Thesis Routes

Students must complete a Thesis Proposal and submit it through the Thesis/Project Proposal form on the SGS Portal. The Thesis Proposal is due as follows:

Table 6: Thesis/Project proposal due dates for full-time students

Table 7: Thesis/Project proposal due dates for part-time students

The table below lists minimum expectations. Students are expected to work in collaboration with their supervisor(s) to create a proposal that meets normal disciplinary expectations. There may be cases where this requires a proposal that substantially exceeds the minima listed in the table. The Supervisory Committee has the final authority to determine whether a proposal meets disciplinary standards, keeping in mind the purpose of the proposal, which is to guide the student’s thesis research and to maximize the potential for a successful thesis.

The cover page (or first page) of the proposal should give a word count (excluding references) in those programs with a minimum word-count requirement.

Table 8: Thesis/Project Proposal requirements

Generative AI may not be used in the development of the thesis proposal except with the explicit consent of the Supervisory Committee. Any planned use of generative AI in the thesis work must be disclosed in the thesis proposal. It is within the ambit of the Supervisory Committee to either approve or disallow the use of generative AI. If a student later wishes to use generative AI in a manner not previously approved by the Supervisory Committee, they must seek the permission of their Committee. If this permission is obtained, a revised thesis proposal must be submitted to SGS that includes a disclosure of the manner in which generative AI is to be used in the research or creative activity.

For proposals describing research involving either human participants or animals, the proposal timelines should take into account the time required to obtain ethics approval. Moreover, any potential ethical issues arising from the proposed research must be discussed within the proposal.

See the Graduate Studies Calendar and Course Catalogue for expected completion times of the Assessment of Comprehensive Knowledge.

The student’s comprehensive knowledge will be assessed both within their specific area of research and more broadly in their field of study. This assessment will involve both written and oral components. Each program area may formulate their own guidelines which are submitted for review by the relevant Graduate Program Committee and approved by Graduate Council. Approved program area guidelines are available on the School of Graduate Studies website.

Assessments of comprehensive knowledge have the following components:

Table 9: Components of an assessment of comprehensive knowledge

During a written component of a comprehensive examination (whether in person or take-home), questions about the examination, including but not limited to questions about the topics or specific requirements of the examination, can only be asked by the student via the Chair of the examination committee.

The Chair of the Comprehensive Examination Committee reports the examination results using the Comprehensive Examination Assessment form within one business day.

This section applies to the evaluation of either a written comprehensive exam or of the oral component. A coursework component of a comprehensive knowledge assessment will be subject to the normal rules for assessing courses.

The written and oral components are completed separately and graded as Pass/Fail. The written component is completed and assessed first. A student who passes the written component continues to the oral component. A student who fails the written component is given one (1) opportunity to repeat the examination. A student who fails the oral component is given one (1) opportunity to repeat the examination.

A student who fails any portion of the comprehensive examination must wait a minimum of two (2) weeks before repeating it and up to a maximum of four (4) months from the date of the failed comprehensive examination to successfully complete it. A student who fails either portion of the comprehensive examination (written or oral component) for the second time may complete a masters-level degree—subject to approval by the relevant Graduate Program Committee and the Dean of Graduate Studies—or may be required to withdraw from the Doctor of Philosophy program. A student in the Doctor of Philosophy (Education) program who fails either portion of the comprehensive examination (written or oral) for the second time is required to withdraw from the program.

Students in the Doctor of Philosophy (Education) program should successfully complete the comprehensive examination prior to the Thesis Proposal Defence.

Purpose

The Thesis must make a significant, original contribution to the body of knowledge in a given discipline. It must show that the student:

• Is familiar with the published literature in the Thesis’ subject area
• Has used appropriate research methods
• Has applied appropriate levels of critical analysis
• Is competent to complete independent research and present the findings
• Defend and debate in a public forum (only in Master of Science (Management))

Requirements

The following are the requirements for the Thesis:

• The student must work independently to produce the Thesis.
• The Thesis must consist of original student research work.
• In the event that some of the work described in the thesis was not completed by the student (e.g. some experiments were completed by others), or that the student received substantial assistance in some aspect of the work described (e.g. operating specialized equipment, or advanced data interpretation), this assistance must be clearly acknowledged.
• The student is responsible for writing their Thesis under the guidance of the supervisor(s).
• The student must orally defend the Thesis.
• The Thesis remains the intellectual property of the student.
• The student grants the University of Lethbridge permission to use the Thesis for further research and study.

A thesis document may be presented in one of four types of organizational structure: (a) Traditional/Chapter-based Thesis, (b) Manuscript-based Thesis, (c) Research-creation Thesis, or (d) Portfolio-style Thesis. The student and the supervisor/s should start their discussion early in the thesis work to select one of the approved organizational structures and follow it consistently. If another type of organizational structure is an acceptable scholarly practice for the discipline, the student must obtain written permission from the Dean of Graduate Studies or Dean’s Designate before submitting the Request for Final Thesis Examination form.

Regardless of the organizational structure, the thesis document must clearly demonstrate the student’s scholarly efforts and must include both introduction and conclusion chapters. Each type of thesis document may incorporate Indigenous Knowledge that is germane to the thesis work.

A table summarizing the attributes of each type of thesis document is presented below the description for the Portfolio-style Thesis.

A) Traditional/Chapter-based Thesis

Generally, this type of thesis is organized into chapters based on a single area of research. This type of organizational structure is typically used for a monograph that includes unpublished work by the graduate student and may include content from a published or submitted for publication paper/manuscript where the student is the author/co-author.

B) Manuscript-based Thesis

This type of thesis typically includes a collection of papers/manuscripts submitted or accepted for publication and/or previously published by the graduate student as an author or co-author. Only papers/manuscripts where the student is the primary author may be included in the Manuscript-based Thesis. All components of the manuscript-based thesis must be framed/conceptualized into one cohesive manuscript, based on a single area of research, with logical progression between chapters. Permission from the supervisor and all Supervisory Committee members is required. All papers must be reformatted to conform to the formatting requirements listed below. The majority of the writing must have been completed by the student who authored or co-authored each paper/manuscript included in the thesis. For co-authored papers/manuscripts, the student must obtain permission from all co-authors.

C) Research-creation Thesis:

In certain degree programs or disciplines, the thesis work may contain creative work completed by the graduate student. The Research-creation thesis is composed of two components: (1) the research project/lecture or recital and (2) the support paper.

D) Portfolio-style Thesis:

This type of thesis typically includes a compilation of products/components related to the student’s research work. Written permission from the Supervisory Committee and the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies is required when pursuing an alternative thesis model using unknown or uncommon methodology. This written permission is required prior to initiating the research (e.g., thesis proposal stage).

The Portfolio-style Thesis may be comprised of a variety of research works such as applied work, creative work, digital work, experiential work, entrepreneurial work, and/or a combination of these works. Potential outcomes of this type of thesis include:

• policy reports and/or papers,
• knowledge mobilization to the media, communities or other groups,
• publicly available resources (e.g., apps, art, comics, documentaries, music, novels, web tools),
• inventions, prototypes, business plans, patents or other technology licenses,
• educational programs, course materials, or assessment measures, translations,
• oral histories,
• cultural creations,
• artifacts from festivals or exhibitions,
• digital artifacts (e.g., animation, webpages, interactive portals, software).
• special issues resulting from curating/managerial editing practices (e.g., oral history archives, literary magazines), and
• special issues resulting from original productions (e.g., performing arts, galleries, museums, archives, libraries, and/or literary magazines).

The Portfolio-style thesis must include:

1. an Introduction or Overview section that outlines:
   1. a comprehensive review of the relevant literature;
   2. the placement or fit of the research work into the larger context of the student’s field/s or discipline/s;
   3. objective/s of the student’s thesis research work; and
   4. a statement that explains the outline and coherence of chapter/s or section/s to follow the Introduction or Overview.
2. a Summary or Discussion/Conclusion section unifying all the research products presented cohesively.

Table: Types of Thesis Documents

⁶The policies and procedures in this section draw heavily on similar policies at University of British Columbia, University of Manitoba, Concordia University, University of Alberta, and University of Calgary.

Compliance with the University of Lethbridge’s policy on Copyright in the Graduate Studies Calendar and Course Catalogue and with the Copyright Act is the graduate student’s responsibility. Each graduate student must be aware of the University’s Student Discipline Policy - Academic Offences (see Academic Regulations in Graduate Studies Calendar and Course Catalogue), legal responsibility, and ethical obligations relevant to intellectual property and copyrighted materials as they relate to the inclusion of papers/manuscripts in a Manuscript-based Thesis. Additional information on copyright and fair dealing is available in the Library’s Graduate Research Portal.

a) Published Papers and Manuscripts included in Thesis

The inclusion of content from one or more papers/manuscripts submitted for publication, accepted for publication and/or previously published by the graduate student as author or co-author, is subject to the following requirements:

1. The graduate student must be the primary author of all papers/manuscripts included in the Thesis. If a paper/manuscript includes more than one graduate student as a co-author, ONLY the primary graduate student may include the entire paper in the Thesis. If a paper does not have a single graduate student as the primary author, only those parts of the paper written by the graduate student may be included verbatim in the thesis. See (iii) below
2. The papers/manuscripts must be clearly identified and properly acknowledged in the relevant text of the Thesis and in the Preface section, which must clearly describe the student’s contribution/s to the research and writing of each paper/manuscript.
3. In the event that a student wrote a part of a paper but was not the single primary author, the student may include sections they wrote verbatim but must paraphrase others’ contributions. If a student participated in a research study that was part of their thesis work but the student was not the primary author, they will write up their contribution as a conventional thesis chapter, paraphrasing others’ contributions as appropriate. In either case, contributions by co-authors must be clearly acknowledged within the chapter and in the preface.
4. The formatting of the Thesis must be consistent throughout and follow the Thesis Format Regulations. Hence, minor changes to the original paper/manuscript may be required (e.g., changes to the numbering scheme for tables, figures, citations).
5. The entire Thesis must present a coherent and unified conceptualization of the collection of papers/manuscripts and include an Introduction chapter and Conclusion chapter that link the research program and work together. As such, logical links between chapters and the specified sequence of materials as outlined in the Thesis Format Regulations are required. The collection of the papers/manuscripts must be integrated in the flow and organization of the Thesis to represent the overall research program and work.
6. The examination and assessment of the entire Thesis and related work are subject to rigorous evaluation during the Thesis oral defence. The inclusion of published papers/manuscripts in a Thesis does not guarantee that the graduate student’s submission will satisfy the University’s standards and be viewed acceptable by members of the Thesis Examination Committee. Regardless of publication status, members of the Thesis Examination Committee may require revisions be made to the Thesis before the Recommendation of the Award of the Degree form is approved.
7. The Preface of the Thesis must contain a subsection titled Contributions of Authors, which outlines for each paper/manuscript the relative contributions of all co-authors and collaborators (including supervisors and members of the Supervisory Committee) and the proportion and contribution of the research and writing completed by the graduate student as a primary author. The supervisor’s/co-supervisors’ signature on the Assessment of Readiness to Defend form verifies the accuracy of the statements in the Contributions of Authors subsection in the Preface. The supervisor/co-supervisors will be asked to confirm the content of the Contributions of Authors subsection during a graduate student’s oral defence.

Contributions of Authors Subsection examples:

Chapter 3 is based on work conducted jointly with [names of collaborators, including supervisor as appropriate]. I was responsible for [specify activities]. [Name of co-author] carried out [specify activities].

A version of Chapter 5 has been published. [Citation of published paper/manuscript]. I conducted [specify activities]. The paper section on [“……] was written by [researcher/faculty member’s name, ….

8. Permission to use copyrighted materials from the student’s co-authors, if they are the holders or co-holders of the copyright, and publishers, if applicable, must be obtained and submitted to the School of Graduate Students with the completed Request for Thesis Examination form. Please consult with the University Copyright Advisor office before obtaining written permission.

Both copyright holders and publishers must be aware of the following:

1. Terms of the University of Lethbridge’s Non-Exclusive Distribution License;
2. Thesis and Project documents are archived by Library and Archives Canada; and
3. Thesis and Project documents are submitted to ProQuest at the student’s discretion.
   

9. An additional examination committee member, who has not co-authored one of the papers/manuscripts, must be added to the Thesis Examination Committee when all members of the Supervisory Committee including the supervisor/co-supervisors are otherwise co-authors of the papers/manuscripts included in the student’s Thesis.

b) Copyrighted materials included in Thesis

Student should consult with the University Copyright Advisor office if they are planning to include substantial parts of copyrighted materials in their Thesis.

1. Unless the use is covered by an exception to infringement in the Copyright Act or is allowed under the terms of an applicable license, permission must be obtained from the copyright holder when including copyrighted material in a Thesis. The use of copyrighted material/s must be acknowledged in the Preface of the Thesis.

2. Unless the use is covered by an exception to infringement in the Copyright Act or is allowed under the terms of an applicable license, copyrighted tables, figures and images must have the following statement included in a table note or figure/image caption: Reprinted with permission of …
   
   The copyright holder must be aware of the following:
   
   a. Terms of University of Lethbridge's Non-Exclusive Distribution License;
   b. Thesis and Project documents are archived by Library and Archives Canada; and
   c. Thesis and project documents are submitted to ProQuest at the student's discretion.
   
   Permission to use copyrighted materials and notes documenting coverage of the use by an exception to infringement in the Copyright Act or an applicable license must be appended to the Request for Thesis Examination form and must be submitted to the School of Graduate Studies.

If the research for your thesis required ethics approval, an ethics statement must appear in the preamble of your thesis. The ethics statement, which appears on a separate page according to the Thesis/Project Format Guidelines, should take the following form:

Work described in this thesis received research ethics approval from the University of Alberta Research Ethics Board, Project Name “TITLE”, No. 12345, DATE.

or, if the work in the thesis is covered by multiple ethics approvals:

Work described in this thesis received research ethics approval from the University of Alberta Research Ethics Board under the following applications:

The use of generative AI in any aspect of the production of a thesis/project must be disclosed in the preamble on a page with the following heading: “Uses of Generative AI in this Work”. This page will explain how, where and why generative AI was used in the research presented or in the writing of the thesis. This does not apply to theses or projects where generative AI was clearly the object of study and was not otherwise used. Examples of uses of generative AI that must be disclosed are: use of generative AI in organizing a literature review, in generating hypotheses or research plans, or in composing the text of the thesis or editing it. This list is not exhaustive. The student’s Supervisory Committee should be consulted if any questions arise about appropriate use of this technology.

The use of generative AI in no way diminishes a student's responsibility for the contents of the thesis. Students must verify that the material in the thesis is factual and that citations are correct.

The undisclosed use of generative AI in the creation of a thesis is an academic offence.

The School of Graduate Studies reserves the right for its staff and Members to use plagiarism detection software at any stage of the development of a thesis, from the proposal to the final submitted thesis. Plagiarism detection software will normally be operated in a mode that does not add the student’s work to the software provider’s database.

For regulations for the format of the Thesis/Project see the Thesis/Project Format Guidelines. All theses/projects must abide by these regulations and, if they do not, can be rejected by the Thesis Examination Committee and/or the Dean of Graduate Studies.

If a student needs to deviate from the format regulations, the student must obtain written permission from the Dean of Graduate Studies before submitting the Request for Final Thesis Examination form.

A copyeditor may be retained to review a student’s Thesis/Project/Capstone for matters such as grammar, spelling, punctuation, general style, etc. The original content, structure and contributions of the Thesis/Project/Capstone are the student’s responsibility and cannot be altered/revised by a copyeditor.

The following are the requirements before a copyeditor is retained by a graduate student:

1. Obtain written permission from the supervisor, project supervisor/instructor, or capstone supervisor/instructor. The written permission needs to outline what work is to be completed by the copyeditor.

2. Include a statement in either the preface section or acknowledgement section of the student’s Thesis/Project that the document has been professionally edited.

Students in the Faculty of Education, completing the capstone should refer to the Thesis/Project Format Guidelines.

If the capstone does not abide by these regulations, it can be rejected by the capstone supervisor and/or Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and Research in Education.

When the Thesis is complete, the candidate must defend it in an oral examination. The student informs the Advisor that they are ready to defend and provides the supervisor with an appropriately formatted PDF copy of the Thesis. The student is not permitted to make changes to the submitted document until after the Thesis oral defence has been completed.

A student who has successfully completed all program requirements has the right to submit and defend the Thesis, even if the Advisor recommends otherwise. Registration in the next academic term is required for any graduate student who does not submit and defend the completed Thesis by the end of the academic term.

Requesting the Thesis oral defence

Prior to the proposed scheduled defence, the Final Thesis Examination Request form is submitted through the SGS Portal for review and approval by either the Supervisor/Co-supervisor or student. Normally, the Final Thesis Examination Request is submitted by the Supervisor/Co-supervisor.

Components of the Final Thesis Examination Request 

After the Final Thesis Examination Request form is submitted, students may not revise the Thesis until after the defence.

If an External Examiner will be included in the Thesis Examination Committee, the External Examiner Request form must be submitted through the SGS Portal at least six (6) weeks prior to the proposed examination date.

Scheduling the Thesis oral defence:

Masters-level programs

For master's-level programs, the Thesis oral defence should be scheduled at least five (5) weeks before the date of the defence.

Master’s degree program timeline for scheduling the Thesis oral defence

* Approved by Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and Research in Education for Master of Education students. Approved by the Master of Nursing Program Committee for Master of Nursing students. Approved by the Dhillon School of Business Graduate Programs Committee.

** Master of Science (Management) is a minimum of two (2) weeks prior to submission of the Assessment of Readiness to Defend form and at least 72 hours before the scheduled Thesis oral defence.

For Master of Education students, the External Examiner reviews the Thesis and then completes and submits the External Examiner’s Thesis Evaluation Summary form at least two weeks prior to the date of defence. The Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and Research in Education then notifies the supervisor of the External Examiner’s recommendations.

***For Master of Education students, the Assessment of Readiness to Defend forms are submitted to the relevant Graduate Program Office.

Normally, activities 2 and 3 occur within the same week.

Doctoral-level programs (excluding Education)

For doctoral students, the Thesis oral defence should be scheduled at least six (6) weeks before the date of the defence.

Components of the Final Thesis Examination Request 

Doctoral degree program timeline for scheduling the Thesis oral defence

Normally, activities 2 and 3 occur within the same week.

Doctor of Philosophy (Education)

For Doctor of Philosophy (Education) students, the Thesis oral defence should be scheduled a minimum of eight (8) weeks prior to the date of the defence.

Doctor of Philosophy (Education) degree programs timeline for scheduling the Thesis oral defence

Normally, activities 2 and 3 occur within the same week.

Table 10: Recommended dates to submit request for Thesis oral defence by program

Approving the Thesis oral defence and appointing the Chair

If the Request for Final Thesis Examination is not approved it is usually because the approver (e.g., Dean of Graduate Studies) feels that the External Examiner is not suitable. In cases where the External Examiner is not suitable, the approver will contact the Advisor and, if necessary, recommend an External Examiner.

If an External Examiner is required, the Advisor contacts the External Examiner to make tentative travel arrangements or video/audio conferencing arrangements, if applicable.

Notice of Thesis oral defence

Once the Request for Final Thesis Examination is approved, the relevant Graduate Program Office notifies the Thesis Examination Committee members and respective stakeholders, then the Faculty/School posts a copy of the Notice of Final Thesis Examination outside its main office.

The Advisor informs interested faculty and staff of the Thesis presentation and defence.

In assessing the Thesis, the Thesis Examination Committee must recognize that even an excellent Thesis is not necessarily perfect in all respects. Only some parts of the Thesis could be suitable for a publication or other public presentation. Taken as a whole, the Thesis must be a sound piece of scholarship and/or creative output.

Assessing the Thesis

The Thesis Examination Committee must assess if the student’s Thesis meets or exceeds the academic standards for a graduate thesis. This includes ensuring that the Thesis:

• Addresses related public literature
• Acknowledges contributing scholars
• Uses methodology that ensures the conclusions are valid and supported
• Has originality and substance
• Is written in a clear and intelligible manner
• Conforms to the thesis style and format regulations
• Shows significant knowledge and grasp of the field
• Is free from major errors
• Contributing to scholarship in the field (only in Master of Science (Management))

In assessing the Thesis, the Thesis Examination Committee must recognize that even an excellent Thesis is not necessarily perfect in all respects. Only some parts of the Thesis could be suitable for a publication or other public presentation. Taken as a whole, the Thesis must be a sound piece of scholarship and/or creative output.

Assessment of readiness to defend

When the assessment of the Thesis is complete, each member of the Thesis Examination Committee, except the Chair, completes an Assessment of Readiness to Defend form and submits it to the Chair (these forms are submitted to the relevant Graduate Program Office for programs delivered by the Faculty of Education). This form is a recommendation on the student’s readiness to defend the Thesis.

The members of the Thesis Examination Committee recommend one (1) of the two (2) assessments on the form:

Table 11: Thesis assessment of readiness to defend options

* For Master of Education contact the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and Research in Education.

♦ Note: Students have a right to defend the Thesis, regardless of assessment.

Preparing for the Thesis oral defence

Prior to the Thesis oral defence, the Advisor and the student ensure that:

• Seating, audio-visual equipment, and other necessary equipment are appropriate in the room where the defence is being held.
• The Thesis Examination Committee understands how the Thesis oral defence will be run.
• The School of Graduate Studies and the Thesis Examination Committee is aware of the date, time, and place of the Thesis oral defence and the public presentation.

Both the public presentation and the oral defence are open to other students, faculty members, and members of the community. A request for a closed Thesis oral defence may be made by the student or any member of the Supervisory Committee to the relevant Graduate Program Office under extraordinary circumstances. A request for a closed Thesis oral defence is normally made in conjunction with the request for defence.

♦ NOTE: The Thesis Examination Committee Chair will ask any disruptive attendees of the defence to leave immediately

The Thesis oral defence is scheduled for a period of two (2) hours, excluding the public presentation.The defence will be rescheduled if a required external examiner is unable to attend. The procedure to follow should another examination committee member be unable to attend (including an external examiner in those programs where the external examiner is optional) is outlined below.

The procedure for conducting the Thesis oral defence is as follows:

c) Introduction

The Thesis Examination Committee Chair:

1. Welcomes all in attendance
2. Introduces the student
3. Asks that attendees, except for the members of thesis Examination Committee and graduate student, turn off all electronic devices and no audio and/or video capture is permitted unless written authorization has already been obtained
4. States that this Thesis oral defence is a senior academic event in the School of Graduate Studies and is a formal examination before awarding the degree
5. Asks the Thesis Examination Committee members to introduce themselves in this order: the External Examiner (if applicable), the members of the Supervisory Committee, and the supervisor(s)
6. States that all members of the Thesis Examination Committee have read the Thesis and submitted an assessment report on the Thesis
7. Asks the supervisor/co-supervisors to reaffirm the accuracy of the content published in the Contributions of Authors subsection of the Preface in the student’s Thesis.
8. In disciplines where this has become the practice, asks the supervisor (or one of the co-supervisors) to introduce the student.
9. Invites the student to make their Thesis presentation.

d) Public presentation

The public presentation will be between 20 to 60 minutes in duration depending on the academic tradition of the area of study and is not part of the formal evaluation. For the Master of Science (Management) program, the public presentation will be a maximum of 30 minutes. The student summarizes the Thesis’ major objectives, content, results, and conclusions.

e) Audience questions

Immediately following the presentation, the Chair invites questions from the audience. A short questioning period is permitted at the end of the public presentation for the audience to ask questions related to the presentation. During this questioning period, the members of the Thesis Examination Committee are not permitted to ask questions.

f) Oral defence

♦ NOTE: The audience is not permitted to ask questions during the formal oral defence

In the event that the defence is closed, the Thesis Examination Chair requests that the audience leaves the examination room. Otherwise, the Chair reminds the audience that they are to be quiet spectators, and must remain in the room until the completion of the examination.

The Chair invites the Thesis Examination Committee to pose their questions. Before the questioning begins, the Chair outlines the procedure:

1. Each examiner will pose their questions in turn. Examiners should engage in questioning, and should not spend significant time commenting on the thesis.
2. The Chair invites questions from:
   1. The External Examiner, if applicable;
   2. The Internal Examiners; and
   3. The Advisor(s).
3. The Chair does not normally ask questions.
4. After one (1) initial round of questions, the examiners may ask additional questions in a second round, and so on, until either the examiners have no further questions or the maximum time has been reached. The Chair ensures that comments and discussion not directly related to the questions are saved for the post-defence meeting of the Thesis Examination Committee.
5. In the event that an examiner cannot attend, the Chair will pose a set of questions supplied by the missing examiner. Answers to these questions will be evaluated by the remaining examiners.

g) Making a decision

After questioning has finished, the Chair excuses the student, asking them and the audience to leave the room so that the Thesis Examination Committee can meet in private. When the student has left, both the oral and written (thesis) components of the Thesis oral defence are assessed:

The Chair outlines the two (2) options for the oral component of the Thesis oral defence for a decision: 1) Pass and 2) Fail: Retake at a later date; the student may retake one (1) time.

The Chair asks an examiner to make a motion that the decision for the Oral Examination be: Pass or Fail.

The motion is discussed, and the Chair endeavours to facilitate consensus but does not vote. The Chair asks for a vote on the motion. Ideally the vote is unanimous, but the motion may pass by a simple majority vote provided the External Examiner does not cast a dissenting vote.

The Chair outlines the five (5) options for the thesis component for a decision:

1. Pass: The Thesis is passed as submitted (i.e., no changes needed)
2. Pass with Minor Revisions: The Thesis is passed on the condition that the student makes revisions to the satisfaction of the supervisor.
3. Pass with Major Revisions: The Thesis requires substantial revisions and is passed on the condition that the student makes revisions to the satisfaction of the entire Thesis Examination Committee.
4. Defer: The Thesis Examination Committee defers a decision until the student makes substantial changes to the Thesis. The student may be required to go through the Thesis oral defence process a second time.
5. Fail: The Thesis is failed, and the student may re-take the Thesis oral defence one (1) time.

Using the Assessment of Readiness to Defend forms as a guide, the Chair asks an examiner to make a motion that the decision for the written thesis component be: Pass, Pass with Minor Revisions, Pass with Major Revisions, Defer, or Fail.

Discussion occurs on a decision, and the Chair endeavours to facilitate consensus but does not vote. The Chair asks for a vote on the motion. Ideally the vote is unanimous, but the motion may pass by a simple majority vote provided the External Examiner does not cast a dissenting vote.

The Thesis Examination Committee is required to reach a majority decision. If the vote results in a tie, the Chair calls for further discussion and holds a second vote, and so on until a decision is reached.

When the decision has been made, the Thesis Examination Committee then discusses the nature of any required revisions to the Thesis and how the student will complete them.

In the event that the discussion suggests that the thesis is of high quality, the Chair will facilitate a discussion about the possibility of nominating the student for the appropriate Medal of Merit. These discussions are confidential and will not normally be disclosed to the student, regardless of the outcome.

If a failed Thesis oral defence represents the second attempt to defend the Thesis, the student must withdraw from the program, and the Thesis Examination Committee must provide a written justification for the decision to fail the Thesis oral defence.

Students have the right to appeal the decision (see the Graduate Studies Calendar and Course Catalogue for details).

After the Thesis Examination Committee has made their decision and finished their discussion, the Chair:

1. Invites the student back into the room;
2. Informs the student of the Thesis Examination Committee’s decision;
3. If necessary, tells the student of the Thesis revisions required and the plan for the student to complete them;
4. Reminds the student that the PDF copy of the Thesis must be submitted via the e-thesis submission system after the completed revisions have been approved by the supervisor (or Thesis Examination Committee members, if required);
5. If the student passes, congratulates the student, and thanks the Thesis Examination Committee members;
6. Adjourns the Thesis oral defence.

The Dean of Graduate Studies will consider all embargo requests (e.g., delay of publishing the Thesis manuscript) and may approve the publication delay for six (6) months when justifiable reasons are stipulated. Under special circumstances, the Dean of Graduate Studies may approve the delay in publishing the Thesis for a maximum of 12 months when substantive justification is provided.

1. Immediately following the Thesis oral defence, the Chair completes the Thesis/Project Examination Report form and submits this form via the SGS Portal.
2. The student completes any required revisions to the Thesis and informs the supervisor that the revised Thesis is ready for their review. Students are required to remain continuously enrolled in their programs until the thesis has received final approval from the Dean.
3. When the Advisor and Thesis Examination Committee (if necessary) are satisfied with the revisions made to the Thesis, the Advisor completes the Recommendation of the Award of the Degree form via the SGS Portal. This form goes to the Dean of Graduate Studies for final approval.
4. If requesting an embargo to delay the publication of the Thesis, refer to Embargo Policy on page 45.
5. When the relevant Graduate Program Office receives the signed copy of the Recommendation of the Award of the Degree form from the supervisor and the student’s up-to-date curriculum vitae, an account in the e-thesis system will be created and an account notification email will be sent to the student’s University email account.
6. The student may then access their e-thesis account and submit their PDF copy of the Thesis. Instructions for submitting a PDF copy of the Thesis via the e-thesis system are available online.
7. The relevant Graduate Program Office completes a review of the PDF copy of the Thesis.
8. The Dean of Graduate Studies completes a review of the PDF copy of the Thesis, and if there are no further revisions required, approves the Recommendation of the Award of the Degree form.

If there are revisions required, the student will receive email notification via the e-thesis system. The student notifies the relevant Graduate Program Office after completing the revisions.

The student will receive an email confirming decanal approval of the submitted PDF copy of the Thesis. The student may proceed with thesis binding, if desired.

After receiving final approval of the Thesis

After receiving final approval of the Thesis by the Dean of Graduate Studies, the student may proceed with the elective binding of the Thesis if the student and/or supervisor wants bound copies.