The Master's Degree ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS Graduates of recognized universities may be admitted to programs leading to the Master's degree. A student with a four-year degree or equivalent in the discipline to which s/he is seeking admission, and who has an academic standing at least in the B range overall and in both the final two years of study and the major subject, may be admitted to a Master's program (M2). An applicant who holds a four-year degree in another discipline, and who has an academic standing at least in the B range overall and in the final year of study and the major subject, may also be admitted to a Master's program as a transitional student. Transitional students are normally required to complete a program of no more than five specified undergraduate courses in addition to the graduate courses required of regular students. Upon completion of these extra courses, with a minimum grade as specified by the program, the student may continue in the Master's program as a regular student. An applicant who does not meet minimum departmental program admission requirements, but who can present evidence of leadership, and/or substantial related work experience, may be considered for probationary admission upon the recommendation of the program. Students who are accepted on probation will be required to satisfactorily complete a minimum of two specified graduate courses, in addition to any other admission requirements, before conditions are waived. During the probationary period no other graduate courses may be taken. A student will not normally continue on probationary admission for more than two terms. Graduate credit will be given for the graduate courses after the conditions are waived. The final decision on probationary admission rests with the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research. An applicant who holds a three-year degree in the discipline to which s/he is applying, or a four-year degree in another discipline, and who has an academic standing at least in the B range overall and in both the final year of study and major subject may be admitted as a qualifying student, with a recommendation for advancement to M2 level contingent upon completion of a prescribed set of qualifying courses, with a minimum grade as specified by the program. Since qualifying students are not candidates for a degree, a qualifying student is not considered a graduate student. Applicants are urged to apply as early as possible to enable the program and the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research to evaluate qualifications. Possession of the minimum requirements does not ensure acceptance. Candidacy: A student in an M2 program is also a candidate for the Master's degree. Students in the two-year M1program followed by the M2 program are not admitted to candidacy until they have satisfactorily completed the M1 program. A positive recommendation from a program and approval of that recommendation are required for a student to proceed to the M2 program. PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS Residence: Residence requirements are intended to provide for each student an adequate contact with the University, with the faculty in the field of specialization, and with the library, laboratories, and other facilities for graduate study and research. It is expected, therefore, that every full-time student in a program leading to the Master's degree will undertake a full program of study at the M2 level for a minimum of one calendar year or its equivalent. Application and interpretation of the residence requirement is the responsibility of the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research. If a student does not expect to fulfil the residence requirement in the normal way, reasons for departing from the norm should be submitted in writing to the Dean and approval secured for the plan before beginning the graduate program. See also the section on "Duration of Study" below. The residency requirement is not intended to apply to students admitted to graduate programs on a part-time basis. Duration of Study: The minimum duration of study for the Master's degree is one calendar year beyond the honours Bachelor's degree, or its equivalent. Credit for no more than one-half of the required courses for program taken at another university may be given at the discretion of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, upon the recommendation of the program coordinator. Residency still applies. Time Limit: Work on a Master's degree must be completed within three consecutive calendar years after the student's first registration, except for certain Master's programs available on a part-time basis. In these latter programs, the time limit will depend on the nature of the program, but will not normally exceed five consecutive years. If an extension of these time limits becomes necessary, the student should address a petition to the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research giving reasons for the request and plans for the completion of the work. A student who exceeds the time limit may be required to take additional qualifying examinations or additional course work, or both. Course of Study: Course requirements are specified in the program listings. Planning and direction of the student's course of study are the responsibility of the program coordinator or a designated advisor. A specific program of study should be worked out at the time of the student's first registration, in consultation with the program coordinator or an advisor. Students are directed to obtain the approval of the program coordinator or designated advisor for changes in the program of study. Training in methodology may be required, at the discretion of the program. In consultation with their advisor or the program coordinator, all students must complete an annual report which is to be submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies and Research by May 31 of each year. Students working toward the Master's degree must maintain at least a B- average in all course work. A candidate for the Master's degree who does not obtain graduate credit in any course may repeat the course once only, and not more than one course may be repeated. Normally, graduate credit will be given only for A or B standing in a course. Concerning credit for C grades, see section 1.4.3. Letter grades or Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory may be assigned for theses, major papers, and projects depending on individual program policy. After consultation between student and professor and authorization by the program coordinator, a graduate course may be recorded as INC (Incomplete) when: 1) the student has completed the class work but is unable to take the end of course examination because of illness or other acceptable reason, or 2) (a) the student is unable to complete the work for the course because of illness or other acceptable reason, and (b) the student has done satisfactory work in the course, and (c) in the opinion of the professor, the student can complete the normally required work in the course without repeating the course in class. Committees: Research undertaken as part of a Master's program is normally directed and supervised by a Master's committee. By the end of the first term of registration in the thesis, the program coordinator will recommend the appointment of members of the Master's committee, whose appointments must be approved by the Executive Committee of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research. The Master's committee will include as a minimum the chief advisor from the program, who is a member of graduate faculty, and two other University of Windsor faculty members, one of whom shall belong to a program other than the one in which the student is obtaining the degree. Additional members may be added with the approval of the program coordinator and the Executive Committee of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research. The member(s) from outside the program need not participate in the direction of research but shall contribute a judgment on its completion. The Master's committee is also charged with conduct of the final examination of the Master's candidate (see below). If the research involves human ethics, the faculty supervisor is responsible for the conduct of the study, the ethical performance of the project, and the protection of the rights and welfare of human participants. With the signed approval of the faculty supervisor, the graduate student submits an application to the Research Ethics Board. Research involving human subjects, including the secondary use of data, cannot begin until ethics clearance has been obtained. (Consult the Office of Research Services.) If the research involves animal care or biohazards, the supervisor of the thesis is responsible for obtaining prior approval from the respective committees governing the above topics. (Consult the Office of Research Services.) THESIS OR MAJOR PAPER A thesis incorporating the results of an investigation in the field of the major subject may be required of candidates for the Master's degree. Candidates for some Master's programs may choose, instead of the course of study including a thesis, a program requiring additional course work and/or the submission of a major paper or project on which there will be a final evaluation. The Major Paper/Project is a scholarly essay/research project that shows evidence of critical analysis and understanding on a topic approved by the student's supervisor and acknowledged by the program coordinator. The Major Paper/Project committee will include a supervisor, who is a member of graduate faculty, and one other program faculty member. Additional members may be added with the approval of the program coordinator. Upon completion of the Major Paper/Project each student will deliver a public oral presentation and defense which shall be announced publicly (with a copy sent to the Office of Graduate Studies and Research) at least eight days in advance. Major Paper/Projects are graded by the committee with letter grades or as Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory. The Major Paper/Project is not subject to thesis regulations concerning full library binding, copyright application, and microfilming for the National Library, but is deposited in the library and in the departmental office of the program. The regulations of individual programs should also be consulted for details of their thesis or major paper requirements. Letter grades or Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory may be assigned for theses and major papers, depending on program policy. Although in some cases it may be acceptable for more than one candidate to make use of a common set of data or research findings, each candidate is responsible for a single-authored thesis/major paper. Not later than one month after registration in the student's final year, the candidate undertaking a thesis will be required to validate a document supplied by the academic unit, a Copyright License, authorizing the University to make a single copy of the prospective thesis, or substantial parts of it, at any given time at the request of a library user at this University or a library user at another university for actual cost of reproduction only. The regulations of individual programs should be consulted for details of their procedures. The general format is prescribed in Procedures to Follow in Preparing a Major Paper, Thesis or Dissertation, which may be obtained from the Administrative Officer or from www.uwindsor.ca/grad. Within the thesis, the student should use formats approved for scholarly publication in the field of specialization and approved by the program coordinator. Final checking of the general format of the thesis is the responsibility of the Office of Graduate Studies and Research, but the student should consult the Master's committee for instructions as to the internal form of the thesis. Copies of the Master's thesis must be provided to all members of the Master's committee and one copy to the chair of the defense, at least two weeks before the expected date of defense. Students are advised to ascertain from the academic unit any prior deadline established by the unit. No changes may be made to the Master's committee between these deadline dates and the defense except under the most extraordinary circumstances and with the approval of the Executive Committee of Graduate Studies and Research. The oral presentation should be completed at least three weeks prior to the Convocation at which the candidate expects to receive the degree. No later than eight days before a proposed defense a Master's committee shall notify the Office of Graduate Studies and Research that a notice of defense is to be posted. The chair of a Master's defense will be a member of graduate faculty who has not served on the candidate's Master's Committee, and who is appointed by the Department Head at the time the defense is publicly announced. The chair is non-voting. The general audience may remain until the defense is completed and the committee begins its deliberations on the outcome. These deliberations are held in camera. The minimum basis for acceptance of a Master's thesis is positive unanimity by the examining committee less one vote. Unless an examining committee is unanimously negative, a candidate may resubmit the thesis once, after a minimum period of three months and before a maximum period of twelve months. The second decision shall be final. Three copies of the corrected thesis must be deposited in the Office of Graduate Studies and Research for transmission to the Leddy Library and to the academic unit at least two weeks prior to Convocation. The title page of the thesis, or a separate page immediately following the title page, must bear the Universal Copyright Convention symbol ©, the full name of the author, and the year the Master's degree was granted. Arrangements for binding the thesis and payment of fees connected with binding and microfilming should be made with the Administrative Officer. The Office of Graduate Studies and Research will transmit the original copy of the thesis to the National Library, accompanied by Form NL/BN91, supplied by the Office and validated by the candidate, which authorizes the National Library to produce single microform copies for a nominal sum to cover costs, in response to a written request from an individual, a research institute, or a library. If approved, the physical thesis becomes the property of the University. Two copies will be filed in the Leddy Library, and a third in the academic unit. Occasionally, it is necessary to withhold the dissertation from public circulation, especially where the student's interests (e.g., patent rights) would be jeopardized by publication. In such cases, a thesis may be held from the public domain, i.e., the Leddy Library and the National Library of Canada. Such delay in circulation may be requested for six months without cause being given, and an additional period of six months with good cause. Forms for withholding a thesis are available from the Office of Graduate Studies and Research. Thesis/Major Paper Requirements Synopsis 1) Thesis or Major Paper format must be as prescribed by Procedures to Follow in Preparing a Major Paper, Thesis or Dissertation. 2) Copies of the thesis for Master's degree must be provided to all committee members, and one copy to the chair of the defense at least two weeks before the oral presentation prior to the Convocation at which the candidate has applied to receive the degree. 3) Public notice of the defense must be received in the Office of Graduate Studies and Research at least eight days in advance of the defense date. 4) Following successful defense, the candidate will deposit all copies of the thesis in the Office of Graduate Studies and Research for binding and distribution (two for the Leddy Library, and one for the academic unit). 5) The candidate will validate Form NL/BN91, supplied by the Office of Graduate Studies and Research, authorizing the National Library to produce single microform copies. The title page of the thesis, or a separate page following, must bear the Universal Copyright Convention symbol ©, full name of author, and year the Master's degree was granted. 6) Copyright application and microproduction by the National Library do not apply for the major paper. Two copies are required to be deposited in the Office of Graduate Studies and Research (one for the Leddy Library, one for the program). Major papers are available to library users for examination in the Reserve Reading Area of the Leddy Library. 7) Fees for the above are to be paid at the time of deposit of the thesis or major paper in the Office of Graduate Studies and Research. EXAMINATIONS In addition to the usual examinations on course work, there are three types of special examinations that may apply in some programs leading to the Master's degree: 1) Qualifying Examinations: A qualifying examination is one in which the student is asked to demonstrate a reasonable mastery of the fundamentals in the major subject; it is designed to test the student's preparation for advanced graduate work. If such an examination is required, it must be administered and passed before the student registers for the final year of Master's work. 2) Comprehensive Examinations: The comprehensive examination is one in which the student is asked to demonstrate a reasonable mastery of the field of specialization; it is designed to test the student's command of knowledge and ability to integrate that knowledge, after completion of all or most of the graduate course work. Normally, this examination is written at the end of the student's final year of study for the Master's degree. 3) Final Examinations: The final examination of a candidate for a Master's degree is an oral defense of the thesis, major paper, or project.