Evaluation
Research progress evaluation
Graduate Student Research Progress Evaluation policy
The Department of Chemistry's Graduate Student Research Progress Evaluation policy on formally reviewing and providing feedback to graduate students on their research progress is considered an implementation of the Graduate Supervision Policy.
Throughout the graduate degree, research progress evaluation will take two formal modes:
- A formative assessment through an evaluation form completed by the supervisor at least once a term.
- An annual meeting with the supervisory committee for the purpose of a formal review of student progress.
The annual meeting of the supervisory committee
Once every year, normally within 14 months from registration or the previous meeting, a supervisory committee meeting will be arranged by the graduate secretary. The meeting should follow the format described in Section 5.11 of the Graduate Supervision Policy, and should include:
- an opportunity for the student to present their progress towards completion of their degree;
- an opportunity for the committee to discuss student progress with the student, and any associated concerns;
- an opportunity for the committee to discuss student progress in the absence of the student.
- for an MSc student, the first yearly meeting will also normally include a determination of whether the student will transfer to the PhD degree or will complete an MSc degree.
Transferring from MSc to PhD
Students who start out in an MSc degree and show sufficient promise for a PhD program may be able to transfer to a PhD degree.
This is determined by their supervisory committee at the first yearly meeting. In such a case, the coursework and research work already completed counts towards the PhD degree and the student proceeds as though the start date of their PhD was their original MSc start date.
PhD candidacy exam
The candidacy exam is to determine if you have the requisite intellectual and research skills to succeed in getting a PhD. The graduate calendar gives the official rules for candidacy exams in the department of chemistry. Two exam attempts are permitted. Students who fail may be able to complete an MSc degree.
Proposal advice
This section gives additional information and advice for students.
- The proposal should be approximately 4,000-5,000 words (excluding references), and contain figures and references as appropriate.
- The point of a proposal is to explain what you want to do, why you want to do it, and how it is important in the field. A well-written proposal should make it clear to other readers that the work is worth doing and has a reasonable chance of success.
A proposal needs to provide a context for the work (background/literature survey), a (brief) presentation of recent progress and a plan for near-term work. A rough guideline for how to partition the proposal into these three major sections:
- Introduction/background/literature survey (25%)
- Recent progress: (25%)
- Proposed work: (50%)
If proposed work is substantially less than half of the report, it will read less like a proposal and more like a review or report. The end of the introduction section should articulate clearly the long term objectives of the proposed work.
Here is a list of questions that your proposal should address:
- What field(s) of research is the proposal pertinent to?
- What is the state of the art in your field?
- Why is the area important?
- What are the long term goals of the research?
- What are the short term goals/plans and how do they relate to the long term goals?
- Is your work original, innovative? How?
- How does this research compare to what others in your field are doing?
- What gives your work a competitive advantage over others?
- Why should a funding agency support your work rather than your competitors?
- What would success of the proposed work mean (implications/significance)?
- How will the work be carried out? (techniques, experiments, analysis, etc.)
- Why do you think the work has a good chance of success?
- What are some possible pitfalls of the proposed work? How can these be addressed?
- What is the sequence the experiments that will be done?
The exam can start when everyone is present. The student should arrive 10 minutes early to ensure the computer and projector (if required) are ready.
The exam chair begins by briefly explaining the exam process:
- The student will give a 15 minute (maximum) presentation based on their written proposal.
- The committee will examine the student on both their written proposal/presentation and on the general topics which were given to the student and the committee four weeks prior to the exam. The total length of the exam is approximately 2 hours. Two rounds of questions are permitted.
- Once the two rounds are complete, the student will be excused from the exam room but asked to remain close by. Once a decision has been reached, the student is invited back into the room and the committee’s decision is announced.
The assessment of a student’s performance will be based on:
- the quality of their written proposal
- their performance in the exam
If the exam performance is acceptable but there are deficiencies with the report, the committee can require a resubmission of the report to the committee. The chair will solicit suggestions from the supervisory committee and send the student a memo outlining the deficiencies and a deadline for resubmission of the proposal. A revised report which is deemed unacceptable constitutes a failed candidacy.
If the performance in the exam is not of acceptable quality, a repeat exam will be scheduled within one semester of the date of the first exam. Unsatisfactory performance in the second exam constitutes failure of the candidacy.
Timelines
The following is a generalized example of a normal timeline for a student starting in September. Not all dates are fixed.
| Term | Month | Activity |
|---|---|---|
| Term 1 | Sep-Dec | Establish supervisory committee |
| Term 2 | Jan-Apr | First poster presentation at GSRD |
| Term 3 | May-Aug |
| Term | Month | Activity |
|---|---|---|
| Term 4 | Sep-Dec |
|
| Term 5 | Jan-Apr |
|
| Term 6 | May-Aug |
|
| Term | Month | Activity |
|---|---|---|
| Term 7 | Sep-Dec |
|
| Term 8 | Jan-Apr | |
| Term 9 | May-Aug |
| Term | Month | Activity |
|---|---|---|
| Term 10 | Sep-Dec |
|
| Term 11 | Jan-Apr |
|
| Term 12 | May-Aug |
|
Notes:
- Year 5 (Aug): 5-year FGS maximum time for MSc degree completion
- Year 7 (Aug): 7-year FGS maximum time for PhD degree completion
- Each Sep or Oct: supervisory committee meeting with annual evaluation
Writing your thesis or dissertation
There are tools available to support you as you write your MSc thesis or PhD dissertation.
- Thesis & dissertation page has resources outlining each step in the process.
- Thesis Writing Starter Kit is an in-depth, searchable PDF that provides further advice for writing a successful thesis.
- Academic Skills Centre offers workshops and personalized help with writing. Book an appointment with an Academic Skills Advisor.
Planning to defend
The process to defend requires a long lead time. It is your responsibility to consult with your supervisor and the graduate secretary, who can advise you on your particular timeline and who will submit the paperwork for you.
You must finish writing early in the term if you wish to defend that same term. If you plan to defend in a summer term, please be aware there may be difficulties gathering your committee together for an August defense.
If you defended your project, thesis or dissertation within the first 15 calendar days of a term, you may be eligible for the Completion Postponement Fee Adjustment (CPFA). With the CPFA, you will pay a fee ($255) instead of a full tuition fee payment.
- Finish writing about 11 (PhD) or 9 (MSc) weeks before term ends
- Your supervisory committee will need roughly 2 weeks to review your work, give feedback and confirm you're ready to defend.
- The student and the committee will decide on a date for the oral exam. This date must allow enough time to submit the request for oral examination form to the Office of the Dean of Graduate Studies.
- The office needs a minimum of 20 working days (for master's) or a minimum of 30 working days (for PhD) before the examination.
- Plan your defense at least 2 weeks before term end to revise, submit and tie up loose ends.
- Apply for Graduation
- All UVic students must apply to graduate. Application requires a non-refundable fee. Students are encouraged to refrain from applying until they receive a solid date to defend.
- Thesis/Dissertation Withholding form
- Thesis/Dissertation Approval form
- Your committee must sign a hardcopy of the approval form at your defense.
Your defense exam
The examination normally lasts from 1.5 to 2 hours. It is an open exam and you may invite your friends and family.
- Candidate begins with a brief (10-20 minute) summary of work.
- Examining committee asks two rounds of questions:
- External Examiner begins each round,
- Committee member(s) from outside the academic unit goes next, then
- Committee member(s) from the academic unit, and
- Supervisor goes last.
- If there is sufficient time, the exam chair may call for questions from other members of the Faculty of Graduate Studies.
- If there is sufficient time, the exam chair may call for questions from the audience.
Submitting your final thesis
Upon completing successful defense, you will likely need to make some changes as dictated by your examining committee.
After all changes are completed, students are asked to format their thesis as a PDF and follow all formatting rules on the Thesis/Dissertation Review Checklist.
Your thesis will be uploaded to UVicSpace, which is a website where anyone has access to your thesis. Read UVicSpace Guidelines: Theses and dissertations for further information about the submission process.
For a fee, the department can arrange for the binding of a hardcopy book of your thesis/dissertation. Contact the graduate secretary for more information.
Failing grades
The Graduate Supervision Policy states the following:
"A grade below 'B' is considered to be ‘unacceptable work revealing some deficiencies in knowledge, understanding or techniques.’ A submitted grade below B shall cause the Dean to initiate a review of the student’s progress.
Supervisors will be asked to recommend whether:- The student should be withdrawn
- The student should be permitted to continue, in which case the supervisor must recommend one of:
- The student must repeat the course (or take a similar course) and achieve a grade of B or greater, or
- The student undertake an academic assignment designed to mitigate the identified deficit, or
- The grade below B is a result of a mistaken or late grade which will be changed, or
- That no remediation is necessary. As long as the grade is above F, the student may continue in their studies with the same program requirements as before."
If you are only slightly below the requirement and your other work is strong or there are extenuating circumstances, you may only need to meet a GPA target in future terms. More commonly, you will need to retake the course or take another and achieve a set grade. If you earn a C+ or lower with no clear mitigating factors, withdrawal may be required.
Sec. 6.15 of the policy lists other factors that can lead to you being withdrawn from your degree.