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Mechanical Engineering

Graduate student examinations

PhD candidacy exams

All PhD candidates are required to pass an oral candidacy examination. It is meant to assess your aptitude before you complete your research work. The exam normally happens within 16 months of your initial registration or when you transferred to the PhD program.

Research proposal

This report should detail your proposed thesis topic. It can be a maximum of 40 pages and include:

Introduction

  • background and motivation (2 pages)
  • previous work (6 pages)
  • proposed work (1 page)
  • expected contribution (1 page)

Research proposal

  • hypothesis to be tested or objectives of research (2 pages)
  • theory (6 pages)
  • experimental/computational methodology (8 pages)
  • proposed experimental/computational matrix (2 pages)
  • analysis and/or modelling of results/validation approach (6 pages)
  • anticipated problems and solutions (3 pages)

Management

  • plan and schedule (2 pages)
  • required support and sources (1 page)

Your committee will not expect you to have produced any new findings/results. However, you should present clear objectives, usefulness and your research plan.

Your supervisor should read and approve the report before you submit it to the other committee members at least 2 weeks before your exam date.

Candidacy examination

The candidacy exam is a formal examination 1-2 hours long.

You will give a brief presentation of your proposed research. Each member of the exam committee will have a chance to ask questions in 2 rounds of questions. After the question periods, you will be asked to leave the room while the committee deliberates.

A formal vote is taken after the deliberations. The result can be:

  • pass
  • fail, but allowed to re-take examination once
  • fail, and requested to withdraw from PhD program

The committee chair will invite you back into the room and notify you of their decision. The examiners will sign and submit the report of candidacy oral examination form.

Get more details in the graduate student handbook.

Seminars

Graduate students must give seminars (MECH 595/695) and attend the seminar series to graduate. You must attend at least 2/3 of the seminars throughout your studies. You are required to give a seminar if you are registered in 595/695 for the term. Seminars are held on Wednesday afternoons. A teaching assistant will schedule and organize the sessions.

A seminar is typically a research talk of approximately 40 minutes followed by questions. There is no need for research to be complete. A seminar midway through a program can help provide useful feedback and direction.

You may also find some useful approaches to your research that are being used by someone else in a different field. Listening to talks in areas outside of your research focus will help reinforce what constitutes good speaking and presentation practices. Sometimes, talks on items other than research are given, e.g., paper writing, intellectual property or library resources.

Oral examinations

Once you've finished writing your thesis, dissertation or project and it’s been approved by your supervisory committee, it’s time for your oral examination. Your supervisory committee, an external examiner and an examination chair will attend.

The oral exam guidelines outline your path from request to examination. They will walk you through the required forms and expenses, as well as guidelines for examination by audio or video.