Milestone Three: Dissertation

Writing Your Dissertation

Once you have successfully completed your Candidacy Examination, you will move into the dissertation phase of your PhD. During this stage, you will work closely with your supervisor and supervisory committee to complete your dissertation and prepare for the final oral examination.

The following resources provide guidance on dissertation structure, formatting and submission requirements:

Preparing for Your Final Oral Examination

As you approach completion of your dissertation, you and your supervisor should begin planning for your final oral examination well in advance.

Before an examination can be scheduled, your Examining Committee must be formally approved. The committee membership is recommended by the student's supervisory committee, in consultation with the student, and submitted through the Graduate Program Director for approval.

A doctoral Examining Committee normally includes:

the student's supervisor(s);
two faculty members from the student's program who are members of YSGS;
one faculty member from outside the program who is a member of YSGS;
one External Examiner from outside Toronto Metropolitan University; and
a non-voting Chair appointed by YSGS.

Where appropriate, an additional expert professional or TMU faculty member who is not a YSGS member may also be recommended.

Nominating the Examining Committee and External Examiner

Students should work with their supervisor(s) to complete the required nominations:

The External Examiner should be an expert in the field of the dissertation, have experience with doctoral-level graduate studies, and be at arm's length from the dissertation. Normally, they should also not have served on a TMU examining committee during the previous three years.

Planning Your Defence Date

Use the (excel file) PhD Dissertation Workback Calculator to help determine your timeline.

When planning your defence, work backward from the last date to clear academic requirements for the term in which you intend to complete your degree. Keep in mind that the examination date can only be finalized once the Examining Committee has been formally appointed.

Students must also provide the final dissertation for examination to each committee member at least four weeks before the defence, unless otherwise determined by the program.

Once your committee has been approved and the defence date and time have been confirmed, complete the (google form) PhD Dissertation Oral Defence Schedule Request Form (external link) .

After the form is submitted, the Graduate Program Administrator will coordinate the room or Zoom meeting and arrange promotion of the defence.

What to Expect at Your Defence

Doctoral defences may be held in person, virtually. We will approve a hybrid format, however, we do not recommend this delivery due to technical issues that could arise. The format is confirmed by the Chair in consultation with the student and the Examining Committee, subject to the availability of appropriate technology.

The examination begins with an oral presentation of the dissertation. Students may use appropriate presentation aids, and the presentation should focus primarily on the main contributions and conclusions of the research and should be 20 minutes in length.

Following the presentation, the Examining Committee will ask questions. Committee members are given priority, with the External Examiner's questions normally presented first and the supervisor's questions normally presented last.

The defence is normally public. Following the question period, only members of the Examining Committee remain for the committee's deliberations.

How the Examination is Assessed

Students must successfully complete both the oral examination and the written dissertation. The Examining Committee makes its decision by majority vote based on the dissertation and the student's ability to defend the work.

Oral Examination

The possible outcomes of the oral examination are:

Pass – the oral defence meets the expectations of the Examining Committee.
Decision Deferred – major revisions are required and the committee may need to reconvene.
Fail – the oral examination does not meet the expectations of the Examining Committee.

Dissertation

The written dissertation may receive:

Pass – the work meets expectations, although minor revisions may still be required. The supervisor is responsible for confirming that these revisions have been completed.
Major Revision – substantial revisions are required, which may include rewriting significant portions of the dissertation or completing additional work. The Examining Committee must approve the revisions.
Fail – the dissertation does not meet program expectations.

After a Successful Defence

Passing the defence does not automatically complete your degree requirements.

Following a successful examination, you must complete any required corrections or revisions and submit the final approved version of your dissertation according to YSGS submission procedures along with the NLC form (Degree awarded months are June [Spring] and October [Fall]) Your supervisor and Graduate Program Director must verify that all required revisions have been completed.

Be sure to consult the relevant graduation and degree-completion deadlines for the term in which you intend to finish.

Additional Resources

For a more detailed overview of the EnSciMan process and recommended timeline, review the (google slide) EnSciMan Road to Defence: Dissertation & Oral Exam (external link) presentation.

Students and supervisors should also review the University's graduate policies and procedures governing doctoral dissertations and examinations. In particular, consult the sections addressing:

readiness for examination;
composition of the Examining Committee;
External Examiner requirements;
circulation of the dissertation;
conduct of the oral examination;
examination decisions and revisions; and
final submission and deposit of the dissertation.

The University policy should always be consulted for the complete requirements. This page is intended to provide a practical overview of the EnSciMan process.