Program requirements for a PhD degree in chemistry
- Course requirements
- Research
- Supervisory committee
- Assessment of progress
- PhD candidacy exam
- Thesis and oral defense
- Program length
Course requirements
Candidates for the PhD degree entering the program with a BSc (or equivalent) degree or students transferring from a MSc to a PhD program are required to complete at least 9 units of graduate courses in Chemistry. Substitution of appropriate courses from other departments may be made with the permission of the Chair, Supervisor, Graduate Adviser and Faculty of Graduate Studies. In addition to the course work completed early in the program, candidates are required to complete a PhD thesis (CHEM 699).
The normal course structure for a PhD program is:
| Summary of course requirements1 | Units |
| Seminar (Chem 509)2 | 1 |
| Discussion (Chem 670 or 680)3 | 3 |
| Graduate lecture courses4 | 4.5 |
| Graduate lecture or discussion course5 | 1.5 |
| Thesis (Chem 699)2 | 36 |
| Total | 46 |
1. A B- grade is the minimum passing grade in a graduate course. A B- grade or lower will trigger a meeting of the student's supervisory committee to discuss their progress and possibly recommend remedial action to the Faculty of Graduate Studies. A C+ or lower grade constitutes a failing grade and the student's progress will be reviewed by the Faculty of Graduate Studies.
2. Students are required to register in CHEM 509 and 699 (or 599) throughout their degree. The requirements for CHEM 509 are regular attendance at departmental seminars and presentation of a research seminar in the final year of the degree.
3. A graduate lecture course may be substituted for CHEM 670 or 680 when the latter are not offered.
4. Substitution of an equivalent unit value course from another department or institution may be permitted with the permission of Chair, Supervisor, Graduate Advisor and Faculty of Graduate Studies.
5. The decision as to whether a lecture or discussion course is most appropriate will be made by the student’s supervisory committee in consultation with the student.
Candidates for the PhD degree entering the program with a MSc (or equivalent) degree are required to complete at least 6 units of graduate courses in Chemistry, normally made up of two lecture and two discussion courses.
| Summary of course requirements1 | Units |
| Seminar (Chem 509)2 | 1 |
| Discussion (Chem 670 or 680)3 | 3 |
| Graduate lecture courses4 | 3 |
| Thesis (Chem 699)2 | 39 |
| Total | 46 |
1. A B- grade is the minimum passing grade in a graduate course. A B- grade or lower will trigger a meeting of the student's supervisory committee to discuss their progress and possibly recommend remedial action to the Faculty of Graduate Studies. A C+ or lower grade constitutes a failing grade and the student's progress will be reviewed by the Faculty of Graduate Studies.
2. Students are required to register in CHEM 509 and 699 (or 599) throughout their degree. The requirements for CHEM 509 are regular attendance at departmental seminars and presentation of a research seminar in the final year of the degree.
3. A graduate lecture course may be substituted for CHEM 670 or 680 when the latter are not offered.
4. Substitution of an equivalent unit value course from another department or institution may be permitted with the permission of the chair, supervisor, graduate adviser and Faculty of Graduate Studies.
Research
As in the case of MSc students, direct entry PhD students may start a program of research immediately upon arrival at the university. Students transferring into the PhD program normally will continue the research projects they initiated as MSc students.
Supervisory committee
The research supervisor must name a supervisory committee and complete a program audit and degree review (PADRE) form for the student as soon as a choice of project has been made. A PhD supervisory committee consists of four members including the supervisor. One member of the supervisory committee must be from outside the department. For students transferring from a MSc to a PhD program, a fourth committee member must be added by the research supervisor as soon after transfer as practical.
Assessment of progress
The progress of PhD students is reviewed annually as described for MSc students.
PhD candidacy exam
Before being admitted to candidacy, all PhD students must pass a candidacy examination in their major field. Faculty of Graduate Studies regulations stipulate that a student must pass a candidacy exam within two years of registration as a provisional doctoral student. Students who transfer from a Master's program will be expected to pass the candidacy exam within 16 months from transfer.
The PhD candidacy examination in chemistry includes a candidacy report and an oral examination on subject areas relevant to the student's research area. The goal is to assess the student's ability to understand and articulate ideas related to a given topic outside their area of expertise. The student is expected to understand and discuss the candidacy topic and related general topics at an advanced level.
Candidacy report topic
The supervisory committee will select a candidacy report topic in consultation with the student. The topic typically involves a critical review of an area loosely related to the student's direct research area. Alternatively, the candidacy report may be an original research proposal in an area related to, but not directly in, the student's current research area.
At the time the topic is chosen, a memo from the supervisor to the supervisory committee, departmental Graduate Studies committee representative, and student is written. The memo describes the candidacy topic in detail and the topics chosen for oral examination during the candidacy exam. The student typically has one month to prepare the report.
Format of the report
The report is on average approximately 30 pages in length, 12 point font, spacing 1.5 lines, including all figures and references. All members of the student's supervisory committee, including their supervisor and a member of the Graduate Studies Committee, should be given a copy of the report. The report is typically due 4 weeks after assignment of a topic.
Format of the exam
The oral exam is typically scheduled 2-3 weeks after submission of the report to the supervisory committee.The student will be questioned by the supervisory committee and the Graduate Studies committee representative (graduate adviser or designate) on the topic of the report and the agreed upon question areas. A formal oral presentation on the topic of the candidacy report is not normally given.
In the event of failure, the student will be given one opportunity to repeat the examination. A second failure would result in the student being required to withdraw from the university or, if sufficient progress has been achieved, to complete a MSc thesis. The examining committee, through the graduate adviser, will report the result of the examination to the Faculty of Graduate Studies.
Thesis and oral defence
The written thesis and oral defense requirements for the PhD degree are the same as those listed for an MSc thesis.
Program length
Normally, completion of a PhD degree in chemistry requires 48 to 60 months.
