THE DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DEGREE
BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

2.2.1 THE DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DEGREE

In addition to the general requirements outlined in 1.5, the following requirements must be met by all students proceeding to the Ph.D. degree.

Admission Requirements

Applicants with an honours degree in Biological Sciences or related field and who have been judged to be outstanding students may be admitted directly into the Ph.D. program. Applicants holding an M.Sc. degree or equivalent from the University of Windsor or from another recognized university or college may be admitted to the Ph.D. program with advanced standing in course work as described below.

Program Requirements

Course Work: Students proceeding toward the Ph.D. degree will follow one of the programs given below:

1) Students proceeding directly to the Ph.D. from an Honours B.Sc. degree will be expected to:
(a) comply with the general regulations outlined in 1.5;
(b) attend all departmental seminars in Biological Sciences (formal presentations of visiting speakers; graduate student seminars, thesis defense presentations and dissertation defense presentations) each year of full-time registration;
(c) present a total of three departmental seminars exclusive of the dissertation defense;
(d) successfully complete a minimum of five graduate courses. One of the courses may be in a cognate area. Statistics 65-453 (Statistics for Life/Social Sciences) may be allowed for graduate credit;
(e) complete a dissertation embodying the results of an original investigation;
(f) defend the dissertation at a public lecture or seminar.

Students recommended and approved for transfer into the Ph.D. program after having completed one year of an M.Sc. degree in Biological Sciences at the University of Windsor will normally receive credit for graduate course work completed during the M.Sc. program.

2) Students entering into a Ph.D. program with an M.Sc. degree will be expected to:
(a) comply with the general requirements outlined in 1.5;
(b) attend all departmental seminars in Biological Sciences (formal presentations of visiting speakers, graduate student seminars, thesis defense presentations and dissertation defense presentation) each year of full-time registration;
(c) present a total of three departmental seminars exclusive of the dissertation defense;
(d) successfully complete a minimum of four graduate courses. One of the courses may be in a cognate area. Statistics 65-453 (Statistics for Life/Social Sciences) may be allowed for graduate credit;
(e) complete a dissertation embodying the results of an original investigation;
(f) defend the dissertation at a public lecture or seminar.

Grading: A student must maintain at least B- standing in each course in Biological Sciences and at least a B- average in any non-Biological Sciences courses. Any student whose performance is deemed unsatisfactory in course work or research will be asked to withdraw.

Doctoral Committee: Within the first term of the student's registration, the doctoral committee will be formed except for the external examiner, who is to be appointed during the student's final year of study/research. The full committee will consist of at least five members; one must be from outside the University, one from the University faculty but outside Biological Sciences, and three must be within Biological Sciences. The research advisor will act as chairperson of this committee. The student should meet with individual committee members on an informal basis at least twice a year.

The doctoral committee must meet for the following:
(a) to review and approve course work and the research proposal no later than six months into the program;
(b) to prepare and administer the qualifying examination within the first twelve months of the student's registration in the program;
(c) to discuss the student's progress within two months after the qualifying examination. (The extramural committee member need not participate.);
(d) to review and approve the research progress no less than six months before the candidacy examination is administered;
(e) to set the candidacy examination which must be given at least six months before the student's final oral examination. (The extramural committee member need not participate.);
(f) to discuss the student's research and dissertation at least two months before the anticipated time of the final oral examination;
(g) the final oral examination.

Research Progress: Each year from the date of initial registration, the student must submit a Research Progress Report to and meet with his or her doctoral committee. In addition, the student must review his or her research in a meeting with the doctoral committee at least six months before the anticipated date of the final oral examination.

Dissertation: At least six months prior to the candidacy examination, a candidate must submit a Research Progress Report to the doctoral committee and at least two months before the anticipated date of the final oral examination the student must review the research and dissertation in a meeting with the committee.

A dissertation embodying the results of an original investigation in the student's major field is required of all candidates. The dissertation is expected to be of a quality suitable for publication in a refereed biological journal.

Examinations:
(a) Qualifying Examination: The primary purpose of the Qualifying Examination is to ensure that the student has the appropriate background to successfully undertake the planned program of dissertation research. This examination must be completed within twelve months of the student's registration in the program. Prior to the examination, the student will have provided the doctoral committee with a written proposal outlining the background, approach and general expectations of the intended research project. The Qualifying Examination will normally be an oral examination administered by the doctoral committee. The results of the examination and any recommendations will be communicated in writing to the student and the Graduate Committee. Following the Qualifying Examination the doctoral committee may assign the student appropriate remedial or supplementary course work. Successful completion of the examination and any remedial studies or course work recommended by the doctoral committee is corequisite to the student's continuation in the doctoral program.
(b) Candidacy Examination: The primary purpose of the Candidacy Examination is to ensure that the student has made the appropriate research progress to proceed with the dissertation defense. The Candidacy Examination should normally be completed not less than six months prior to the expected date of the dissertation defense. Prior to the examination, the student will provide the doctoral committee with a detailed written report outlining the scope of the student's research project, the work that was conducted and results of the research. This report may broadly follow the form that the student envisions for the final dissertation. The Candidacy Examination will normally be an oral examination administered by the student's doctoral committee. The student may be asked to summarize the major points of the report in a brief oral presentation. The student's oral summary and written report will typically serve as the focus for most of the questions posed as part of the examination. The results of the Candidacy Examination and any recommendations made by the doctoral committee will be communicated in writing to the student and the departmental Graduate Committee. Successful completion of the examination and any further work recommended by the doctoral committee is corequisite to the student's completion of the doctoral program.
(c) Finally, the student will be requested to defend the dissertation orally at a public lecture or seminar (final oral examination).