Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Sciences (Paediatrics)

Program Requirements

Students in the PhD program are required to complete a minimum of 12 units in coursework at the 500 level (or higher) and a thesis.

In the case of a transfer to the Ph.D. Program following acceptance into our M.Sc. program, a minimum of 3 units beyond the requirements for the M.Sc. degree (9 units) must be completed for a minimum total of 12 units.
A minimum of 6 units is required when the applicant already holds an M.Sc. degree in a relevant discipline from a recognized institution.

Required courses:

PAED 600 (3 units)
3 units in graded graduate-level courses according to the area of concentration and based on recommendations from the supervisor and the supervisory committee.
Students entering the PhD program after a BSc degree are required to complete an additional 6 units in graded graduate-level courses.
Specific courses required for the Ph.D. degree that have been taken to satisfy the requirements of a previous degree can be substituted with another course at the same level, subject to recommendation by the supervisor and supervisory committee, and the approval by the Department’s Graduate Advisory Committee.
In all cases, additional courses as deemed appropriate by the student’s Supervisory Committee, may be taken with the approval of the Department’s Graduate Advisory Committee, up to a maximum of 12 units.
Students in the Maternal and Child Health (MatCH) scholarship program are also admitted to the Graduate Embedded Certificate in Maternal and Child Health Research. See Medical Sciences for the program requirements and the MatCH website for more information on the program.

Thesis

Registration in 900-level THES

PhD Proposal

All PhD students must submit a PhD Proposal Package to the Medical Sciences Graduate Program (MSGP) committee within 24 months of the start of the graduate program. The proposal must be approved prior to the candidacy exam.

Candidacy Exam

Once the PhD proposal is approved, the candidacy exam should take place within the following 6 months.

Ethics and Academic Citizenship Requirement

As of Sept 1, 2022, PhD students must complete INT D 710 and INT D 720 to satisfy the Ethics and Academic Citizenship Requirement by the end of the first term of registration in their degree program.

PhD students who have taken INT D 710 as part of an MSc at the University of Alberta need only take INT D 720 to satisfy this requirement for their PhD degree (i.e., they do not have to retake INT D 710).

Residence Requirement

PhD students must be registered full-time on campus for a minimum of 24 consecutive months.

Length of Program

Time to completion depends on the background of the student and on the type of thesis project. A minimum of 36 months is required to complete the PhD degree.

The maximum time to complete the PhD program as set by the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research is six years.