THE DISSERTATION
FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES AND RESEARCH
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

1.5.3 THE DISSERTATION

A dissertation embodying the results of an original investigation in the field of specialization is required of all candidates for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Before beginning the dissertation, the candidate should submit a prospectus, outlining the problem proposed. Copies of this prospectus should be filed with the doctoral committee not later than four weeks after the student is admitted to candidacy. At the same time, the candidate will be required to validate a document supplied by the program, a Copyright License, authorizing the University to make a single copy of the prospective dissertation, 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 dissertation procedures. The general format is prescribed in the Procedures to Follow in Preparing a Thesis or Dissertation, which may be obtained from the Assistant to the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research. Within the dissertation, the student should use forms approved for scholarly publication in the field of specialization and approved by the program coordinator. Final checking of the general format of the dissertation is the responsibility of the Office of Graduate Studies and Research, but the student should consult the doctoral committee for instructions as to the internal form of the dissertation.

Copies of a Ph.D. dissertation are to be provided to all members of the doctoral committee and two copies to the Office of Graduate Studies and Research, including one copy to be transmitted to the external examiner, at least four weeks before the expected date of defense. No changes may be made to the composition of the doctoral committee between these deadline dates and the defense except under the most extraordinary circumstances and with approval of the Executive Committee of Graduate Studies and Research. The oral presentation should be completed at least three weeks prior to the Convocation for which the candidate has applied to receive the degree. A public notice of defense must be received in the Office of Graduate Studies and Research and posted in the academic unit at least one week in advance of the oral presentation.

A doctoral committee shall notify the Office of Graduate Studies and Research whether, in its view, notice of defense is to be posted, but the decision to proceed shall be contingent upon the report of the external examiner to the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research.

The candidate will present the dissertation at a public defense. The Chair of a Ph.D. defense will be the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research or designate, such as the Dean of a Faculty or senior member of graduate faculty from outside the program, to be named by the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research at the time the defense is publicly announced. The chair is non-voting. Questions will be permitted from the general audience at the discretion of the chair. 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 Ph.D. dissertation shall be positive unanimity less one vote providing the dissenting vote is not by an external examiner who is present at the defense, and the chair of the defense determines that the examination by the external examiner has been fair to the candidate. Unless an examining committee is unanimously negative, a candidate may resubmit the dissertation 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 dissertation must be deposited with the Assistant to the Dean for transmission to the Leddy Library at least two weeks prior to Convocation.

The candidate must also submit at this time three copies of an abstract of no more than 350 words and three copies of a vita, which will be bound with the dissertation. The abstract will be published in Dissertation Abstracts International. The title page of the dissertation, 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 doctoral degree was granted. Arrangements for binding the dissertation and payment of fees connected with binding and microfilming should be made with the Assistant to the Dean. At such time as the program coordinator gives approval, the Office of Graduate Studies and Research will transmit the original copy of the dissertation 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 dissertation becomes the property of the University. Two copies, the original (after return from the National Library) and one other, will be filed in the Leddy Library, and a third copy 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.

Dissertation Requirements Synopsis:

1) Dissertation format must be as prescribed by Procedures to Follow in Preparing a Thesis or Dissertation.

2) Copies of the dissertation must be provided to all committee members and two copies to the Office of Graduate Studies and Research at least four weeks before the oral presentation prior to the Convocation at which the candidate has applied to receive the degree.

3) Copies of an abstract (no more than 350 words) and a vita are to be filed, one to be bound with each copy of the dissertation.

4) Public notice of defense must be received in the Office of Graduate Studies and Research and posted in the academic unit at least one week in advance.

5) Following successful defense, the candidate will deposit three copies of dissertation, abstract, and vita in the Office of Graduate Studies and Research for binding and distribution (two for the Leddy Library, one for the academic unit).

6) 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 dissertation, or separate page following, must bear the Universal Copyright Convention symbol ©, full name of author, and year doctoral degree was granted.

7) Fees for above are to be paid at time of deposit of the dissertation 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 which may be required (see individual program regulations) in the program leading to the degree of Doctor of Philosophy:

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 within one year after a student enters a graduate program.

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 completed at the end of the second year of graduate study and is a prerequisite to admission to candidacy.

3) Final Examinations: Traditionally, the final examination of a doctoral candidate is an oral defense of the dissertation. A program may, however, permit as a substitute for this oral examination the delivery of a public lecture by the candidate for members of the faculty and graduate students, on the subject of the research. In any case, the passing of this examination is taken to require a sufficient degree of attainment that grading is not necessary. Candidates who are found to lack a suitably high level of achievement may be required to repeat this examination. External examiners shall be invited to this examination, whatever form it may take.