THE DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DEGREE
CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY
CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY

4.2.1 THE DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DEGREE

In addition to the general requirements outlined in 1.5.2, the following requirements must be met by all students proceeding to the Ph.D. degree:

1) Course Work: Candidates must complete successfully at least eight courses, includ
ing 59-710 (or four courses if the candidate enters the program with an M.Sc. degree) chosen from the available graduate offerings in the student's field or from related and cognate courses, with the approval of the Program Committee. Credit for up to a maximum of two courses may be given for equivalent courses provided that a grade of at least A- was achieved in the courses.

2) Seminars: In addition to the above course work, students must attend the regular departmental Seminar (59-795) throughout their Ph.D. studies as fulfilment of this requirement.

3) Dissertation: The principal requirement for the Ph.D. degree is the presentation of a dissertation which embodies the results of an original investigation (59-798). For general requirements of the dissertation, see 1.5.3.

A student who fails to achieve satisfactory performance in all aspects of the program (e.g., course work, seminars, and dissertation work) may be required to withdraw.

4) Doctoral Committee: The Ph.D. committee is chosen in the manner described in 1.5.2. This committee will meet with the student annually to review his or her progress. As part of this review the student will present a short seminar on his or her research progress.

5)
(a) Transfer to the Ph.D. program: M.Sc. students with a minimum of an A- average in a minimum of two courses taken as a graduate student may transfer directly to the Ph.D. program following a meeting with the Graduate Advisory Committee (with participation of the Outside Reader optional) at which approval to transfer is recommended. Such transfers will normally take place between the 12th month to the 24th month after admission to the M.Sc. II program.

(b) Comprehensive Examination: Students in the Ph.D. program will be required to complete an oral comprehensive examination within the first twelve months following admission into the Ph.D. program. The examination will take the form of a ten to twenty minute presentation of the student's research work to date, followed by a question and answer session in which the student's depth of knowledge of the field of research and the underlying chemical and/or biochemical principles will be examined. The student will be assessed by a committee of three members comprised of the research advisor and two other faculty members from Chemistry and Biochemistry, with additional members optional. As a guide to the student, the committee may provide some directed readings prior to the examination. The student will be expected to understand the subject matter and background of these topics. A grade of Pass or Fail will be given. In the event of a failing grade, the student may be allowed a second examination within one month, or a specific assignment for subsequent evaluation at the discretion of the examining committee. It may be possible that the student will not be allowed to repeat the examination.

(c) Final Examination: Each candidate will take a final oral examination in defense of the dissertation on the recommendation of the doctoral committee. An external examiner, chosen for acknowledged scholarship in the appropriate field of chemistry or biochemistry, will normally be present during the oral examination. The external examiner will be selected by the doctoral committee, subject to the approval of the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research. The examination will be public and will involve a short seminar presentation by the candidate. The examination will be chaired by the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research or delegate.