chapters and written body of the thesis/dissertation;
• references or bibliography;
• all appendices.

You may upload only  ONE  PDF file.

Your document must be saved using the following naming convention:

Lastname_Firstname_MiddleInitial_yearofcopyright_PhDORMasters

Replace “Lastname” with your last name and “Firstname” with your first name. So, for example, if Jane Smith completed her PhD in 2014, she would save her documents as

Smith_Jane_E_2014_PhD.pdf

The “year of copyright” refers to the date that appears on the title page of your thesis/dissertation (this is the year you successfully defended).

To upload your file, simply click on the “upload primary file” button.

A box will open giving you the option to choose a file from your computer or a disk, USB key or other source.

Once you have chosen the file, click on “upload.”

In addition to the PDF of your thesis or dissertation, you may have supplementary files to add. Supplementary files refer to items that are part of the  approved, examined  thesis/dissertation that cannot be included in the PDF, such as multi–media, sound, video or hypertext

A list of acceptable file formats includes:

• Documents:  Portable Document Format (.pdf), Text (.txt), Hypertext Markup Language (.html, .htm), Open Document Format (.odt, .odp, .ods);
• Images:  Portable Network Graphics format (.png), Tagged Image File format (.tif), JPEG (.jpg);
• Data:  Comma–separated values (.csv) or other delimited text, Extensible Markup Language (.xml);
• Video:  8–10 bit uncompressed AVI (.avi);
• Audio:  Free Lossless Audio Codec or WAVE (.flac or .wav).

If you wish to upload a type of file that you do not see on this list, please email  Digital Initiatives @ York  .

Keep in mind that a supplementary file is NOT an appendix. Regular appendices can be included in the PDF document of your thesis/dissertation.

To upload your file, simply click on the “upload supplementary files“ button.

A box will open giving you the option to choose a file from your computer or a disk, USB key or other source. You may upload as many files as necessary, but no single file can exceed 500 MB. If you have a file that exceeds this size, please contact a  Graduate Milestones and Progression Coordinator.

Once you have chosen the file, click on “upload.” To upload more than one file, simply click on the “upload supplementary files” button as many times as necessary.

When you have finished uploading all files, click “Review Details” on the bottom right to move to the next screen, or to save and return later to make further updates.

This is an opportunity for you to do a final confirmation that all of the details are accurate and your record is complete. Please make sure that all uploaded files are attached (they will be listed at the bottom of this screen).

As always, you can use the navigation bar at the top or arrows in the bottom right corner to go back and update any information.

When you are certain that all the information is correct and complete, click on “Submit for Review” at bottom right.

The final step in submitting your thesis or dissertation is agreeing to the York University Copyright License.

By clicking on “I Accept and Send for Review,” you are confirming that your thesis/dissertation is your original work, that your thesis/dissertation does not infringe on any rights of others and that you have the right to make the grant conferred by this copyright license. In addition, you are granting a license to York University to make copies, including electronically formatted copies, and/or distribute worldwide all or part of your thesis or dissertation, subject to the conditions outlined.

You retain copyright to your thesis/dissertation and may make it available on a personal website and pursue other sources of publication as well.

If you have questions or concerns about this license, please contact your supervisor or a Graduate Milestones and Progression Coordinator in the Faculty of Graduate Studies. You can then log back in to agree to the terms and make your submission once any queries you have are resolved.

Please carefully read this information and click on “I Accept and Send for Review” to send your thesis/dissertation to the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

Congratulations! You have completed your submission.

What Happens Next?

Once you send your thesis/dissertation for review, the status of your ETD record will change from “Open” to “Under Review” and you will not be able to make further changes. You will receive a confirmation email letting you know it is being reviewed.

If for some reason you realize you have made an error or forgotten to add something, you can email a  Graduate Milestones and Progression Coordinator  to request that your record be re–opened. Please remember to include your student ID number in all correspondence

After your submission has been reviewed by a Graduate Milestones and Progression Coordinator in FGS, you will receive an email notifying you of one of two outcomes:

• Your submission has been approved and will be deposited in YorkSpace upon conferral of your degree; or,
• Your submission has formatting or other errors and has been returned to you for modification.

If your submission is returned to you for modification, your ETD record will be reopened to enable you to make the required changes and resubmit. The required changes will be outlined in the email you receive from the Graduate Milestones and Progression Coordinator. If you are asked to make changes to your PDF thesis/dissertation document, simply replace the previously uploaded file with the updated one. Make sure you click on “I Accept and Send for Review” on the “Submit for Review” tab to resubmit your thesis/dissertation to FGS.

At any time you can log in to your  ETD record  to check on the status of your submission. Simply click on the “Check Status” tab in the navigation bar.

YorkSpace  is York University’s Open Access Institutional Repository (IR). It is a platform that enables York community members to post, organize and preserve their research online in an institutional context. It showcases the scholarship of the York University community through the use of a special standards–based software platform that collects usage statistics and promotes visibility on the web.

Once your submission is approved by the Graduate Milestones and Progression Coordinator and all required forms received and fees paid, your thesis/dissertation will be deposited in YorkSpace at the time of conferral of your degree, according to the publication date listed on your ETD record (normally either November 1 or July 1).

Once the thesis/dissertation is deposited in YorkSpace, it will be available for harvesting by Library and  Archives Canada (LAC) Theses Portal , other  Open Archives Initiative  (OAI) metadata harvesters, and major search engines such as  Google Scholar . You retain copyright to your thesis/dissertation and may make it available on a personal website and pursue other sources of publication as well.

Students who wish to have personal copies of their thesis/dissertation bound must make their own arrangements. One options availabe includes:

• Wallaceburg Bookbinding

Please note that you may be required to make minor formatting adjustments to your document to prepare it for binding. For example, many binders will require that the top and left margins are at least 1.5 inches.

Graduate students who are members of CUPE 3903 (Unit 1) may submit reimbursement requests for thesis, dissertation or MRP production costs to the Office of the Dean, Faculty of Graduate Studies, using the  Reimbursement of Thesis/Dissertation Production Costs Form .

• Theses Canada
• Theses and Dissertations in YorkSpace

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Graduate studies in Canada

Transform your future with a graduate degree from a Canadian university. With a global reputation for education and research excellence, Canada is the ideal choice for your master’s degree, PhD or doctoral studies.

Canada is a global leader in research and innovation

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In virtually every field of academic study, Canadian universities offer graduate degree programs.

• Master’s degrees require 1 or 2 years of study after completing your bachelor’s degree. In Canada, your master’s studies can include a thesis, practicum, research paper or a course‑based program.
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Canadian institutions offer both in-person master’s degrees and PhD programs as well as online or distance education options.

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• Canada is seen as the #3 destination in the world for the quality of education we offer international students (U.S News & World Report, Best Countries for Education, 2021 ).
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Your graduate studies are a smart career investment. Canada’s master’s and PhD programs are recognized around the globe, and our relatively lower cost of living makes the opportunity even more appealing to international students like you. Even Canada’s larger cities are more affordable than many cities around the world. 

Graduate tuition fees in Canada can vary depending on the program and location you choose. 

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Scholarships to study in Canada

You may be eligible for a scholarship, fellowship or grant to complete your postgraduate studies in Canada. The Government of Canada, our provinces and territories and many educational institutions offer funding for international students.

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Admission requirements and credits

Each university in Canada has its own admission requirements. To learn out about admission requirements for the program you want to pursue, visit the website of the university you would like to attend. Contact the university directly to determine whether your existing credits can be applied toward that program.

To study at a Canadian university, you must provide proof of your English or French language capabilities, depending on the language you choose for your studies.

• English-language universities may require you to write a Test of English as a Foreign Language  (TOEFL),  International English Language Testing System  (IELTS), Cambridge English Assessment or the  Canadian Academic English Language Assessment  (CAEL).
• French-language universities assess students individually. To learn what a certain university requires, check with the Office of the Registrar at the school you wish to attend.

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5 steps to study in Canada

Explore the 5 key steps to follow to get ready to make Canada your study destination.

Common pathways to college and university

Canada's education system is flexible. Discover all the paths you can take to achieve your goals.

Top reasons to study in Canada

Discover the many reasons why international students choose to study in Canada.

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Thesis-Based Masters Programs

College of engineering and physical sciences (ceps).

The College of Engineering and Physical Sciences offers 7 thesis-based master's-level programs. You will have access to some of the world's most respected research scientists and educators, as well as outstanding research and teaching facilities, in Canada's fastest-growing STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields. The U of G has a long history of teaching STEM dating back to 1874.

Choose to learn at the University of Guelph and you will be joining a supportive community, where we are committed to delivering an academic and student experience second to none. Explore our many programs, experiential learning opportunities and graduate research opportunities to gain hands on skills in your field of study. Select one of the disciplines below to learn more about programs offered, admission requirements, career opportunities and more.

• COMPUTER SCIENCE
• ENGINEERING

Chemistry (M.Sc.)

The Guelph-Waterloo Centre for Graduate Work in Chemistry and Biochemistry, (GWC)2 , is one of Canada’s largest and most successful graduate schools. The Centre is housed in the Chemistry Departments at the University of Guelph and Waterloo, two of Canada’s leading Universities. A diverse team of world-class faculty from both Departments provide research opportunities in a myriad of chemical research areas. Learn more about  how to apply .

Specialization available: Toxicology

Administrative Assistant (GWC)2 [email protected]   519-824-4120 x53848

Computer Science (M.Sc.)

The M.Sc. in Computer Science will enable you to develop and publish groundbreaking research while working alongside professors at the cutting edge of their field to prepare you for industry or further studies. There are four main fields you can study in; however, interaction with other disciplines is encouraged as many faculty work with industry partners and other departments at the University of Guelph.

Specializations Available: Artificial Intelligence , One Health

Graduate Program Assistant [email protected] 519-824-4120 x56402

Engineering (M.A.Sc.)

With strengths in some of the most globally impactful areas of study, U of G Engineering is actively educating engineers who will shape the world of tomorrow. Several graduate degree choices are offered. The M.A.Sc. program is research thesis-based and provides advanced training in the engineering sciences and research methodology through a combination of coursework, applied research, and thesis writing. This program takes approximately 5-6 semesters to complete.

Specializations Available: Artificial Intelligence , International Development Studies , One Health , Regenerative Medicine

Luisa Cazolla Graduate Program Assistant - Admissions [email protected] 519-824-4120 x58764

• MATHEMATICS & STATISTICS

Mathematics & Statistics (M.Sc.)

Graduate students in the Department of Mathematics & Statistics have the opportunity to make a substantive contribution to solving important scientific and societal problems in a wide variety of areas. The M.Sc. program can be completed as coursework with a major research project, or as a research thesis.

Patricia Townsend Graduate Program Assistant [email protected]   519-824-4120 x52705

Physics (M.Sc.)

The Department of Physics offers unique graduate opportunities in experimental and theoretical research. Master’s students can choose between a course work option (approximately three semesters) and research-based thesis option (approximately six semesters). 

Janice Ilic Graduate Program Assistant [email protected] 519-824-4120 x58176

Eric Poisson, Graduate Program Coordinator [email protected]

Interdisciplinary Programs

For students whose interests lie in multiple disciplines and are looking to perform research that combines unique approaches, explore our options below.

Biophysics (M.Sc.)

Biophysics Interdepartmental Group (BIG) at the University of Guelph is a unique program of masters and doctoral study that seeks to further our understanding of biological processes through the application of the concepts and techniques of the physical sciences. Unlike many biophysics graduate programs across Canada, BIG focusses on basic discovery research in the sciences, rather than medical and clinical applications. Experimental research conducted by students within BIG spans the entire breadth of the life sciences spectrum, including biochemistry, molecular biology, microbiology, and human biology. 

Collaborative Specializations in CEPS

Students may wish to pursue a collaborative specialization to complement their eligible master's degree program. Prospective students can apply at the time of their application to the University of Guelph. First, prospective students need to apply to their primary program of interest and identify that they are also interested in the collaborative specialization as a focus.

• ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Collaborative Specialization in Artificial Intelligence (M.Sc./M.A.Sc.)

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a paradigm for creating systems with capabilities that were traditionally reserved for humans. It enables unique insights that can be used to improve decision making in broad areas of application—from farming to finance. The Collaborative Specialization in AI provides students with a diverse and comprehensive knowledge base in fundamental AI while they pursue a thesis-based Master’s degree.

Eligible Master's programs: Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics and Statistics, or Bioinformatics.

Collaborative Specialization in Toxicology (M.Sc.)

Collaborative Specialization in Toxicology graduates have the knowledge and skills needed to carry out high quality scientific research. M.Sc. graduates are prepared for employment in positions such as instructors or technical staff in higher education, science-related roles in the broad biotechnology sector (e.g. pharmaceuticals, biomedical, and agriculture-related industries, food and beverage industries), or in government sector institutes and laboratories.

Other collaborative specialization options available to CEPS graduate students, depending on the eligibility of their primary program, may include:

• International Development Studies
• Regenerative Medicine

Interested in a course-based stream?

All departments offer a course-based stream. Contact our Graduate Programs Manager for more information.

Master's and Doctoral theses

From research proposal to reality! Students enrolled in a graduate research program must write a master’s or doctoral thesis that will be rigorously evaluated by a committee.

Research proposal

Good preparation is one of the most important keys to success. During the first semester of your master’s or doctoral program, you will lay the groundwork, in collaboration with your supervisor, for how you plan to approach your object of study and the objectives you wish to achieve. 

Writing a Master's or Doctoral thesis is a major endeavor. That’s why it’s important to start working on your manuscript as soon as you can. The Faculty of Graduate and Postgraduate Studies provides you with the information and tools you need to write effectively and efficiently in keeping with the standards in effect. 

Release and publication

Learn about the steps involved in releasing and publishing your research results.

In the event of a discrepancy between the French and English texts, the French version prevails.

Research Guides

Theses & dissertations, uoft theses online, uoft theses in print.

• Thesis from Other Institutions
• Borrowing or Reqesting Theses
• Writing & Submitting Your Thesis
• University of Toronto TSpace This link opens in a new window The University of Toronto's research bank. Showcases and preserves the scholarly work of the U of T community, and makes theses and dissertations publicly accessible online.
• Proquest Dissertations & Theses Global The most comprehensive worldwide collection of dissertations and theses. Full text for many dissertations added since 1997+.
• Theses Canada This link opens in a new window Comprehensive collection of Canadian theses at Library and Archives Canada. Covers U of T dissertations from 1950+ and master's theses from 1989+.
• School of Graduate Studies - Theses University of Toronto's Open Access repository (TSpace)
• Engineering & Computer Science
• UofT Archives

Many print U of T doctoral dissertations and masters' theses are listed in LibrarySearch . Older print theses may be listed in a card catalogue at the particular library in which it is held.

Theses from 2009+ are submitted online only to TSpace .

For information on print theses at different U of T libraries please click on the tabs above.

Doctoral dissertations and masters' theses submitted between 1989 and 2009 are listed in LibrarySearch .

Search by author, title or subject.

Browse theses and dissertations by doing an advanced search  and selecting 'Thesis' from the format dropdown menu.

Doctoral dissertations and master's theses from  1972-1989  are also available on  microform  in the  Media Commons , 3rd floor, Robarts Library.

Search for doctoral dissertations and theses submitted between  1930 to 1997 in the card catalogue in the Reference Department, 4th floor, Robarts Library.

Search by author, department, or subject.

For University of Toronto masters and doctoral theses in the sciences consult the library catalogue . Theses can be searched in the catalogue by author, title, or department .

Ask at the Gerstein Information Desk for assistance.

Where do I find a paper copy in Gerstein?

microfiche copies of U of T masters theses in the sciences are held in the Media Commons (4th Floor), Robarts Library

All theses are shelved by author name on 2-Below at the end of the Z call number range.

Please note that the Engineering & Computer Science Library no longer keeps print theses in the library.  Some theses are located at Gerstein Science Information Centre and others at Downsview. For information on a thesis is located see below .

If you have the citation information for a print thesis, you can search the UTL catalogue :

• By the title of the thesis
• By the author of the thesis

If you would like to browse UofT's theses holdings, use the following instructions:

• Go to the UTL Catalogue .
• Select Call number from the drop-down list.
• Type in the appropriate code (i.e. AEROS for aerospace science and engineering).
• Optional: Type in the year , if you know the year you are looking for
• Example: AEROS 1985  

List of Engineering and Computer Science Theses Codes:

• AEROS (aerospace science and engineering)
• IBMEN (biomedical engineering/biomaterials and biomedical engineering)
• CHENG & CHEMG (chemical engineering)
• CIENG (civil engineering)
• COMPS (computer science)
• ELENG (electrical engineering/electrical and computer engineering)
• INENG (industrial engineering)
• METAL (metallurgy, materials science and engineering)
• MEENG (mechanical engineering/mechanical and industrial engineering)

Finding theses from OISE

All OISE theses & dissertations submitted after November 2009 are available on TSpace

Pre 2009 theses are located on the 2nd floor of the OISE library  and are filed alphabetically by author's last name

Theses are searchable in the library catalogue

• The  University of Toronto Archives holds master's theses from 1897 to 1989 & doctoral theses from 1900 to 1985
• Next: Thesis from Other Institutions >>
• Last Updated: May 30, 2023 9:44 AM
• URL: https://guides.library.utoronto.ca/theses

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Theses and dissertations

The library gives you access to theses from the University of Ottawa and other institutions.

Our collection

University of ottawa theses.

• Perform a search with  Omni .
• Refine by Format: Dissertations.
• If the thesis is available online, follow the link to access it.

uO Research  provides free online access to many University of Ottawa theses.

If the thesis is not available online, request it online or at any circulation desk for consultation at the Archives and Special Collections, or view the microfiche at the Media Resources.

More theses

• ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global : 70,000 new full-text dissertations and theses from 700 leading academic institutions worldwide.
• Theses Canada : Canada, since 1965
• Système universitaire de documentation  (SUDOC): France
• Open Access Theses and Dissertations
• Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations : Lists international, regional and country-specific databases of theses available in open access.

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• Dissertation & Thesis Preparation

Structure and Style of Theses and Dissertations

Workday student support.

Graduate students can find "how to" guides and support information on our Workday support page .

Each student and their supervisory committee should work together to determine the scholarly scope and most appropriate structure of the thesis, keeping in mind scholarly standards within their fields and professional objectives of the student.

As forms of scholarship continue to evolve, so do the possibilities for how a body of scholarly work can be expressed. Theses at UBC can include many forms of knowledge production and scholarly representation. Some examples are:

• a fully unified textual volume, similar to a scholarly book
• a series of published or publication-ready manuscripts with synthesis
• inclusion of scholarly professional artefacts such as policy papers or curriculum plans, for example, along with description and analysis
• a compendium of multimedia works with written description and analysis

Within this flexibility of structure, there remain several elements that must be included in each thesis or dissertation, and specifications to be followed, in order to enable consistent standards and proper archiving.

In addition to the preliminary materials described below, all theses should include an introduction to the subject, a critical analysis of the relevant prior scholarly work, a description of the scholarly methods, a presentation of the results, and a discussion and summary of the results and their implications. Knowledge dissemination products or modes can be incorporated as appropriate.

As appropriate, representation of the research results or methodologies may take a variety of forms, including scholarly publications or submissions (manuscripts), scholarly text, creative text, graphics, audio/visual products, or web pages,  Additional knowledge translation or dissemination products or descriptions of activities can be incorporated, such as policy briefs, lay or professional publications, syllabi, or outlines of workshops or exhibits.

Every thesis will have a PDF component that includes at least the following elements:

• Committee page
• Lay summary
• Table of contents, and/or a List of all submitted files (if there are files in addition to the PDF)

1. Title page (required)

2. committee page (required).

The committee page:

• is the second page of the thesis and is numbered ii
• lists all examining committee members and supervisory committee members, along with their titles, departments, and universities or organizations
• does not include signatures
• is not listed in the table of contents

See Resources for Thesis Preparation and Checking for examples and templates.

Doctoral students: Please include this page in the copy for the External Examiner, with your supervisory committee entered. If you know which members of the committee will be on the Examining Committee you can include them there; otherwise, they can go under Additional Supervisory Committee Members.

Doctoral students post-defence: Please remember to update the committee page before final post-defence submission if necessary.

3. Abstract (required - maximum 350 words)

The abstract is a concise and accurate summary of the scholarly work described in the document. It states the problem, the methods of investigation, and the general conclusions, and should not contain tables, graphs, complex equations, or illustrations. There is a single scholarly abstract for the entire work, and it must not exceed 350 words in length.

4. Lay Summary (required - maximum 150 words)

The lay or public summary is a simplified version of the abstract that explains the key goals and contributions of the research/scholarly work in terms that can be understood by the general public. it does not use technical terms and discipline-specific language. It must not exceed 150 words in length.

5. Preface (required)

Sample Prefaces

The Preface includes a statement indicating the student's contribution to the following:

• Identification of the research question(s)
• Design of the research work
• Performance of the research
• Analysis of the research results

If any of the work was collaborative, the above statement must also detail the relative contributions of all collaborators, including the approximate proportion of the research, analysis, and writing/representation conducted by the student.

If any of the work has led to any publications, submissions, or other dissemination modes, all must be listed in the Preface. For publications, the title of the article, the names and order of all co-authors, and the journal details (if accepted or published) must be included, and linked to the related chapter or portion of the thesis. For further details, see “Including Published Material in a Thesis or Dissertation”.

If any of the work is intended for publication but has not yet been published, you must say whether or not it has been submitted. Do not say where it has been submitted, as if it is not accepted for publication that information will be misleading.

If the work includes other scholarly artifacts (such as film and other audio, visual, and graphic representations, and application-oriented documents such as policy briefs, curricula, business plans, computer and web tools, pages, and applications, etc.) that have been published or otherwise publicly disseminated or that have co-authors, they must be listed in the Preface (with bibliographical information, including information on co-creators, if applicable).

If ethics approval was required for the research, the Preface must list the Certificate Number(s) of the Ethics Certificate(s) applicable to the project.

In a thesis where the research was not subject to ethics review, produced no publications, and was designed, carried out, and analyzed by the student alone, the text of the Preface may be very brief. Samples are available on this website and in the University Library's online repository of accepted theses.

The content of the Preface must be verified by the student's supervisor, whose endorsement must appear on the final Thesis/Dissertation Approval form.

Acknowledgements, introductory material, and a list of publications do not belong in the Preface. Please put them respectively in the Acknowledgements section, the first section of the thesis, and the appendices.

6. Table of contents (required)

7. list of tables (required if document has tables), 8. list of figures (required if document has figures), 9. list of submitted files (required if additional files are submitted with the pdf), 10. list of illustrations (advisable if applicable).

If you remove copyrighted tables, figures, or illustrations from your thesis you must insert the following at the spot where the table, figure, or illustration previously appeared:

• A statement that the material has been removed because of copyright restrictions
• A description of the material and the information it contained, plus a link to an online source if one is available
• A full citation of the original source of the material

See the UBC Library Copyright Educational Resources: Theses and Dissertations Guide “ Unable to get Permission? ”

11. Lists of symbols, abbreviations or other (advisable if applicable)

12. glossary (optional), 13. acknowledgements (optional).

This may include statements acknowledging support and contributions from various sources, including the student’s research supervisor and committee, research participants, colleagues, friends, and family members. IMPORTANT : Please ensure that everyone you mention in your Acknowledgements understands and accepts that their name will be appearing online in an open-access document.

Any funding for the research should be listed here.

14. Dedication (optional)

15-17. thesis body: introduction, research chapters, conclusion (usually required unless the thesis consists only of multimedia).

This contains the comprehensive contextualization, methods, findings, analysis and implications of the scholarly work. These components can be organized and expressed in a manner that the student and their supervisory committee deems to be most appropriate to the work, to the student and their objectives, and to the relevant disciplines.

In many cases the thesis will be organized in chapters, while for others (especially those including creative and/or other modes of expression) it may take different forms. The different elements should be divided appropriately (and indicated as such in the Table of Contents) to enable ease of review. The thesis should be presented in a manner that enables a cohesive understanding of the work and which is credible within the field. In all cases, certain elements are required:

Introductory content.  This must clearly state its theme, topics, hypotheses and/or goals and provide sufficient background information to enable a non-specialist in the subject matter to understand them. It must contextualize the topic and questions within a thorough review of relevant literature and/or other foundational scholarship

Research/Scholarship methodologies, findings, products.  The account and products of the scholarly work should be complete and sufficiently detailed to enable a reader to understand how the work was carried out and analyzed, and how to apply similar methods in another study.

Analysis and summary content.  This should include a reflective analysis of the scholarly findings and/or products, integrated into the context of the thesis subject to demonstrate how the thesis leads to new understandings and contributions. The work’s potential (or actual) impact, its limitations, and its significance should be outlined.

18. Bibliography (mandatory except for MFA and MMUS)

There must be only one Bibliography or References section for the whole thesis.

19. Appendices (Optional)

These consist of supporting material that is not integral to the understanding of the work and/or easily incorporated into the thesis body, potentially including additional methodological details or data, copies of surveys used, etc. They must be referred to in the document.

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Main navigation

• Graduate Students
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• General requirements
• Preparation of a thesis
• Initial Thesis Submission
• Thesis examination
• Doctoral oral defence
• Final Thesis Submission
• Thesis Writing and Support Resources
• Letters of Completion/PGWP

General Requirements for Master's and Doctoral Theses

The following are general requirements for McGill theses. Academic Units* are encouraged to provide additional written guidance to students outlining expectations of the particular discipline.

Once a thesis is submitted it exists in the public domain unless the candidate and the thesis supervisor request to temporarily withhold a thesis from circulation. Graduate students have the right to use the data they have generated for their thesis. In the event of a of a conflict, the student and thesis supervisor can make a request to Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies to temporarily withhold the thesis from circulation (up to one year). This request is made via myThesis at the time of final thesis submission, on the platform. A thesis must be written in English or French, except for those submitted by students in language Units*. McGill University requires that all theses conform to the McGill University specifications for Master’s and Doctoral theses.

Master’s Theses

• A thesis for the Master's degree must show familiarity with previous work in the field and must demonstrate the ability to carry out research, organize results, and defend the approach and conclusions in a scholarly manner according to disciplinary norms.
• An exhaustive review of work in the particular field of study is not necessarily required. Expectation for the level of original scholarship at the Master’s level varies with the discipline.
• The thesis must be written in compliance with norms for academic and scholarly expression and for publication in the public domain (see section: withholding a thesis from circulation temporarily ).

Doctoral Theses

• A thesis for the Doctoral degree must constitute original scholarship and must be a distinct contribution to knowledge.
• It must show familiarity with previous work in the field and must demonstrate ability to plan and carry out research, organize results, and defend the approach and conclusions in a scholarly manner.
• The research presented must meet current standards of the discipline; as well, the thesis must clearly demonstrate how the research advances knowledge in the field.
• Finally, the thesis must be written in compliance with norms for academic and scholarly expression and for publication in the public domain (see section: withholding a thesis from circulation temporarily ).

The nature of academic research requires adherence to McGill’s policies on research ethics and intellectual property, as described below.

Research Ethics

Research involving human participants, animal subjects, micro-organisms, living cells, other biohazards, and/or radioactive materials must have had the appropriate compliance certification. Copies of any certificates of compliance must be retained by the supervisor and student in accordance with McGill’s policies on research ethics. Supervisors indicate on the Nomination of Examiners and Thesis Submission Form that the thesis research has complied with all ethical standards. See the Ethics and Compliance webpage for further information about certification and training requirements.

Intellectual Property

Any issues regarding intellectual property deriving from the research, leading up to the thesis, or in the completed thesis itself should conform to McGill’s  Policy on Inventions and Software . In addition:

• Students, supervisors, and any other collaborators must have written intellectual property agreements regarding thesis research.
• These agreements must be consistent with the requirements of thesis examination and availability in the public domain.
• Students must be aware of any limitations or approvals required for publication of the research, including the examination and publication of a thesis.

Please Note: When previously published copyrighted material is presented in a thesis, the student must obtain signed permissions/waivers from the publisher(s). Permission must also be obtained from co-authors of manuscripts submitted or in preparation for inclusion in the thesis; an email to that effect should suffice. 

*Unit  refers to a department, a division, a school, an institute, or a Faculty/University-wide program.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial 4.0 International License . Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, McGill University .

Department and University Information

Graduate and postdoctoral studies.

Université de Montréal / Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies

• What you need to know
• PROGRESSION AND SUPERVISION

Master’s Thesis and Ph.D. Dissertation

The research training programs require that students write a master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation which, once completed, will be subjected to a rigorous evaluation by a committee. These programs involve a limited number of courses and allow ample room for personal work, carried out under the guidance of a research supervisor.

Master’s Thesis

The master’s thesis is the written exposé of the results of a research project carried out as part of a master’s program. The master’s thesis must show that candidates have the aptitude to conduct research and is skilled at presenting the results of their work.

Ph.D. Dissertation

The Ph.D. dissertation presents the results of a research project of a greater scope. It must take into account the research work that makes an original and significant contribution to the advancement of knowledge.

Master’s Thesis or Ph.D. Dissertation Topic

It is in the best interest of students and their research supervisor to agree on the research project on which the master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation will be based. The project must be clearly set out, must be innovative, and correspond with the methods available to accomplish it within the established timelines. It is important that students establish the outline very early so that they may perform sufficient research prior to confirming their final choice of topic.

Registration of the Research Topic

At the master’s level.

The master’s thesis topic must be submitted before the end of the second session of course work.

At the doctoral level

A draft of the research project is required upon admission and students have the first three sessions of course work to submit their dissertation topic.

Registration form of the research topic

Writing and Presentation of the Master’s Thesis and the Ph.D. Dissertation

When students are actually writing the master’s thesis or Ph.D. dissertation, they must realize that the intended audience is members of the scientific community of the field in which they are pursuing their studies.

All master’s thesis and Ph.D. dissertation manuscripts must comply with highly rigorous guidelines, as outlined in the " Guide de présentation des mémoires et des thèses” (Presentation guide to master’s theses and Ph.D. dissertations) ".

Submission of the Master’s Thesis or the Ph.D. Dissertation

In order to avoid delays at the evaluation stage of the master’s thesis or Ph.D. dissertation, students must send a notice of submission to their academic unit (Faculty,School, Department, Program)  at least two months prior to the scheduled submission date. This information enables the academic unit to initiate the process of forming a thesis committee, which can act immediately once the manuscript has been officially submitted.

At the time of the initial deposit, students must complete and sign the  appropriate authorization forms .

Electronic submission applies only to final submission of the manuscript; i.e. the final version which has been approved by the president of the jury. The master thesis or the Ph.D. dissertation is submitted to  Papyrus , the Institutional Repository, after approval by the academic unit.

For any question regarding the electronic submission, please consult th eLibrary Web site :  Thèses et mémoires électroniques

Thesis Committee

Members of the thesis committee evaluate the quality of the manuscript and determine whether the scope of the work completed justifies granting the sought-after degree. The thesis committee is responsible for carrying out a rigorous, impartial and formal evaluation of the master’s thesis or Ph.D. dissertation.

When the manuscript is deemed excellent, the thesis committee ranks it among the best work in the field. The author’s name is then recorded on the GPS’s Rector’s Honours List and may submit their work in the competitions held for the best master’s thesis or the best Ph.D. dissertations.

Withdrawal or Modification of a Master’s Thesis or a Ph.D. Dissertation Submitted to Papyrus - Exceptional Procedures

A student willing to withdraw or to modify his master’s thesis or his Ph.D. dissertation submitted to Papyrus has to:

• Write a request including the submission date, the reasons for the withdrawal or the modification;
• Send his request to the Rector of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (GPS);
• Send a copy to his research supervisor.

GPS will accept and assess the student’s request  only  if the master’s thesis or the Ph.D. dissertation integrity is involved  and only if  the request is endorsed by the research supervisor.

Important note:

• Language, sentence or spelling mistakes will not be recognized as valid reasons for withdrawal or modification.
• A request to withdraw or to modify a master’s thesis or a Ph.D. dissertation submitted to Papyrus will not withdraw or modify the copies already harvested by Thesis Canada.

Connecting you with top Canadian universities Joignez des universités canadiennes d’excellence

Canadian Master’s and PhD programs

At our universities you will find the following programs if you are interested on a master’s, this could help you decide which one is a better fit for you: some tips that could also help you:.

• Think about what you hope to do after the program, usually students contemplating a PhD or an academic career are better served with a thesis based program.
• The  thesis-based program offers better preparation for a PhD program .
• The course-based program will offer you more time to pursue other learning opportunities, like an internship , for example, or other networking opportunities.
• At CALDO universities you will find more options of thesis-based masters Admission. For a thesis-based Master’s you will need a supervisor which may make the admission process a bit more complex. On the other hand, some course-based Master’s will require evidence of professional experience (e.g. MBA).

For more information on how to apply see the Steps to Apply section.

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Theses & Dissertations

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Theses and dissertations from McGill University is available in both digital and physical form.

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Canadian sources are best accessed through academic repositories or by using the Proquest Dissertation and Theses Global database.

Have a specific country or university in mind? Search using the words "repository," "theses", or "dissertations" with an academic institute of your choice to find additional theses and dissertations. 

Full-text of dissertations from McGill University as well as 3,100 worldwide universities. Full-text PDFs available for all non-embargoed dissertations and theses from 1997 – forward, with select full text available prior to 1997. Library can facilitate negotiating text-mining rights for this database for McGill faculty and students wishing to acquire the rights with their own research funds. Please contact Digital Scholarship Hub

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Indexes over 4 million graduate-level electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) freely available from over 1,100 institutions worldwide . Search for keywords from titles, author names, abstracts, subjects, university/publisher and more. Use More search options to limit searches to a particular field, language, and date range. The search results will include links to full-text theses/dissertations residing on the original hosting site, usually the institutional repository of the school that granted the degree.

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UBC Theses and Dissertations

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The UBC Theses and Dissertations collection promotes open and comprehensive access to a significant body of unique knowledge created by graduate students to support further research and for private study. The authors retain copyright ownership and moral rights to their theses. The content of theses and dissertations may not be re-purposed or exploited for commercial gain without the explicit permission of the authors. 

See Theses and Dissertations at cIRcle: Discovery and Use to learn more about finding and using openly available theses and dissertations in Open Collections. 

UBC graduate students began submitting their theses online via cIRcle, UBC’s digital repository, in fall 2007, a practice that both simplified the submission process and also ensured the availability of this research to a global audience in a timely manner. As of March 2012, UBC Library has digitized and made openly accessible the full-text of more than 32,000 theses submitted by graduate students between 1919 and 2007. In addition to providing information about specific fields of study these theses also reveal important information about changes in pedagogy at the University and within academic disciplines. Authors concerned about having their pre-2007 theses included as part of this collection can notify [email protected] to have their thesis removed. Similarly, if copyrighted material appears in a thesis the copyright owner can request that material be removed.

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Mathematics and Statistics

Master of Science (MSc)

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Program overview.

Intellectual curiosity, a passion for problem-solving and a drive to conduct independent research are the hallmarks of our mathematics and statistics graduate students. Our faculty have helped many graduates succeed in moving on to leading doctoral programs. By the time you graduate, you will have contributed to current research in your chosen area of specialization. This might be in a pure mathematical area such as combinatorics, discrete mathematics, geometry, logic, number theory and cryptography, analysis, and mathematical physics, or in theoretical research in probability and statistics. Or you may work in industrial mathematics and operations research, with application in biology and medicine, energy markets and mathematical finance, geoscience, medical imaging, oil and gas, software and computer applications, biomedical and industrial statistics, environmental risk, actuarial science and big data analysis.

Completing this program

• Mathematics Courses: Topics may include measure and integration, analysis, algebraic geometry, number theory, scientific modelling and more.
• Seminars:  In addition to required courses, students register in a research seminar in either actuarial science, biostatistics, mathematics, or statistics (depending on student's specialization).
• Statistics Courses: Topics may include probability, estimation, hypothesis testing and more.
• Thesis: Students will be required to submit and defend an original research thesis.

Specializations

• Mathematics
• Biostatistics (Interdisciplinary)
• Actuarial Science
• Mathematical Finance

Universities and colleges, Government of Canada (Canadian citizens only), banking and finance, information technology and cybersecurity, energy, risk management and insurance, health, pharmaceuticals, environmental management, quantum computing, data analytics, medical imaging.

A master’s degree in math and statistics will give you the pre-requisite for a PhD.

Students are required to prepare a thesis and successfully defend in an open oral defense.

Minimum of five courses, or four if completing the program in one year

Learn more about program requirements in the Academic Calendar

Classroom delivery

Time commitment.

Two years full time; four years maximum

A supervisor is required, but is not required prior to the start of the program

See the Graduate Calendar for information on  fees and fee regulations,  and for information on  awards and financial assistance .

Virtual Tour

Explore the University of Calgary (UCalgary) from anywhere. Experience all that UCalgary has to offer for your graduate student journey without physically being on campus. Discover the buildings, student services and available programs all from your preferred device.

Supervisors

Learn about faculty available to supervise this degree. Please note: additional supervisors may be available. Contact the program for more information.

Mina Aminghafari

Tracey Balehowsky

Kristine Bauer

Karoly Bezdek

Elena Braverman

Thierry Chekouo

Clifton Cunningham

Rob Deardon

Paul Gordon

Matthew Greenberg

Admission Requirements

A minimum of 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 point system, over the past two years of full-time study (a minimum of 10 full-course equivalents or 60 units) of the undergraduate degree.

Minimum education

Bachelor’s degree, or its equivalent, in the subject of the specialization to which the application is made, or a closely related area.

Work samples

Reference letters, test scores, english language proficiency.

An applicant whose primary language is not English may fulfill the English language proficiency requirement in one of the following ways:

• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL ibt)  score of 97 (Internet-based, with no section less than 20).
• International English Language Testing System (IELTS)  score of 7.0 (minimum of 6.0 in each section).
• Pearson Test of English (PTE)   score of 68, or higher (Academic version).
• Canadian Academic English Language test (CAEL)  score of 70 (70 in some sections – up to the program, 60 in all other).  
• Academic Communication Certificate (ACC)  score of A- in one or two courses (up to the program), “B+” on all other courses.  
• Cambridge C1 Advanced or Cambridge C2 Proficiency  minimum score of 191.

*Please contact your program of interest if you have any questions about ELP requirements.

For admission on September 1:

Canadians and permanent residents: Jan. 15 application deadline

International students: Jan. 15 application deadline

If you're not a Canadian or permanent resident, or if you have international credentials, make sure to learn about international requirements

Are you ready to apply?

Learn more about this program, department of mathematics and statistics.

Mathematical Science Room 462 612 Campus Place NW Calgary, AB T2N 4V8 403.220-6299

Contact the Graduate Program Administrator

Visit the departmental website

Biological Sciences, Room 540 2500 University Drive NW Calgary, AB T2N 1N4 403.220.8600

Visit the Faculty of Science website

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Related programs

If you're interested in this program, you might want to explore other UCalgary programs.

Course-based MSc

Community Health Sciences

Thesis-based MSc

Computer Science

Thesis-based MA

Course-based MA

Electrical and Software Engineering

Course-based MEng

Course-based MEng (Software)

Thesis-based MEng

Thesis-based MSc

Medical Science

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Thesis-Based Degrees

Master your field of study by investing in a research-intensive program designed by you. Research students are supervised by world-renowned faculty with a wide variety of opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration.

Doctor of Philosophy – PhD

Master of Science / Master of Applied Science In Forestry – MSc / MASc

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• Theses and reports

Master’s and Doctoral Theses and Reports

Thesis examinations for master’s and doctoral students are proceeding as normal, and we have not seen any interruptions in this process. We want to ensure you that your academic unit, SGS, and the examiners involved are all committed to a fair and timely review of your work. We also realize that, for many graduate students, covid-19 has require changes in research plans. You and your supervisor are invited to draft and submit a covid-19 impact statement along with your thesis , so your examiners are aware of significant changes that were required.

The information below is intended to help you draft and submit your thesis/report to fulfill your program requirements.

Before you submit:

Thesis and Report Guidelines (full document)

• Read this first: introduction to writing your thesis
• How to structure your thesis and which style to use
• How to format your thesis
• Order of thesis content
• Authorship and acknowledgements (including co-authorship )

Additional resources and tools you might need or use :

• samples of a Title Page , Table of Contents , List of Tables
• o nline tutorials for writing and editing from Memorial's Dr. Cecile Badenhorst
• an excellent article on "what examiners do" when assessing theses

Preparing for submission:

• Here are all the steps involved in a Master's Thesis Examination Procedures and a Doctoral Thesis Examination and Oral Defence Procedures . You should discuss specific timelines with your supervisors.
• Aim to submit your thesis for examination at least four months before the convocation you hope to atend. SGS does not accept any responsibility for completing the prescribed procedure in time for the nearest convocation date unless the thesis is submitted by the prescribed date.
• If you are expecting to graduate, then you must apply through Memorial Self-Service at least by the time of submission of the thesis/report. Please consult the University Diary for the precise deadline.

Submitting for examination:

• When you and your supervisor agree your thesis is ready to submit, ensure you send a word and a pdf version of the work to your graduate officer or academic unit head.
• All theses submitted to SGS by the academic unit must be accompanied by a Supervisory Approval Form and either an Appointment of Examiners Form Master's Degrees or an Appointment of Examiners Form Doctoral Degrees . Although it is expected that, on the successful completion of all academic requirements, the student will submit a thesis to the Dean for examination with the approval of the supervisor and Head, the absence of such approval cannot prevent submission.
• Information on the possible outcomes of a thesis examination, time limits for revisions, and re-examination procedures can be found in the University Calendar . Required revisions and corrections are made by you in consultation with the supervisory committee.  
• The thesis examination is an arm’s-length process, therefore, there must be no contact between you or your supervisor and the examiners while a thesis or report is under examination.
• You must maintain your graduate registration until all academic requirements for your degree including thesis corrections have been met.

Oral defence (doctoral students only):

• In addition to a written thesis deemed acceptable to the University, doctoral students must demonstrate their ability to defend their work in a public oral examination. For this reason, the final decision on whether a student will be recommended for the award of the degree is made at the conclusion of the oral examination.
• A formal oral defence will normally take place only with the recommendation of the majority of examiners.
• The written examiners’ reports are discussed at the pre-oral meeting. The pre-meeting will last roughly 30 minutes and include the Chair, internal and external examiners, as well as supervisor(s) and committee members. The Chair will go over the defence procedure, examiner recommendation options, as well as answer any questions or inquiries by the attendees.
• The subsequent examination is public and chaired by the Dean of Graduate Studies or delegate. In addition to the examining board, the supervisor(s) will participate in a non-voting capacity.
• All oral defences are conducted as eDefences. Requests to fly external examiners to Memorial University are decided on a case-by-case basis.
• Doctoral students should be prepared to give a 15-25 minute presentation outlining the major contributions made by the thesis. Following the student’s presentation, the Chair will direct at least two rounds of questions from the members of the examination board. After each round of questioning, the supervisor(s) will be asked if they want to contribute any questions/comments. The Chair will not permit questions or comments from anyone other than the members of the examining board and supervisor(s).
• The Chair must be satisfied that the doctoral student has been thoroughly examined.
• Doctoral students should be prepared to defend the contents of the thesis in its entirety. Questions relating to the detailed content of the thesis and/or the relation of the general body of knowledge of the discipline to the body of material presented in the thesis are permitted.
• There will not be any time limits regarding questioning (minimum or maximum).
• At the conclusion of the public portion of the examination, the members of the examination board hold an in camera meeting to evaluate the performance of the student. Only the voting members of the examining board may vote on the outcome of the thesis and oral defence.
• Details on the oral defence and possible outcomes can be found in the University Calendar .
• Students must maintain their graduate registration until all academic requirements for their degree including thesis corrections have been met.

Final submission:

• The final version of a thesis found acceptable with or without corrections shall be submitted to the University within six months of the date on which the thesis and examiners’ reports are returned to the student’s academic unit.
• For final submission, all graduate students are required to produce one electronic copy of their thesis to the Head of their academic unit.
• The final version of your thesis should be in PDF/A (or PDF/A-1a) format (needed for the long-term archiving of electronic theses) and use the following naming convention: lastname_firstname_middlename_finalsubmissionmonthandyear_degree.pdf (e.g., Smith_John_James_122013_PhD.pdf).
• Click here for instructions on how to convert files to PDF/A format. For further help, you may wish to contact Memorial’s Digital Media Centre .
• Upon approval by the Head of the academic unit, please send the electronic copy of your thesis, along with any associated supplementary files, and a metadata file detailing your thesis information to [email protected] . We will confirm by email once you have successfully submitted your thesis.
• All graduate students are required to consult with their supervisory committee and Head of their academic unit regarding any restrictions to publication of the thesis before final submission.
• If required, a completed should be uploaded along with the thesis as a supplementary file.
• In cases where file size exceeds 500MB files may be submitted on DVD or CD. The disc sleeve should note student name, student number, degree program, and the academic unit. A completed Thesis Deposit Form must be included with CD/DVD submissions.
• At the time of e-thesis submission, a completed Recommendation for the Award of a Graduate Degree form should be submitted to SGS by the Head of the academic unit.

Publication:

• Graduate student theses are stored and preserved electronically through Memorial University Libraries’ Research Repository . A graduate student’s thesis is deposited only after a degree is conferred at Convocation in May or October. Documents in the Research Repository are searchable by the general public directly or via search engines like Google.
• Memorial University also participates in the Theses Canada program . Library and Archives Canada routinely harvests graduate student theses for storage in a central, publically searchable database.
• Graduate students interested in obtaining personal bound copies of their final thesis may order directly from Lehmann Bookbinding .
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Related Content

How to Choose Between Course-Based and Thesis-Based Master’s Programs in Canada

• January 13, 2024
• Office of Outreach and Relationships

Pursuing a Master’s degree in Canada while working full-time can be a challenging yet rewarding endeavor. One of the important decisions you need to make is whether to choose a course-based or thesis-based program. Both options have their pros and cons, and it’s essential to consider factors such as your career goals, research interests, and time commitments. In this article, we will explore the differences between course-based and thesis-based master’s programs in Canada to help you make an informed decision.

Key Takeaways

• Course-based master’s programs provide a comprehensive understanding of a field through coursework and offer flexibility for individuals with full-time jobs.
• Thesis-based master’s programs emphasize research and independent study, providing academic rigor and the opportunity to contribute to the existing knowledge in a field.
• Consider your career goals and research interests to choose a program that aligns with your long-term aspirations and passion for the subject matter.
• Evaluate the time commitments required for each program and assess your ability to balance work responsibilities and academic commitments.
• Explore program requirements, assessments, and networking opportunities to ensure a good fit with your strengths, preferences, and future prospects.

Please note that when implementing this HTML text into your webpage, make sure to remove the capitalized HTML tags.

Understanding Course-Based Master’s Programs

Course-based master’s programs in Canada are a popular choice for individuals looking to deepen their knowledge in a specific field through coursework. These programs require students to complete a set number of courses, providing them with a comprehensive understanding of their chosen area of study.

One of the advantages of course-based programs is the flexibility they offer. Students have the freedom to complete their coursework at their own pace, making it a suitable option for those with full-time jobs. This flexibility allows you to balance your professional commitments while pursuing your master’s degree.

In course-based programs, you’ll have the opportunity to choose from a variety of electives, allowing you to tailor your education to your specific interests and goals. Some programs even offer specializations or concentration areas, enabling you to focus on specific aspects of your field of study. This specialization can enhance your expertise and make you a highly sought-after professional in your industry.

Completing coursework in a course-based program provides a practical and hands-on approach to learning. Through assignments, projects, and examinations, you’ll gain valuable skills and knowledge that can be directly applied to real-world situations. This practical focus can significantly contribute to your professional development, preparing you for leadership roles and career advancement opportunities.

The image below highlights the diverse coursework and flexibility offered in course-based master’s programs:

Whether you’re looking to enhance your skills, change career paths, or gain a deeper understanding of your field, a course-based master’s program can provide you with the necessary knowledge and flexibility to achieve your academic and professional goals. Take advantage of the specialized coursework, customizable options, and practical learning opportunities offered in course-based programs to set yourself up for success.

Exploring Thesis-Based Master’s Programs

Thesis-based master’s programs in Canada offer a unique opportunity to delve deep into research and independent study. These programs are designed to foster academic rigor and intellectual growth by requiring students to conduct original research and write a thesis. With the guidance of a faculty advisor, students embark on a journey of exploration and contribute to the existing body of knowledge in their chosen field.

Throughout the thesis-based program, students work closely with a thesis committee, consisting of experts in the field who provide valuable guidance and feedback. This collaborative approach ensures that students receive the necessary support and mentorship to refine their research questions, design methodologies, and analyze data.

The research aspect of thesis-based programs offers numerous benefits, including the opportunity to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. By conducting original research, students build a strong foundation in their area of study and gain a deep understanding of the research process.

Additionally, thesis-based programs provide a platform for students to contribute to the academic community through publications, presentations, and conferences. These experiences not only enhance their knowledge but also help establish their credibility and professional reputation within their field of interest.

However, it is important to note that thesis-based programs often require a significant time commitment. The extensive research and writing involved can be challenging for those with full-time jobs. It is crucial for prospective students to carefully evaluate their time management skills and determine if they have the capacity to balance work, studies, and personal commitments.

Despite the time commitment, thesis-based master’s programs offer a unique and rewarding academic experience. The opportunity to engage in in-depth research, collaborate with renowned experts, and contribute to the academic landscape can be immensely fulfilling for individuals passionate about their field of study.

Whether you choose a thesis-based program or a course-based program, it is important to carefully consider your academic goals, research interests, and personal commitments. By understanding the distinctive features of thesis-based programs, you can make an informed decision that aligns with your aspirations and sets you on a path of academic excellence.

Considering Career Goals and Research Interests

When deciding between course-based and thesis-based master’s programs in Canada, it’s crucial to consider your career goals and research interests.

Course-based programs are often more suitable for individuals seeking to gain specialized knowledge and skills in a particular area to enhance their professional development. These programs offer a structured curriculum with a wide range of courses to choose from, allowing you to tailor your studies to align with your career goals. By completing coursework in your desired field, you can acquire the practical skills and knowledge necessary to excel in your chosen profession. Additionally, course-based programs often provide opportunities for internships, co-op placements, and industry collaborations, further enhancing your career prospects.

On the other hand, thesis-based programs are ideal for those interested in pursuing research-oriented careers or further studies at the doctoral level. These programs offer the chance to delve deep into a specific research area and make original contributions to the field. By working closely with faculty advisors and engaging in independent research, you can develop critical thinking, analytical, and problem-solving skills that are highly valued in research-based professions. Thesis-based programs also provide opportunities to present your research at conferences and publish your findings, further establishing your expertise and credibility within the academic community.

It’s important to align your program choice with your long-term goals and passion for the subject matter. Consider where you see yourself in the future and how each program can help you reach those aspirations. Reflect on your research interests and whether you are more inclined towards practical application or scholarly inquiry. By choosing a program that aligns with your career goals and research interests, you can ensure a rewarding and fulfilling academic journey.

Assessing Time Commitments

Pursuing a Master’s degree in Canada while working a full-time job requires careful consideration of time commitments. When deciding between course-based and thesis-based programs, program duration is an important factor to consider. Course-based programs typically have a shorter duration compared to thesis-based programs since they primarily focus on coursework. This shorter duration can be beneficial for individuals juggling work and studies.

On the other hand, thesis-based programs require a more significant investment of time and effort due to the research and thesis writing components. Conducting original research and writing a thesis involves a substantial time commitment, which may be challenging for those with full-time jobs. Students in thesis-based programs must allocate sufficient time for data collection, analysis, and writing, along with engaging with their thesis committee.

Before making your program choice, it’s crucial to assess your ability to balance your work responsibilities and academic commitments. Reflect on your current workload, your work-life balance goals, and your capacity to dedicate the necessary time and effort to your program of choice. Consider whether a shorter duration with a focus on coursework or an extended commitment to research aligns better with your personal and professional goals.

Exploring Program Requirements and Assessments

When deciding between course-based and thesis-based master’s programs in Canada , it’s important to understand the program requirements and assessments involved. Course-based programs typically require you to complete a specified number of courses, assignments, and examinations. This structure allows you to gain a broad understanding of the field through coursework and demonstrates your ability to apply knowledge effectively.

In contrast, thesis-based programs focus on independent research, where you’ll delve deeper into a specific area of interest and contribute to the field’s existing body of knowledge. In these programs, you’ll undertake original research, write a thesis, and often defend your work through an oral examination. This research-centric approach fosters critical thinking, problem-solving, and analytical skills.

The image below illustrates the different requirements and assessments in course-based and thesis-based master’s programs:

As you consider your strengths and preferences, think about how coursework, research, and examinations align with your learning style and career goals. If you enjoy a structured learning environment and prefer applying theory to practical situations, a course-based program may be the right fit. On the other hand, if you’re passionate about research and want to contribute new knowledge to your field, a thesis-based program could provide the academic rigor and opportunities you seek.

Regardless of the program type, it’s crucial to carefully review the program requirements, such as the number of courses or the thesis length, and ensure they align with your time availability and commitments. Additionally, consider the type of assessment that resonates with your learning style and allows you to demonstrate your knowledge effectively.

Networking and Collaborative Opportunities

Both course-based and thesis-based master’s programs in Canada offer a wealth of networking and collaborative opportunities that can significantly enhance your academic and professional journey. These opportunities allow you to connect with like-minded individuals, forge valuable professional connections, and contribute to the academic community in meaningful ways.

In course-based programs, you’ll have the chance to interact with your peers and esteemed faculty members through engaging group projects, lively discussions, and thought-provoking seminars. These collaborative experiences foster a supportive and dynamic learning environment, where you can exchange ideas, gain diverse perspectives, and build lasting professional relationships within your field.

Networking for Professional Connections

Networking in course-based programs opens doors to a wide range of professional connections. By actively engaging with your classmates and professors, you gain access to a network of professionals who share your passion and can offer valuable insights and opportunities. From informal conversations during breaks to formal networking events, you have numerous chances to connect with individuals who can become valuable mentors, collaborators, or future employers.

These professional connections can be particularly advantageous for those pursuing career-centric goals. Networking provides access to industry-specific information, job opportunities, and career advice that can accelerate your professional growth and help you stay updated with the latest trends and developments.

Collaborative Opportunities in Thesis-Based Programs

In thesis-based programs, you’ll have the unique opportunity to collaborate with renowned researchers within your field of study. Working alongside experts in their respective domains, you can contribute to cutting-edge research projects, expand your knowledge base, and make meaningful contributions to your academic discipline.

Thesis-based programs often provide opportunities to attend conferences, present your research findings, and publish your work in academic journals, further increasing your visibility within the academic community. These experiences allow you to connect with peers and experts from around the world, expanding your professional network and fostering collaborations that can have a lasting impact on your academic and research career.

By actively participating in networking and collaborative opportunities, you not only enhance your knowledge and skills but also pave the way for future collaborations and career advancements. Whether you choose a course-based or thesis-based program, make sure to consider the type of connections and collaborative experiences that align with your career goals, ultimately enriching your academic journey.

Funding and Scholarships

When pursuing a Master’s degree in Canada while working full-time, funding and scholarships are crucial in ensuring you have the financial support you need. While research funding opportunities are more commonly available in thesis-based programs, it’s important to note that course-based programs may also offer scholarships and assistantship positions.

Exploring the funding options available for both program types is essential in making an informed decision. Research the scholarships offered by universities, external organizations, and government agencies. These scholarships can provide the financial support you need to pursue your degree without placing excessive strain on your full-time job.

In addition to scholarships, assistantship positions are worth considering. These positions often come with a stipend or tuition remission and can help alleviate the financial burden of pursuing a Master’s degree. Talk to program coordinators or faculty advisors to learn more about assistantship opportunities and how they can provide you with the necessary financial support.

Remember, funding and scholarships can significantly impact your ability to pursue a Master’s degree in Canada while working full-time. Take the time to explore and consider all available options, ensuring that you make a well-informed decision that aligns with your financial situation and supports your academic and career goals.

Considering Future Prospects and Employability

When choosing between course-based and thesis-based master’s programs in Canada , you must carefully consider the future prospects and employability each option offers. Course-based programs focus on developing practical skills and knowledge directly applicable to the job market. The emphasis on practicality enhances your immediate employability and opens doors for career advancement opportunities.

On the other hand, thesis-based programs provide you with valuable research experience and the opportunity to contribute to the academic community. This research-oriented approach can be highly beneficial if you’re considering a career in research or planning to pursue further academic studies, such as a Ph.D.

When making your decision, think about your long-term career goals and the skills and experiences that will best support your desired path. Consider the immediate employability boost that course-based programs offer, as well as the long-term benefits of research opportunities and contributions to the academic field provided by thesis-based programs.

Seeking Guidance and Making an Informed Decision

Making an informed decision between course-based and thesis-based master’s programs in Canada requires guidance from faculty advisors and program coordinators. These experts possess valuable insights into the structure, requirements, and outcomes of each program.

To make an informed decision, engage in conversations with professors and professionals in your field of interest. Attend program information sessions to gather comprehensive information and ask questions to clarify any doubts or concerns.

The guidance provided by faculty advisors and program coordinators will help you obtain a thorough understanding of the available options and make a decision that aligns with your career aspirations, research interests, and work-life balance.

Remember, seeking guidance allows you to make an informed decision that sets you on the path towards a successful and fulfilling academic journey.

Pursuing a Master’s degree in Canada with a full-time job requires careful consideration of various factors. When choosing between course-based and thesis-based programs, it is essential to assess your career goals, research interests, time commitments, program requirements, and future prospects.

By evaluating these considerations and seeking guidance from faculty advisors and program coordinators, you can make an informed decision that aligns with your aspirations and work-life balance. Remember to prioritize your long-term goals and passion for the subject matter to ensure a fulfilling and successful academic journey.

Ultimately, whether you choose a course-based or thesis-based program, both options offer unique benefits and challenges. The key is to choose a program that suits your individual goals and circumstances. With the right decision-making process and careful consideration, you can pursue your Master’s degree in Canada while balancing your full-time job and unlocking new opportunities for professional growth and personal fulfillment.

Source Links

• https://www.macworld.com/article/670477/best-mac-or-macbook-for-students.html

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