Program Regulations and Milestones

It is often easier to see the path over reading it.

Students are expected to attend the annual Graduate Student Orientation session held in September where they will be introduced to relevant departmental and institutional policies and procedures necessary to succeed in their program. They will also have an opportunity to meet fellow students, as well as staff and faculty who will guide them through their journey at uWaterloo. 

The Graduate AIM is an online course that all new graduate students are required to take through Waterloo LEARN. The Graduate AIM is not visible in LEARN until the first day of classes each term. Students must read the information about academic integrity and then receive a mark of at least 75% on an online quiz. The quiz must be successfully completed within the first 8 weeks of the term.

This is a milestone requirement for all full-time students. Part-time students are not required to complete this workshop. This is a mandatory workshop on academic integrity and intellectual property which will be offered to all new incoming graduate students within the Faculty of Science. Students must complete this workshop no later than the end of their second term. 

Note: students will be required to complete both the Academic Integrity Module as a required course along with the Academic Integrity Workshop milestone. The Module will appear on the student's transcript as a course. The Workshop will appear on the student's transcript as a milestone.

Starting Spring 2023 the Academic Integrity Workshop will not be required. If you were admitted prior to Spring 2023 you must complete the AIW to meet degree requirements.

A student’s committee should be formed within the first six months of their program and recorded on the Advisory Committee Appointment form (download pdf on LEARN). The form should be submitted to the Graduate Studies Coordinator (physicsgradoffice@uwaterloo.ca) for approval. All committee members must hold (regular or adjunct) faculty appointments at the University of Waterloo.

This form must be filled out, signed, and approved before the first committee meeting takes place. Any questions or concerns can be directed to the Graduate Studies Coordinator.

Advisory Committee Requirements

The MSc Advisory Committee will consist of at least three members* including:

1. The student's supervisor(s). Note that co-supervisors count as only one member.
2. One non-supervisory committee member that is a regular faculty member of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Waterloo.
3. One non-supervisory committee member that may be either a regular, adjunct, or cross-appointed faculty member of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Waterloo.

The PhD Advisory Committee must consist of at least four members* including:

1. The student's supervisor(s). Note that co-supervisors count as only one member.
2. One non-supervisory committee member that is a regular faculty member of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Waterloo. 
3. One non-supervisory committee member that may be a regular, adjunct, or cross-appointed faculty member of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Waterloo.
4. One additional non-supervisory committee member. Note that to align with the regulations of the thesis examining committee, it is helpful (but not required for the advisory committee) for this member to be a faculty member from the University of Waterloo whose home department is outside of the Department of Physics and Astronomy.

* Note that advisory committees may not have more than 1 adjunct faculty member without written justification and additional approval.

It is required that the student hold the first formal meeting with their advisory committee* within the first six months** of thier program, and then continue to meet formally at least once every twelve months until their degree is complete.

At each formal meeting, at Advisory Committee Report (download pdf on LEARN) must be completed and submitted to the Graduate Studies Coordinator (physicsgradoffice@uwaterloo.ca). More information regarding committee meetings is given below.

• Who: The student and supervisor(s) must be present at all meetings. One non-supervisory committee member may be absent, though whenever possible meetings should be scheduled and held in a format that allows for all members to join.
• What: The committee meeting should consist of a 20 to 30-minute presentation on academic and research progress followed by a 30-minute question and discussion period. The student should also include a clear research and academic plan for the next 6-8 months.
• Where: These meetings can be held in-person or remotely. Is it up to the student to schedule the meetings and, if necessary, provide remote meeting links. The Graduate Studies Coordinator is available to help reserve in-person space if needed.
• When: One meeting a year must be formal and recorded using the Advisory Committee Report (see link above). Other meeting(s) may be held informally and only the student, the supervisor, and at least one other member of the Committee should be present.

If you have any questions or scheduling issues to discuss, please contact the Graduate Studies Coordinator.

* An Advisory Committee Appointment must be approved before the first committee meeting takes place.

** Coursework MSc students should meet within the first 4 months of their program. 

1. A formal request must be initiated by the student and all paperwork submitted to the Graduate Coordinator. This can be submitted any time as long as the requirements below are met, but no later that in the fourth term by the indicated date below.

   If your fourth term is in the	your submission deadline is
   Fall term	October 7
   Winter term	January 7
   Spring term	June 7

2. Student must have at least 80% in at least two graduate level courses. Academic Integrity Module and Academic Integrity Workshop milestones must be completed at the time of request.
3. Student must have an MSc advisory committee meeting. The recommendation to transfer to the PhD program by the committee members should be noted in the comments section on the form.
4. Program Change Form must be signed by the student and supervisor and submitted to the Physics Graduate Office along with a copy of the unofficial transcript.
5. Supervisor must submit a letter recommending the transfer, to Associate Chair Graduate Studies. The committee's recommendation and the supervisor’s memo needs to address the potential of the student for the independent research necessary to complete a PhD, the scope for extension of the MSc work to the PhD level, and evidence of the ability to write at a level needed to co-author scientific publications.
6. Student must submit a report on research progress and future plans (5-10 pages) which demonstrates evidence of their ability to write at a level needed to co-author scientific publications. If the student has co-authored a manuscript, the report may be shortened to future plans and submitted with the manuscript.
7. PhD Committee Appointment Form to be submitted as well indicating any newly appointed members to your committee.
8. Program Change Form, Student's Research Paper, Committee Meeting Form, and Memo to be submitted to Associate Chair, Graduate Studies. The forms will then be forwarded to the Associate Dean, Graduate Studies for approval.

Students in the MSc Program with the Master’s Research Paper option are required to write a non-thesis master’s research paper to meet their degree requirements. To complete this requirement, the research paper must pass an evaluation/review by the supervisor and at least one other member of the student’s advisory committee. No numerical grade or oral examination is required, and the research paper will not be published on UWSpace.

The master's research paper:

• Could describe original research, or an in-depth literature review, or take another format approved by the student’s advisory committee.
• Must be well organized, but no specific formatting required. Refer to the University of Waterloo Thesis formatting page for guidelines.
• Must be at least 25-35 pages, or around 10 000 - 15 000 words (excluding tables, figures, and back matter such as references and appendices).

Please also see the Faculty of Science thesis defense page for instructions and process overview.

1. Four weeks before the defense:

The student is responsible for filling out the Thesis Defense Request Form once the dates and times are confirmed with all committee members.

Once filled out, the Physics Graduate Office will fill out the “Appointment of MSc Thesis Defense Committee Form” and have the supervisor and Associate Chair, Graduate Studies or Graduate Officer sign the paperwork before sending to Faculty of Science Graduate Dissertation Coordinator.

The MSc Defense committee must consist of a minimum of three voting faculty members, including:

1. The supervisor(s)
2. Two other faculty members, of which one must be a regular faculty member of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Waterloo.

2. Three weeks before the defense:

MSc students are required to submit an electronic version of their thesis to the Faculty of Science Graduate Dissertation Coordinator by noon at least 15 business days prior to the chosen defence date. Earlier submission is preferred. Submissions received later than this will require the defence to be rescheduled.

Please take into consideration if a university holiday is during this time – one extra day will be required. Submissions received later than 3 weeks prior to the arranged defence date will require the defence to be rescheduled. The Dissertation Coordinator will distribute a soft (electronic) copy of the thesis to all members of the examining committee.

Thesis should be single-sided and in the final format, which includes the title page and abstract page - no double sided printing, no fancy title pages, etc. If the thesis is not submitted properly this will cause problems when uploading to UWSpace.

Please see instructions from the GSPA on preparation of the thesis: https://uwaterloo.ca/graduate-studies-postdoctoral-affairs/current-students/thesis.

Please refer to the Faculty of Science Thesis Defense instructions for further details. 

1. Four months before the defense:

The supervisor is responsible for submitng the External Examiner Nomination Form along with a current and complete CV of the External Examiner. 

The External Examiner should meet the following criteria:

• Nominee holds an academic appointment of at least 5 years or similar industry experience
• Nominee provides evidence for successful supervision of highly qualified personnel, preferably including at the PhD level
• Nominee must be at arm’s length from the candidate’s thesis, candidate and supervisor(s) and additionally must not be in a potential conflict of interest with regards to the outcome of the examination. Such conflicts are outlined in the Graduate Studies and Post-Doctoral Affairs PhD Regulations
• Nominee must provide a full (up to date) CV with publications covering at least the past 6 years

PLEASE NOTE: The student cannot have any contact with the External Examiner as this is a conflict of interest. 

2. Seven weeks before the defense:

Please also see the Faculty of Science thesis defense page for instructions and process overview.

The student is responsible for filling out the Thesis Defense Request Form once the dates and times are confirmed with all committee members.

Once filled out, the Physics Graduate Office will fill out the “Appointment of PhD Thesis Defense Committee Form” and have the supervisor and Associate Chair, Graduate Studies or Graduate Officer sign the paperwork before sending to Faculty of Science Graduate Dissertation Coordinator.

The PhD Defence Committee consists of a minimum of five voting members:

1. Supervisor*
2. Committee Member (from home department)
3. Committee Member
4. Internal/External (external to home department
5. External Examiner

* Please note a supervisor and co-supervisor only count as one. 

3. Six weeks before the defense:

PhD students are required to submit a soft copy of their thesis to the Faculty of Science Graduate Dissertation Coordinator by noon at least 30 business days prior to the chosen defence date.  Earlier submission is preferred.  Submissions received later than 6 weeks prior to the arranged defence date will require the defence to be rescheduled.

Please take into consideration if a university holiday is during this time – one extra day will be required. Submissions received later than 6 weeks prior to the arranged defence date will require the defence to be rescheduled. The Dissertation Coordinator will distribute a soft (electronic) copy of the thesis to all members of the examining committee.

Before submitting the thesis please make sure it is single-sided and in the final format, which includes the title page and abstract page - no double sided printing, no fancy title pages, etc. If the thesis is not submitted properly this will cause problems when uploading to UWSpace. PhD students need to include an additional page after their title page that lists their thesis examining committee. There is a template provided on the GSPA’s ‘Preparation of the thesis’ site.

Please refer to the Faculty of Science Thesis Defense instructions for further details. 

Once the supervisor informs the Faculty of Science Graduate Dissertation Coordinator science.dissertations@uwaterloo.ca that thesis revisions have been completed and that the thesis title has not changed, students are required to submit their thesis online to UWSpace.

The student is then required to apply to graduate on Quest and Physics Graduate Office will confirm the student has completed all of the degree requirements. 

Go to: My Academics, Graduation, and select Apply for Graduation for the next convocation.

Please check that the home address on Quest is up-to-date. Diplomas for students who do not attend convocation will be mailed to their home, (not mailing) address.

If you require documentation confirming that you have completed your degree requirements, you can order official transcripts and program completion letters from The Centre.