The Department of Physiology strongly believes that the role of the Supervisory Committee in the Master's Examination should be minimized.
Non-voting Members
The Supervisor - may be asked to comment before or after the examination.
Voting Members
A quorum of 3 voting members is required for the exam to proceed. Therefore, at least 4 members must be provided to ensure that the exam proceeds as scheduled. Please note that, in the Department of Physiology, the Chair of the MSc exam committee functions as regular examiner in addition to the duties as Chair. All members must be Members of the Graduate School, and they must be given a copy of thesis and allowed 2-3 weeks to read it.
Committee Chair, member of the Departmental Research Grouping but not a member of the Supervisory Committee.
1 (one) "external" member, preferably from outside the Department but not a member of the Supervisory Committee. Must have 'arm's-length' relationship to supervisor and student (i.e. no collaboration, co-authorship of papers or grants for the last 5 years.)
1 (one) "internal" member, from the Departmental Research Grouping but not a member of the Supervisory Committee (i.e. if the study crosses Platforms, then a suitable Examiner can be chosen from outside the declared Research Grouping).
1 (one) member of the Supervisory Committee (minimum and maximum of 1).
The Graduate Coordinator should be informed of the arrangements for the Thesis Defense at least two weeks before the Defense. A form for this purpose (Arrangements for MSc Defense: MSc Thesis Defense Request.pdf) is available on the Graduate Program web site. The examination consists of an illustrated defense of 20-25 minutes followed by questions. The Committee's report to the Graduate Coordinator should give reasons for its recommendation. This is particularly important if you are applying for the PhD program. Amendments or corrections may be required by the Committee before the Department's recommendation can be sent to the School of Graduate Studies. At the time of the defense, an evaluation form must be completed and signed by all members of the Examination Committee. The form will be available in the candidate's file, in the departmental office, and will be collected by the Chair of the Examination Committee.
