Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Sciences (Obstetrics and Gynecology)

The general description for the PhD in Medical Sciences– Obstetrics and Gynecology is as presented for all PhD programs in Medical Sciences (see Doctor of Philosophy (Medical Sciences) ).

Program Requirements

Students entering the PhD program after a BSc degree are required to complete a minimum of 6 units in coursework, and a thesis.

Students entering the PhD program after an MSc degree are required to complete a minimum of 3 units in coursework, and a thesis.

Coursework

For students entering after a BSc degree:
- Two 3-unit graded graduate-level courses
For students entering after an MSc degree:
- One 3-unit graded graduate-level course
Additional coursework may be required, depending on the background of the student and the research undertaken
Course(s) selection will be recommended by the supervisory committee in consultation with the student
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. Students are required to prepare and defend a thesis on a topic approved by their supervisor and supervisory committee.

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 package must be approved by the supervisory committee prior to being approved by the MSGP Committee.

Candidacy Exam

Once the PhD proposal package is approved by the MSGP Committee, the candidacy exam should take place within the following 6 months. Falling outside this timeframe would require a written explanation and timeline for submission to be forwarded to the Graduate Coordinator and the MSGP Chair. Failure to meet this timeline may affect a student’s eligibility for the MSGP graduate student awards. The candidacy exam consists of two parts: 1) a written grant proposal related to the student’s thesis topic and 2) an oral examination on the grant proposal that will probe the student’s depth of knowledge in their research area. The student must pass both the written grant proposal and oral examination. In instances where a student fails one or both parts of the candidacy exam, they must consult the department handbook (where the consequences are clearly defined), the Graduate Program Coordinator, and/or their supervisor for direction on how to proceed.

Residency Requirements

PhD students must be registered full-time on campus for a minimum of 36 consecutive months. Residency is cumulative for students who change program category from the MSc to PhD program.

Length of Program

Time to completion depends on the background of the student and on the type of thesis project. A minimum of three years 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.