How to submit the MASc thesis and schedule the MASc defense

Timeline

You will need approx. 5-6 weeks to submit your MASc thesis:

1-2 weeks to establish your full reading committee, comprised of your supervisor(s) plus two additional faculty member readers;
15 full business days (3 weeks) for your thesis to be on display and hold your MASc defense;
1 week to have your thesis uploaded and approved by UWSpace

Student Checklist

1: Prior to thesis submission

At least one month before you intend to degree complete you will need to apply for graduation through Quest.
- At this time, please check that you have completed all degree requirements (course requirements and milestones), and check your unofficial transcript to ensure all items are displaying correctly. For a full list of your degree requirements, please see the graduate calendar for the term you began your MASc.
- If you have not completed your Graduate Skills Workshop/Research Principles and Applications milestone, please reach out to the Administrative Coordinator ASAP to determine what requirements for the milestone are still outstanding.
Roughly two weeks before you will be ready to submit your thesis to your readers, please reach out to the Administrative Coordinator to determine the third reader for your thesis.
- Note: the second reader of your thesis is found by your supervisor and serves at the first examiner/Chair at your MASc defense.
- Note: the third reader of your thesis serves as the second examiner at your MASc defense.
The Administrative Coordinator will email you with the name of your third reader once one has been found.

2: Thesis submission

Once a third reader has been found and you are ready to submit your thesis, submit the MASc Thesis Submission Form (PDF) to the Administrative Coordinator for your MASc thesis committee approval.
- If you were admitted Spring 2017 and onward, you will also need to submit your MASc Defense form to the Administrative Coordinator concurrently with the MASc Thesis Submission form. It is your responsibility to determine a date and time for your MASc defense with your committee members. This date should be indicated on the MASc Defense form and take place at the end of your three week display period.
- If you were admitted prior to Spring 2017, please book your MASc seminar by sending an email to the Administrative Coordinator with the date and time you would like to give the MASc seminar and the title of your MASc thesis. It is your responsibility to determine a date and time for the MASc seminar with your supervisor.
After the Administrative Coordinator has reviewed and approved your MASc Thesis Submission form, you will submit your thesis to your three readers and have them sign the MASc Thesis Submission form to confirm they have received a copy of your thesis.
- Your readers can have a soft copy of your thesis if they prefer this to a hard copy.
- If one or more members of your committee are not available to physically sign your form, they can provide you with an e-mail confirming that they have receiving your thesis. Print out the e-mail and attach it to your MASc Thesis Submission Form.
Submit a printed copy of your thesis to the Engineering Graduate Studies Office (EGSO) to the Administrative Coordinator - Master's, along with your signed MASc Thesis Submission form.
- Thesis must be submitted in HARD COPY to the EGSO and can be unbound, 2 sided, black and white.
- All readers must have signed off on your MASc Thesis Submission Form before you can complete this step.
Once the EGSO received the MASc Thesis Submission form with a hard copy of the thesis, the 15 business day display period will be initiated.

3: EGSO display period

Once your display period has begun, a Department Approval of MASc Thesis form will be emailed to you by the EGSO (usually within 3 business days).
During the three week display period, make any necessary changes to your thesis as per your readers’ feedback.
Complete your MASc seminar or MASc defense.
Once satisfied with the final version, have your supervisor(s) and readers review and sign the Department Approval of MASc Thesis form that you were emailed from the EGSO at the beginning of your display period.
- Note: Your supervisor will sign off twice – once as a reader, and once as supervisor to confirm any final changes, and your final thesis title.
- Note: If you are doing the MASc defense, the Department Approval of MASc Thesis form may also be signed off at the end defense pending an accepted outcome. It is your responsibility to obtain signatures from any committee members not present at the Defense.
Submit your signed Department Approval of MASc Thesis form to the Administrative Coordinator, Graduate Studies to obtain the signature of the Associate Chair, Graduate Studies. It is at this time that all degree requirements (course requirements and milestones) must be complete. Once the Administrative Coordinator has confirmed that all degree requirements have been met, they will send this form to the EGSO.
- Note: milestone requirements include the Research Principles and Applications milestone (may also be called the Graduate Skills Workshop depending on the term in which you were admitted) and the MASc Thesis Seminar or the MASc Thesis Defense. For a full list of your degree requirements, please see the graduate calendar for the term in which you were admitted.
- Note: if you would like to request an emargo on your thesis, please indicate this when submitting the Department Approval of MASc thesis form.
Once confirmation of your thesis approval has been received by the EGSO, the EGSO will complete the Thesis Acceptance form and notify Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (GSPA).

4: Upload thesis to UWSpace

Once the thesis has been approved by EGSO and GSPA, you will received an email asking you to upload your thesis to UWSpace
Once you have received the Thesis Acceptance Notice from the Engineering Graduate Studies Office, you can upload your final thesis to UWSpace (not before).
- If you have submitted a Request to Restrict Circulation of Thesis Form, you will have to select the thesis restriction pull down option when you are uploading to UWSpace.
UWSpace may require you to make revisions to the formatting of your thesis, so check your UW e-mail regularly after you submit for any feedback they might send.
- Formatting guidelines for theses can be found on the GSPA website
You will receive an e-mail once your thesis has been approved and archived in UW Space. At this point the Administrative Coordinator will process a program completion form for you and send this to the GSPA.

In order to receive a MASc degree you must complete all of your program's degree requirements. For a complete list of your program's degree requirements you should consult the Graduate Academic Calendar for the term in which you were admitted.

Note: Collaborative programs have different degree requirements than the regular MASc program.

If you have any questions regarding the degree completion process, please contact the Administrative Coordinator.