Thesis proposal

In Pharmacy, the MSc thesis proposal and the PhD thesis proposal are required courses (PHARM 601 and PHARM 616A/B, respectively). The objective is for students to learn how to use the literature to stimulate in-depth thinking about the basis of their thesis research project and to encourage the development of their scientific oral presentation skills, to best prepare and present their research objectives in written and oral form.

In addition to preparing a written and oral presentation of their proposed research, students must complete the following course requirements:

1. Complete the Scientific Writing and Searching Workshop in their first term.
   • Involves completing online modules as well as participation in an in-person session co-hosted by the Pharmacy Liaison Librarian and an Advisor from the Writing and Communication Center.
   • Provides background on literature searching, citation and proper management of references as part of the preparation of the thesis proposal.  
   • The workshop is offered once per term, as needed. 
   • Students should attend in their first term, before they register in the thesis proposal course
   • Workshop dates are communicated via email and/or Outlook calendar invitation.
2. Attend a one-on-one appointment with the Pharmacy Liaison Librarian to discuss. research strategies and reinforce academic integrity.
3. Attend two thesis proposals (or one thesis proposal and one thesis defence) by other students in Pharmacy, before their own thesis proposal examination.
4. Schedule the thesis proposal examination.
   • MSc students must hold the thesis proposal examination before the end of their second term.
   • PhD students must hold their thesis proposal examination within their first year of the PhD program, before the end of term three.
   • Any student requiring more time must request an extension, subject to the approval of the Graduate Officer.

The advisory committee appointment must be approved and the first meeting of the committee held before the proposal examination can take place.

The thesis proposal should outline the reasons for undertaking the project, concisely survey the relevant literature, present a detailed description of the methodology to be used, and outline any preliminary results.

Generally, a report of 30-40 pages is required, not including figures, legends, or references. Excess pages may be removed or disregarded.

Additional material including raw data may be included in appendices if there is a need for it to be included.

The completed thesis proposal should be double-spaced with 1-inch margins and size 12 font.  

The style of the report should follow conventions familiar to the area of research of the student.  At minimum, the written thesis proposal report should include the components indicated in the following table.

Students may wish to follow the preparation of the thesis organization and formatting requirements, set by the Graduate Studies Office, to help prepare them for the final thesis submission.

Follow the steps below when you are ready for your proposal examination:  

1. Survey members of your thesis advisory committee for a suitable date and time (avoiding Pharmacy blackout dates) at least 6 weeks in advance of the desired examination date.
   • Select two possible dates and times and ask your committee to save those dates until the exam is confirmed.
   • Refer to "what to expect at the thesis proposal" to determine how much time you should book for your proposal (two hours is generally enough time for an examining committee with three examiners; additional time may be required for deliberation).
2. Submit the Pharmacy thesis proposal examination request at least 4 weeks ahead of the proposed date.
   • If you did not sign up for the appropriate course (Pharm 601 or Pharm 616A/B) during the course enrolment period, complete and submit the Graduate Studies course drop/add form at the same time as submitting the meeting request form. 
   • The grad coordinator will arrange the examination chair, prepare the proposal examination report, and set up IT support for the day of your exam (for in person and hybrid exams only).
3. After your exam date is confirmed, schedule a trial IT test/training session for the day before the proposal exam by sending an email to phr-it@uwaterloo.ca.  
   • This is to ensure IT has the equipment/adapters necessary for the exam and not scrambling on the day of your exam.
   • It will take approximately 15-30 minutes to go over everything.
   • Your email request should be sent no sooner than one week prior to the test/training date.
4. Submit an electronic copy of the (written) thesis proposal to each member of the examination committee and cc the grad coordinator at least 10 business days ahead of the proposal examination date.

The oral examination will take approximately 2 hours and should consist of a 25-30 minute PowerPoint presentation, followed by questions from the examination committee.  Due to time limitations for the oral examination, it may not be possible to cover all aspects of the proposal in the presentation.

The question period will involve a first round of questions from the committee lasting 10-15 minutes per committee member, followed by a second round of questions in the same format but usually only 5-10 minutes each. Questions may be taken from the audience and the student's response to questions from the audience may be considered in the evaluation of the student. 

Thesis proposal examinations are not ‘public’ in the same sense that thesis defences are and are not announced throughout the Faculty of Science.  The administrative coordinator will inform pharmacy graduate students of upcoming proposal presentations so they may attend toward fulfillment of the thesis proposal course requirements.  External friends and relatives are not permitted to attend. 

Following the oral examination, the audience and students are excused so the committee can deliberate. All examiners should be present for deliberation.  After deliberation, the student is invited back into the room to hear the results of their exam. Students will receive a summary of their final grading assessment once the report has received approval. 

Assessment of the thesis proposal is twofold: The written proposal report and the oral presentation and discussion are each marked separately and independently by three or more committee members (the examining committee) using the thesis proposal grading sheet, following the grading scheme below. The final course grade is calculated by averaging the total scores of all examining committee members; the assessment of whether or not the student has met the standards for the proposal and for progress in their graduate program overall, is recorded on the thesis proposal examination report. All members of the thesis proposal examination committee participate in grading and in the assessment of the student's overall progress.

Thesis proposal grading scheme

Students must complete all graduate courses with a final mark of 70% or greater, as noted in the Academic Calendar.

Thesis proposal examination report

The decision as to whether standards for the proposal and progress to date are met is made by the committee, recorded by the chair, and reported to the Faculty of Science usingthesis proposal examination report. Committee members assesses the student's position by indicating 'excellent', 'satisfactory', or 'unsatisfactory', in the following areas:

1. Understanding of the material: Candidate shows adequate depth and scope of knowledge for the current stage of the project;
2. Ability to handle discussion: Candidate is able to understand the pitfalls and interpretation of the project;
3. Research progress: Student demonstrates a general level of progress considering the complexity of the work and practical difficulties.

Performance and standards of research concerning expectations for the degree level as well as they pertain to timely completion of the degree are indicated with a yes/no response.  Any questions, concerns, difficulties or corrective measures required by the student must be recorded in the comments sections of the report; the committee must specify an action plan outlining what the student is expected to do by a specified date.