Chemistry MSc thesis defence timeline

# Step Timeline People involved Details
1 Thesis writing and review Ongoing until submission to committee Student, Supervisor

You should be submitting your draft material to your supervisor as you are preparing your thesis. They will provide you with guidance on writing and material presentation. As a courtesy to your committee, you should inform them you are in the writing stage.

Please view Thesis formatting and the Faculty of Science Thesis defence & submission information.
2 Set defence date 4+ weeks before defence Student, Chemistry Graduate Coordinator, Supervisor, Defence Committee

In order to prepare the paperwork for your defence, the following information is required:

  1. Specific date and time must be agreed upon by entire committee. See Graduate Coordinator to book time and room. To meet end of term deadlines, allow at least two weeks to make changes and complete all requirements after defence.
  2. Hybrid defence start times must be between 9:30 am and 2:00 pm.
  3. Know whether defence is open or closed well before the defence date to allow for proper completion of all pertinent paperwork. Refer to Closed defence guidelines. Closed defences must be requested at least 5 weeks before the desired defence date.
  4. Complete the Defence request form.
  5. Provide this information to the Chemistry Graduate Coordinator to complete defence paperwork, which must be submitted no less than 4 weeks prior to the defence (5 weeks for closed defence).
3 Deposit your thesis to the Science Faculty Grad Office 3+ weeks before your defence Student

Your thesis must be completely finished following Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (GSPA) standards prior to submission to Science Dissertations.

You are required to submit an electronic version of your thesis to Science Dissertations at least 15 business days prior to the chosen defence date, no later than noon of that day. Submissions received less than 3 weeks prior to the arranged defence date will require the defence to be rescheduled. Note that university closures and holidays DO NOT count. Please email Science Dissertations at science.dissertations@uwaterloo.ca if you have any questions on these deadlines.

For more information and submission instructions, please visit Thesis defence & submission information.
4 Apply to graduate Upon setting defence date Student

You must Apply to graduate approximately one month prior to the completion of your degree requirements. Your application to graduate must be completed in the term you complete your degree requirements.
5 Thesis defence
6 Post defence required thesis changes After defence Student, (Supervisor, Committee)

The committee may complete paperwork after the defence in which they may suggest changes, which need to be completed prior to submitting your thesis. Contact your supervisor for any changes they have. If your changes need to be approved by your supervisor or whole committee, you will be notified of this at your defence. Review Thesis regulations!
7 Upload to UWSpace After changes completed and approved Student

Once your supervisor has notified Science Dissertations that the corrections are to their satisfaction, and Science Dissertations tells you to upload your theses, you can proceed to upload your thesis to UWSpace. Following the thesis regulations link, use the link on the right to upload your thesis to UWSpace. If you had a closed defence and/or you wish your thesis to have limited circulation, when uploading your thesis to UWSpace ensure that “YES” is selected from the drop-down list on the “Submit: Describe Your Item” page.

This step must be completed on time to meet the end of term, 100%, or 50% deadlines.

Note: Your abstract will be visible to everyone, even if circulation is limited. If you apply a short-term (4 months) or long-term (one year) restriction to your thesis, it is critical you choose “YES” to the “Patent/Copyright or Publications Pending” question.
8 Thesis reviewed by GSPA Within 1 week of being submitted to UWSpace Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs Your thesis will not be reviewed by GSPA until they have received your Thesis Acceptance Form from Science Dissertations. The GSPA will contact you if this is the case. The GSPA will review your thesis and send you changes to make (usually 2-4 days). Be sure to check your UW email as that is how the GSO will contact you with changes.
9 Submit thesis changes to UWSpace As soon as possible Student Make all changes suggested by the GSPA and re-submit to UWSpace.
10 Thesis approved and uploaded 1-2 days after GSPA changes are approved Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs

GSPA will upload your approved thesis to the online Faculty of Science Theses and Dissertations Collection and the Chemistry Grad Office is then notified.
11 Application to graduate processed After thesis approved/uploaded by GSPA CGO, Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs

For June convocation, all steps must be completed by April 30th. To convocate in October, they must be completed by August 31st. If those days fall on a weekend, the deadline is the preceding Friday. Refer to Important dates and refund deadlines.
12 Printing and binding your thesis After thesis is approved and uploaded by GSPA Student, W Print

This step does not have to be completed in order to be “program completed.” If you wish to have a bound copy for yourself or your supervisor, printing and binding should be done by W Print on campus. Students are responsible for the cost of the copies, but, in some cases, supervisors will pay for them to be printed. Talk to your supervisor.