Preparing for Thesis Defense

Administrative Timelines for Defense

MSc Administrative Deadlines

PhD Administrative Deadlines

Building Your Thesis

FGS Thesis Page

Program Specific Guidelines:

MDCH Guidelines for Manuscript Based Thesis.

MDGI/MDIM/MDMI Guidelines for Manuscript Based Thesis

Room Bookings

(Field of Study and Defense Only) Supervisors are no longer responsible for booking the exam room. Your program GPA will attempt to book the GSE Boardroom (HSC G344) and if it is unavailable they will book a different room (prioritizing HSC G382, HSC G384, HSC 1405A, or HSC 1405B).

GSE Exam Limit Per Day

(Field of Study and Defense only) The GSE office may ask for an exam to be rescheduled if there are already 3 examinations running on the same day. This would be done before the exam is confirmed and approved by the GPD and FGS. We want to ensure that there is staff availability to cover all exams, and to make sure that there is an Associate Dean available if needed.

Standard Examination Hours

Please note that all examinations need to take place during Monday-Friday and can not take place during a University closure or stat holiday. We also ask that you schedule exams with a start time between 9am-4:30pm (the most common start times are 9am or 1pm). Any requests to start an exam outside of this time period requires GSE approval.

For Supervisors

Supervisors are responsible for setting-up their candidate's Oral Thesis Defense Exams. This to be accomplished via the webform below which is due 6-weeks prior to an MSc defense and 8-weeks prior to a PhD defense.

MSc and PhD Defense Set Up Form (Qualtrics webform)

Please note that we have combined the old part one and part two forms into the new form above.

Prepare Your Thesis

Discussions about your thesis research requirements should be ongoing with your supervisor and committee, and should include agreement on a reasonable endpoint for your experimental work and/or data collection.

FGS Thesis Page

Complete Program Requirements

These items must be completed before proceeding to defense:

- Research Integrity Day
- Sex and Gender Module(s)
- Completion of course requirements with a minimum 3.0 GPA
- Supervisor and Committee confirmation that the defense is ready to defend
- Completion of Candidacy (PhD only)

Academic Calendar

Supervisor Schedules Defense

The supervisor submits the Request to Set Up Thesis Defense Form to their program's GPA. This is due 6 weeks in advance of an MSc defense, and 8 weeks in advance of a PhD defense.

Prepare for Defense

Know the regulations, process and get tips on doing well on your exams.

FGS Thesis Defense

Accommodation Requests

The GSE Office is committed to supporting students who require accommodations in their studies, including during examinations. The first step is to connect with Student Accessibility Services (SAS). All accommodation requests must start with their office, and SAS and GSE will then work together with the student to put approved accommodation requests into practice. Please note that accommodations will not appear on your transcript.

Step One - Contact SAS

Students should contact SAS as soon as possible once they know they will be scheduling an examination. Since this request involves SAS and GSE, we need to have enough time for the request to be reviewed and approved by SAS, and for the GSE office to organize the recommended accommodations.

Student Accessibility Services

Step 2 - Review and Approval

SAS will connect with the student and the program GPA about what accommodations are (or are not) approved. The GPA will take the appropriate steps to organize the accommodations, and will let the examining committee know what to expect during the exam. The GPA will only share information that is relevant to the implementation of the accommodation, and will not release personal student information.

Step 3 - Exam Day

The GPA, and the neutral chair of the examination, will make sure that accommodations are followed on the day of the exam.

If you require an exam orientation to familiarize yourself with the room and/or technology prior to your Field of Study/Thesis Exam, please arrange the room booking by contacting gseadmin@ucalgary.ca

Indigenous Cultural Protocol Plan - Defense & Graduation

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. Indigenous students are also encouraged to RSVP for the Indigenous Graduation Celebration

Indigenous Grad. Celebration

A picture of a group of graduates with a smiling woman looking towards the camera

Applying for Convocation

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 and must be submitted through your MyUofC Student Centre. If you miss the deadline to apply for graduation, you must stay registered and pay applicable tuition and general fees until the end of the term in which your degree requirements are met.

FGS Graduation Page

A group of four University of Calgary students sit outside on a bench

International Students

International graduate students may be eligible to continue their stay in Canada after they have successfully defended their thesis. Contact the International Student Services office to have a discussion with one of their Immigration Advisors about what your potential post-defense/post-graduation plans are.

International Student Services

Questions? Please contact your graduate program: Graduate Program Contact Info