Master's and Doctoral Process Questions

What is the thesis process?

1. Choosing a Topic/Area (Guidance on Thesis Preparation)
2. Choosing a Supervisor (Co-Supervisor) and Committee
   1. Before you start: Information about selecting your supervisor, composing your committee, and roles and responsibilities
3. Pre-defense Procedures: Writing your thesis, committee approval of thesis, submission of your thesis, external examiner review (selecting your external examiner), defense (choosing a chair)
   
   1. Important timelines and deadlines
   2. Defense procedures
4. Post-defense procedures
5. Convocation deadlines and How to apply for graduation (pdf download)

How long does it take? A Master's thesis can take around a year to write, while a PhD thesis will take approximately 2 years (but this can vary greatly).

Can I transfer routes or switch to a new program?

You may request to switch routes within your program by filling out a request any time on your student account. Applications to different programs must be processed as a new application, and will only be evaluated after the applicable deadlines.

 Frequently Asked Questions: Graduate Awards and Scholarships