Thesis, Project and Practicum
There are several routes that students can take in their programs including thesis, project or practicum. These routes have different requirements. It is important students follow the processes outlined to ensure all program requirements are completed.
If you are in a thesis program, you will likely begin work on your thesis when you complete your coursework. A thesis is a major original scholarly work that advances an idea or proposition, documents the findings of the research, and is discussed and defended under competent third party scrutiny. Writing a thesis can be both the most challenging, and the most rewarding, aspect of graduate work. Please note: We use the word "thesis" to refer to theses at both the master’s and doctoral level (i.e. we don't use the term "dissertation" to distinguish doctoral-level theses from masters-level theses).
The first step in writing a thesis is to identify a research topic or area and connect with a thesis supervisor, although many students may have done this before beginning their program. Most students work closely with their supervisor throughout their program. You will also, with your supervisor, choose a thesis committee. Your thesis committee will provide you with additional guidance, support and research perspectives. More information is available on the Before You Start page.
Your supervisor and committee will guide you throughout your program. They will assist with selecting courses, choosing your research topic, writing and, ultimately, defending your thesis. For information about selecting a supervisor and what to expect from them see Working with a Supervisor. There are also details about the composition of a Masters Committee and a PhD Committee.
We recommend that you read our information about writing a thesis before you begin to write your thesis.
When your thesis has been approved by your supervisor(s) and committee member(s) you can begin to prepare for your thesis defense. A defense is an oral examination of a student’s thesis by an examining committee. The purpose of the defense is to examine and evaluate the student’s understanding of the topic as demonstrated in the written thesis, and the responses to questions from the examining committee. To prepare for your thesis defense, make sure you follow each step in the pre-defense procedures. Read more about your defense well before your thesis is complete and take note of the timelines and deadlines below.
Immediately following your defense you must make any post-defense revisions set to the library; see post-defense procedures for what you need to do.
Timelines and Deadlines
Once your thesis is complete, it usually takes between 7-10 weeks to defend.
Approximate timeline for a Masters from after the thesis is completed, to the final Defense.
- 2 weeks for committee to read thesis
- 1-3 days submission of the thesis and paperwork to FGSR (your unit may also require time to approve the thesis)
- 1-3 days approval of external examiner
- 2 weeks external examiners reads thesis
- 2 weeks scheduled the defense (this can be quicker if a tentative date has been set)
Total: 7 weeks approximately
Approximate timeline for a PhD thesis from after the thesis is completed, to the final Defense.
- 4 weeks for committee to read thesis
- 1-3 days submission of the thesis and paperwork to FGSR (your unit may also require time to approve the thesis)
- 1-3 days approval of external examiner
- 4 weeks external examiners reads thesis
- 2 weeks scheduled the defense (this can be quicker if a tentative date has been set)
Total: 10 weeks approximately
You need to be registered when you defend.
We have a table of deadlines you can use this to count back from when you want to graduate to determine when you need to have your thesis completed.
There are several options for a Masters degree besides the thesis route. We offer course-based masters degrees, as well as masters degrees that require students to complete a project or report rather than a thesis. In some areas such as Media, Art, and Performance (MAP), the Masters of Fine Arts program is based in an art practice which culminates in an exhibition, recital, performance, film screening, digital media project, installation or curation, among others. More applied areas have a practicum or internship route.
Students choosing the routes listed below must submit either a comprehensive paper or report.
- Exhibition/Recital or Performance/Event Options: Visual Arts, Music, Film, Theatre, Interdisciplinary Studies
- Project/Report Options: Business Administration, Computer Science, Education, Engineering, Social Work
- Practica/Internship Options
As the credit assigned to these options is significantly less than that for a thesis, the length of the document should reflect this distinction. Students in these routes must follow the same registration regulations as thesis-based students. For example, they must be registered in the term that they defend, and they have until the end of the following semester to submit their final corrected paper or report.
Individual departments offering an non-thesis route have more details about their programs.
Learn more about Project/Report options.
Learn more about Practicum/Internship options.