Overview

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Candidates must pass an oral examination to demonstrate their ability to carry out the proposed thesis research. The examination comprises an oral presentation of the proposed research to an open audience, followed by a closed oral examination by the examining committee. The examination is usually taken prior to the end of the fourth term of enrollment, or within one term after transferring from the MSc program. It may not be taken more than twice. Graded on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis.

COURSE DETAILS:

PURPOSE: Candidates must pass an oral examination intended to assess their potential to carry out the proposed thesis research, as demonstrated by sufficient command of the studied discipline(s) and an ability to explain and defend a written thesis proposal. 

PROCEDURE: The student and supervisor will agree upon three (one major, two minor) subject areas of focus for examination, several months before the examination date. The student will submit a written thesis proposal to the Examining Committee prior to the examination (see “Logistics”). The Examining Committee includes the Supervisory Committee plus one External Examiner, who may be another departmental faculty member not on the Supervisory Committee. The strict arm’s-length requirements for External Examiners on the PhD defense do not apply to the candidacy examination.  

The examination itself comprises an oral presentation by the candidate to an open audience, followed by a closed oral examination by the Examining Committee. The examination is chaired by an EASC faculty member who is not a member of the Examining Committee.  This will normally be the EASC Graduate Program Chair or a designate. The Chair will not ask questions or vote on the outcome of the examination.

The candidate will give a 20 minute oral presentation of the thesis proposal, followed by a brief period during which questions from the audience may be entertained. The formal oral examination that follows is closed, with only the candidate, the Examining Committee and the Chair present. The Chair should remind the committee of the three subject areas of focus that have been agreed upon in advance.

During the closed portion of the examination, the candidate must demonstrate an understanding of the three subject areas of focus that is at least equivalent to the fourth-year undergraduate level. The candidate must also demonstrate an ability to carry out independent doctoral-level research. The Examining Committee must assess both the background and potential of the candidate. The supervisor is responsible for ensuring that the Examining Committee, including the External Examiner, is prepared to contribute to questioning and evaluation of these areas. The length of time for questioning by the committee is not defined, but will normally be 1.5 to 2.5 hours.

The outcome of the examination is summarized in a formatted report to be completed by the supervisor, in consultation with the Examining Committee (see below). This report identifies any areas of weakness in the candidate’s preparation and may prescribe remedial action, especially in the case of an unsatisfactory outcome.

ASSESSMENT: The exam is graded satisfactory/unsatisfactory by majority vote (greater than 50%) of the Examining Committee. Students with an unsatisfactory outcome must pass a second examination within six months. A second unsatisfactory outcome will result in withdrawal from the program.

TIMING: Students should complete the examination prior to the end of the fourth term of enrolment, or in the first term after transferring from the MSc program. The objective of this timing is to complete the examination prior to undertaking any significant thesis research.

LOGISTICS:

1. Student and Supervisory Committee: Agree upon the three (one major, two minor) subject areas of focus for examination several months before the examination date.

2. Supervisor: Identify an External Examiner for the candidacy exam.

3. Student and Supervisor: Agree upon a date and time in consultation with the Examining Committee members. Inform the External Examiner of the three subject areas of focus.

4.  Supervisor: Request an Examination Chair through the Graduate Committee.

5.  Student and/or Supervisor: Request a room booking through the Graduate Secretary.

6.  Student: At least two weeks prior to the examination date:

• Fill out Part I of the Doctoral Candidacy Examination Form and obtain supervisor signature, deliver to Graduate Secretary and circulate to Examining Committee
• Provide the Examining Committee with a copy of the thesis proposal
• Provide the Graduate Secretary with a hard copy of the thesis proposal for display in the EASC General Office

7.  Graduate Secretary:  When the date, time and room booking have been confirmed, and Part 1 of the Doctoral Candidacy Examination Form has been received, send an email including the student name, thesis proposal title, three subject areas of focus, examination date, time and location, and names of Examining Committee members and Chair to:
      easc-grads      (EASC graduate students)
      easc-talks       (seminar & talks – open list, anyone can subscribe)
      earth-science  (EASC faculty & staff)
      External Examiner if external to EASC

8.  Graduate Secretary:  At least one week prior to the examination:

• Create a poster for front door
• Send a reminder email to:
        easc-grads      (EASC graduate students)
        easc-talks       (seminar & talks – open list, anyone can subscribe)
        earth-science  (EASC faculty & staff) 

9.  Supervisor:  After the examination, fill out Part II of the Doctoral Candidacy Examination Form, including the outcome (satisfactory/unsatisfactory), a summary of the examination including any areas of identified weakness and any recommendations for remedial action. Circulate the form for input, and then for signatures or approval by email. Deliver the signed/approved form to the Graduate Secretary with a copy to the student.

10. Graduate Secretary: Retain the hard copy of the thesis proposal displayed in the EASC General Office as a resource for other students. Place a copy of the Thesis Proposal and the completed Doctoral Candidacy Examination Form (Parts I and II) in the student’s departmental file. If the outcome of the examination is satisfactory, ensure that student receives credit for completion of EASC 910.

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

RECOMMENDED READING: