Program Regulations and Milestones

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.

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

Students wishing to transfer to the Ph.D. program before completing their M.Sc. must meet the requirements below and submit the necessary paperwork to the Physics and Astronomy Grad Office for approval. Successful transfer students will receive funding until term 15, and program limits will be until term 18 (counted from term 1 of the M.Sc. - term count does not reset/change with a program transfer).

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.

All PhD students should aim to complete their Comprehensive Examination by the end of Term 6 of their studies. Students must complete and pass their Comprehensive Exam by Term 7, including meeting any conditions or completing a re-examination requirement. Comprehensive Examinations taken in Term 7 should be held prior to the 50% refund date for the term to allow for these potential results.

A petition is required* to extend the Comprehensive Examination deadline in the following cases:

• If a student will not hold their exam before the end of Term 7 due to extenuating circumstances.
• If the result of the exam is a "conditional pass" and conditions will not be met by the end of Term 7. Any conditions should be met by the Term 8 100% refund date.
• If the result of the exam is "re-examination required" and the re-examination date will not be before the end of Term 7. Any re-examination should be held by the Term 8 100% refund date.

*Please note that submitting a petition is not a guarantee of an extension, and the GSPA may require the student to withdraw from the program. 

Completing the Comprehensive Examination milestone is the responsibility of the student and the supervisor(s). Comprehensive Examination regulations at the university level are further outlined in the Academic Calendar as a part of the minimum requirements for the PhD degree.

Process for Scheduling a Comprehensive Exam in Physics and Astronomy:

1. During the first Advisory Committee meeting, the committee should identify three comprehensive examiners and exam topics, and list them on the first Committee Meeting Report. The comprehensive examiners are typically a subset of the advisory committee, but that is not a requirement. The comprehensive examiners must meet the requirements below:
   • There must be at least 3 examiners.
   • 2 examiners must not be the student’s supervisor(s)
   • At least 1 examiner must be a regular faculty member of the Department of Physics and Astronomy.
   • At least 2 examiners must hold regular faculty appointments at University of Waterloo.
   • All examiners must hold a PhD or equivalent degree.
2. Once a date and time for the exam have been confirmed with the comprehensive committee, the student must fill out the “Request for Comprehensive Exam Form” webform. The Physics Graduate Office will complete the “Appointment of Comprehensive Exam Committee form” and submit it for approval. This appointment form must be approved before the exam takes place.
   • The webform must be submitted at least four weeks before the exam is set to take place. 
3. Each of the three expert members of the committee will be asked to set 3 exam questions based on the topics discussed during the first advisory committee meeting, each question requiring approximately 10 minutes to orally answer.
4. The Physics Grad Office will organize the requirement meeting space/links and paperwork required for administering the exam, as well as assist with the execution on the day of the exam. The Physics Grad Office will also coordinate the non-voting chair for the exam.

Exam Format:

The exam consists of a 2-hour written portion, 30-minute break, and an up to 2-hour oral portion. During the written portion, the student will write solutions to the examiner questions. During the oral portion, the student will present the solutions to the examination committee and the examiners may ask questions and/or provide feedback. The student will be assessed separately on the presentation and discussion components of each question.

For further details, see the Academic Calendar degree requirements for Physics and Astronomy PhD programs.

Exam Results:

The committee will make one of the following decisions regarding the student’s success.

1. Passed
2. Passed Conditionally - Additional work is required to complete the exam. This additional work must be checked/approved by specified members of the comprehensive examination committee by a set deadline.
3. Re-examination - The exam must be repeated. The student will be provided communication identifying deficiencies that led to this outcome, and a timeline by which the re-examination must take place. *This result will not be available to a student more than once. The re-examination can only result in options 1, 2, or 4.
4. Exam Unsuccessful - The student has not met the program's comprehensive examination requirement and will be required to withdraw from the program. *This result is only possible during re-examination, not during the student's first attempt.

The result will communicate the result to the student in a timely manner.

Students in the Nanotechnology and Quantum Information specializations are required to complete seminars as part of their degree requirements. Seminar requirements are listed as milestones on the student transcript and are graded on a Credit/No Credit basis.

Students are required to complete the Seminar Requirement Form (available on LEARN) and send to the Physics Graduate Studies Coordinator upon completion (physicsgradoffice@uwaterloo.ca).

Nanotechnology Seminar (MSc and PhD)

• To successfully complete the seminar milestone requirement, students must present at least one research seminar and attend at least eight seminars other than their own.
• Each of the eight seminars attended must be relevant to the area of nanotechnology. Seminars to attend can be found on the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology events page.
• To present your own research seminar in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, reach out to the Physics Graduate Studies Coordinator at least 2 weeks in advance.
• A Nanotechnology supervisor must sign off on the student's attendance at the eight seminars, as well as be present at and approve the student's seminar.

PhD Quantum Information Seminar (PhD Only)

• To successfully complete the seminar milestone requirement, students must present one Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) seminar, and one seminar on a Quantum Information topic aimed at members of the Department of Physics and Astronomy.
• For more information, see the Quantum Information Graduate Program PhD Seminar page. 
• A Quantum Information supervisor must be present at and approve both seminars.

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. Twenty (20) business days 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 M.Sc. 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. Fifteen (15) business days before the defense:

M.Sc. 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 15 business days 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. Thirty-five (35) business days 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. Thirty (30) business days before the defense:

Ph.D. 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 30 business days 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.