Forms and milestones

Thesis Proposal Guidelines (February 2003)

Please complete the Thesis Proposal Request Form a minimum of one week prior to the meeting date after you have confirmed the details with your supervisor and committee.

Note: Students must submit their request a minimum of 1 week (7 days) before the meeting date. If a meeting request is received after the deadlines (i.e. less than the minimum times provided), you will need to reschedule the meeting.

At your committee meeting, you should expect to present an account of your research plans and research activity to date. It is the responsibility of your committee to both approve and advise on your program of studies.

Please complete the Committee Meeting Request Form a minimum of one week prior to the meeting date so the necessary paperwork can be prepared. Note: Students must submit their request a minimum of 1 week (7 days) before the meeting date. If a meeting request is received after the deadlines (i.e. less than the minimum times provided), you will need to reschedule the meeting.

The application for a transfer from a MSc to a PhD must be done before the end of the fourth term and is usually initiated after the MSc thesis proposal examination.

Please complete the Transfer Meeting Request Form a minimum of one week prior to the meeting date so the necessary paperwork can be prepared. Note: Students must submit their request a minimum of 1 week (7 days) before the meeting date. If a meeting request is received after the deadlines (i.e. less than the minimum times provided), you will need to reschedule the meeting.

Comprehensive Exam Regulations (May 2021)

Please complete the Comprehensive Exam Meeting Request Form a minimum of seven (7) weeks prior to the meeting date so the necessary paperwork can be prepared.

When your active research is at or near an end, you and your supervisor should call a pre-defence meeting to seek approval for the writing up of your thesis. This meeting is required by all students.

Please complete the Pre-defence Committee Meeting Request Form a minimum of one week prior to the meeting date so the necessary paperwork can be prepared.

This meeting is to bring the committee together and ensure that everyone is on the same page regarding the thesis and that the student and the committee feel that the student has enough to proceed with completion of their degree. This will also give the student an opportunity to present their data, highlight major findings, ask questions of their committee and receive suggestions on key points that the student may be struggling with. This meeting should take place when the student has substantially completed their research and are ready to complete their writing. It is recommended that for M.Sc. students this meeting will take place just prior to the last term and for Ph.D. students, at least two terms prior to the defence. We also want to stress that if a student receives a “no” on the form, that it has no implications in terms of standing in the program, nor does it imply failure in anyway. 

Note: Students must submit their request a minimum of 1 week (7 days) before the meeting date. If a meeting request is received after the deadlines (i.e. less than the minimum times provided), you will need to reschedule the meeting.

The External Examiner request must be completed by the supervisor at least 4 months before PhD defence date. This form is available from the Biology Graduate Office. The potential External Examiner's full and current CV must also be submitted to the Biology Graduate Office. 

Thesis Defence Request Form must be submitted by the following deadlines:

• M.Sc.: Minimum of 5 weeks (25 business days) before the defence **NEW** (thesis is to be submitted minimum of 3 weeks - 15 business days - before the defence)
• Ph.D.: Minimum of 7 weeks (35 business days) before the defence (thesis is to be submitted a minimum of 6 weeks - 30 business days - before the deefence)

MSc Thesis Defence Checklist (Updated Nov/24)

PhD Thesis Defence Checklist (Updated Oct/24)

Note: If you will be defending after the blackout dates, please contact the Biology Graduate Office to confirm submission dates (request form and final thesis).

Special topics courses are offered on an individual basis and typically allow students to investigate a subject area through self-directed study. These courses involve the preparation of a review paper that is critiqued by the instructor. Students can take only one Special Topics course for credit toward their degree. M.Sc. students enrol in Biol 680 and Ph.D. students in Biol 681. Students need to submit a Special Topics Course Form   and the course outline to the Biology Graduate Coordinator in order to register.

The deadline to submit a Special Topics Course Form is no later than 4:30pm on the 15^th of the first month (or the following Monday if the 15th falls on a weekend) of the term. Forms submitted after the deadline will be denied. 

Students who are over their program time limits will be asked to complete the Request for Extension Beyond Program Time Limits form available on the Graduate Studies forms website.

In addition to the form, you also need to include a copy of your last committee meeting and a rationale for you request with a timeline indicating your progress and a plan for the completion.

The Biology Graduate Office will contact all students who will require a Program Extension each term with the necessary form and deadline provided. These forms will be due around the second Monday two months before the term the request is for (March, July, November) to the Biology Graduate Office. 

Students are not permitted to start the term without an approved extension.