Pre-defense Procedures
1. Write Your Thesis
With the support of your supervisor(s) you must write your thesis to a standard acceptable to academic writing in your discipline.
The timeline for writing a thesis varies: most Masters theses take around a year to write, while a PhD thesis generally takes at least two years (but this can vary greatly). It is the student's and supervisor's responsibility to ensure that the thesis is in an acceptable format (this includes the quality of the writing, correct layout of the pages, and properly formated list of references).
When you and your supervisor(s) are happy with your thesis, you must send it to your committee for feedback.
2. Committee Reviews Your Thesis
Your committee must review your thesis, and may provide you with additional feedback and expect revisions, before they sign their approval.
The timeline for overall committee review will vary, but students are advised to account for one term in their thesis writing and submission timeline for their committee to review, provide feedback/require revisions, and for you encorporate their feedback/make revisions to your thesis.
When your supervisor(s) and committee are ready to sign off on your thesis you can prepare your thesis submission package:
3. Prepare Your Thesis Submission Package
A complete thesis submission package is comprised of:
- The ready-to-defend thesis attached as a PDF (if the External Examiner requests a paper copy we will notify your academic unit).
All theses must conform to certain specifications to ensure that submission of the final corrected copies for Library approval will comply with the requirements set out by National Archives of Canada. The Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research briefly reviews theses to ensure they meet University format and library requirements. If the submission to FGSR is incomplete, incorrectly formatted, or the writing in the thesis is determined to be of substandard quality (i.e. significant editing for grammar or spelling is required), FGSR will return the submission to the student, which may result significant delays in scheduling the defense. If, for reasons of writing/formatting/quality, a defense is delayed into a subsequent term the student will be required to register and pay the associated tuition/student fees for that term.
Please note: Once your thesis is submitted you may not make any further edits until after your defense unless directed to do so by FGSR. - Copies of your ethics forms if the research involves human or animal subjects.
- Thesis Committee Release Form signed by the supervisor, committee members, and department head/designate.
Please note: The tentative defense dates included on this form must be at least four weeks in the future for a Master's thesis or at least six weeks in the future for a doctoral thesis. - External Examiner Nomination Form signed by the supervisor and department head/designate; see "How to Nominate the External Examiner" below
Please note: If the proposed external examiner is not a member of FGSR, a PDF copy of their CV is required. - Conflict of Interest Checklist signed by the candidate, supervisor, and department head
- Thesis Submission Checklist signed by the department head
and, only if needed: - Request for Confidentiality of a Thesis to temporarily delay release of the thesis in the Archer Library holdings (e.g. for publication, to apply for a patent, etc.).
How to Nominate the External Examiner
The academic unit is responsible for recommending an External Examiner who is well-qualified, objective, and experienced. It is important for the integrity of the student’s degree that the External Examiner be free from any conflict of interest (or even a perceived conflict of interest).
An External Examiner must satisfy the following:
- An External Examiner for a masters defense is usually from within the university, and must be outside the academic unit. The Faculties of Education and Engineering may nominate an External Examiner from within their faculty, but outside the student’s program area.
- An External Examiner for a doctoral defense must be from outside of the University of Regina.
- An External Examiner is usually a faculty member from a university, but may also be any suitably qualified individual from private or public institutions.
- Nominees are to have an established reputation in the area of the thesis research and supervisory experience.
- Apart from acknowledged expertise in the domain of the thesis topic, the minimum acceptable academic qualification of an external examiner is a degree equivalent to that for which the candidate is being examined.
An External Examiner may not be:
- a current or recent (last five years) collaborator (i.e., co-supervisor, co-author, co-grant holder) of either the student, or of any member of the student's supervisory committee;
- an adjunct, associate or full member of the student's academic unit;
- an adjunct, associate of full member of the academic unit of any member of the student's supervisory committee;
- a family member or close friend of the student;
- a family member or close friend of any member of the student’s supervisory committee;
- a recent past (in the last 2 years) external examiner in the candidate's graduate program, or for a student with the same supervisor—this condition only applies to external examiners from outside the university.
The previous list is not an exhaustive list. The Dean of FGSR may reject a recommended External Examiner for any situation that the Dean believes will compromise the academic integrity of the examination process.
The timeline to find a potential External Examiner, prepare the thesis submission package, obtain signatures, and submit to your department for the department head signatures varies, but generally takes two to four weeks. Please contact your academic unit to enquire about their timelines/deadlines to receive your department head signature prior to submitting your thesis to FGSR.
Academic Units:
For students in faculties with departments, their academic unit is the department (e.g. Faculty of Arts Department of Psychology). For students in Education or Engineering, their academic unit is their program area.
For students from all other faculities and schools without departments (e.g. Kiniesiology, La Cité, Nursing, Social Work), their academic unit is their faculty.
4. Email Your Thesis Submission Package to FGSR
Once all forms outlined in Step 3 above are signed, and your department head has reviewed and added their signature, you may email the complete thesis submission package to grad.defense@uregina.ca
5. FGSR Reviews the Thesis Submission Package
The Graduate Thesis Coordinator will review the thesis to ensure it meets the thesis requirements.
The Associate Dean will review the proposed External Examiner:
- FGSR receives, as part of the complete Thesis Submission Package (see above) the:
- Nomination of External Examiner form, which includes a brief rationale in terms of the special field(s) of expertise and achievements
- Conflict of Interest form
- and if the proposed External is not a member of FGSR, a PDF copy of their CV. The CV must include their contact information, relevant recent research and supervisory experience, and details of their degrees. - FGSR reveiws the nomination for External Examiner and, if approved, will notify the supervisor and the academic unit.
If the nominee is not acceptable, the Associate Dean will consult with the supervisor and the head of the academic unit to select another examiner.
The timeline to ensure the thesis meets the submission requirements, approve the External Examiner, and send the thesis to the External is generally five to seven business days.
6. External Examiner Reviews Your Thesis
When the Associate Dean approves the proposed External Examiner, FGSR sends a notice of approval, the thesis, a thesis evaluation form, and a set of instructions to the External Examiner. Neither the student, supervisor, nor department may send the thesis to the External Examiner; sending the thesis to the External without the approval of FGSR will exclude that person from acting as the External.- two weeks for a Masters thesis
- four weeks for a PhD thesis.
Occasionally, the External Examiner requires additional time to review the thesis in which case FGSR will notify the supervisor and academic unit.
If the thesis is found acceptable for defense, then the defense can be scheduled.
Thesis Acceptable for Defense
When FGSR has received the External Examiner's report that a thesis has been judged acceptable for defense, FGSR will advise the student’s supervisor and the head of the student’s academic unit (prior to this notification, any contact between the academic unit and the External Examiner prior may not occur – if special circumstances arise, any proposed contact may be sent to grad.defense@uregina.ca).
For doctoral defenses, the Graduate Thesis Coordinator will make all arrangements and these are chaired by the Associate Dean of FGSR or the Associate Dean’s designate.
For the defense of a Master's thesis, the academic unit co-ordinates all aspect the of the defense. This includes the following:
- Set a time and date for the defense (tentative date may have been set on the Committee Release Form).
- Arrange a room or Zoom meeting for the defense.
- Coordinate any technology needed at the defense.
- Arrange a Chair for the defense.
- Complete the Notice of Defense of Thesis form.
- Send the Notice of Defense (at least a week prior to the defense date) to grad.defense@uregina.ca, the student, External Examiner, all committee members and the Chair.
Thesis Judged Unacceptable for Defense
By Supervisor, Supervisory Committee, Head of Academic Unit or Dean’s Office
If the thesis is considered unacceptable by the supervisor, the supervisory committee, the head of the academic unit or the Dean’s Office, it will not be sent to the External Examiner and provisionally is deemed to have failed.
In this case, the student may opt to petition to defend the thesis. To petition to defend their thesis, a student must submit a formal written letter of application, which includes a rationale, to the Associate Dean of FGSR. A panel will be set by FGSR who will judge the petition. If the petition is successful the thesis will be sent to an external examiner. If the petition should fail, the student’s program will be terminated.
By the External Examiner
If the External Examiner finds the thesis is unacceptable for defense they will provide a report detailing why they judged unacceptable and offering suggestions for remedy (as appropriate).
The Associate Dean of FGSR will inform the supervisor and head (or designate); the supervisor should inform the student.
The External Examiner’s evaluation of the thesis will be given to the department head who will then convene a meeting of the supervisory committee, the Associate Dean of FGSR and the student to discuss the Examiner’s report and reach a decision on a course of action. Possible courses of action include the following:
- A revised thesis be sent to the first examiner (this should include a memo detailing how the external’s concerns have been addressed).
- The un-revised thesis may be sent to a second external examiner (this is in the case at the committee disagrees with the External Examiner’s report).
7. Schedule the Thesis Defense
For a Masters defense, the academic unit makes all the arrangements, including identifying a Chair for the defense and completing and distributing the Notice of Defense of Thesis form. The academic unit must include grad.defense@uregina.ca in the distribution list. Upon receipt of the Notice of Defense, FGSR will provide the chair of the defense the Instructions for the Chair, along with all the forms to be completed at the defense.
For a PhD thesis, FGSR will make the arrangements for the defense, including identifying a Chair for the defense, as well as completing and distributing the Notice of Defense. FGSR will provide the chair of the defense the Instructions for the Chair, along with all the forms to be completed at the defense.
Chair for the Defense
The Chair for the defense is a representative of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research (FGSR) for the defense. The Chair of the examination committee is impartial and ensures that the treatment of the candidate is fair and equitable and that the examination is conducted at the level expected for the degree. The Chair is not an additional examiner, but rather is the facilitator of the examination process. The defense is a formal event, and appropriate conduct is required of all participants.
Choosing a Chair for the Defense
For a master’s thesis defense, the academic unit co-ordinates a date for the defense and is also responsible for arranging a Chair for the defense. The Chair is to be chosen by the supervisor, or the committee, in consultation with the head (or designate) and FGSR is notified when the Notice of Oral Defense is submitted. The Chair may be any accredited professor at the University of Regina, but must be external to the department or from outside the program area of the student and all members of the committee. If the External Examiner is a member of the student’s faculty, the Chair must be from outside the student’s faculty. Should the Dean or Associate Dean deem the person suggested as Chair unacceptable, the head of the academic unit will be contacted immediately.
8. Defend Your Thesis
Your thesis defense may be the most exciting part of your degree. Students are advised to read the section on Defense Procedures to familiarize themselves with the proceedings of an oral examination.