Pre-defense Procedures
1. Write Your Thesis
You must write your thesis with the support of your supervisor (and co-supervisor) and committee to a standard acceptable to academic writing in your discipline. Most Masters theses take around a year to write, while a PhD thesis will take more like two years (but this can vary greatly). It is the student's and supervisor's responsibility to ensure that the thesis is in an acceptable format (this includes the quality of the writing, correct layout of the pages and a properly formated bibliography).
2. Committee Reviews Your Thesis
Once you and your supervisor (and co-supervisor) are happy with your thesis, your committee must review your thesis before they can sign their approval. The length of time varies, but thesis committee members require at two weeks to review/request revisions for a Masters thesis and four weeks to review/request revisions for a PhD thesis.
3. Prepare Your Thesis Submission Package
A complete thesis submission package is comprised of:
- The ready-to-defend thesis (as a PDF).
Please note: Once submitted, no further edits of the thesis are permitted until after the defense. - Copies of your ethics forms if the research involves human or animal subjects.
- Thesis Committee Release Form signed by the supervisor, committee members, and department head/designate.
Please note: The tentative defense dates included on this form must be at least four weeks in the future for a Master's thesis or at least six weeks in the future for a doctoral thesis. - External Examiner Nomination Form signed by the supervisor and department head/designate; see below
Please note: If the nominated external examiner is not a member of FGSR a PDF copy of their CV is required. - Conflict of Interest Checklist signed by the candidate, supervisor, and department head
- Thesis Submission Checklist signed by the department head
- Request for Confidentiality of a Thesis. only required if requesting to delay release of the thesis in the Archer Library (e.g. for publication, to apply for a patent, etc.)
You do not need to submit a paper copy of your thesis, unless the External Examiner or Chair for the defense request a print out of the thesis. If either the External or the Chair requests a paper copy of your thesis, you will be required to provide one to them.
All theses must conform to certain specifications to ensure that submission of the final corrected copies for Library approval will comply with the requirements set out by National Archives of Canada.The Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research only briefly reviews thesis to ensure they meet University format and library requirements. If the submission to FGSR is incomplete, incorrectly formatted, or the writing in the thesis is determined to be of substandard quality (i.e. significant editing for grammar or spelling is required), FGSR will return the submission to the student, which may result significant delays in scheduling the defense. If, for reasons of writing/formatting/quality, a defense is delayed into a subsequent term the student will be required to register and pay the associated tuition/student fees for that term.
How to Nominate the External Examiner
The academic unit is responsible for recommending an External Examiner who is well-qualified, objective and experienced. It is important for the integrity of the student’s degree that the External Examiner be free from any conflict of interest (or even a perceived conflict of interest).
An External Examiner must satisfy the following:
- An External Examiner for a masters defense is usually from within the university, and must be outside the academic unit The Faculties of Education and Engineering may nominate an External Examiner from within their faculty, but outside the student’s program area.
- An External Examiner for a doctoral defense must be from outside of the University of Regina.
- An External Examiner is usually a faculty member from a university, but may also be any suitably qualified individual from private or public institutions.
- Nominees are to have an established reputation in the area of the thesis research and supervisory experience.
- Apart from acknowledged expertise in the domain of the thesis topic, the minimum acceptable academic qualification of an external examiner is a degree equivalent to that for which the candidate is being examined.
An External Examiner may not be:
- a current or recent (last five years) collaborator (i.e., co-supervisor, co-author, co-grant holder) of either the student, or of any member of the student's supervisory committee;
- an adjunct, associate or full member of the student's academic unit;
- an adjunct, associate of full member of the academic unit of any member of the student's supervisory committee;
- a family member or close friend of the student;
- a family member or close friend of any member of the student’s supervisory committee;
- a recent past (in the last 2 years) external examiner in the candidate's graduate program, or for a student with the same supervisor—this condition only applies to external examiners from outside the university.
The previous list is not an exhaustive list. The Dean of FGSR may reject a recommended External Examiner for any situation that the Dean believes will compromise the academic integrity of the examination process.
4. Submit Your Thesis to FGSR
When all the forms in Step 3 above are signed then email the complete thesis submission package to grad.defense@uregina.ca (If you are a completing a Masters or PhD in the Faculty of Education, please refer to their website for specific information on how to submit your thesis.)
5. FGSR Reviews the Thesis Submission Package
The Graduate Thesis Coordinator will review the thesis to ensure it meets the thesis requirements. The Associate Dean will review the proposed External Examiner:
Steps for approval of an External Examiner
- Email the completed the Nomination of External Examiner form to grad.defense@uregina.ca. as part of the complete Thesis Submission Package.
- If the proposed External Examiner is not an accredited member of FGSR, please attach either a CV for the proposed External Examiner, or a link to the proposed External Examiner’s website. This CV or website must contain contact information, relevant recent research and supervisory experience, and details about the proposed External Examiner’s degrees.
- A brief rationale in terms of the special field(s) of expertise and achievements is required on the nomination form.
- FGSR will review the nomination for External Examiner and, following approval, will notify the supervisor and the academic unit.
- If the nominee is not acceptable, the Associate Dean will consult with the supervisor and the head of the academic unit to select another examiner.
- The notice of approval will be accompanied by an Evaluation of Thesis Form for the External Examiner, and an information form on the role of the External Examiner.
- For Masters candidates, the department is then responsible for ensuring that the Masters thesis and the accompanying forms are delivered to the External Examiner. For doctoral candidates, the forms and the thesis are sent by the FGSR Office.
- A Masters thesis may not be given to the External Examiner until the department receives the formal approval letter from FGSR. A PhD thesis will be delivered to the External Examiner by FGSR; the External Examiner is not to be given a copy before then.
The External Examiner will normally have two weeks for a Masters thesis and four weeks for doctoral thesis, to read the thesis and respond in writing regarding acceptability for defense.
NOTE: For students in faculties with departments, their academic unit is the department. For students in Education or Engineering, their academic unit is their program area. All other faculities and schools are considered to be the academic unit for their students.
6. External Examiner Reviews Your Thesis
If the nominated External is approved, FGSR will send the thesis to the External Examiner for evaluation. The External Examiner will review the thesis and return their evaluation to FGSR within:
- two weeks for a Masters thesis
- four weeks for a PhD thesis.
If the thesis is found acceptable for defense, then the defense can be scheduled.
Thesis Acceptable for Defense
When FGSR has received the External Examiner's report that a thesis has been judged acceptable for defense, FGSR will advise the student’s supervisor and the head of the student’s academic unit (prior to this notification, any contact between the academic unit and the External Examiner prior may not occur – if special circumstances arise, any proposed contact may be sent to grad.defense@uregina.ca).
For doctoral defenses, the Graduate Thesis Coordinator will make all arrangements and these are chaired by the Associate Dean of FGSR or the Associate Dean’s designate.
For the defense of a Master's thesis, the academic unit co-ordinates all aspect the of the defense. This includes the following:
- Set a time and date for the defense (tentative date may have been set on the Committee Release Form).
- Arrange a room or Zoom meeting for the defense.
- Coordinate any technology needed at the defense.
- Arrange a Chair for the defense.
- Complete the Notice of Defense of Thesis form.
- Send the Notice of Defense (at least a week prior to the defense date) to grad.defense@uregina.ca, the student, External Examiner, all committee members and the Chair.
Thesis Judged Unacceptable for Defense
By Supervisor, Supervisory Committee, Head of Academic Unit or Dean’s Office
If the thesis is considered unacceptable by the supervisor, the supervisory committee, the head of the academic unit or the Dean’s Office, it will not be sent to the External Examiner and provisionally is deemed to have failed.
In this case, the student may opt to petition to defend the thesis. To petition to defend their thesis, a student must submit a formal written letter of application, which includes a rationale, to the Associate Dean of FGSR. A panel will be set by FGSR who will judge the petition. If the petition is successful the thesis will be sent to an external examiner. If the petition should fail, the student’s program will be terminated.
By the External Examiner
If the External Examiner finds the thesis is unacceptable for defense they will provide a report detailing why they judged unacceptable and offering suggestions for remedy (as appropriate).
The Associate Dean of FGSR will inform the supervisor and head (or designate); the supervisor should inform the student.
The External Examiner’s evaluation of the thesis will be given to the department head who will then convene a meeting of the supervisory committee, the Associate Dean of FGSR and the student to discuss the Examiner’s report and reach a decision on a course of action. Possible courses of action include the following:
- A revised thesis be sent to the first examiner (this should include a memo detailing how the external’s concerns have been addressed).
- The un-revised thesis may be sent to a second external examiner (this is in the case at the committee disagrees with the External Examiner’s report).
7. Schedule the Thesis Defense
For a Masters defense, the academic unit makes all the arrangements, including identifying a Chair for the defense and completing and distributing the Notice of Defense of Thesis form. The academic unit must include grad.defense@uregina.ca in the distribution list. Upon receipt of the Notice of Defense, FGSR will provide the chair of the defense the Instructions for the Chair, along with all the forms to be completed at the defense.
For a PhD thesis, FGSR will make the arrangements for the defense, including identifying a Chair for the defense, as well as completing and distributing the Notice of Defense. FGSR will provide the chair of the defense the Instructions for the Chair, along with all the forms to be completed at the defense.
Chair for the Defense
The Chair for the defense is a representative of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research (FGSR) for the defense. The Chair of the examination committee is impartial and ensures that the treatment of the candidate is fair and equitable and that the examination is conducted at the level expected for the degree. The Chair is not an additional examiner, but rather is the facilitator of the examination process. The defense is a formal event, and appropriate conduct is required of all participants.
Choosing a Chair for the Defense
For a master’s thesis defense, the academic unit co-ordinates a date for the defense and is also responsible for arranging a Chair for the defense. The Chair is to be chosen by the supervisor, or the committee, in consultation with the head (or designate) and FGSR is notified when the Notice of Oral Defense is submitted. The Chair may be any accredited professor at the University of Regina, but must be external to the department or from outside the program area of the student and all members of the committee. If the External Examiner is a member of the student’s faculty, the Chair must be from outside the student’s faculty. Should the Dean or Associate Dean deem the person suggested as Chair unacceptable, the head of the academic unit will be contacted immediately.
8. Defend Your Thesis
Your thesis defense may be the most exciting part of your degree. Students are advised to read the section on Defense Procedures to familiarize themselves with the proceedings of an oral examination.