PhD Program Requirements

• Initiate required course work, begin research project, organize Supervisory Committee and First Committee meeting.

• Begin work on Written Proposal component of PSL1066H (work begins prior to enrolment for this course, read description carefully).

• Complete Scientific Communication Requirement (takes place every September at Orientation) and attend 8 seminars for PSL2000Y. 

• Organize annual Supervisory Committee meeting and submit Annual Report.

• Continue research project.

• Submit Written Proposal component and complete Oral Defense component of PSL1066H.

• Plan ahead for Scientific Presentation Requirement and attend 8 seminars for 8 seminars for PSL2000Y.

• Organize annual Supervisory Committee meeting and submit Annual Report.

• Continue research project and begin making a roadmap toward completion.

• Ensure Scientific Presentation Requirement will be completed before Thesis Defense and attend 8 seminars for 8 seminars for PSL2000Y.

• Organize annual Supervisory Committee meeting and submit Annual Report.

• Complete research project. 

• Ensure Scientific Presentation Requirement will be completed before Thesis Defense and attend 8 seminars for PSL2000Y.

• Organize annual Supervisory Committee meeting and submit Annual Report. 

• Request to defend thesis. This is typically done at the above Supervisory Committee meeting, but an additional meeting can be organized to do so as needed.

• Begin writing thesis once approved.

• Please note: If research is not completed by Year Five, you and your Supervisor must submit an explanation to the Graduate Studies Committee.

• Finish writing thesis.

• Send your thesis to your Supervisory Committee and Organize Final Committee Meeting, sometimes known as Internal Defense. You may request to forgo this meeting if you feel prepared to proceed to the Final Oral Examination and the Committee approves this. 

• Organize Final Oral Examination, defend and submit your thesis.

•  Browse the current Course Timetables.

• Select courses that will support your research project; seek advice from your Supervisor and/or Supervisory Committee as needed.

• Seminars in Physiology (PSL1000H) and research activity (RST9999Y) are preloaded to students' records. Add all other Physiology courses using ACORN.

• Sometimes courses outside of the Department can be beneficial to your degree. If you wish to take one, discuss with your supervisor and submit a Course Permission Form that explains your rationale.

• Please ensure that you are aware of your enrollment status at all times. Refer to the School of Graduate Studies (SGS) Sessional Calendar for key deadlines.

What is the Supervisory Committee and what is its purpose?

• The Committee members function as impartial mediators and advisors to help the student ensure their milestones are met and that their project is progressing at a good pace.

• The Committee will meet with the student at the First Committee Meeting (detailed below) to review their Thesis Proposal and provide feedback and recommendations.

• After the First Committee Meeting, you will meet with your Committee at least once per year enrolled to review and discuss your research and complete your Annual Report (due June 30th each year of enrollment).

• Additional Supervisory Committee Meetings can be arranged if necessary to help you achieve your goals.

• Read more about Supervisory Committees here.

How to assemble your Supervisory Committee

• As soon as you begin your program, collaborate with your Supervisor to form a Supervisory Committee. 

• The Committee will consist of the Supervisor and at least two other professors, one of whom must be appointed to the Department of Physiology (the other can be from another department).

• Aim to choose members who will be available for at least two meetings per year and to serve in an advisory capacity throughout your degree.

• Once the Committee is established, and all members have been confirmed, you are ready to fill out the Thesis Outline and Committee Information form and begin planning your First Committee Meeting (details below).

In the first month of your program, work with your Supervisor to complete and submit the Thesis Outline and Committee Information form to the Graduate Office by: 

September Start: October 15th; January start: February 15 ; May start: June 15th

The form has two components:

Supervisory Committee Information

As you work with your Supervisor to select your committee, you can fill out this section with the members’ information.

The form has two components:

Supervisory Committee Information

As you work with your Supervisor to select your committee, you can fill out this section with the members’ information.

Thesis Outline

Work with your Supervisor to write a 200 word summary of your proposed research project. 

Once you’ve completed and submitted the form, begin writing your Thesis Proposal and planning your First Committee Meeting (detailed below)

The First Committee Meeting must be held within four months of entry to the PhD program.

September Start: by December 20th; January start: by April 30th; May start: by December 20th

Before the Meeting

• Produce a Thesis Proposal with help from your Supervisor. The proposal should include a rationale, hypothesis, prediction and test structure. Data is not required, but you can add it to the proposal or discuss at the meeting if you've made progress in the first few months of the program. 

• Submit this Proposal to the rest of the Committee members at least a week before the meeting.

• Prepare to present the Proposal at the meeting; be sure to identify any problems you’ve encountered so far.

At the Meeting

• Present your Proposal and discuss it with the Committee; this is a great time to ask questions and receive feedback about things to consider to ensure your project’s success.

• Complete a Supervisory Committee Meeting Report form in collaboration with the Committee.

• Discuss when the next Supervisory Committee Meeting should be and make a plan for the scheduling process.

After the Meeting

• Submit the following to the Graduate Office:

  • Supervisory Committee Report form

  • Thesis Proposal

  • Committee's comments

• Regardless of your start date, you must submit an Annual Report by June 30th each year of your enrollment.

• The Annual Report typically forms the basis of Supervisory Committee Meetings subsequent to the First Committee Meeting described above.

• In addition to the First Committee Meeting, all students must have at least one Supervisory Committee Meeting per year of their enrollment.

• Begin scheduling this meeting during or directly after the First Committee Meeting and plan to have the Annual Report ready one week before the meeting date. 

Completing and presenting the Annual Report 

• The Annual Report builds on your Thesis Proposal and details your progress to date.

• Prepare this Report in collaboration with your Supervisor and send it to the Supervisory Committee at least one week before the meeting date. 

• Prepare, present and discuss the Annual Report at the meeting.

• Submit the following to the Graduate Office by June 30th:

  • Annual Report form

  • Research progress report

  • Committee's comments

  • List of publications

  • List of scientific meetings attended

Within ten days of the meeting, complete the Student-Supervisor Discussion form with your Supervisor and submit it to the Graduate Office.

Additional Supervisory Committee Meetings:

• You, your Supervisor, or the Graduate Coordinator can request additional Supervisory Committee Meetings as needed.

• These can be used to further discuss problems and/or progress in the student's research either before or after the preparation of the Annual Report.

• Should the student and Supervisor have difficulty reaching an agreement on major aspects of the student's research program, the student can ask the Graduate Coordinator to call and chair a Supervisory Committee Meeting.

• A Supervisory Committee Meeting Report form must be submitted to the Graduate Administrator for each additional meeting.

• After the Supervisory Committee meeting to discuss the Annual Report described above, the Supervisor must complete the Department of Physiology Student/Supervisor Discussion form. 

• The Supervisor will then provide a completed copy to the student and set up a meeting to discuss progress, student strengths, and areas for improvement over the next year. This form should include overall comments, be signed by both the Supervisor and student, and submitted to the Graduate Office within two weeks of the Supervisory Committee Meeting (where the Annual Report was discussed).

• The Supervisor will organize this part of the process, but be aware of the requirement and remind your Supervisor if needed.

As you progress through the program, the “story” of your thesis will evolve based on the data you collect and the limitations presented by certain techniques and experiments. 

PhD students should begin to create a roadmap for completing their research project sometime in Year 3 so that they can complete the research in Year 4. When you have all the data you need, it’s time to map out, write, and defend your thesis.

Here are the steps:

1. Discuss with your Supervisor

• Determine together what experiments or data are still needed to have a complete “story” (i.e. what is still needed to make your project defendable?)

• For PhD students, "defendable" typically includes having some of the research published, but this is not a requirement.

• Be aware of the timeframe you are working with and reduce the possibility of new experiments as much as possible.

1. Decide on your deadline

• In collaboration with your Supervisor, decide which thesis submission deadline you are aiming for. SGS sets these deadlines annually.

• Keep in mind that your stipend is only guaranteed for 24 months, and that missing an SGS sessional deadline will cost you additional tuition. Read about final year fees.

• Once you have decided on the deadline, work backward from that date to schedule the next steps, ensuring you have time to get permission, write, and defend.

3. Request permission to defend from your Supervisory Committee

• PhD students typically request to defend their thesis at the Supervisory Committee Meeting at which they present their fourth Annual Report (see above for details on these meetings), or at another meeting scheduled 6-8 months before they wish to defend.

• To ensure the approval is granted, include a roadmap detailing how you will complete the work as part of your Annual Report.

Write your thesis

See Guidelines for tips and resources. 

When your thesis is complete, send it to your Supervisory Committee for review.

Final Supervisory Committee Meeting (or not)

• A Final Supervisory Committee Meeting, sometimes known as an Internal Defense, is a chance to practice defending your thesis and to receive any final feedback and input from their Supervisory Committee. It is not an examination.

• If you feel prepared to proceed to the Final Oral Examination and your Supervisory Committee has read the thesis and agrees, email the Graduate Coordinator and request to forgo it.

• If you do wish to organize this meeting, you will need your full Supervisory Committee plus one additional field expert present. The field expert should be different from those you select for your External Defense Committee. 

Assemble your External Defense Committee

When the Final Supervisory Committee Meeting is completed (or forgone), assemble your External Defense Committee, consisting of:

• 1 Committee Chair (a member of your Research Platform, but not a member of your Supervisory Committee; chosen by the Department) 

• 1 External Member from outside of the Department (not a member of your Supervisory Committee)

• 1 External Member from outside of the University of Toronto

• 2 Examination Members (field experts within the Department) 

• 1 Supervisory Committee Member 

• 1 Non-voting Member (your Supervisor)

Schedule your Defense

• Four months before defense: Reach out to your External Defense Committee to make sure you have no scheduling conflicts and set the date.

• 8 weeks before defense: Fill out PhD - Arrangement for Final Oral Examination form and submit to the Graduate Office.

• 6-8 weeks before defense: Submit copies of your thesis to all members of the External Defense Committee.

• At least two weeks before defense: Book a room for the defense. It can be on or off campus. Reach out to the Graduate Office for help with booking as needed.

Prepare Your Presentation

• The presentation of your thesis should be 20-25 minutes in length.

• Try to tell a cohesive “story” when you present the results of your experiments.

• Speak to how your work will change and/or fit into the current literature.

• Detail the implications and significance of your findings.

Defend

• Present your thesis as above, and answer questions from the Committee.

• Please read further information on the Final Oral Exam and next steps at SGS. 

Edit and Submit

• Most theses require minor edits (e.g. fixing typos, changing captions) Give yourself 3-4 weeks to complete these edits.

• Follow the SGS instructions on submitting your finished thesis.