1. PhD Program Requirements
12 credits of course work (normally completed within first 12 months)
Attend at least 50% of the Department Research Seminars (within first 12 months) organized by MIE Graduate Student Committee
Comprehensive exam (normally completed within 6 months and not more than 12 months of entering program)
Proposal exam (must be completed within 18 months of entering program)
PhD seminar (6 months to 1 year after proposal)
Thesis defence (preferably within 4 years)
September 2014
ALI DOLATABADI
Fall WEN-FANG XIE

2. Course work
Must include 8 credits of engineering courses, other 4 credits can be from another area such as pure sciences (needs approval)
May take 4 to 6 credits at other universities in Montreal
Completion can be extended to second year of study in the case of a course that is offered only every two years….comprehensive exam must still be completed within 12 months
September 2014
ALI DOLATABADI
Fall WEN-FANG XIE

3. Comprehensive exam
Goal: to assess your research skill and background knowledge in engineering
Literature Review component (administered by the Department Graduate Studies Committee DGSC)
Oral component (administered by your advisory committee)
September 2014
ALI DOLATABADI
Fall WEN-FANG XIE

4. Literature Review Comprehensive Exam
At least three Key Journal Papers and written statement of research area (supervisor(s)) to start with —Beginning of October,
First two seminars will be given in the month of October
1. Writing Critical Literature Reviews –
Thursday, October 16, 2014
2. Library Research Resources –
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Literature Review reports (10-15 pages)
September 2014
ALI DOLATABADI
Fall WEN-FANG XIE

5. Oral Exam
Oral exam of the literature review will be given by the supervisory committee
Student will give minutes presentation including 2-3 minutes of Academic biography and 8-12 minutes of literature review results
Committee might ask questions about the content of review paper and fundamental topics related to the literature review
September 2014
ALI DOLATABADI
Fall WEN-FANG XIE

6. Outcome of oral exam Pass
-Pass with conditions (such as a requirement to take a course or revise the review paper).
-Fail. If the student fails, they will have to repeat the entire process in the next semester.
September 2014
ALI DOLATABADI
Fall WEN-FANG XIE

7. Proposal
Goal: To assess if you have a clear and feasible plan for your research which must be of scholarly level
It is not written in stone. It is normal that the actual research that you do differs from the proposal….but
it must be specific and well thought out
Components: written document max.15 pages + 5 pages Annex on the progress to date
September 2014
ALI DOLATABADI
Fall WEN-FANG XIE

8. Contents of your proposal
Introduction, background information (i.e. definitions or explanations of specific ideas and theories)
A critical review of the previous works relevant to the topic of your dissertation research;
Scope and objectives of the dissertation research;
Detailed research plan and methodology and expected milestones
Results attained thus far, if any.
September 2014
ALI DOLATABADI
Fall WEN-FANG XIE

9. Potential outcomes of the proposal exam
Proposal accepted: continue in program
Proposal returned for revisions: Specific deadline to address the problems identified by the advisory committee is set. A new document must be prepared and a second defense is held.
Proposal rejected: out of the program
September 2014
ALI DOLATABADI
Fall WEN-FANG XIE

10. ENCS 8011 PhD Seminar Purpose Components
To develop scientific communication skills
To assess progress in research
Extended abstract
Presentation
Audience Participation
Components
Your thesis committee will be invited to attend your presentation to asses your progress.
September 2014
ALI DOLATABADI
Fall WEN-FANG XIE

11. Journal Publications
While not currently an official requirement for graduation they are extremely important in terms of proving the worth of your contributions
Target the top journals in your area…..this will provide a solid foundation for your future scientific reputation
A PhD student should produce a minimum of 2 journal articles during his/her PhD
September 2014
ALI DOLATABADI
Fall WEN-FANG XIE

12. Thesis Must contain novel research of scholarly calibre
Must be professionally written
Results and new ideas must be backed up by solid scientific analysis
Must be comprehensive but….longer is not necessarily better
You must be able to defend every single statement in that document
September 2014
ALI DOLATABADI
Fall WEN-FANG XIE

13. Thesis defense
Short presentation summarizing the most important aspects of your work
You will be questioned by your advisory committee and an external examiner
Outcomes:
Accepted with minor revisions
Accepted with major revisions
Rejected
If the thesis is rejected you have only 1 chance to submit a revised thesis
September 2014
ALI DOLATABADI
Fall WEN-FANG XIE

14. Student Responsibilities
Academic Integrity:
Academic Code of Conduct:
Research Ethics:
September 2014
ALI DOLATABADI
Fall WEN-FANG XIE

15. Communication skills
September 2014
ALI DOLATABADI