Supervisor-Student Responsibilities and Committee Meetings
Upon arriving at the university, students should meet with their supervisors as soon as possible to discuss their course selection, research program and the responsibilities of the supervisor and the student. We advise that you review the Supervision Guidelines of the School of Graduate Studies.
MSc Requirements
Students enrolled in the MSc program must have a supervisory committee in place by the 8th month or their program. The committee consists of the supervisor plus two other members of the graduate faculty, chosen (with the supervisor’s advice) based on expertise relevant to the student’s research.
The MSc research project should address a significant scientific question, but need not involve extensive laboratory or field investigations. The written report should be approximately 40 pages in standard format (i.e., 2.5cm page margins, 1.5 spacing, 12-point font), although some reasonable deviation may be permitted depending on the project. The page limit includes diagrams and figures but excludes references and any appendices.
MSc students are required to give a final presentation of their research to their committee. The meeting should be chaired by a committee member who is not the supervisor. The grades for both the written research project (ESS3603Y) and for the oral presentation (ESS3601Y) are assigned by the committee. Minutes of the examination and notification of the result must be written up by the supervisor on the 
Proposal Defense Form, circulated to all who attended the examination, and filed with the Graduate Administrator.
MASc Requirements
Students enrolled in the MASc program must have a supervisory committee in place by the 8th month or their program and that meets at least once a year to review and discuss progress. Failure to meet at least once a year could result in termination from the program.Supervisory committees are obligated to meet more frequently if a student is having difficulty with any aspect of their tenure within the Earth Sciences Department. The committee should consist of the supervisor plus two other members of the graduate faculty, chosen (with the supervisor’s advice) based on expertise relevant to the student’s research. The student is encouraged to be proactive in discussing the composition of a committee with the supervisor, and in scheduling an initial committee meeting during the first semester of enrolment.
At each meeting, the supervisory committee should:
- Discuss the research program
- Discuss ongoing coursework
- Prepare and sign minutes of the meeting on the Graduate Advisory Committee Meeting Form and submit a copy to the Graduate Administrator after the meeting
The MASc research project must culminate in a written thesis. The research should address a significant scientific question, but need not involve extensive laboratory or field investigations. There are no formal page limits for MASc theses, but students are advised to be concise (e.g., not more than 100 pages). Large quantities of data can be included in appendices at the end of the thesis. in standard format (i.e., 2.5cm page margins, 1.5 spacing, 12-point font), although some reasonable deviation may be permitted depending on the project. The page limit includes diagrams and figures but excludes references and any appendices.
MASc students are required to present their research in an oral examination. The members of the committee must be provided with a copy of the written thesis at least one week before the examination. Examining committees consist of the supervisor plus the supervisory committee members. The meeting should be chaired by a committee member who is not the supervisor. The examination begins with a 20-minute oral presentation of the research project by the student, using visual aids where necessary. Questions from the examining committee follow. Other students may attend the presentation and question period with the permission of the candidate and examining committee. The examination concludes when the committee finishes with questions; the student then withdraws while the committee deliberates.
The decision to award the degree is based on the quality and presentation of the written thesis and the oral presentation:
- Depth and breadth of knowledge relevant to the project demonstrated during the oral examination, and
- Originality, creativity, and potential research ability demonstrated in the by the written thesis and in the oral examination.
Minutes of the examination and notification of the result must be written up by the supervisor on the Proposal Defense Form, circulated to all who attended the examination, and filed with the Graduate Administrator.
Full-time Studies, Residency and Employment
Students registered as full-time students in the Department of Earth Sciences must satisfy the government regulations for full-time graduate studies. Full-time students are not permitted to be away from the University for extended periods of time or to participate in a program offered by another university without the explicit permission of the Graduate Affairs Committee.
Some scholarships involve restrictions regarding additional work hours; students are responsible for determining the specific conditions of their scholarships. Any student who undertakes excessive extra paid employment, or who is absent from the University without receiving approval, will be considered to have lost good standing. This can jeopardize guaranteed funding eligibility, and in extreme cases may result in a recommendation to the School of Graduate Studies to terminate a student’s registration and candidacy.