Degree Completion

 

There are a number of academic and administrative steps involved in the final stages of a degree program. The following descriptions are for a thesis-based degree program. Project- and extended-essay-based programs are either identical or very similar with the exception of the Executive MBA program in which there is no Examining Committee or oral defence; programs in which a final examination is the concluding event have developed procedures specific to their own programs.

The Graduate Regulations [1.9 - 1.11] governing the process will not be reproduced here in their entirety; they may be found in the graduate section of the SFU Calendar. Instead, the steps involved in the process will be detailed, with reference to and occasional citation of the regulations.

 

 

Thesis Preparation

Before beginning the first draft of your thesis, project or extended essays, read the SFU Library's guide to preparing and submitting your thesis. When your thesis is ready for submission, go to Online Registration of Thesis Submission.

Your writing should avoid linguistic devices and constructions that might imply sexual, ethnic or other bias. It is also worth noting that a thesis should be no longer than necessary; verbosity and padding should be avoided.

When the first draft of your thesis is nearing completion, you should consult with your Senior Supervisor and members of the Supervisory Committee about the scheduling of the your oral defence. As noted below, scheduling must be done well in advance of the intended examination date. Please note the deadline for submission of theses to the SFU Library which is given in the academic calendar of events in the SFU Calendar. If this deadline is not met, a late submission fee will be assessed, or registration in the subsequent semester is normally required.

Well in advance of the intended date of defence, the members of the Supervisory Committee should decide on the selection of the other members of the Examining Committee, as described in Preparation for Examinations [1.9] and below.

Reference: Examining Committee (GGR 1.9.1 - 1.9.6)


 

SFU-SGSC Guidelines for Use of a Proofreader in Theses

While the student is ultimately responsible for writing quality and the thesis presentation, the use of a proofreader is acceptable for a thesis or dissertation and the proofreader must be acknowledged in the thesis, either on the acknowledgement page or at the end of a project or extended essay. 

A student’s use of a proofreader should be discussed with the senior supervisor and written approval to use a proofreader must be obtained from the senior supervisor. 

Proofreading is defined as the correction of errors in spelling, grammar and sentence construction, referencing, and punctuation, and may include identifying passages that lack clarity or are poorly written. The proofreader must ‘track the changes’ and make liberal use of comment boxes in any electronic versions of the thesis.

The University expects that academic supervisors of theses will provide discipline-appropriate editorial comments including advice on the form, arrangement, thesis length, referencing, tables, figures, and headings. Supervisors should advise on whether the elements within the thesis are complete and consistent.

Additional reference: The Editor's Association of Canada guidelines and sample agreement form for thesis editing, available at http://www.editors.ca/hire/theses.html.

 

 

Applying to graduate

It is important in the semester in which you intend to graduate that you apply online to do so. Please click here http://www.sfu.ca/convocation/students/howtoapply.html for instructions on how to do this. Please note that information on this website is updated often. If the semester in which you want to graduate is not yet listed, check back in a few weeks.

 

 

Defence

 

1. Documentation

The defence is conducted by the chair of the examining committee. Copies of the thesis abstract are made available to the audience of the defence. Normally, several copies of the approval page of the thesis and the Recommendation for the Award of Degree form are brought to the defence in anticipation of a successful conclusion.

2. Conducting a Defence

The defence is conducted in accordance to [1.10.1] and departmental practice. The chair introduces the student and members of the examining committee and outlines the procedures to be followed. It is normally expected that all members of the supervisory committee, including the senior supervisor, will be in attendance. In most cases, the student presents an outline of the thesis, lasting 20 minutes. This is followed by questions from the examining committee and then, once these are complete, questions from the audience. The examining committee then meets in private to decide on the outcome of the defence, according to the following classifications.

 

3. Classification of the Thesis [1.10.2]

There are four possible outcomes of the thesis defence:

1. The thesis may be passed as submitted.

2. The thesis may be passed on the condition that revisions be completed to the satisfaction of the senior supervisor.

3. The examining committee may defer making judgement if it judges that the thesis could pass after additional work by the candidate.

A thesis upon which judgement is deferred shall come forward for re-examination within a period specified by the examining committee. The examining committee may require formal re-examination under section 1.10.1 or may reach its decision by examination of the revised thesis. The examining committee may not defer judgement a second time.

4. The thesis may be failed. In this case, the candidate is required to withdraw from the University.

The decision of the examining committee is by simple majority vote except that, in the cases of doctoral candidates or candidates enrolled under special arrangements, the classification of the thesis may not be at a higher level than that of the external examiner. A decision to pass the thesis or to defer making judgement may not be reached on a tie vote of the examining committee. If at first a majority vote to pass the thesis cannot be reached, and subsequently, if a majority vote to defer judgement cannot be reached, the thesis will be failed.

Following outcome 3) above, the participation of all members of the original examining committee is required in the re-examination leading to a final decision. The role of the external examiner should normally be limited to providing a critique and suggestions for improvements, at the time of the original defence.

There is sometimes considerable discussion among members of the examining committee of the meaning of 'revisions' in outcome 2) above. Although there is no University-wide definition, some departments have developed their own guidelines. Typically, revisions address deficiencies in spelling, grammar, punctuation and presentation or minor deficiencies in the work itself. If major revisions are required, the decision must be deferred as per outcome 3) above and the thesis re-examined. A second oral examination may not be required, depending on the performance of the candidate in the original defence.

The chair of the examining committee informs the candidate of the decision of the committee as soon as it is taken. If revisions are required, it is helpful for the student to meet with the committee immediately after the defence to discuss them.

If the defence by a student who has been readmitted for one semester to defend a thesis under the terms of [1.12] results in outcome 2) or 3) and time additional to the one semester is required, a one-semester final extension may be granted, on application to the Dean of Graduate Studies; additional tuition will be assessed, normally on the same basis as for students enrolled on an extension of the time limit for degree completion.

References:

 

 

 

Register your thesis, project or extended essays submission online

If you are a graduate student submitting your thesis, project or extended essays, you are required to register your submission online at the SFU Library. If co-authoring a project, each author will need to register the project.

Please click here to submit your information.

 

 

Early Completion Refund

Congratulations! Your thesis/project has been accepted at the library! This is a signficant accomplishment. As of the Fall term 2009 if you have completed your program requirements during the first month of the term you may be eligible for a 75% refund on the tuition portion of your student fees.

Refunds to students in per term fee programs are only made to students who are on continuing fee status. Continuing status refers to per semester students who have paid full fees for six semesters in a masters program or eight semesters in a doctoral program. Students who have reached their time limit and are enrolled on a one semester extension are not on continuing fee status and are not eligible for the 75% refund.

Refunds to students in per credit fee programs are only made to students who are enrolled in a "project completion" course.

Please note: If you do not pay your tuition fees per the "outstanding fees" schedule applicable to the semester you will be liable for interest regardless if you expect a refund later in the semester.

If you are eligible for a refund, you may expect this refund to be credited to your account by the end of the second month of the term.

In order to claim the refund, you must ask for a refund cheque to be sent to you. Instructions for this are available at: http://students.sfu.ca/fees/refunds.html