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| Division of Anatomy & Cell Biology |
All candidates (MSc and PhD) are required to undertake course work, conduct research and present a thesis. Each of these requirements is undertaken in consultation with the student's Research Supervisor and Supervisory Committee, and the Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, Division of Anatomy & Cell Biology Graduate Studies Committee.
The Supervisory Committee
For both the MSc and PhD candidate, the research supervisor is primarily responsible for the student's overall training program. The main functions of the candidate's Supervisory Committee are to assist the research supervisor in managing the student's academic program and to guide the student in designing, implementing and communicating his or her research. The Supervisory Committee is also responsible for ensuring that the student is being supervised adequately and fairly; if there are any concerns in these regards, the Chair of the Supervisory Committee must communicate them immediately to the Graduate Studies Committee.
The student's Supervisory Committee must be established and meet within 12 months of the date of admission. Thereafter, the Supervisory Committee will meet at least once a year to assess the student's progress and to renew the formal agreement between the student and research supervisor (confirming the level of financial support available to the student for the next year of his or her studies). After each meeting, a report detailing the student's progress is forwarded to the Graduate Studies Committee. At the end of each academic year, each student's scholastic and research progress is assessed by the Committee to ensure that the student is eligible to continue in the Program. If progress is found to be unsatisfactory, a formal plan for the correction of any deficiencies will be developed by the student and his/her research supervisor in consultation with the Graduate Studies Committee.
Members of a student's Supervisory Committee must be active researchers or have a unique expertise in the area of the student’s research. The MSc candidate's Supervisory Committee will consist of a minimum of 3 members (including the candidate's research supervisor); one of the Committee members may be a Faculty member from outside the Division of Anatomy & Cell Biology. The PhD candidate's Supervisory Committee will be set up according to the regulations of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and its composition approved by the Graduate Studies Committee. Under normal circumstances, a PhD candidate's Supervisory Committee will consist of the candidate's research supervisor and at least 3 other Faculty members.
The Departmental Graduate Studies Committee
This committee consists of a Chairperson and a minimum of two other Faculty members from the Department. The role of this committee is to oversee all affairs concerning graduate studies within the Department. These include the recruitment and acceptance of new candidates, recommending policy changes to the Head of the Department, guiding and assisting students in procuring financial support, and annually assessing each student's research and academic progress in consultation with the Research Supervisor and the student's Supervisory Committee.
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| Division of Physiology |
Research Supervisor and the Advisory Committee
Research supervisors must be members of the Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences or its Associate Members.
Each graduate student must have an advisory committee. The committee’s purpose is to provide advice and independent oversight of the student’s research progress and academic performance, to evaluate the thesis proposal, and to select faculty members to administer the PhD comprehensive exam and the final thesis defense. The committee must meet at least once per year. Prior to writing the thesis, the committee will meet to discuss the scope of the thesis and to answer the question "Does the student have sufficient experimental data to complete the thesis?" The Chair will produce a written report of all meetings, and provide copies to the student, the supervisor and the graduate advisor.
The advisory committee consists of individuals at the rank of Assistant Professor or above.
MSc:
1) The Chair must be a Department member who has served on graduate committees.
2) The Supervisor.
3) Two other full time faculty members, from any Department, who are familiar with the student’s area of research.
PhD:
1) The Chair must be a Department member who has sat on a doctoral committee and is familiar with the process.
2) The Supervisor.
3) Two members of the Department who are familiar with the area of research.
4) A Faculty member external to the Department.
Thesis Defense
Upon completion, the thesis (MSc or PhD) must be submitted to selected members of the committee for evaluation to determine if it is ready to be defended (MSc), or approved for sending to FOGS (external examiner). The thesis must be submitted to the advisory committee a minimum of 2 weeks before the evaluation meeting. It is expected that the supervisor will have read and critiqued the entire thesis prior to its distribution. At the evaluation meeting, changes deemed necessary for defence (MSc), or submission to FOGS (PhD), are documented. If these are deemed minor, the supervisor is responsible for ensuring that the changes are made. If major changes are required, the thesis must be re-submitted to the committee and a second meeting called.
It will be the responsibility of the advisory committee to nominate a committee for the oral examination of the candidate. The choice of an external examiner shall be arrived at by mutual agreement between the candidate, supervisor and Chair.
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