NOTE: for additional details to those presented below please consult the Handbook for Graduate Studies in Zoology

1.Program elements common to MSc and PhD degrees

Supervisory Committees:

Each student’s scholarly activities, thesis research and progress are overseen by a Supervisory Committee. The thesis supervisor is responsible for recommending a committee to the Graduate Office soon after a student arrives. The MSc committee consists of the supervisor (and co-supervisor if relevant) plus an advisor who is another faculty member and meets in the fall (by mid-December) and spring (by May 31) terms each year. The PhD committee consists of three faculty members (including the Supervisor). Additional members from outside the University may be appointed with the approval of the Associate Chair. Where co-supervision exists, two additional supervisory committee members are required, with at least one of these members from EEB. PhD committees must meet once per year no later than May 31. At least one day before each meeting the student must give committee members a brief written progress report of work completed and an outline of future plans. After the meeting a form (see Forms & Links on this website) is signed by each committee member and the student may add comments, sign the form and submit it along with a copy of the progress report to the Graduate Office. To be eligible for graduate funding students must have their required supervisory meetings for the academic year by May 31.

Graduate Courses:

All students are required to take graduate courses (see below for specific requirements by degree). Courses taken should be selected in consultation with the supervisory committee and may be taken in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology or other departments. EEB adheres to grading practices that are set by the School of Graduate Studies - passing grades include only A+, A, A-, B+, B and B-.

Thesis:

Original research and the completion and defence of a thesis are requirements for students in both the Master’s and Doctoral programs.

2. MSc Program Requirements

Residency, Financial Support and Courses:

The School of Graduate Studies residency requirement for the M.Sc. program is one year of full time study. The time limit for completion of the program is five years but the expected time to completion is two years. Students are required to pay full fees for every year in which they register in the M.Sc. program. A minimum stipend will be provided for up to 24 months (see Guaranteed Stipend). Students are required to take one full graduate course equivalent (usually made up of two one-semester courses) in the first year of their program. The full course requirement must include one core course (usually taken in the student’s sub-disciple – see Courses) and one other graduate level course.

MSc Examination:

An M.Sc. thesis exam is held at the completion of a student’s degree program (see Forms & Links for instructions). The exam committee comprises the supervisor (and co-supervisor if relevant), advisor and two other examiners from EEB but not on the supervisory committee. Membership of the exam committee is determined by the supervisor and student and must be approved by the Graduate Office. The chair will be a member of the exam committee (but not the supervisory committee) and will be appointed by the Graduate Office. Once the exam committee is approved the student and supervisor should consult with examiners and recommend an exam date to the Graduate Office. The Graduate Administrator will finalize the exam date and time, book the exam room and circulate the formal announcement to participants. Students are responsible for booking their own audiovisual equipment needs. The thesis supervisor must declare that the thesis is ready for examination by completing a “Thesis Assessment ” form. This form must be sent to the Graduate Office and a copy of the thesis given to all examiners at least two weekends before the examination date.

The examination will be based on the assessment of the thesis containing the results of an original research study and the ability of the candidate to defend the thesis and show a mastery of the research topic. The candidate must demonstrate that he/she understands the topic, can defend the data and the conclusions presented in the thesis, and can place the findings in a general context. At the end of the examination it is determined whether the student has passed or requires re-examination, and if the former whether the thesis requires editorial changes, minor corrections, or minor modifications. The MSc Examination Form must be completed by the examining committee. If re-examination is required it must take place within two to six months.

3. Transfer from MSc to PhD

Students wishing to initiate a transfer from an MSc to a PhD program will have their supervisor write a letter to the Associate Chair briefly outlining the reasons why the transfer is requested (an explicit statement that the student’s supervisory committee concurs with the request to transfer should be included). The letter should be submitted to the Graduate Office well before the intended date of the student’s transfer exam and the exam should be held as soon as possible after the 12th month from first registration (typically in September or October). The format of the transfer exam is the same as that of the PhD Appraisal (see below). The outcome of a transfer exam will be either: Acceptable and proceed in the PhD program or Unacceptable and complete the MSc by the end of 24 months. Transfer students are required to take two full course equivalents (usually consisting of four one-semester courses) one of which must be a core course. Any course work completed prior to the transfer may count toward this total. The minimum stipend is guaranteed for a total of five years, starting with the date of first entry in the graduate program.

4. PhD Program Requirements

Residency, Financial Support and Courses:

The PhD program is expected to take four years of full time study (five if entered directly from a BSc). The School of Graduate Studies minimum residency requirement for the Ph.D. program is one year (or three consecutive terms) of full time study. The time limit for completion of the program is 6 years and the expected time to completion is four (or five) years. Students pay full fees for every year in which they register in the program with the exception of their final year when they may pay monthly fees. A minimum stipend will be guaranteed for up to four years (five if direct entry from the BSc) and partial support will be provided for the fifth (or sixth) year (see Guaranteed Stipend). Ph.D. students must complete four one-semester graduate courses with the first course taken in their first year. PhD students may take only one ZOO1002 Reading Course (directed by two faculty if one is the thesis supervisor) or one joint undergraduate/graduate course in their program.

PhD Appraisal:

All students must pass a PhD Appraisal exam within 18 months of first registration (see Appraisal Examination Instructions). The purpose of the Appraisal is to ensure that the research proposal is sound and that the study has every expectation of being completed within the time indicated. The Appraisal Committee will consist of five members chosen by the student and supervisor, and approved by the Associate Chair: the supervisor (plus co-supervisor if relevant), two members of the candidate’s supervisory committee (usually from EEB) and two other faculty members. The Graduate Office will appoint a Chair.

Two weeks before the Appraisal Exam the student must provide committee members with a written report of ten pages (12 point font, double spaced) exclusive of figures, tables and references outlining the conceptual framework of the study, objectives, methods intended, a timeline for completion of the thesis program and preliminary data if available. The student makes a 20-minute oral presentation to the committee and then answers questions about the research proposal. After the student leaves the room the exam committee holds a discussion followed by a vote requiring agreement among four of the five voting members. The committee will decide whether the student has passed and may continue in the PhD program, or whether re-examination is required (within six months) in which case the committee provides the student with a written summary of the changes required to the thesis research program. The committee must fill out an Appraisal Form.

Departmental Seminar Presentation:

All PhD candidates must give a public seminar on their thesis research in the Departmental Seminar Series on their campus of registration. This seminar is typically given two-three months before their final thesis examination.

Final Oral Examination:

The Final Oral Examination is conducted by the School of Graduate Studies (click HERE for instructions). The exam committee consists of the supervisor (and co-supervisor if relevant), the two other members of the supervisory committee, an external examiner, and one EEB faculty not from the supervisory committee. The School of Graduate Studies provides a Chair for the exam. A quorum of five, excluding the Chair, is required . Recommendations for the membership of the committee are made by the thesis supervisor and submitted for approval to the Graduate Office. Suggestions of three potential external examiners who hold at least Associate or Full Professorship in a department with a doctoral program, who are of high academic standing, who have a proven record of graduate student supervision and who are at “arm’s length” from the supervisor and PhD candidate must be submitted to the Graduate Office for approval. The supervisor is responsible for travel costs of the external examiner that exceed the $500 covered by the Graduate School. The Graduate Office will help the supervisor and student set a date for the examination and will forward the information on the examining committee, the external examiners, and an abstract of the thesis to the School of Graduate Studies for approval along with one copy of the thesis. The student must provide all examiners with a thesis copy at least six weeks in advance of the examination date (except the external examiner who will receive a copy from the Graduate School). Approximately two weeks before the exam the external the student and all committee members will receive a copy of the external examiner’s appraisal of the thesis and the internal appraisal. At the end of the examination the committee votes for acceptance with minor corrections or minor modification, or for adjournment.