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Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology
Students are admitted to a program area that is defined and determined prior to acceptance by the school’s graduate program committee. The program must be within the student’s and the school’s capabilities. Students must show competence in methodology relevant to proposed research.
Normally the supervisory committee will prescribe courses necessary to complete the student’s academic preparation. In exceptional circumstances, the supervisory committee may allow the student to proceed without additional course work over and above that for a master’s degree.
Study and research is designed to suit the background and research objectives of each student and may differ widely from student to student.
The student will present two school seminars on topics approved by the student's senior supervisor, of which one should be directly related to the student's thesis research. At least one of the seminars should be presented as a school seminar. The graduate program committee encourages students to participate in appropriate scientific meetings and conferences. As such, approval of a formal conference presentation, in lieu of one of the school seminars, will typically be granted.
Comprehensive Examination
The comprehensive exam will normally consist of a research proposal, and a related oral exam.
The research proposal will be written in the format of a CIHR Operating Grant application, with an eleven page limit exclusive of references, appendices, figures and tables. The proposal is to be written independently by the candidate, and should be written in enough detail to determine that the research is feasible and sufficient for PhD level research.
The oral examination is designed to assess the candidate’s ability to understand the underlying science, and their ability to undertake the proposed research. It will consist of a 20-30 minute presentation of the candidate’s research proposal, followed by a closed session. At the oral examination, the examiners will further explore the student's knowledge in any area that is relevant to the proposed research.
Students should normally expect to complete their comprehensive exams within the first six terms. The examining committee will include the senior supervisor who, in consultation with the candidate, will nominate the other examining committee members, subject to the approval of the graduate program committee. Normally this will consist of the members of the student’s supervisory committee, plus an additional examiner who is external to the student’s supervisory committee. The graduate program committee chair or designate will chair the committee.
Dissertation
The completed dissertation is judged by the candidate’s examining committee. If the dissertation defence is failed, the candidate is ineligible for further candidacy in the degree program at this University.
For information and regulations, see the graduate general regulations.
Academic Requirements within the Graduate General Regulations
All graduate students must satisfy the academic requirements that are specified in the graduate general regulations (residence, course work, academic progress, supervision, research competence requirement, completion time, and degree completion), as well as the specific requirements for the program in which they are enrolled, as shown above.
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