Overview
This handbook is meant to help Zoology graduate students navigate their program and life within the department. It is a resource for information on program policies, expectations of graduate students and supervisors, survival tips for graduate school, and where to turn for support. All students and all supervisors of graduate students should familiarize themselves with these procedures. Questions and suggestions about these procedures can be directed to the Graduate Program Manager or the Graduate Advisors.
Last updated January 10, 2025
Table of Contents
- Department Contacts
- Zoology Graduate Student Association (ZGSA)
- Wellness Resources
- Resources in event of harassment and/or bullying
- International Student Advising
Your Program
- Supervisory Committees
- Committee Meetings
- Annual Student Check-in
- Graduate student – supervisor working relationships
- Registration & Courses
- Leave of Absence (LOA)
Doctoral Program
Master’s Program
Student Finance & Funding
- Funding Policy
- Decline Funding Policy
- Tuition Fees
- Tuition Deadline Deferrals
- Teaching Assistantships
- Graduate Research Assistantships
- Awards & Fellowships
- Other Financial Support
- How do I get paid?
- How do I get reimbursed for expenses?
- Workday Student Tutorials (by G+PS)
Department Contacts
Faculty Contacts
Mike Whitlock and Trish Schulte – Graduate Advisors
michael.whitlock@ubc.ca
pschulte@zoology.ubc.ca
The Graduate Advisors are your first contact for non-administrative issues that may arise during your program. They also serve as chairs of the Graduate Committee.
Jeffrey Richards – Department Head
zoology.head@ubc.ca
If you have questions or concerns that cannot be answered by the Graduate Advisors or Program Manager, do not hesitate to contact the Head.
Staff Contacts
Mimi Yu – Graduate Program Manager
mimi.yu@ubc.ca
zool.gradprgm@ubc.ca
Biosciences 3325 (South Wing)
Mimi is your first contact for inquiries about the administrative side of your graduate program such as forms, registration, finance/pay, awards, campus resources, as well as if you’re unsure who to contact about something.
Gurpreet Kang, HR & Administrative Assistant, Reception Desk
zoology.info@ubc.ca
They can help with questions about mail, room bookings, key access for the Biological Sciences Building, and other reception desk related issues.
Sylvia Heredia – Communications Coordinator
sylviah@zoology.ubc.ca
Contact Sylvia about website content (profile page, portrait photo), access to Field Safety webforms, social media postings, promotion of events, scientific illustration
Katie Pikor – Director, Administration and Operations
zadmin@zoology.ubc.ca
Contact Katie for facilities and safety related issues (eg. office space, elevator, floods, etc) in the Biological Sciences Building. If you’re in a different building, please contact the building’s administrator directly.
Nick Koubrak, Jenny Kao – Zoology Computing Unit
zoology.support@ubc.ca
The ZCU can help with computer/software/IT questions or issues that come up during your work and studies.
Supervisory Committees
All graduate students are required to have a Supervisory Committee. Supervisory committees are to be composed primarily of tenure stream research faculty members belonging to the Zoology graduate program. This includes both research faculty members with a full or partial appointment in Zoology and associate members of the department.
Zoology Master’s students must have a minimum of three faculty members on their committee (including the supervisor). One committee member can be either an Adjunct Member of the Zoology graduate program (list of Adjunct Members) or a non-Zoology UBC research faculty with a tenure stream research appointment.
Zoology Doctoral students must have a minimum of four faculty members on their committee (including the supervisor). One committee member can be either an Adjunct Member of the Zoology graduate program (list of Adjunct Members) or a non-Zoology UBC research faculty with a tenure stream research appointment. Adding a second faculty member from outside of the Zoology graduate program to a PhD committee requires a formal request and written permission from the Graduate Advisor.
In cases where it would be helpful to have a postdoctoral research fellow or research associate on the committee, such individuals can be added as an ex officio additional member with permission of the Graduate Advisors. These members would attend committee meetings but not participate in proposal meetings or comprehensive exams.
Adding any committee member who does not have a membership at Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies (eg. instructional faculty, and adjunct and affiliate members) requires the approval of the Graduate Advisor and for PhD students, permission from G+PS is also required. The proposed committee member must:
- Provide expertise that is not already available from a UBC faculty member.
- Provide an independent voice from other committee members.
- Have the qualifications to supervise graduate research at the standard of excellence at UBC.
A memo from the supervisor addressing all three criteria is required for approval.
Supervisory committees must conform to the policies listed in this section and should be formed within the first academic term. Consult with your supervisor regarding faculty members suitable to act as members of your committee. Choice of members of the supervisory committee is a joint decision between the student and supervisor. Once your supervisory committee has been formed, you are required to fill out the Supervisory Committee Form, which must be signed by the student, the supervisor, and the Graduate Advisor. The same form must be used to indicate any change in the supervisory committee.
Committee Meetings
Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies requires that graduate students meet with their full committee at least once a year. However, we encourage students to have committee meetings more often if needed. Students who have not had a supervisory committee meeting within the previous 12 months may not be eligible for awards, and their supervisors may not be eligible to accept new graduate students. All new students are encouraged to meet with their committee within the first six months of starting the program.
At the first committee meeting the student should provide a brief introduction to their background and training history, and use this time to begin a discussion of their planned research. Prior to subsequent committee meetings, students should provide the members of the committee with a brief progress report of 1-2 pages. The short progress report should include the following content: (1) date the student started in the program, (2) list of course taken and grades, (3) summary of research conducted so far, (4) research plan for the future, (5) sources of funding, and (6) papers published or in preparation.
For PhD supervisory committee meetings that also serve as the proposal defence, the student will provide the full dissertation proposal instead of the brief progress report.
Supervisory committee meetings will normally last 1 hour. Students should deliver a brief presentation at the start of the meeting on research progress and future planning. The rest of the time is normally left for open discussion.
After each supervisory committee meeting, the Committee Meeting Form and the Student Progress Report must be submitted to zool.gradprgm@ubc.ca
Annual Student Check-in
Each year (usually in the summer), students will have a brief (15 minutes), confidential meeting with the Graduate Program Manager or a Graduate Advisor to identify any issues that have arisen in the last year and identify possible solutions. This meeting is intended to provide support and guidance for graduate students.
Graduate student – supervisor working relationships
Guidelines and Communication
All students and supervisors should read the Handbook of Graduate Supervision provided by G+PS. It goes over setting expectations as well as an outline of student and supervisor responsibilities.
Also consult the Intellectual Property Guide for issues related to intellectual property, plagiarism, and publication.
In addition, the supervisor and students should discuss at the beginning of the term of study such things as:
- Expected work hours, vacation times, etc.
- Frequency and scheduling of regular meetings between supervisor and student
- Lab policies and etiquette, sharing of resources, sharing of lab duties
- Expectations about lab meetings, departmental seminars, journal clubs, etc.
- Policies about opportunities to attend scientific meetings
- Policies about authorship on papers and intellectual property
- Policies about leave (illness, parental, etc.)
Expectations and what to do if they are not being met
Every supervisor and graduate student will have a different relationship, and standards for these relationships differ between fields. Nevertheless, we strongly recommend that all students and supervisors read the Roles and Responsibilities document from G+PS, which lays out general expectations of supervisors and graduate students.
In addition, the Zoology Graduate Program expects that every student will:
- Have access to regular meetings with their supervisor.
- Receive enough guidance and intellectual support to fulfill the research goals agreed upon by the student/supervisor/committee.
- Receive clear guidance and requirements for graduation from their thesis committee.
- Be treated without bias with respect to (but not limited to) gender, race, age, sexual orientation, gender expression, disability, religious or political affiliations, family status, country of origin, and mental/physical health.
- Have a working environment free from bullying, harassment, and microaggressions.
- Have their scientific contributions recognized fairly (e.g. authorship, acknowledgement, etc.)
- Have lab duties and requirements not directly related to their research limited to 210 hours per 12-month period.
- Have reasonable freedom to direct their research goals within the framework of their supervisor’s research program.
If you feel that any of these expectations are not being met, please seek support. How to proceed may depend on the nature of the problem, and some resources for help are listed above in the Department Contacts section. However, no matter what the issue, the Graduate Advisors are always available to listen and work on solutions.
Solutions to serious problems in your degree can take many forms, including:
- Identifying concrete actions to work around the problem.
- Mediated meetings between involved parties.
- Having an advocate (usually Graduate Advisor) present at a meeting (usually a committee meeting).
- Changing the composition of the Supervisory committee to create more support.
- Referral to other sources of support who are trained in dealing with specific issues (e.g. bullying, authorship disputes).
- In irreconcilable cases, a student may be switched to a new supervisor.
Leave of Absence (LOA)
Students who find it necessary to interrupt their graduate studies may request a leave of absence. A leave of absence must be requested before the date on which the leave will start. Retroactive leaves will only be approved in highly exceptional cases. A number of different leaves of absences are available for graduate students: parental, health, professional, or personal. Please visit the G+PS webpage for LOAs for more information.
Important: International graduate students should consult International Student Advising in the Life Building before pursuing a Leave of Absence to discuss the impact on their ability to stay in Canada, study permit and future post-graduation plans.
Doctoral Program
Original research supervised by a faculty member constitutes the major component of work toward the PhD degree. A Doctoral degree is expected to take five years.
Students admitted without a masters degree are required to complete 12 credits of coursework. Students admitted with a masters degree are not required to complete course work unless it is recommended by the supervisor or thesis committee.
All PhD students are required to present a research proposal and pass a comprehensive examination on their research area within 24 months of their program start date. Each PhD student are encouraged to deliver a one-hour lecture on their completed doctoral research in one of the departmental lecture series (eg. BLISS, Wednesday Comphy Seminars) before their doctoral dissertation examination.
Recommended Timeline (PhD)
First term
- Meet with supervisor to discuss expectations of student and supervisor, degree requirements, policies and timelines
- Begin to develop project ideas
- Begin any coursework the committee has recommended or required for students without Master’s degrees. Courses must be completed with a passing grade of at least 68%.
- Apply for scholarship funding, if necessary. NSERC and Affiliated Fellowships have the same application process, with usually mid-September
Second term
- Full committee established according to departmental committee requirements. Submit Supervisory Committee Form
- Finalize research project
- Convene committee meeting to discuss proposed research. Begin research
Second year
- Continue conducting research
- Complete research proposal committee meeting
- Obtain reading list for comprehensive exam from each committee member. Begin preparations
- Complete comprehensive exam and advance to candidacy
- Students who do not advance to candidacy by 24 months will not be considered for any awards (scholarships, travel awards, etc) unless they receive an extension approval from a Graduate Advisor
Third and fourth year
- Convene annual committee meetings to discuss research results, further research plans, coursework and timeline to thesis completion
- Aim to complete research by end of fourth year
Dissertation submission
- PhD students should aim to submit and defend their dissertation by the end of Year 5
- Review the Doctoral Deadlines page
- Use the G+PS planning tool and checklist to starting scheduling your Doctoral Examination
- Final Doctoral Examination Guide
- Final Submission Instructions (post-defence)
Please keep in mind that your program will not be closed until the final submission instructions have been completed. If you’re aiming for a particular completion date/graduation, give yourself at least a month between the oral examination and your target deadline. After the defence, students are generally given a month to make revisions if needed, and G+PS will close your program about 1-2 weeks after the final submission paperwork and dissertation have been submitted and accepted.
And remember to apply for graduation! Graduation happens in May and November of each year. You can apply for graduation even if you haven’t defended yet (but you won’t be approved to graduate without having completed all your requirements so check the Deadlines page for when your program requirements should be completed for a specific graduate ceremony).
Thesis Proposal
Each Ph.D. student is required to submit a research proposal. This proposal must be approved by his/her supervisor and Supervisory Committee during a Proposal Meeting. The comprehensive examination is separate and distinct from the evaluation of the thesis proposal, and the comprehensive exam can only be scheduled after the proposal is approved. These steps should be completed within 2 years of the start of the PhD (1 year for students transferring from the MSc).
What is a thesis proposal for?
“Plans are useless, but planning is indispensable” – Dwight D. Eisenhower
The proposal is more than just a plan for the student’s research. In fact, cutting-edge research may not always go the way that is planned, and students often find themselves modifying and pivoting research plans during their degree. On the other hand, taking the time to make a good plan is essential to let both the student and the committee assess whether the questions are important and sufficient in scope for a PhD and whether the planned experiments adequately address those questions and are feasible. Overall, writing the PhD proposal serves several purposes in the scientific progress and development of PhD students:
- It is an exercise in developing a number of skills that are critical for success in the PhD program and later in science. These include, but are not limited to: thinking broadly about and contextualizing a question, synthesizing relevant literature, formulating and rationalizing reasonable hypotheses, designing tractable experiments that address the hypotheses, assembling and organizing experimental plans into a project of reasonable scope, considering caveats and developing contingency plans, compellingly articulating the possible impact of the work, and writing coherently.
- It serves as a roadmap for the student’s dissertation. The proposal can be a valuable reference for students to look back on during the course of their degree and serve as the nucleus for eventual dissertation writing.
What is a proposal meeting for?
The proposal meeting is an opportunity for the student to present their proposed work and discuss it with their committee. This meeting is first and foremost a collegial conversation about how the research plan can be improved and supported. It serves as a framework for integrating guidance and suggestions from the committee. Secondly, the proposal meeting is an evaluation process, as part of the assessment of whether the student is ready to proceed to Candidacy. It allows the committee members to examine the proposal and evaluate it for feasibility, appropriateness of scope, rigor of design, and other merits.
The process of developing a proposal and getting it approved
- In year 1 (late in term 1 or early in term 2), the student should develop general ideas for the PhD thesis and work with their supervisor to choose a thesis committee.
- In the first half of year 2, the student should schedule a committee meeting to present a general outline of their research plan. This will help ensure that all committee members are in agreement about the overall direction of the research and approach. Sometimes students add additional committee members at this time, if specific expertise is needed.
- The student should work with their supervisor to draft a written proposal, with the aim of having a finished draft before the end of year 2. Writing a proposal is likely to require multiple rounds of revision, so make sure to leave enough time. The supervisor should read and comment on drafts within two weeks of receiving the draft. Additional input from committee members may be helpful during this process, particularly if there is a committee member with specialized expertise who could have helpful suggestions.
- Once the student and supervisor have agreed that the proposal is ready for evaluation, the proposal should be sent to all members of the committee, and a “Proposal Meeting” should be scheduled by the student for at least a 90 minute block. The committee should be given 2-3 weeks to read and assess this final draft. Finding a day and time for the meeting can be difficult because of the complex schedules of faculty members, so it is useful to start on this early! The proposal meeting should ideally occur before the end of year 2.
- The committee will read the written proposal in the weeks between getting the proposal and the meeting. Committee members should make specific comments on the proposal and circulate them to the student after the meeting. If the committee finds that the topics of the proposal are sufficiently outside of their collective expertise that it cannot be effectively evaluated, the proposal meeting should be postponed until the committee composition can be adjusted.
The proposal meeting
- In the proposal meeting, the student will present a brief summary of the proposal (20 minutes, without interruption from the committee), which will be followed by questioning and discussion with the committee and the student. Supervisors may provide clarification to student answers if needed, but the student should lead the discussion. This meeting is a discussion, not an examination, but the committee must be able to make a decision about whether the proposed thesis is sufficient to allow the student to proceed to the comprehensive exam. (See Zoology PhD Proposal Rubric.)
- At the end of this meeting, the committee should make a decision (without the student present) about whether to approve the proposal. The assessment should emphasize the written proposal, taking into account the discussion in the proposal meeting, which is generally intended to allow the student to clarify any points in the written proposal. The committee should come to a consensus about any elements of the proposal that might need to be revised.
- Until the proposal is accepted, the student may not proceed with the Comprehensive Exam. The Comprehensive Exam cannot be officially scheduled until the proposal is approved, although a projected time may be selected to hold a date in the committee’s calendars in cases where relatively minor revisions are required.
The rubric for proposal assessment can be found in this document (Zoology PhD Proposal Rubric). The student or supervisor should ensure that all committee members have a copy of this document and are aware that they will be assessing the proposal against this rubric.
Format of the PhD proposal
There is no single required format for the proposal, but a good proposal will develop and justify the questions, approaches and methodologies to be used in the planned research.
- The proposal should not exceed 25 double-spaced pages in length, using a 12-point font size.
- This page count includes figures, which can be embedded in the text, but excludes references.
- Most proposals suggest 3-4 sets of questions/experiments, each of which may form a chapter in the final thesis. Two or more of these should be well-developed and likely to succeed. Often the last proposed chapter is less detailed, but it should clear that the ideas have the potential to be successful.
- Different fields tend to follow slightly different formats for their proposals, and students are encouraged to discuss the most effective format with their supervisor.
The document Hints and tips for writing a PhD thesis proposal provides some suggestions to get you started.
Comprehensive Examinations
All PhD students are required to take an oral comprehensive exam given by members of their supervisory committee. To schedule a comprehensive exam, students must use the Comprehensive Examination Checklist.
Purpose of the examination
The comprehensive exam serves two functions: (1) to create an opportunity for general learning in student’s field of study and (2) to evaluate the preparation of the student for doctoral level study.
Scope of the examination
The comprehensive examination is intended to test the student’s understanding of the chosen field of study as a whole and the student’s preparation for the thesis research to follow. This examination is not a thesis defence and is not designed to query the specifics of the student’s proposed research. The examination will cover the general area of the student’s research. Each candidate is expected to be able to discuss any other areas that are closely related to their own research work.
Timing of the examination
This examination must be completed within 24 months of initial registration. Thus, a MSc student who transfers to the PhD degree program after one year will have only six months after the date of transfer to complete the examination. Students are advised to complete the examination before becoming deeply involved in their research work. Students who do not advance to candidacy by 24 months will not be considered for any awards (scholarships, travel awards, etc) unless they receive an extension approval from a Graduate Advisor. Those not advancing to candidacy by 36 months will require a formal application for extension to G&PS, including a justification for the delay and a timeline for advancement. In these cases, continued enrolment in the program is at the discretion of G&PS. Without an approved extension from G+PS, a student who is not admitted to candidacy within 36 months from date of initial registration must withdraw from the program.
Requirements and preparation
Readings: Before taking the comprehensive exam, it is recommended that students contact all members of their committees at least 2-3 months in advance of the expected exam date for suggestions on readings and other preparation for the exam.
Proposal: Before taking the comprehensive exam, a student must submit to the department a written research proposal that has been approved by their supervisor and committee (see Thesis Proposal for more information).
Presentation: At the beginning of the examination, the student will present a 15-20 minute talk on the background of the questions discussed in the proposals. The presentation should discuss the state of knowledge about the questions in the defence and defend the reasons for asking those questions. This presentation is not meant to be a discussion of the methodology in the proposal, which should be discussed in a regular committee meeting leading up to the exam.
Scheduling the Exam
Review the Comprehensive Examination Checklist for further instructions. You must include the Examination Chair, Rick Taylor in the initially scheduling emails and polls. If you wait to contact the Chair until after you have scheduled you exam, you risk having to reschedule it if the Chair is not available.
Examination committee
The Examination Committee will consist of all members of the Supervisory committee (minimum of 4) plus the Chair. To schedule a Comprehensive Exam, please follow the instructions in the Comprehensive Examination Checklist. If one member of the supervisory committee is not available because of leave, substitution may be made upon the advice of the Graduate Advisor or arrangements made for teleconferencing. Although the supervisory committee may include members who do not hold professional board appointment in the research stream, pass or fail decisions will be made by UBC research faculty members only.
Examination protocol
The exam will begin by a brief introduction by the Chair. The student will then present a 15-20 minute (or certainly no more than 30 min) discussion of the questions involved in his/her proposal (see above). Each member of the examination committee will then be given 15 minutes for questions assessing the student’s general knowledge of the subject area. The supervisor is the last one to ask questions and the Chair does not pose questions. Then each committee member will be given the opportunity for a second round of questions, not to exceed five minutes each. This second round is intended for clarification of issues previously raised and not for new lines of questioning except in unusual circumstances.
Results of the examination
Following the examination, the committee will hold an in-camera session and the candidate will be asked to retire from the room. The Supervisor will be asked to discuss the candidate in general, but will not register an opinion on pass or fail until after all other committee member have discussed the exam and registered an opinion. The Supervisor may then be asked to retire from the meeting. The remaining Committee members will discuss the candidate and then vote which, if necessary, may be by written secret ballot.
The pass/fail decision made by the Supervisor will not be revealed to the Committee members until after completion of their discussion and vote. The pass/fail decision will be by simple majority of the votes cast by members of the Examination Committee. In the event of a tie, the deciding vote will be cast by the Chair. In the event of a marginal pass, the committee may apply conditions (e.g., course work, directed readings). The committee must then determine the arrangements for ensuring that the conditions are met. These should be included in the Chair’s report.
The Chair will then recall the candidate and Supervisor to the meeting and announce the result of the vote. Written notification of the decision made by the Examination Committee will be sent to the Head of the Department. The candidate will either pass or fail the examination. A candidate who fails the first attempt must pass a second examination that will be scheduled to take place within six months of the first examination. Failure to pass a second examination will result in the student being required to withdraw from the graduate program.
Dissertation & Defence Resources
The Doctoral Dissertation exam is administered through the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
Dissertation & Thesis Preparation
Thesis template/formatting (Word)
Final Dissertation & Thesis Submission
You are encouraged to use the planning tool and checklist on the G+PS website.
Note that the deadlines for scheduling these exams are sometimes quite early in the term. You can find defense, graduation, and thesis submission deadlines by consulting the G+PS Deadline Centre.
Master’s Program
A Master’s degree is expected to take two years, although faster progress is encouraged. The MSc degree requires a combination of coursework and research for a total of 30 credits. 12 credits of coursework are taken, with the remaining 18 credits being thesis research.
Coursework
At least 9 of the 12 credits of courses must be at the 500 level but the remaining 3 credits may be at the 300-400 level. Coursework is initially set through consultation with the student’s supervisor, but the supervisory committee may also have suggestions. 3 credits of Directed Studies (ZOOL 500) may be taken.
Master’s students must obtain a minimum of 60% in any course to be granted pass standing, but only 6 credits of pass standing are counted towards the master’s program. For all other courses, a minimum of 68% must be obtained. If a student repeats a failed required course, a minimum mark of 74% is required. A student whose grade does not improve by repeating the course or taking an alternate course may be required to withdraw from your graduate program. For more information, visit: grad.ubc.ca/current-students/managing-your-program/satisfactory-progress-masters-students.
Students have considerable flexibility in their choice of courses including graduate and senior undergraduate courses in Zoology, Botany, Microbiology, Cell and Developmental Biology, Fisheries, Genetics, Conservation, and Earth and Oceans Sciences, as well as several other departments. Students may also design their own courses in the form of “Directed Studies” with a Zoology faculty member.
Research thesis
M.Sc. students are also required to conduct research towards their degrees. Although research conceived independently of the student’s supervisor is encouraged, the minimum requirement for the M.Sc. degree is to successfully complete directed research. It is the responsibility of the supervisor to provide a suitable project that can be completed within two years.
The project should be of publishable quality, but need not extend beyond the equivalent of a single paper and may constitute part of a larger body of work.
Consult the G+PS pages for further information on thesis preparation: grad.ubc.ca/current-students/dissertation-thesis-preparation
At the end of their two year program, MSc students are expected to complete an oral defense of their Master’s thesis.
Recommended Timeline (MSc)
First term
- Meet with supervisor to discuss expectations of the student, and supervisor, degree requirements, policies and timelines
- Introductory meeting with supervisory committee (minimum attendance: supervisor and one committee member). Discuss coursework, composition of committee, research plan
First year
- Full committee established
- Submit Supervisory Committee Form
- Begin coursework. 12 credits must be completed within the MSc degree
- If necessary, apply for scholarship funding
- Identify research project. If this has not occurred within first 8 months, the supervisor must provide a project which can be completed in a reasonable (<18 months) time
- Convene committee meeting to discuss proposed research (G+PS requirement: at least one committee meeting every 12 months)
- Begin research
Second year
- If you and your supervisor wish you to transfer to a PhD, ensure that you have completed the necessary requirements within first 18 months
- Convene committee meeting to discuss research results from first year, possible further research, timeline to thesis completion
- Complete research
Thesis submission
- The student will complete writing the thesis by the end of the second year
- Receive thesis approval from supervisor
- Submit to supervisory committee members for review and allow at least 2 weeks for approval
- Obtain approval from committee and submit MSc Thesis Approval Form
- Schedule and complete MSc Thesis Defence
- Final Submission Instructions (post-defence)
Please keep in mind that your program will not be closed until the final submission instructions have been completed. If you’re aiming for a particular completion date/graduation, give yourself about a month between the oral examination and your target deadline. After revisions and after the final submission paperwork and dissertation have been submitted and accepted, G+PS will close your program about 1-2 weeks.
And remember to apply for graduation! Graduation happens in May and November of each year. You can apply for graduation even if you haven’t defended yet (but you won’t be approved to graduate without having completed all your requirements so check the Deadlines page for when your program requirements should be completed for a specific graduate ceremony).
MSc Thesis Defence
MSc Defence Checklist & Timeline
The MSc examination serves as a departmental review of the candidate and his/her research.
MSc exams are scheduled by the Graduate Program Manager. After approval by the Supervisor, copies of the thesis must be distributed to the members of the student’s Supervisory Committee for approval, with at least two weeks allowed for reading and comments. After the thesis has been approved by the committee the exam may be scheduled. One PDF copy of the thesis must be given to the Graduate Program Manager, together with the signed Master’s Thesis Approval Form. A minimum of two weeks must be allowed between submission of the thesis to the Graduate Program Manager and the examination.
The MSc Examining Committee will be Chaired by a faculty member who has not been directly associated with the preparation of the thesis. The examining committee will be comprised of the research supervisor, one committee member, a Departmental examiner, and the Chairperson.
The Departmental Examiner does not necessarily have to have close knowledge of the specific research topic, but should have sufficient expertise in a related field such that they will be able to evaluate the candidate’s ability to respond to questions and defend the thesis. The primary role of the Departmental examiner is to ensure Departmental expectations of the quality of the thesis and defense are met. The Chairperson is responsible to the Head of the Department and to the Faculty of Graduate Studies, and acts as moderator of the exam.
The MSc examination serves as a departmental review of the candidate and his/her research. An audience is welcome and encouraged. It will proceed as follows:
- The student will present a brief summary of the thesis (not to exceed 25 minutes in length).
- Members of the audience should be asked if they have any questions for the candidate. Following these questions, a short break should be announced to allow any members of the audience to leave if they desire.
- Each examiner should ask questions for 15-20 min, with the option of a brief second round for follow-up questions. The Chairperson May ask a question or two out of interest or for purposes of clarification but is not normally expected to do so.
- Following the examination, the candidate and audience members will be asked to leave the room and the Committee will hold an in camera session. The Chairperson will ask the Supervisor to give an opinion of the student and the student’s performance during the examination.
- At this it will be at the Chairperson’s discretion to ask the supervisor to submit either a pass or fail grade and leave the room. If the supervisor is asked to leave, the written grade will not be revealed to the other Committee Members but will be included in the final determination.
- Each of the remaining members of the Committee will then assign either a pass or fail for the thesis. The Chairperson does not vote. The examining Committee may recommend that the thesis is acceptable in the form presented, or it may request changes be made to the thesis before the title page is signed. Responsibility for ensuring that such changes are made will lie with the Supervisor.
- At this point if the thesis is deemed “outstanding” a note should be made in the chair report that the committee feels the thesis should be nominated for the Governor General’s Gold Medal and the rationale for doing so. It will be up to the supervisor to nominate the student during the applicable award cycle.
- A fail will be assigned if at least two of the three examiners assign a failing grade and must be accompanied by a written summary outlining the reasons for this decision. There is no recourse for a student who fails the exam.
- The Chairperson will then recall the student (and Supervisor) and announce the decision. The Chairperson May ask at this time that the Thesis Approval Form be signed by the Committee or may ask that the student first make required revisions.
- The Chairperson will complete a M.Sc. Examination Report (MSc Chair Report) and submit it, with the supervisor’s signature, to zool.gradprgm@ubc.ca in a timely manner.
After members of the Examining Committee have signed the Thesis Approval Form, the student will follow the Final Submission Instructions, submit the required paperwork and upload their thesis to cIRcle.
Transferring into PhD Zoology Program (from MSc Zoology)
Transfer directly into a doctoral program is normally accomplished after completion of the first year of study at the master’s level and will not be permitted after completion of the second year. Transfers may not be retroactive.
Transfer Requirements:
- Student holds a bachelor’s degree
- Student has completed a minimum of one year (3 terms) of study in the master’s program and no more than 2 years
- Student has completed 9 credits at the 500 level or above with a minimum of first class (80%) standing
- Student shows clear evidence of research ability
After completion of the required course-work, and within 24 months of starting date, the MSc supervisory committee (minimum three members) must recommend in writing to the Graduate Advisor that the student be transferred to the PhD program. The committee should discuss whether the student has the capacity to complete a PhD and if they have a proposed outline of a potential project suitable for a PhD. In addition, the committee should suggest who to add to the committee (four total members required for a PhD committee). The Department will then make a recommendation to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for this transfer.
Note that the Proposal Defence and the Comprehensive Exam must be completed within 6 months after transferring into the PhD program.
G+PS Form: Transfer from Master’s to PhD Program
Funding Policy
Beginning September 2024, the guaranteed minimum stipend for PhD students is $31,500/year for each of the first 5 years of study for both domestic and international students. Stipends will also be increased enough to cover the cost of tuition in Year 5 for both domestic and international students. PhD students Years 1-4 will continue to receive a Faculty of Science tuition award.
In September 2025, the minimum will be increased to $32,000/year for the first 5 years, and this minimum will be increased by $1000 in each subsequent year to achieve a minimum stipend of $34,000/year effective September 2028.
For MSc students, the minimum stipend is $30,000/year for 2 years, but stipends will be augmented to cover tuition remaining after awards in Years 1 and 2 for both domestic and international students.
Reminder: tuition usually increases every May and students are still expected to pay their tuition directly (unless they have an award that pays the tuition directly). A tuition deadline deferral is available to students who need more time to pay their tuition and student fees.
Decline Funding Policy
All full-time students (domestic and international) admitted to a graduate program in the UBC Department of Zoology receive a minimum level of funding (please see above for specific amounts) for as long as they make satisfactory progress in their program. The funding package may consist of any combination of external or internal scholarships, research assistantships, teaching assistantships, or income from other academically-related work at UBC.
Students who wish to voluntarily decline any component of the funding package at any time must complete the decline minimum funding form, which requires the signatures of their supervisor and Graduate Program Advisor. The Graduate Advisor may reach out to the student for additional information.
Tuition Fees
PhD students who wish to decline funding and fall below G+PS’ minimum funding policy (currently $22,000 for each of their first four years) will also have to complete Appendix 2 Form A in the G+PS Minimum Funding Policy Handbook.
Students are personally responsible for paying any tuition and fees assessed by the University.
The current PhD tuition fees can be found under the Standard Doctoral Degree Programs table.
Note: All PhD students currently receive the Faculty of Science PhD Tuition Award during the first 4 years of their program. This award is an additional benefit and does not contribute to the minimum set out in the program funding policy.
The current MSc tuition fees can be found under the Standard Master’s Degree Programs table.