The Schulich School of Engineering has established common minimum examination requirements for all its graduate programs. Departments and graduate programs may have additional requirements over and above those of the Schulich School of Engineering.
In addition to the Faculty of Graduate Studies requirements, the Schulich School of Engineering minimum requirements are as follows:
MEng (course-based) Comprehensive Examination
None.
MSc and MEng (thesis-based) Final Oral Examination
The thesis examination is oral.
Composition of the Committee
The examining committee consists of: the Supervisor, an additional member of the University of Calgary academic staff, and Internal Examiner who may be internal to the home program. If applicable, the Co-Supervisor will also be part of the committee. The examination is chaired by a neutral chair (non-voting), proposed by the Department Head or Graduate Director. The examining committee must be approved by the Faculty of Graduate Studies.
The student shall make a public twenty-minute presentation of their thesis research, normally immediately before the oral examination. Examining committee members should attend this presentation but should refrain from asking questions. The maximum allowable two-hour examination period does not include the time spent on student presentation.
Doctoral Candidacy Examinations
The candidacy examination is oral. In addition to Faculty of Graduate Studies regulations, the Schulich School of Engineering requires the examining committee to consist of a minimum of five voting members: the supervisory committee members and two additional members (one of them external to the program). The examination is chaired by a Neutral Chair, who is recommended by the Department Head or Graduate Director. The examining committee must be approved by the Faculty of Graduate Studies.
The student’s background knowledge in their field of engineering and in-depth knowledge in their chosen research specialization is examined. At the discretion of the department, (i) the candidacy examination may have a written (minimum three hours) component, as well, given no more than seven days before the oral defence; and (ii) the student may make a presentation at the beginning of the oral candidacy examination. Questions on the research proposal will be included in the oral candidacy examination, unless otherwise specified under the individual Engineering Program entry.
Several departments established candidacy requirements that are specific to their doctoral program. Check individual program entries for information on their requirements.
Doctoral Final Oral Examination
Scheduling of the Examination
All members of the Supervisory Committee must have reviewed the student’s research, including a relevant written sample of the materials related to the thesis before an examination can be scheduled.
The thesis defence examination is oral.
Composition of the Committee
The examining committee consists of: the Supervisory Committee, an Internal Examiner who may be internal to the home program, and one member external to the University of Calgary. The examination is chaired by a neutral chair (non-voting), proposed by the Department Head or Graduate Director. The examining committee must be approved by the Faculty of Graduate Studies.
The student shall make a public twenty-minute presentation of their thesis research, normally immediately before the oral examination. Examining committee members should attend this presentation but should refrain from asking questions during the presentation. The maximum allowable two-hour examination period does not include the time spent on student presentation.
Thesis oral examinations are open.
Program Descriptions