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University of Alberta Calendar 2024-2025

Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry Graduate Program Regulations

Graduate program regulations and standards for Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry (FoMD) graduate programs are defined at three levels:

  1. The Faculty of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies (GPS) sets the minimum requirements that must be met by all graduate students at the University (See GPS Graduate Regulations ).
  2. FoMD has regulations over and above those set by GPS that must be met by graduate students in all the FoMD graduate programs.
  3. Individual graduate programs in FoMD have the same minimum requirements, including four core competencies; however, the mechanisms by which these core competencies are satisfied differ between individual programs (See FoMD Graduate Programs ).

Students are required to familiarize themselves with the graduate program regulations and standards at all three levels.

Minimum Length of Time in Program

Thesis-based Master’s program: The minimum time required for a student to be registered in a thesis-based Master’s program is 1 year. See GPS Time Limit for Completion of Graduate Programs .

Doctoral program: The minimum time required for a student to be registered in a Doctoral program is 3 years. See GPS Time Limit for Completion of Graduate Programs .

Academic Standing

Students are required to maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 throughout their graduate program. Failure to maintain the required cumulative GPA will result in a recommendation by the Director of Graduate Studies to GPS that the student be placed on academic probation or required to withdraw.

Exceptions: Clinically-related graduate programs in FoMD have their own minimum GPA requirement to maintain academic standing.

Change of Program: Transferring from MSc to PhD

The recommended timeframe for transferring from an MSc to a PhD program is after 12 months from the start of the graduate program, with a maximum limit of 24 months. See GPS Change of Program  for additional information.

PhD Thesis Proposal and Thesis Proposal Meeting

Students Transferring from an MSc to PhD

Procedure and Requirements

  • Students enrolled in an MSc program wishing to transition to a PhD program without first completing the MSc should inform their Supervisor as early as possible so that a Supervisory Committee can be formed or the composition of the existing Supervisory Committee can be adjusted to match GPS requirements (See GPS Supervisory Committees ).
  • To initiate the transfer process, the student must first obtain approval from their Supervisory Committee typically 1-2 months prior to the desired transfer date.
  • If approval to proceed with the transfer process is granted, the Supervisor schedules a PhD Thesis Proposal Meeting with the Supervisory Committee, at which the student will present and defend their PhD Thesis proposal.
  • The PhD Thesis Proposal follows a defined format:
    • Summary of literature; introduction to the student’s topic; presentation of preliminary results
    • Hypotheses
    • Description of project including methods
  • This document is prepared in consultation with the Supervisor. It focuses on the projected, future research that will form the basis of the PhD thesis work. It should be hypothesis-driven and be supported by the preliminary data generated by the student.
  • The document should not exceed 5 single-spaced pages, excluding figures, tables, and references (See Note).
  • The Thesis proposal must be submitted to the Supervisor, all members of the Supervisory Committee and the Director of Graduate Studies, at least one week before the scheduled meeting.
  • PhD Thesis Proposal Meeting:
    • At the PhD Thesis Proposal Meeting, the student will present their PhD proposal in a brief 20-minute oral presentation that is prepared with the assistance of the Supervisor.
    • The presentation will be followed by a 40-minute question period focused on the proposal.
    • The Committee shall evaluate whether the proposed work is of sufficient novelty, quality and quantity to satisfy the requirements of a PhD.
    • Note that it is common during the question period for Committee members to provide feedback and suggestions to improve the proposal.
    • The Committee will also decide on the suitability of the candidate to advance to the PhD program.
    • Successful completion of this step requires a unanimous positive decision that will be communicated to the student (and Director of Graduate Studies and Graduate Program Administrator) by the Supervisor at the meeting (or within one week of the meeting).
  • Possible Outcomes of the PhD Thesis Proposal Meeting:
    • If the final decision from the Supervisory Committee is positive, the department Graduate Program Administrator will submit the ‘Change of Category’ and ‘Appointment of Supervisor(s) and Supervisory Committee’ forms to GPS. Upon successful transfer, students will be designated as ‘Provisional PhD Students’ and become eligible to take the Candidacy Examination.
    • If the final decision at the PhD Thesis Proposal Meeting is negative, the student and Supervisor will have one opportunity to submit a revised proposal in accordance with the Supervisory Committee recommendations. The timeframe for submission of the revised proposal will be determined by the Director of Graduate Studies in consultation with the Supervisor (the suggested time frame must meet program requirements for time to transfer and for completion of the Candidacy). If the second attempt to transfer to the PhD program is unsuccessful, or if the student decides not to make a second attempt to transfer from the MSc to the PhD program, the student will be given the options to complete an MSc or withdraw from the program.
PhD Direct Admissions

Candidates entering the PhD program directly will prepare a PhD Thesis proposal and have a Thesis Proposal Meeting within the first 18 months of starting their program. This meeting is identical to that described above with the exception that “the Committee will not decide on the suitability of the candidate for the PhD program”. That decision was made upon admission.

Possible Outcomes of the PhD Thesis Proposal Meeting:

  • If the decision from the Supervisory Committee is positive, the student can proceed to take the Candidacy Examination.
  • If the decision on the PhD Thesis Proposal Meeting is negative, the student and supervisor will revise the Thesis Proposal and reconvene a second PhD Thesis Proposal Meeting within a timeframe determined by the Director of Graduate Studies in consultation with the Supervisor (the suggested time frame must meet program requirements for time to completion of the Candidacy). If the decision of the second Thesis Proposal Meeting is also negative, the Supervisory Committee will decide whether a third attempt is warranted. If not, the student will be given the options to transfer to the MSc program or withdraw from the program.
Note: The PhD Thesis Proposal vs the Candidacy Research Proposal

The work proposed in both proposals must be novel and rigorous. However, aside from differences in the format (length, etc.), the two major differences between the PhD Thesis Proposal and the Candidacy Research Proposal are:

  • The work proposed in the Thesis Proposal must be feasible for completion by the student based on the resources and expertise available.
  • The Candidacy Research Proposal is prepared independently by the student.

Doctoral Candidacy Examination

Candidacy Completion Timeline
  • Students entering the PhD program directly or transferring from an MSc to a PhD within the first 18 months must complete the Candidacy Examination within 30 months of starting their graduate program.
  • Students transferring to the PhD between 18-24 months from the start of their graduate program must complete the Candidacy Examination within 36 months of starting their graduate program.
Purpose of the Candidacy Examination

The Candidacy Examination is an important learning opportunity to help students consolidate their understanding and advance their thinking in the subject area related to their research.

The examination is also to establish that the student has:

  • Proficient knowledge of their research subject area.
  • The ability to develop, pursue and complete original scientific research at an advanced level, which requires (in addition to knowledge of the discipline) an understanding of experimental design, critical thinking abilities and communication skills.
Components of the Candidacy Examination
  1. Candidacy Research Proposal

Purpose of the Proposal

The Candidacy Research Proposal aims to:

  • Define a specific research problem or question.
  • Provide appropriate background to explain the rationale for the proposal.
  • Design a series of experiments to answer the question.

The document should propose approximately 4-5 years of graduate student research. To help ensure that the scope of the Proposal is appropriate, the student provides a 1-page Proposal Summary to their Supervisory Committee at the start of the process (See Procedure and Requirements). The Supervisory Committee will assess whether the scope of the Proposal is sufficient and make recommendations if it is not.

The Candidacy Research Proposal is used by the Candidacy Examination Committee (See GPS Size and Composition of Examining Committees ) to evaluate the candidate’s creativity and rigor in thinking about experiments. This includes, but is not limited to assessing the candidate’s: ability to distinguish a good control from a bad control; understanding of the limitations of proposed approaches and how to ameliorate potential limitations; and their ability to identify, build, and defend novel research. The Candidacy Examination Committee also assesses whether the student has the appropriate background to understand the significance of the Proposal in the context of that specific research field.

Topic

The Candidacy Research Proposal should be related to the student’s field of study and PhD Thesis Proposal. The Candidacy Research Proposal can be developed around the focus of the Thesis Proposal, or the Candidacy Research Proposal can be developed entirely de novo (i.e., in the student’s field of study but different from the PhD Thesis Proposal) with the approval of the Supervisory Committee. The key point is that the Candidacy research proposal must include substantial new work. A significant proportion of the proposal should be novel, not part of their own PhD Thesis Proposal or any work ongoing in the lab of their Supervisor or described in grant proposals of the Supervisor.

  1. Oral Presentation

Students are required to complete a 20-minute oral presentation as part of the Candidacy Examination.

  1. Oral Defense

The Oral Defense is a mandatory element of the evaluation process. Examiners will base their questions on content relevant to the Candidacy Research Proposal. Students should anticipate that questions may pertain to any section of their submitted proposal.

Format of the Candidacy Research Proposal

The format for the Candidacy Research Proposal is as follows:

  • A cover page with the title of the proposal, the student’s name, and the date, time, and location of the examination.
  • A 1-page research summary (updated from the original 1-page Proposal Summary submitted for pre-approval). See Procedures, Requirements and Timeline for additional information.
  • The research proposal can be no longer than 10 pages. Up to 5 additional pages can be included for Tables and Figures.
  • A complete list of citations with titles (this is not included within the 10-page limit).

Formatting Guidelines:

  • Use 8.5” x 11” page format.
  • All margins should be set at 2 cm (top, bottom, left, and right).
  • Text should be in single-spaced 12-point Times New Roman font, allowing for 48 lines per page.
  • Condensed fonts or line spacing are not permitted.
  • Page numbers must be clearly displayed at the bottom of each page.
  • Any text exceeding the specified limits will be ignored, except for references.
  • Tables and Figures should be legible when viewed at 100%.
Procedures, Requirements and Timeline
  • The student discusses the approximate timing of the Candidacy Examination with their Supervisor.
  • When ready to begin the Candidacy Examination process, the student meets with the Director of Graduate Studies for their program to review the process and expectations.
  • The Supervisor or Supervisory Committee identifies the University Examiner or Specialized Knowledge Examiner.
  • The Supervisor and the department’s Graduate Program Administrator establish the availability of the Candidacy Examination Committee (See GPS Size and Composition of Examining Committees ) for the various steps in the candidacy process.
  • The Supervisor and the department’s Graduate Program Administrator complete the Candidacy Examination Timeline form, which is then sent to the student, the Candidacy Examination Committee and the Director of Graduate Studies.
  • Seven weeks prior to the date of the Candidacy Examination the student submits a 1-page Proposal Summary to the Director of Graduate Studies and members of the Supervisory Committee for preliminary approval of the topic and scope. The Proposal Summary must include the following:
    • Title.
    • Hypothesis(es) and rationale for the proposed research.
    • Background: Provide a brief overview of background information needed to explain the novelty and importance of the proposed hypothesis.
    • Goal(s)/Research Aims: Describe the overall goal(s), the proposed research and the specific aims that will test the novel hypothesis.
    • Methods/Approaches/Expertise: Provide a brief overview of relevant experimental methodologies and how these will be used to address each of the research aims. It is expected that the student will have knowledge of all of the approaches proposed.
    • Expected Outcomes: Describe the expected outcomes of the proposed research, both in terms of specific experimental outcomes as well as the more general implications of the proposed research, highlighting its significance and how it will advance knowledge.
  • The Supervisory Committee will have 1 week to review the Proposal Summary to determine the suitability of the topic and scope. The Director of Graduate Studies can be consulted as needed.
  • Supervisory Committee decision outcomes:
    • If the 1-page Proposal Summary is approved, the Supervisor/Supervisory Committee will inform the student, the Director of Graduate Studies and the department Graduate Program Administrator. The student has 4 weeks to write the full Candidacy Research Proposal and submit it to the Candidacy Examination Committee.
    • If the Proposal Summary is rejected, the student will be provided with feedback and have the option to modify the Proposal Summary or select a new topic. In either case, the student will have 1 week to submit a revised or new Proposal Summary. The Supervisory Committee will have 1 week to review the revised Proposal Summary. This adds two additional weeks to the process (9 weeks from initial submission of a preliminary 1-page Proposal Summary). Reasons for rejection of a proposed topic include, but are not restricted to, significant overlap with current lab projects, lack of creativity and scope, scientifically unsound ideas, poor experimental design, and substandard writing.
  • On receipt of the Candidacy Research Proposal, the Candidacy Examination Committee will have 2 weeks to review the Proposal and prepare for the examination.
  • The department Graduate Program Administrator will send a ‘Notice of Examining Committee and Examination Date’ form to GPS at least 3 weeks prior to the oral examination.
  • If everything proceeds according to schedule, the entire process (from submission of the initial Proposal Summary to the date of the examination) should take 7 weeks to complete. Scheduling conflicts may cause delays, but every effort should be made to ensure that the process does not extend beyond 9 weeks.
  • Upon successful completion of the Candidacy Examination, students are designated as “PhD Candidates”.

See GPS Doctoral Candidacy Examination  for supplemental information.

Program Core Competencies

Twelve departments in the FoMD offer graduate programs leading to the Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees. Seven additional departments offer graduate programs leading to the Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in the Medical Sciences Graduate Program (MSGP).

Program and course content differ between graduate programs but each program is designed to deliver four core competencies, described below*. The manner in which these core competencies are delivered varies between graduate programs and are described separately for each program (See FoMD Graduate Programs ). All programs are able to require additional courses on an ad hoc, per student basis, to meet the needs of individual students.
*Clinically-related graduate programs, course-based graduate programs, and specializations are excluded as they have a need for high course numbers.

  1. Professional Development and Ethics
    The primary learning objective of this core competency is to provide students with the skills, knowledge, and mindset to fully realize their strengths and potential in all environments. These elements are currently satisfied through the GPS Ethics and Academic Citizenship Requirement  and GPS Professional Development Requirement . However, individual programs can require additional components or offer optional components that complement the GPS requirements. Animal ethics and handling courses are separate, program-specific requirements.
    This core competency is required for MSc and PhD programs.
  2. Communication
    The primary learning objective of this core competency is to ensure students learn how to effectively communicate science in a variety of formats (e.g., seminars/research talks, three-minute thesis, poster presentations). Examples include but are not limited to specific courses (e.g. CELL 671  and CELL 672 ), participation in specified seminar programs or grand rounds (often throughout their degree program), and journal clubs. Individual programs specify how this requirement is satisfied.
    This core competency is required for MSc and PhD programs.
  3. Critical Reading/Thinking
    The primary learning objective of this core competency is to improve critical reading/thinking skills through guided review of current literature in a range of topics related to the research area of the student. Formats include, but are not limited to: small (approximately 10 students), journal-club style graduate courses that often involve multiple professors; reading courses with one (or two) students and one supervisor; research techniques course for PhD students only where the student spends time in another lab to acquire the theoretical and technical expertise to use a technique important in their thesis research.
    MSc students are required to complete a total of 3 units of graduate level coursework from Critical Reading/Thinking and Background Knowledge core competencies. PhD students are required to complete 3 units of graduate level coursework in Critical Reading/Thinking and Background Knowledge core competencies (total 6 units). PhD students entering the program with an MSc in a relevant discipline may only be required to complete 3 units of graduate level coursework, at the discretion of the Director of Graduate Studies in consultation with the Supervisor.
  4. Background Knowledge
    The primary learning objective of this core competency is to improve background knowledge in key areas related to the student’s research.
    MSc students are required to complete a total of 3 units of graduate level coursework from Critical Reading/Thinking and Background Knowledge core competencies. PhD students are required to complete 3 units of graduate level coursework in Critical Reading/Thinking and Background Knowledge core competencies (total 6 units). PhD students entering the program with an MSc in a relevant discipline may only be required to complete 3 units of graduate level coursework, at the discretion of the Director of Graduate Studies in consultation with the Supervisor.