sgps uwo thesis submission

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The forms below help to track your progress through your program of study. Students are responsible for bringing a copy of the appropriate form to meetings and assessments.

Advisory Committee Meeting Report Forms

Other MSc and PhD Forms

The progression calculators below, which were created in Excel, are designed to assist you in determining your timeline for completing your thesis and program:

• Progression Calculator for Program Completion
• Progression Calculator for Thesis Completion

SGPS requirements for thesis formatting, and instructions and deadlines for thesis submission, can be found in the links below.

• SGPS Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Site
• SGPS Timelines for Thesis Submission

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• Graduate Office Request

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For further details regarding thesis regulations, formatting, submission appointments etc. please go to the School of Graduate Studies website.

PhD Thesis Submission

Once you have completed your 'non-thesis' program requirements, the last step towards completion of your PhD program is the writing and examination of your thesis.

When your thesis is ready for submission there are a few steps to follow:

• Your supervisor must provide the graduate Assistant with an examining board 6 weeks before the defense date. The date must be agreed upon by all 4 examiners, the supervisor and the student.
• Within 5 weeks of the defense date, the student submits the thesis on line to the School of Graduate Studies together with the supervisor approval form which has been signed by the supervisor. To submit your thesis on-line go to this website: http://www.grad.uwo.ca/current_students/thesis/overview.htm .
• The School of Graduate Studies will distribute the thesis to the examiners along with PhD Thesis Evaluation form. They will also arrange for a faculty member from the University to Chair the thesis exam.
• If the majority of examiners agree that the thesis is acceptable to proceed, the exam takes place on the scheduled date.
• Be sure to take the "Certificate of Exam" with you to the exam (be sure to type the examiners names on the form beforehand). If the thesis is judged acceptable, the examiners will each sign this form. The supervisor may withhold his/her signature until any requested changes have been made.
• When you have completed any changes recommended by the Thesis Examination Board you must present for SGPS approval the thesis in the prescribed format with a "Thesis Submission Checklist," one "UWO License," two "Certificates of Examination" (one of which has the required original signatures and one with only the examiners names typed on), a "National Library license", and a "UMI Abstractions Services" form. (these highlighted forms are available from the Graduate Assistant). For this purpose, the candidate must book an online appointment for SGPS approval.
• Once approved by SGPS, the candidate must submit the thesis with all the completed forms to UWO's Graphic Services (Graphic Services Building), who will accept the thesis and make copies for binding and microfiching.

MSc Thesis Submission

Once you have completed your non-thesis program requirements, the last step towards completion of your MSc program is the writing and examination of your thesis.

• Your supervisor must provide the graduate Assistant with an examining board 4 weeks before the defense date. The date must be agreed upon by all 3 examiners, the supervisor and the student. Check the website: http://www.grad.uwo.ca/current_students/thesis_regulations/section_5.htm for the date restrictions for each term.
• Within 3 weeks of the defense date, the student submits 3 copies of the thesis to the Graduate Assistant together with the supervisor approval form which has been signed by the supervisor.
• The Graduate Assistants will distribute the copies to the examiners along with Masters Thesis Evaluation form. She will also arrange for a faculty member to Chair the thesis exam.
• If the majority of examiners agree that the thesis is acceptable, the exam takes place on the scheduled date.
• Be sure to take the "Certificate of Exam", with you to the exam (be sure to type the examiners names on the form beforehand). If the thesis is judged acceptable, the examiners will each sign this form. The supervisor may withhold his/her signature until any requested changes have been made.
• When you have completed any changes recommended by the Thesis Examination Board the candidate must present for SGPS approval the thesis in the prescribed format with a "Thesis Submission Checklist," one "UWO License," and two "Certificates of Examination" (one of which has the required original signatures and one with only examiners names typed on), (the first two forms are available from the Graduate Assistant). You must book an online appointment for SGPS approval.

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• Thesis and Defence

Most of the regulations concerning the Masters thesis submission and defence are covered by the SGPS thesis regulations .  The terms "thesis defence" and "thesis examination" are used interchangeably here.

Q1: What do I need to do first once my thesis is ready? 

A1: set a defence date - 6 weeks prior to defence.

In terms of the timeline approaching the defence, it is most useful to work backwards from a target thesis examination date. Keep in mind that you, in collaboration with your supervisor, need to initiate the process. You should have an abstract of the thesis ready at this time to send out to potential examiners. It is the supervisor's responsibility to contact potential examiners, not the student's.

Q2: When do we form a thesis examination board?

A2: 4-5 weeks prior to defence.

These details need to be finalized no later than three weeks prior to the proposed defence date. Once the examiners and date have been established, provide the information to the Graduate Administrator for completion of the Examination Request form.

Q3: When do I submit my thesis?

A3: 3 weeks prior to defence.

See the thesis regulations section .  Please notify the Graduate Administrator when you are ready to upload your thesis.

Q4: When will I know if the thesis is clear for oral defence?

A4: 2-4 days prior to defence.

Two to four days prior to the defence, the Thesis Coordinator (SGPS) will advise, via email, whether the examination will proceed as scheduled. Beware though that proceeding to oral defence does not mean you have effectively passed.  All evaluations are provisional and the evaluation of the written thesis form and content can be reversed based on the evaluation of the oral defence.

Q5: When is my defence/examination public (open)?

A5:  you have a choice to have a closed or open master's thesis defence. regardless of your choice, you will give a 10-minute presentation at the start of the defence to review your findings..

The 10-15 minute presentation should briefly cover the research context, research problem, research questions and methodology; however, the emphasis should be placed on the main findings and contributions of the thesis. This presentation is made at the start of the examination immediately after the Chair confers with the examination committee.

The order of events will be as follows:  1) the committee will decide the order and duration of questioning; 2) the candidate will give their presentation (10-15 minutes); 3) the committee will conduct their questioning of the candidate; 4) the candidate will be asked to leave the room while the committee deliberates; and 5) the candidate will be invited back into the defence room once the committee has reached a decision.

Closed Defence : If the candidate has elected to have a closed defence, up to 10 invited guests may enter with the candidate and remain until the end of the presentation. The audience is not permitted to ask questions.

Open Defence : If the candidate has elected to have an open defence, the audience will enter with the candidate. They are not permitted to ask questions (or speak) during the examination. The audience may be permitted to ask questions  at the end of the examination, subject to available time . The public will leave with the candidate while the committee deliberates. Only the candidate will be invited back into the defence room once the committee has reached a decision.

Q6: Questions on anything relating to the thesis.

A6: details about the format of the oral examination can be found in the sgps thesis regulations section ., q7: how much time do i need to make changes to my thesis, a7: maximum two weeks after a successful defence.

The thesis guidelines state that to "pass with minor revisions" (a common scenario), you are able to complete the revisions and have the document submitted to SGPS within two weeks.  Allow time for approval by your thesis examination board (one member of the examination board [not the supervisor] withholds the final signature) and will approve the final edits once uploaded by the student.  

Please contact the Graduate Administrator with any questions regarding the graduate program. Phone: 519-661-2111, Ext. 85033; Email: [email protected]

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M.Sc. Supervisory Committee

The supervisory committee should be formed by the end of January during the student’s MSc1 year in the program. The committee should meet by the end of the winter term of the student’s first year in the program. Committee members need not be experts in the student’s specific research area as their role is to provide general guidance to the student regarding their scholarly development . This committee consists of: (1) The supervisor(s) (who must be a member of SGPS and have MSc supervisory privileges), (2) At least one other member of the Psychology Department, (3) One additional person with appropriate SGPS status (confirm with the potential member or the graduate program office). This person may be from the psychology department or other relevant discipline. The supervisory committee advises the student on professional development in general as well as the development of the thesis topic.

M.Sc. Proposal Meeting

Proposing the thesis : By the end of a student’s MSc 1 year , the student and their supervisory committee should meet to discuss the student’s thesis topic. A formal thesis proposal meeting may be held, but an M.Sc. proposal defense is not required by the department. If a proposal meeting is held, the supervisor(s) can inform the graduate office of the outcome via e-mail, cc-ing the other committee members on the e-mail.

M.Sc. Examination Committee and Scheduling

For the exam (i.e., the M.Sc. thesis defense): The scheduling process begins with the student and supervisor(s) agreeing on a (mostly) final draft that is ready to defend and potential examination committee members. Students are strongly encouraged to double-check that their supervisor(s) approves of the version of the thesis they plan to upload to SGPS. When a student and supervisor(s) cannot agree on final version, students do have the option of submitting a thesis for examination without supervisor approval. This is a distinct process described here: https://grad.uwo.ca/administration/regulations/8.html , regulation 8.4.3. Students considering this option are required to meet with the Associate Chair of Graduate Studies to discuss the implications. The M.Sc. Examination committee will consist of three members: (1) Two members are from the Psychology department, one of whom has served on the student's supervisory committee. Examiners must be arms-length and not have made a substantive contribution to the thesis research or written thesis. The supervisory committee member serving as examiner should have, of course, provided advice on the thesis, but should not be an active collaborator on the project or have played a substantive role in the thesis writing and revision. (2) The third member is a university examiner from outside the Psychology Graduate Program. The University Examiner brings to the thesis examination insights from outside the candidate's discipline and must have knowledge in the general field of the thesis, but need not be an expert on the thesis topic. Please confer with the Graduate Chair if you have questions regarding the suitability of a potential university examiner. The student's supervisor(s) does not serve as an examiner, although they do attend the examination and give feedback on the student. The examining committee members should be approached, their willingness to serve confirmed, and a defense date determined by the student and/or supervisor(s). Once a date has been set, provide a completed Thesis Examination Request Form signed by both the supervisor(s) and student to Lisa Drysdale, Graduate Program Coordinator. The Graduate Chair will then request that an exam be scheduled. Timeline : The next steps occur roughly within a 5-week window. Note that the requirements noted below are general guidelines; the student and supervisor(s) must attend to the specific dates for thesis defense requirements set by SGPS for convocation eligibility (see http://grad.uwo.ca/academics/thesis/timelines.html ). The thesis is due to SGPS no later than one week after the request to schedule an exam is made. The committee must have at least 3 weeks between the thesis being submitted to SGPS and the exam itself to allow sufficient time to read the exam. Any revisions and final thesis submission are due 6 weeks after a successful thesis examination.

Ph.D. Supervisory Committee

The supervisory committee should be formed by the end of January during the student’s PhD1 year in the program.

The committee consists of:

(1) the supervisor(s) (who must be a member of SGPS and have PhD supervisory privileges) (2) a minimum of two others from the Department. At least one of the other members of the committee must be a member of SGPS. Additional members may be added as needed to provide additional expertise. The supervisory committee advises the student on professional development in general as well as the development of the thesis topic. Note that some clusters may have different supervisory committee requirements. The student and supervisor(s) are responsible for complying with these and should consult with the relevant cluster chair.

Ph.D. Proposal

Phd optional departmental exam.

The Departmental Exam Form can be found here .

Ph.D. Examination Committee

Ph.d. examination timeline, inviting committee members.

For the Ph.D. examination committee, the supervisor(s) must approach members to participate. The student should not be involved in this process. For the M.Sc. supervisory and examination committees, either the student or supervisor(s) can invite members to participate. Similarly, for the comprehensive examination committee, either the student or supervisor(s) should approach potential committee members.

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Thesis Guidelines

All MScFN Thesis students work closely with their Faculty Research Supervisor, who will guide students through their research, thesis writing, and preparation for the thesis exam.

Following Western University’s School of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies (SGPS) regulations, students will also have the support of a Thesis Advisory Committee consisting of at least two members: the Supervisor and another member of faculty with appropriate SGPS membership selected by the Supervisor. 

The Thesis Advisory Committee is responsible to:

• Approve the proposal.
• Oversee the development of the study, including reviewing the student’s work and progress and making recommendations.
• Evaluate the final draft of the thesis.
• Determine when the final draft is ready for the oral examination.  

The student is responsible for maintaining close contact with their Supervisor through regularly scheduled appointments and keeping all members of their Thesis Advisory Committee informed of their progress.

The Thesis and Thesis Examination 

Western University’s School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies thesis and thesis exam regulations are on their website here and should be referred to regularly.

During the term before the student believes they might complete writing their thesis, the Thesis Exam Timelines should start to be consulted and considered.

When the Advisory Committee decides that the thesis is ready for an examination, the Supervisor is responsible for arranging a list of examiners and a date for the examination which must be included on the Master's Thesis Examination Request Form . After completion, the form should be shared with the Graduate Program office in time for submission to Western’s School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, according to the Thesis Exam Timelines . The examination cannot be held until the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies has approved the list of examiners and the exam date.

A minimum of three weeks before the thesis exam the student must upload their thesis to Western University’s Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository . Steps on how to submit a thesis are available on the SGPS' Preliminary Submission page .

Exam arrangements will follow Western University’s School of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies (SGPS) Thesis Examination Guide .

Resources for MScFN Thesis-based program students

MScFN Thesis-based program students must follow the guidelines and procedures set by Western University's School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (SGPS). Please review all of the information on the SGPS website carefully and refer to it often.

• UWO Thesis Regulations
• UWO Thesis Guide
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Remote Thesis Examination Guide

SGPS has advised that scheduled thesis exams can be postponed under the current circumstances, but this is a decision best made on a local level by Faculties, Programs and Departments. If you choose to proceed with a remote examination, please observe the following: It is the responsibility of the department to set up the Zoom meeting and send the link, along with the remote thesis examination guide, out to the examiners, supervisor, candidate and chair. If you have not used Zoom before, it’s fairly intuitive. The remote thesis guidelines (previously circulated and attached) also provide instructions. If you still have questions or concerns after reviewing the guide, please contact Matt Dumouchel ([email protected]).

  Exams may proceed with everyone participating remotely, as long as the technology remains effective. This is not ideal, but under the current circumstances it is acceptable. It is the responsibility of all participants to ensure that they have a device available which will work effectively. We strongly recommend that all participants test their system ahead of time, ideally by connecting as a committee 24 hours or so ahead of the scheduled exam, to allow time to adapt if necessary. The chair should also have phone numbers to communicate with participants in the event of a loss of connectivity. It is the chair’s decision if the exam can proceed if a single examiner is lost; if more than one is not actively participating the exam should be suspended and re-scheduled.

The chair remains responsible for conducting the examination in accordance with SGPS regulations. This means that the chair must be comfortable that the technology is working effectively, as well as that the questioning is proceeding in an appropriate way. If the chair considers that the examination is not proceeding according to the appropriate standards they should suspend it. SGPS and/or the program will reschedule as appropriate depending on the reason for the suspension. Keep in mind that re-scheduling could be done in relatively short order if necessary, given that no-one is travelling or in class. We recognize that this is a major disruption to our usual way of doing things, and we appreciate your support and your flexibility. We are trying to find the right balance between maintaining our academic standards and allowing our students to finish in a timely way. We're all doing a lot of experiential learning right now and we will make mistakes and encouter unforseen problems. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns about any of this, as we work this out together.

More Information

PhD Candidacy Exam

For students transferring from msc program to phd program.

Students enrolled in the MSc program who have demonstrated outstanding academic and research qualities may be permitted to transfer into the PhD program prior to completion of the MSc degree, provided they successfully pass the PhD Candidacy Evaluation. This PhD Candidacy Evaluation must take place prior to the end of the 5th term of graduate enrollment.

For PhD students

Students enrolled in the Ph.D. program must take the Candidacy Evaluation prior to the end of the 3rd term after enrollment.

• Click here for the PhD Candidacy Evaluation Schedule Request Form
• Click here for the PhD Candidacy Evaluation Proposal Submission Form
• Click here for the PhD Post Candidacy Advisory Form

Important Considerations and additional details on the Examination Board Members, timing and process of the evaluation can be found here:

• The Guidelines for PhD Candidacy Exam.

MSc Preparation and Thesis Defense

Thesis requirements.

• Demonstrate familiarity with the current knowledge of the field.
• Provide an acceptable rationale for the research problem, as a coherent project (i.e., not a series of exercises).
• Demonstrate that a reasonable amount of experimental work has been expended on the problem, beyond the mastery of analytical or technical skills.

Naturally, the thesis must conform to the rules provided in the most recent Western University Guide for the Preparation of Theses .

Two to three months before the student intends to submit the thesis for examination, please consult the Graduate Chair to ensure that the process of setting up an examination committee can be initiated correctly.

Prior to submission, the thesis must be read and approved to proceed to examination by the supervisor and at least one member of the advisory committee. The proposed examiners and date and time of the exam are to be arranged by the student's chief advisor (usually in consultation with the advisory committee members and the student). It is your responsibility to ensure that the external examiner is a member of SGPS and is eligible to fulfil the required duties. The student must hand in the thesis submission form to the department office.

Master's Thesis Forms for the departmental office

• MSc Thesis Submission Form
• MSc Thesis Exam Request Form (information must be typed.  Room booking will be done by the graduate administrator)

General thesis information, (formatting, submission, copyright, etc) is found on the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies website .

The graduate chair will then review and approve the thesis exam committee, date and time to go forward for final approval by the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. The chair of the MSc oral examination, as well as the location of the exam, will be selected by the M&I graduate chair.

The Departmental deadline for submission of the thesis for examination is one week prior to the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies deadline for submission of Examining Boards. The dates change on a term basis and students are instructed to consult the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies timelines calendar to determine the actual deadline.

The student must hand in 1 thesis submission form to the department office. Upload the thesis for examination to the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies at the " Electronic Thesis and Dissertation " page.

Examination

The oral examination normally occurs four weeks after submission of the thesis for examination. Under no circumstances will an oral examination be scheduled in less than 15 working days after the thesis submission. Details of the examination and defense processes can be found on the homepage of the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies .

Students are reminded that two Advisory Committee Meetings are required per year.

1st: between January 1 - June 30

2nd: between July 1 - December 31

School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies General Information Calendar

PhD Preparation and Thesis Defense

Guidelines for the preparation and format specifications of theses and details of the thesis defense are found in the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies calendar . 

Prior to submission, the thesis must be read and approved to proceed to examination by the supervisor and at least one member of the advisory committee. The proposed examiners and date and time of the exam are to be arranged by the student's chief advisor (usually in consultation with the advisory committee members and the student). The student must hand in the thesis submission form to the department office. Upload the thesis for examination to SGPS at the " Electronic Thesis and Dissertation " page.

Doctoral Thesis Forms for the departmental office

• PhD Thesis Submission Form
• PhD Thesis Exam Request Form (Information must be typed,  Room assignment will be completed by the graduate administrator)

Doctoral Thesis Forms for the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies

The graduate chair will then review and approve the thesis exam committee, date and time to go forward for final approval by the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. The chair of the PhD oral examination, as well as its location, are selected by the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. The Ph.D. examination is arranged by the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies and normally occurs 6 weeks after the date of submission to the Faculty.

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SUBMIT THESIS/DISSERTATION

Jacqui Jaremchenko [email protected]

A thesis (or dissertation) is a formal statement of the theory, source materials, methodology, and findings of a student's major research project. It must be a complete and sufficient document that does not require subsidiary information to substantiate its findings. The examination of the thesis exposes the student's work to scholarly criticism.  

Your thesis is the final work of your time in graduate school. You should begin planning your thesis from the very start of your degree program.  These pages are designed to help you begin crafting your thesis and support you on the path towards its eventual publication.

• Remote and In-Person examinations
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• When is Copyright Permission Required?
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• Cite Your Sources
• Permission Denied?  Unavailable?
• Quick Copyright Links
• Preliminary Examination of the Thesis
• Preparing for the Examination
• Submitting the Final Copy of your Thesis
• Reviewing your Final Submission
• Publishing of the Thesis
• Archiving of the Thesis
• Continued Access to Scholarship@Western

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Contact [email protected] to receive twice-monthly e-mails dedicated to helping students succeed in graduate school. Trying to complete this term? Click here for SGPS term deadlines

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• Thesis Approval Forms

PhD Public Lecture Schedule

• Click here for the current month public lecture dates and locations .

Thesis Proposal

Supervisory committee, formatting and elements of a thesis.

All procedures and regulations found in the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies' Thesis Regulation Guide must be followed in the completion of the thesis. Students are encouraged to visit Section 8.3 early in the writing process. This section lists all components of a thesis (with a brief description of each) and formatting specifications. Although individual page templates are provided in Section 8.3, the use of the electronic formatting template (the link is provided below) is recommended since it includes all of the individual templates in one continuous document, moving seamlessly from the introductory page numbering to main body content page numbering. You may save the template, then copy and paste your text into it. Note that use of the templates is not mandatory but you must ensure that your thesis meets the SGPS formatting requirements. Click here for electronic formatting templates . The thesis may be submitted in .pdf, .doc, or .rtf format. Students are encouraged to use the Portable Document Format (.pdf) as all documents received through the Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation repository are automatically converted to .pdf. Using the .pdf format allows the candidate to verify the appearance and organization of the document as it will be presented to the examiners.

Notes regarding the Certificate of Examination

PhD students are not required to submit a Certificate of Examination. The Certificate is provided to the Chair of the thesis exam by the Thesis Coordinator in Grad Studies.

MA students are not required to submit a Certificate of Examination.  The Certificate is provided to the Chair of the thesis exam by the Graduate Program Assistant.  Students must confirm their thesis title and name, as they wish them to appear, with the Graduate Program Assistant.

Bibliography

The presentation of references/ bibliographies must be consistent throughout the thesis and conform to a style appropriate to the discipline (i.e., referencing format of the Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology).

Terms Deadlines and Other Considerations

Apply to graduate, fee refunds, steps leading to thesis exam and degree completion, 1. submission of examining board information.

MA - Four weeks before the date of the thesis exam, the thesis supervisor provides, to the graduate program assistant, the information for the Master's Thesis Examination Board form. It is the responsibility of the supervisor to provide the names and contact information of the two program examiners and the University examiner, as well as the thesis examination date and time agreeable to all. The graduate program assistant will find a Chair for the thesis exam, complete the form and send it to the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (SGPS) for approval.

PhD - Six weeks before the date of the thesis exam, the thesis supervisor provides, to the graduate program assistant, the information for the Doctoral Thesis Examination Board form.  It is the responsibility of the supervisor to provide the names and contact information of two program examiners, the University examiner, and the External examiner, as well as the thesis examination date and time agreeable to all.  The graduate program assistant will send the form to the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (SGPS) for approval.

2. Preliminary Thesis Submission

MA - at least three weeks before the date of the thesis exam PhD - at least five weeks before the date of the thesis exam

The thesis is submitted for preliminary examination by the thesis examiners. Ensure that you have included all required elements and that the formatting is correct (see Formatting and Elements of a Thesis, above) in preparation for preliminary electronic submission.  

Also, at this time, the student and the supervisor sign the respective Master's Thesis Supervisor Approval Form or Doctoral Thesis Supervisor Approval Form, available from the graduate program assistant or on the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies' website .

3. Prepare For Thesis Defence (aka Thesis Exam)

4. public lecture (phd only), 5. thesis defence, 6. revisions, 7. final thesis submission, 8. certificate of examination, library & archives canada form.

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You can visit this website to learn more about formatting, preliminary/final submission, timelines, publication, and much more.

Ensure that you are following all of the deadlines that are outlined by SGPS found  Here

The process for students should be as follows:

Submit your Proposed Thesis Examination Board form to the CBE Graduate Coordinator: This form outlines the examiners, date, time and location of your defense. Ensure you have all signatures required. You require signatures from your supervisor(s), the Graduate Chair, the Graduate Assistant and you must sign the board as well.

Submit your preliminary thesis online here .

Await the formal email from SGPS and the department that your thesis has been approved and can proceed. 

Defend your thesis!

Have your Certificate of Examination (provided to you at the end of your defense) signed and drop it off at the department office.

Make recommended revisions to your thesis and submit online here .

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