(See also Section 8.4.2  of the University Calendar)

1. Upon admission to, or registration in, a thesis program, and after consultation with the candidate's supervisor and with Department faculty members, each candidate will be assigned a thesis Supervisory Committee by the Department Chair. This Committee will include the candidate’s thesis advisor and at least one other faculty member, normally chosen from the Department.
2. Candidates must make a formal presentation of the thesis proposal. The formal presentation is normally made to the faculty of the Department for which the thesis is being written, and it is open to members of the Committee on Graduate Studies, other interested faculty members,  and graduate students. The Department Chair (and/or the candidate’s thesis supervisor) will ensure that at least 2 weeks’ notice is given of the date, time, and place of the presentation of the thesis proposal.
3. After presentation of the proposal, after obtaining the approval of the appropriate ethics committee(s), and on the recommendation of the candidate’s thesis supervisory committee, and the Department Chair or Director of the School, the candidate will be permitted to continue with their research program and complete the thesis.
4. When completed, the thesis is submitted to the Chair of the candidate’s supervisory committee for approval. The thesis is read by at least one other faculty member, designated by the Department Chair. The thesis is also read by an external examiner chosen by the Department Chair after consultation with the candidate’s Supervisory Committee. The external examiner is a faculty member external to the candidate’s Department and may be, as appropriate, external to the University.  After consultation with the candidate’s Supervisory Committee, the Department Chair will appoint a thesis examination committee consisting of the external examiner, the candidate’s thesis advisor, and at least one (but no more than three) other members of the Department (normally, the members of the Supervisory Committee will also serve as members of the Examining Committee).  The Chair of Graduate Studies or her/his designate will be a non-voting member of this Committee ex officio.
5. The external examiner must submit a report on the thesis to the Chair of the Supervisory Committee and to the Chair of the Committee on Graduate Studies. 
6. A public presentation and defence of the thesis is presented by the candidate after receipt of the external examiner’s report and following the approval of the supervisory committee. Normally, at least two weeks’ notice is given (to the Chair of Graduate Studies) concerning the date, time, and place of the presentation and defence. 
7. Immediately following the public presentation, an examination of the candidate is held.  The examination is normally a public examination, but can be held as an in-camera session.  Normally, the presentation and the camera examination will not exceed 120 minutes. 
8. The examining committee will then, in-camera, arrive at a unanimous decision, agree on any changes to be made to the thesis, determine who will be responsible for ensuring that these changes are made, and consider whether the student is to be nominated for an Outstanding Graduate Student Research Award.  Should the Committee not be able to arrive at a decision on the disposition of the thesis, the matter will be referred to the Committee on Graduate Studies. 
9. The decision of the Examining Committee, along with their names and, as appropriate, signatures, will be recorded on the Thesis Examination Form, with a copy retained by the Department and the original being sent to the Office of the Chair of Graduate Studies.
10. A final, corrected copy of the successful thesis must be submitted to the University Chair of the Committee on Graduate Studies for approval at least two weeks prior to the date of the convocation at which the candidate expects to graduate. Students are responsible for providing copies of the approved thesis, as per the approved guidelines, so that they may be deposited with the University Library and the National Library of Canada, for completing and submitting the required ‘non-exclusive use’ form, and for paying the appropriate thesis fee.