Completing and defending your MSc Thesis

Prior to completion of the thesis, the student should review the Experimental Pathology MSc Checklist for the completion of the MSc degree.

Below is an overview of the MSc thesis defence process.

Permission to write the thesis

The student's Supervisory Committee must confirm that sufficient work has been done for inclusion in the thesis.

Committee Approval of the thesis for defence

The student must present his/her completed thesis (instruction on thesis preparation) to his/her Supervisory Committee with sufficient time required for review and processing. It is the function of the Supervisory Committee to review the thesis, to ensure any necessary revisions have been made, and to approve the thesis before the student may proceed to the final examination. Following committee approval, a minimum of three weeks should be allowed before the defense of the thesis.

Once the Committee has reviewed and approved the thesis they each must fill out this form and return it to the Program Assistant.

Failure to complete all requirements for the MSc degree within the 5 year University deadline will necessitate application for an extension requiring approval of the Graduate Advisor and the Dean of Graduate Studies).

Selection of the Examination Committee

Once the student's Supervisory Committee has recommended that his/her thesis examination can proceed, the supervisor should, in consultation with the Graduate Advisor, select an examination committee and communicate the names of the individuals concerned to the graduate secretary, who will assist with approval for the examining committee. 

Constitution of the Examination Committee

The examination committee must consist of:

  • the chair of the student's Supervisory Committee who acts as the chair of the examination committee.
  • the supervisor.

  • at least one member of the student's Supervisory Committee who is not the Supervisor or Co-Supervisor.
  • a faculty member from within the Department of Pathology who has not been involved in the project.
  • a second faculty member from within or outside the Department of Pathology who has not been involved in the project (supervisors are asked to select this examiner from faculty members in the Basic Medical Sciences or from an appropriate department in the Faculty of Science).

    • In addition

  • A further examiner may be appointed by the Graduate Advisor. For the purposes of the M.Sc. examination a quorum will consist of the individuals designated in a,b,c,d, and e above.

Responsibilities of the Graduate Student

  • Provide the departmental secretary for Graduate Studies with an abstract of the thesis to be included in the announcement of the examination;
  • Chose a variety of dates and times to propose to their examining committee.
  • Work with the supervisory committee to choose appropriate external examiners. Once these have been chosen, communicate the options to the Program Assistant who will contact them with the proposed dates.
  • Once they are confirmed it is up to the student to organize the time, dates and location of the defence.
  • Once a date is set for the examination, deliver final copies of the thesis to all members of the examination committee at least 3 weeks before the date of the examination.
  • Prepare an oral presentation of the research presented in the thesis. This must be no longer than 20-30 minutes in length and must not be read from a prepared script (cue cards are permissible).
  • After the examination,the Chairman submits a written report with the thesis mark to the Graduate Advisor. Once the candidate has satisfied all conditions, he/she should take the original copy (unbound) to the Faculty of Graduate Studies.
  • In order to be accepted by the Faculty of Graduate Studies, theses must comply with the guidelines on the Graduate Studies website at http://www.grad.ubc.ca/current-students/dissertation-thesis-preparation. (Preparing the Thesis and Thesis Formatting Requirements) and must be accompanied by all appropriate paperwork. Please refer to the Thesis Preparation and Submission Checklist at http://www.grad.ubc.ca/sites/default/files/forms/checklist_for_final_submission.pdf to ensure the appropriate paperwork are submitted.
  • Provide the department with a bound copy of the approved final version of the thesis.
  • Arrange for an exit interview with the Graduate Advisor.

Completion of Degree

When all conditions have been met, the Dean will inform the Senate of the candidate's successful completion of the program. On approval by the Faculty, the candidate will be nominated for the awarding of the degree. Nominations for the awarding of degrees are considered at the May and November meetings of the Senate. For a candidate to be considered for a degree, all procedures must have been completed by the dates specified in the University Calendar.

NOTE: In order to formally graduate the Student must apply for graduation.