Milestones and Program Requirements

The forms below should be completed within the first month of your program. They will help you set the expectation for your program. Forms should be submitted to your program’s Graduate Program Administrator once complete. This can be done electronically.

• Student/ Supervisory Memorandum of Understanding - Expectations Checklist 
• Intellectual Property Awareness Checklist 
• Set up UCalgary Email/IT Account Please note that we will only communicate with you through your UCalgary email account, so make sure you check your email regularly.
• Self-Serve Student Payment Plan (Optional) - Apply online through your Student Centre; application and plan service are exclusively managed by the Registrar's Office. Be advised that the self-serve payment plan option is only for one term at a time.

Students in Cumming School of Medicine graduate programs, both MSc and PhD, are required to have supervisory committees. Your supervisory committee should consist of your supervisor, co-supervisor (as necessary) and two additional members who can support your research. Members of your supervisory committee are determined in consultation with your supervisor.

To formalize your committee, complete the Supervisory Committee Request Form within the first three months of your program.

Committee meetings are essential to move your research forward. These meetings provide an opportunity to keep all members up-to-date on progress made in research, determine if additional courses are required to support your research, and serve as a venue for feedback and discussion about the direction of your research. Your first meeting should be held within six months of the start of your program.

Meeting Frequency

• At least twice within the first year from when they are formed
• A minimum of once per year in subsequent years
• It is recommended that more frequent meetings occur as you proceed towards Candidacy (PhD students)
• It is recommended that more frequent meetings occur as you proceed into writing your thesis

Meeting Minutes and Progress Report

Minutes should be taken by your supervisor or committee member delegate and shared for review after the meeting.  Accompanying the minutes is the Supervisory Committee Meeting Progress Report form which is also used as a pre-meeting agenda for your committee meetings.

After each meeting you are required to submit the following documents to your graduate program administrator (GPA):

• Committee Meeting Progress Report
• Minutes that document your meeting. Note: The supervisor or a supervisory committee member are responsible for taking the minutes, not the student.

Both the form and minutes need to be approved by the student and each committee members. Approval can be made by signature on the minutes or by email approval. Please compile all documents into one package before submitting to your GPA.

This approval has been replaced with questions on the Supervisory Committee Meeting Progress Report form.  Students are encouraged to discuss course learning with their supervisory committees who may advise additional courses to fill learning gaps.

A workshop on Responsible Conduct in Research, also known as Research Integrity Day, is a requirement which must be met in order for you to successfully complete your degree.  This workshop/day needs to be completed within your first year of study.

Topics discussed during this workshop are:

• Issues to consider for graduate students and their supervisors - authorship, plagiarism, conflict of interest, role of the supervisor and committee, etc.
• What is ethical and what is not?
• Who regulates research and who oversees it?
• Understanding your responsibilities and rights - where to go for help

Sessions are held in-person between September and April of each academic term. Priority is given based on need and not first registered.

Register for Sessions

Note: This is a new requirement for any student who began their studies as of the Summer 2020 term (July 1, 2020) or later.

The inclusion of Sex and Gender in Research programs is becoming more prominent. All graduate students in the Cumming School of Medicine are required to complete one of the CIHR sex and gender online training modules found at discoversexandgender.ca (which can also be found at: https://cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/49347.html )within the first year of their program. Completion of training modules related to sex and gender which will help researchers account for and appropriately assess the integration of sex and gender across multiple areas of health research.

Students are required to take the module that is most relevant to their research or program.  Upon successful completion of the module you can send the certificate you receive to your graduate program administrator.

Your Supervisory Committee must approve your formal thesis proposal no later than 12 months from the date you started your program. Your committee will need to sign the Thesis Proposal Approval Form. Both the form and final proposal must be submitted to your program administrator. 

Note that your approved proposal may be required to receive Ethics approval which must be obtained prior to commencing research.

Format: 

The research proposal must be between 13 and 17 single-spaced pages (excluding figures, tables and references, .75 inch margins and 12 point font). A suggested (but not mandatory) format for the research proposal is:

• • Introduction (approximately 4-6 pages – should contain an appropriate literature review of the field and the project)
• • Relevant Preliminary Data (approximately 3-4 pages)
• • Hypothesis and Specific Aims (approximately 1/2 page)
• • Experimental Plan (approximately 5-6 pages)
• • Significance (1/2 pages)

MDCH Proposal Requirements

Thesis proposals are detailed documents that outline the research approach and methods that will be undertaken in the thesis research. MDCH students are expected to incorporate feedback from their supervisory committee on the preliminary proposal and prepare a more detailed thesis proposal, which should be between 10 and 15 single-spaced pages (excluding figures, tables, and references, 0.75 inch margins and 12-point font). A suggested (but not mandatory)format for the written thesis proposal is:

• Introduction and Literature Review (approximately 4 to 6 pages – should contain a review of relevant theoretical frameworks, definitions or key terms, critical review of the existing published research related to the project, and end with a problem statement or research question(s) and the significance of the proposed study)
• Research Methods/Experimental Plan (approximately 5 to 6 pages – should describe the setting and context, participants, sampling, participant recruitment, data collection, and data analysis plan)
• Ethical Considerations (approximately 1 page – should include a description of data handling procedures)
• Significance (1/2 page)
• Budget and Justification (1-2 pages)
• Dissemination and/or Knowledge Translation plan (approximately 1 page);
• Research Timeline (approximately 1 page)

A draft of your proposal should be submitted to your committee by 12 months into the program (please note that this is not the formal thesis proposal evaluation step of candidacy. Your official proposal approval occurs at the Proposal Evaluation Meeting. See the guidelines for Admission to Candidacy section further down on this page). The draft should be approved using the PhD Draft Research Proposal Form.

Thesis proposals go through multiple drafts with your supervisory committee.  It is important for students to seek feedback from their supervisor and committee before submitting a final draft for approval. Review your specific program requirements for more information.

Format: 

The research proposal must be between 13 and 17 single-spaced pages (excluding figures, tables and references, .75 inch margins and 12 point font). A suggested (but not mandatory) format for the research proposal is:

• • Introduction (approximately 4-6 pages – should contain an appropriate literature review of the field and the project)
• • Relevant Preliminary Data (approximately 3-4 pages)
• • Hypothesis and Specific Aims (approximately 1/2 page)
• • Experimental Plan (approximately 5-6 pages)
• • Significance (1/2 pages)

MDCH PhD Draft Proposal Requirements

Thesis proposals are detailed documents that outline the research approach and methods that will be undertaken in the thesis research. MDCH students are expected to incorporate feedback from their supervisory committee on the preliminary proposal and prepare a more detailed thesis proposal, which should be between 10 and 15 single-spaced pages (excluding figures, tables, and references, 0.75 inch margins and 12-point font). A suggested (but not mandatory)format for the written thesis proposal is:

• Introduction and Literature Review (approximately 4 to 6 pages – should contain a review of relevant theoretical frameworks, definitions or key terms, critical review of the existing published research related to the project, and end with a problem statement or research question(s) and the significance of the proposed study)
• Research Methods/Experimental Plan (approximately 5 to 6 pages – should describe the setting and context, participants, sampling, participant recruitment, data collection, and data analysis plan)
• Ethical Considerations (approximately 1 page – should include a description of data handling procedures)
• Significance (1/2 page)
• Budget and Justification (1-2 pages)
• Dissemination and/or Knowledge Translation plan (approximately 1 page);
• Research Timeline (approximately 1 page)

For all programs, except MDCH, at least one Research-In-Progress or Work-In-Progress must be completed every year, including your first year. Information about a student's presentation history will need to be included in the student's Annual Progress Report (APR) each May.

Journal Club participation and presentations may also be required by your program. Information about a student's presentation history will need to be included in the student's Annual Progress Report (APR) each May.

MDNS (Neuroscience) Students: Please visit the MDNS Journal Clubs page for more information.

MDCH (Community Health Sciences) Students: Students in MDCH 600 are encouraged to attend all CHS-OIPH Friday Seminars in the Fall and Winter terms, as well as to participate in related journal clubs (eg. such as journal clubs offered within the PPH and/or Medical Education specializations)”

Annual Progress Reports are required by the Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS).  These are done in May of each year. Notifications of this report are sent by FGS starting May 1 with a due date of May 31 for all aspects to be complete.

The University of Calgary considers health and safety to be a priority and is committed to providing a safe and healthy work and study environment for the entire university community including its laboratory environments.

Laboratory personnel including workers, students and visitors are exposed to potential hazards unique to laboratory settings and hazardous materials each and every day. In order to address the health, safety and environmental challenges specific to the laboratories, Environment, Health and Safety has developed programs, safety and procedure manuals, and laboratory-specific training courses free of charge for the university community.

The laboratory safety program outlines the requirements for all users in a laboratory. Supervisors/PI’s are responsible for ensuring all users of a laboratory are trained to work there safely.

For more information on the laboratory safety program please see the Laboratory Safety Website. 

Graduate student research for a thesis, dissertation or an independent research study that involves the use of human subjects, animals or bio-hazards must be reviewed and certified as acceptable by the appropriate University Research Ethics Board.

For research involving human subjects the proposed research/study must be reviewed by either the Conjoined Faculties Research Ethics Board (CFREB) or the Conjoined Health Research Ethics Board (CHREB).  Applicants to ethics need to complete the Tri-Council CORE Tutorial.

For research/studies that involve animals approval is obtained from the Animal Care Committee.

Where appropriate, students should also arrange to take the relevant portions of MDSC 603: Use of Laboratory Animals in Biomedical Research. 

For research/studies that required bio-hazardous materials, a Biosafety Permit is required and is conditional on registration and approval from the University of Calgary Biosafety Committee

*Copies of Ethics, Animal Care, or Biosafety Permits must be submitted to FGS as separate supporting documents to your thesis.  They are not included as appendices.

An exceptional student in the MSc program may demonstrate the potential to complete a PhD program through the following:        

• completion of courses with A or A+;       
• first author publications and contributions to other manuscripts;        
• participation in, and contributions to, research projects; and·        
• a research proposal that demonstrates ability to think critically and a sophisticated approach to the subject expected for a PhD project.

With the support of his/her supervisory committee, the student may request a change in their registration status to a student in the PhD program.

Timing of the Request for Transfer

• The transfer request must be initiated within the first 8-12 months of the MSc program to facilitate the completion of the manuscript defense by a maximum of 16 months      
• The request cannot be made after the student is well advanced through the MSc program.  

Process for Requesting a Transfer from MSc to PhD 

1. Student initiates transfer by making a request to the Graduate Program Director via the Graduate Program Administrator. 
2. Supervisory Committee Members must agree that the student is working at a PhD student level and that the student’s research plans are of PhD thesis scope and depth, and communicate this to the Graduate Program Director to initiate the transfer process. Supervisory Committee Members must each write recommendation letters supporting the student's transfer. The letters should identify elements of the student's performance that demonstrate their potential for pursuing a research program leading to a PhD degree. Send completed letters to the Graduate Program Director, and cc the Graduate Program Administrator. 
3. Student provides a copy of a PhD level thesis proposal and CV to the Graduate Program Director, and cc the Graduate Program Administrator.  
4. Graduate Program Director reviews student’s transcript, CV, thesis proposal, and letters from committee to assess whether the transfer request should proceed to the oral transfer defense exam stage. 
5. With Graduate Program Director approval, the Supervisor(s) schedules a 2.5 hour oral transfer defense exam to be attended by: the student, the supervisory committee and the Graduate Program Director who serves as oral transfer defense exam chair and external examiner. 
6. At the oral defense, the Student defends their PhD-level thesis proposal*.  
7. Student must send the version of the document being defended to examiners a minimum of 14 days prior to the oral transfer defense exam. 
8. By noon the day before the oral transfer defense exam, each examiner (i.e. supervisory committee member) will send the Graduate Program Director, cc to Graduate Program Administrator, an individual examiner appraisal of the work being defended. The Graduate Program Administrator’s office will provide examiners with the blank examiner appraisal template. Examiners are asked to appraise whether the work being defended is of the scope and depth of PhD student level research and whether arguments supply evidence of PhD student level critical thinking and writing.  
9. The oral transfer defense exam will begin with the student providing a 10-minute presentation. The student presentation will be followed by two slightly condensed rounds (75 minutes total) of questions from examiners.   
10. The supervisor(s) will take notes of examiner questions for post-defense review with the student. After the oral transfer defense exam, these notes will be sent to the Graduate Program Director to review and filed in the Graduate Program Administrator office as part of tracking of this process. These notes also support the recommendation to the Faculty of Graduate Studies about whether the transfer should be approved.
11. Upon completion of the second round of questions, the student will be asked to leave the oral transfer defense exam session while examiners deliberate.  
12. The student will be invited to return to discuss the outcome and next steps. 
13. Assuming all agree, the supervisor(s) together with the student will complete a transfer to PhD form that includes a rationale along with an updated funding agreement form. These forms are approved by the Graduate Program Director and the recommendation for transfer submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies.   

* The student can instead defend a first-authored manuscript that is ready or recently accepted for publication. 

Transfer Defense Format

The student defends his/her manuscript before a Committee consisting of 3 CHS Faculty Members:

• Graduate Program Director      
• At least two supervisory committee members must attend, who have expertise in the content area and have no conflict of interest with the student or supervisor
• The supervisor may attend as an observer  

The student presents a 10-minute oral presentation of the manuscript, followed by an oral defense not exceeding 75 minutes. At least 2/3 Committee members must agree that the manuscript is sound, demonstrates critical thinking and writing consistent with a PhD level.

Following a Successful Transfer Defense

1. Graduate Program Director notifies the Supervisor, Student and Graduate Program Administrator
2. Graduate Program Administrator sends the Change of Program or Status Form to the student
3. Student and Supervisor sign the form and return it to the Graduate Program Administrator

Note: If you are a Community Health Sciences Student (MDCH) please see the transfer policy for your program in the tab above.

________________________

Transfer Policy for all Medicine Graduate Programs (except MDCH)

Students may be permitted to transfer from the MSc to the PhD program if their academic record in graduate studies is outstanding and they have made excellent progress in their research. The transfer process must be completed no later than 24 months after the student's start date in the program. 

In order to complete the transfer: 

1. A research proposal at the level of a doctoral degree must be prepared and circulated to all Supervisory Committee Members. This draft may be an expanded version of the MSc proposal (which is due to the program office within the first 12 months of the student's program). 

MDSC students: Please have your committee complete the PhD Draft Research Proposal form prior to your transfer meeting and submit it to your GPA.

2. The Program Director must chair a supervisory committee meeting where the potential transfer is discussed

3. At that meeting, criteria outlined in the PhD Transfer Checklist must be discussed and approved by all committee members. 

4. Once you have had your transfer meeting and the PhD Transfer Checklist is approved by your committee, a subsequent Change of Program Request Form and an updated Confirmation of Funding Form (from your supervisor) must also be completed and submitted to your Program Administrator in conjunction with your meeting paperwork. The confirmation of funding agreement must be in accordance with the GSE Office’s current funding policy.

5. Meeting minutes, the Supervisory Committee Meeting Progress Report form, committee approvals, and the Transfer Checklist must be submitted to the GPA before the Change of Program form can be processed. 

***All paperwork must be submitted to the GPA no later than the fee payment deadline for the term that you plan to officially transfer. Fee deadlines are available in the Grad Studies Calendar.  

Notes on Awards

Transferring from one degree program to another may impact any scholarships/awards that you may hold. It is advised that you contact the Awards Office if you are unsure whether a transfer could impact any award(s) that you hold. 

Questions? 

Contact your program GPA. 

ii’taa’poh’to’p, the University of Calgary’s Indigenous Strategy, seeks to ensure that policies, practices, and procedures are supportive and respectful of Indigenous ways of knowing, doing, connecting, and being.

Indigenous graduate students and those who are working with Indigenous Elders or Knowledge Keepers are encouraged to incorporate Indigenous ceremonies and/or traditions into their exams.

If you would like to incorporate a ceremony and/or tradition into your Field of Study meeting, please indicate this on your Field of Study Set Up form and your GPA will be in touch with next steps. 

Exam/Evaluation Set up is the responsibility of the Supervisor in consultation with the student and committee.

Note that the process outlined below does not apply to MDCH students. Please see the tab for Community Health Sciences Candidacy procedures below.

Exams may be held in person, remotely, or in a hybrid format. 

All PhD students are required to complete their Candidacy process within 24 months of admission. For students transferring from MSc to PhD, the Candidacy process must be completed within 28 months. 

The following components are required as part of this process: 

• Completion of Course Work (prior to Field of Study exam)
• Attendance at Research Integrity Day (to be completed within first 12 months)
• Sex & Gender Module(s) (to be completed within first 12 months)
• Thesis Proposal Evaluation Meeting (please see the tab below)
• Field of Study Oral Exam (please see the tab below)

For information on the timelines for completing these requirements and associated forms, please see the Candidacy Timeline. 

Below are the policy documents and forms related to the Candidacy process for Graduate Science Education Programs: 

GSE Candidacy Policy (all programs except MDCH) 
Field of Study Prep Form (Topics - due 3 months before estimated Field of Study Exam date) 
Thesis Proposal Evaluation Meeting Set Up Form ( due 3 weeks before Evaluation Meeting date) 
Field of Study Set Up Form ( due 4 weeks before Field of Study Exam date)

* All forms should be submitted to your Graduate Program Administrator. 

GSE Student Candidacy Workshop Powerpoint Presentation (Oct 21, 2016)

Evaluation Set up is the responsibility of the Supervisor in consultation with the student and committee.

Thesis Proposal Evaluation Meeting Set Up Form ( due 3 weeks before Evaluation Meeting date) 

Proposal Evaluation 

The Proposal Evaluation should proceed in a similar manner to a regular committee meeting with the following additions:

• The student will do a short presentation (max 15 min) on their proposal at the beginning of the meeting.
• Evaluation Meeting members should have the opportunity to discuss the proposal and question the student, focusing on the hypothesis and experimental plan. The student should be able to demonstrate an understanding of the background for the project, concepts, and methods employed as well as experimental interpretation and potential pitfalls. The Supervisor(s) should refrain from answering questions directed to the student. (Max 90 mins)
• Once the discussion is finished, the student must leave the room. The committee will then evaluate both the written document and the student’s ability to defend their proposal and answer questions. The Supervisor(s) may participate in the discussion.
• The committee will decide whether the proposal can be accepted as submitted. This will be indicated on the Final Report on Thesis Proposal Evaluation. The Supervisor(s) does not vote.

 The Evaluation Committee must come to a unanimous decision on both the written and oral portions.

 An acceptable written proposal should include the following. More information on format and length may be found in the policy document:

1)      Relevant background knowledge to support the rationale of the proposed research project

2)      Preliminary data that demonstrates experimental competency

3)      Clear Hypothesis and Specific Aims of a body of work appropriate for a PhD project

4)      Detailed experimental plan with expectations, pitfalls and alternative approaches

5)      Significance of the proposed work within the research field.

An acceptable oral evaluation will indicate that the student:

1)      Understands the relevant background information

2)      Can interpret and understand preliminary data

3)      Can defend the hypothesis, specific aims and experimental plan 

Exam Set up is the responsibility of the Supervisor in consultation with the student and committee.

Field of Study Prep Form (Topics - due 3 months before estimated Field of Study Exam date) 

Field of Study Set Up Form (due 4 weeks before Field of Study Exam date)

The Field of Study examination is a formal oral exam. The exam will be comprehensive, covering a broad range of topics in the student’s core field of research. The student is expected to have an in-depth understanding of the topics related to their core field of research, as well as a strong foundational knowledge in their field. These areas, as well as a detailed reading list will be provided to the student prior to the examination.

Exam/Evaluation Set up is the responsibility of the Supervisor in consultation with the student and committee.

As per the Candidacy section in the Graduate Calendar and subject to any extension allowances, doctoral students must complete all candidacy requirements  within 28 months  of first registration in the doctoral program. Those students who have transferred from a master’s program must complete all candidacy requirements within 36 months of the first registration in that master’s program.

Review the policy for Candidacy effective September 2018 and take a look at the CHS Candidacy Timeline for an overview of the process. 

All doctoral students in MDCH must successfully complete the following components prior to being admitted to candidacy:

1. All course requirements (to be completed before the Field of Study Exam);
2. Have applied for research ethics approval-if needed; 
3. Research Integrity Day (to be completed within first year);
4. Written Thesis Proposal; 
5. Concept Map and Reading List;
6. Written Field of Study (FoS) Examination; and
7. Oral Field of Study (FoS) Examination.

Forms 

1. Proposal Approval Meeting Set up form  - due to GPA no later than 4 weeks before the meeting

2. Reading List and Concept Map form- (includes concept map and reading list) - This information is to be sent by the supervisor to the GPA no later than 25 months in program (33 months for MSc-PhD transfer students)

3. Questions and Exam set up form - due to GPA directly from Supervisor no later than 8 weeks before the Field of Study exam

The Permission to Write form is no longer required, and has been replaced by the *NEW* Supervisory Committee Meeting Progress Report Form. Discussions about your thesis research requirements should be ongoing with your supervisor and committee, and these discussions should include agreement on a reasonable endpoint for your experimental work and/or data collection. It is important to begin drafting components of your thesis document early in your degree to position yourself to produce a strong final version for your defense. 

For instructions on preparing your thesis and submitting it, refer to the Thesis Section on the Faculty of Graduate Studies website. Thesis templates can also be found there. 

CHS Guidelines for Manuscript Based Thesis

GI/IM/MID Guidelines for Manuscript Based Thesis

Defense Set up is the responsibility of the Supervisor in consultation with the student and committee.

Please note that, as of September 1, 2021, exams may be held in person, remotely, or in a hybrid format. 

The oral defense of your thesis is an FGS requirement.  Please review the Examinations section on the FGS website for full details on the policy and rules for examinations. You will need to ensure that your thesis is ready to send to your examiners at least 3 weeks in advance of the exam date.

To set up your thesis defense the following need to be completed:

MSc:

• Research Integrity Day
• Sex and Gender Module completion (students who started Summer 2020 to present)
• Courses required for degree completed meeting the minimum 3.0 gpa requirement
• Supervisor/Committee indication that thesis is ready to defend
• Submission by the Supervisor of Request to Set Up MSc Thesis Defense Form (minimum of six weeks prior to proposed defense date)

If any of the above are not complete you will not be approved to move forward to defense.
Note: The six-week deadline to submit the set up package is a firm deadline.

PhD:

• Research Integrity Day
• Sex and Gender Module completion (students who started Summer 2020 to present)
• Courses required for degree completed meeting the minimum 3.0 gpa requirement
• Candidacy Examination Successfully Completed
• Supervisor/Committee indication that thesis is ready to defend
• Submission by the Supervisor of Request to Set Up PhD Thesis Defense Form (minimum of eight weeks prior to proposed defense date)

If any of the above are not complete you will not be approved to move forward to defense.
Note: The eight-week deadline to submit the set up package is a firm deadline.

ii’taa’poh’to’p, the University of Calgary’s Indigenous Strategy, seeks to ensure that policies, practices, and procedures are supportive and respectful of Indigenous ways of knowing, doing, connecting, and being.

Indigenous graduate students and those who are working with Indigenous Elders or Knowledge Keepers are encouraged to incorporate Indigenous ceremonies and/or traditions into their exams.

If you would like to incorporate a ceremony and/or tradition into your defense meeting, please indicate this on your Defense Set Up form and your GPA will be in touch with next steps. 

Students must apply for convocation prior to their Oral Defense.  Typically the application is due at the beginning of the term in which the Convocation Ceremony will occur and can be submitted through your MyUofC Student Centre.  Review the criteria to be cleared for convocation to make sure you don’t miss the deadlines.