University of Windsor - Graduate Calendar, 1998-2000

Graduates of recognized colleges or universities may be admitted to programs leading to the Master's degree. A student with an honours Bachelor's degree or its equivalent, with standing at least in the B range overall and in both the final two years of study and the major subject, may be admitted to a one-year Master's program (II Master's Candidate). A student with a general Bachelor's degree, with standing at least in the B range overall and in the final year of study and the major subject, may be admitted to a two-year Master's program (I Master's Qualifying followed by II Master's Candidate). A student holding an honours degree in another discipline may also be admitted to a two-year Master's program (II Master's Candidate) provided he or she has sufficient related credits and meets all other requirements for admission.

Applicants are urged to apply as early as possible to enable the program and the College of Graduate Studies and Research to evaluate qualifications.

Possession of the minimum requirements does not ensure acceptance.

Candidacy: A student in a one- or two-year II Master's Candidate program is also a candidate for the Master's degree. Students in the two-year I Master's Qualifying followed by II Master's Candidate program are not admitted to candidacy until they have satisfactorily completed the I Master's Qualifying program. A positive recommendation from a program and approval of that recommendation are required for a student to proceed to the II Master's Candidate program.

1.6.2 PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

Residence: Residence requirements are intended to provide for each student an adequate contact with the University, with the faculty in the field of specialization, and with the library, laboratories, and other facilities for graduate study and research. It is expected, therefore, that every student in a program leading to the Master's degree will undertake a full program of study for a minimum of one calendar year or its equivalent. Application and interpretation of the residence requirement is the responsibility of the Executive Dean of Graduate Studies and Research. If a student does not expect to fulfil the residence requirement in the normal way, reasons for departing from the norm should be submitted in writing to the Executive Dean and approval secured for the plan before beginning the graduate program. See also the section on "Duration of Study" below.

The residency requirement is not intended to apply to students admitted to graduate programs on a part-time basis.

Duration of Study: The normal minimum duration of study for the Master's degree is one calendar year beyond the honours Bachelor's degree, or its equivalent. Credit for no more than one-half of the required courses for program taken at another university may be given at the discretion of the College of Graduate Studies and Research, upon the recommendation of the program coordinator.

Time Limit: Work on a Master's degree must be completed within three consecutive calendar years after the student's first registration, except for certain Master's programs available on a part-time basis. In these latter programs, the time limit will depend on the nature of the program, but will not generally exceed five consecutive years. Please consult individual program regulations for information concerning the time limit given on a part-time basis.

If an extension of these time limits becomes necessary, the student should address a petition to the Executive Dean of Graduate Studies and Research giving reasons for the request and plans for the completion of the work. A student who exceeds the time limit may be required to take additional qualifying examinations or additional course work, or both.

Course of Study: Course requirements are specified in the program listings. Planning and direction of the student's course of study are the responsibility of the program coordinator or a designated advisor. A specific program of study should be worked out at the time of the student's first registration, in consultation with the program coordinator or an advisor. Students are directed to obtain the approval of the program coordinator or designated advisor for changes in the program of study.
Training in methodology may be required, at the discretion of the program. Students working toward the Master's degree must maintain at least a B- average in all course work. A candidate for the Master's degree who does not obtain graduate credit in any course may repeat the course once only, and not more than one course may be repeated. Normally, graduate credit will be given only for A or B standing in a course. Concerning credit for C grades, see 1.4.3. Letter grades or Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory may be assigned for theses and major papers, depending on individual program policy.

After consultation between student and professor and authorization by the latter's program coordinator, a graduate course may be recorded as INC (Incomplete) when:

1) the student has completed the class work but is unable to take the end of course examination because of illness or other acceptable reason, or

2)
(a) the student is unable to complete the work for the course because of illness or other acceptable reason, and
(b) the student has done satisfactory work in the course, and
(c) in the opinion of the professor, the student can complete the normally required work in the course without repeating the course in class.

Committees: Research undertaken as part of a Master's program is normally directed and supervised by a Master's committee. The program coordinator will recommend the appointment of members of the doctoral committee, whose appointments must be approved by the Executive Committee of the College Council of Graduate Studies and Research.

The Master's committee will include as a minimum the chief advisor from the program, and two other University of Windsor faculty members, one of whom shall belong to a program other than the one in which the student is obtaining the degree. Additional members may be added with the approval of the program coordinator and the Executive Committee of the College of Graduate Studies and Research. The member(s) from outside the program need not participate in the direction of research but shall contribute a judgment on its completion.

The Master's committee is also charged with conduct of the final examination of the Master's candidate (see below).

If the research involves human ethics, animal care, or biohazards, the supervisor of the thesis is responsible for obtaining prior approval from the respective committees governing the above topics. (Consult the Office of Research Services.)

1.6.3 THESIS OR MAJOR PAPER

A thesis incorporating the results of an investigation in the field of the major subject may be required of candidates for the Master's degree.

Candidates for some Master's programs may choose, instead of the course of study including a thesis, a program requiring additional course work and/or the submission of a major paper or project on which there will be a final evaluation. The regulations of individual programs should be consulted for details of their thesis or major paper requirements. Letter grades or Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory may be assigned for theses and major papers, depending on program policy.
With the exception of the general format prescribed in the style manual cited below, regulations concerning full library binding, copyright application, and microfilming by the National Library do not apply for the candidate who has elected the major paper program. One copy of the major paper may be required for library deposit by the academic unit. Major papers are available to library users for examination in the Reserve Reading Area of the Leddy Library.

Although in some cases it may be acceptable for more than one candidate to make use of a common set of data or research findings, each candidate is responsible for a single-authored thesis/major paper.

Not later than one month after registration in the student's final year, the candidate will be required to validate a document supplied by the academic unit, a Copyright License, authorizing the University to make a single copy of the prospective thesis, or substantial parts of it, at any given time at the request of a library user at this University or a library user at another university for actual cost of reproduction only.

The regulations of individual programs should be consulted for details of their procedures. The general format is prescribed in Procedures to Follow in Preparing a Thesis or Dissertation, which may be obtained from the Assistant to the Executive Dean. Within the thesis, the student should use forms approved for scholarly publication in the field of specialization and approved by the program coordinator. Final checking of the general format of the thesis is the responsibility of the Office of Graduate Studies and Research, but the student should consult the Master's committee for instructions as to the internal form of the thesis.

Copies of the Master's thesis must be provided to all members of the Master's committee and one copy to the Office of Graduate Studies and Research, for the use of the chair of the defense, at least two weeks before the expected date of defense. Students are advised to ascertain from the academic unit any prior deadline established by the unit. No changes may be made to the Master's committee between these deadline dates and the defense except under the most extraordinary circumstances and with the approval of the Executive Committee of Graduate Studies and Research. The oral presentation should be completed at least three weeks prior to the Convocation at which the candidate expects to receive the degree.

No later than eight days before a proposed defense a Master's committee shall notify the Office of Graduate Studies and Research that a notice of defense is to be posted. The chair of a Master's defense will be a member of graduate faculty who has not served on the candidate's Master's Committee, and who is appointed by the Executive Dean of Graduate Studies and Research upon the recommendation of the program coordinator at the time the defense is publicly announced. The chair is non-voting. The general audience may remain until the defense is completed and the committee begins its deliberations on the outcome. These deliberations are held in camera.

The minimum basis for acceptance of a Master's thesis is positive unanimity by the examining committee less one vote. Unless an examining committee is unanimously negative, a candidate may resubmit the thesis once, after a minimum period of three months and before a maximum period of twelve months. The second decision shall be final.

Three copies of the corrected thesis must be deposited in the Office of Graduate Studies and Research for transmission to the Leddy Library at least two weeks prior to Convocation.

The candidate must also submit at this time three copies of an abstract of no more than 150 words and three copies of a vita, which will be bound with the thesis. The abstract will be published in Masters Abstracts International. The title page of the thesis, or a separate page immediately following the title page, must bear the Universal Copyright Convention symbol ©, the full name of the author, and the year the Master's degree was granted. Arrangements for binding the thesis and payment of fees connected with binding and microfilming should be made with the Assistant to the Executive Dean. At such time as the program coordinator gives approval, the Office of Graduate Studies and Research will transmit the original copy of the thesis to the National Library, accompanied by Form NL/BN91, supplied by the Office and validated by the candidate, which authorizes the National Library to produce single microform copies for a nominal sum to cover costs, in response to a written request from an individual, a research institute, or a library.

If approved, the physical thesis becomes the property of the University. Two copies, the original (after return from the National Library) and one other, will be filed in the Leddy Library, and a third (or two copies) in the academic unit.

Thesis/Major Paper Requirements Synopsis

1) Thesis format must be as prescribed by Procedures to Follow in Preparing a Thesis or Dissertation.

2) Copies of the thesis for Master's degree must be provided to all committee members, and one copy to the Office of Graduate Studies and Research at least three weeks before the oral presentation prior to the Convocation at which the candidate has applied to receive the degree.

3) Copies of the abstract (no more than 150 words) and of the vita are to be filed, one to be bound with each copy of the Thesis.

4) Public notice of the defense must be received in the Office of Graduate Studies and Research at least eight days in advance.

5) Following successful defense, the candidate will deposit all copies of the thesis, abstract, and vitain the Office of Graduate Studies and Research for binding and distribution (two for the Leddy Library, and one or two for the program).

6) The candidate will validate Form NL/BN91, supplied by the Office of Graduate Studies and Research, authorizing the National Library to produce single microform copies. The title page of the thesis, or a separate page following, must bear the Universal Copyright Convention symbol ©, full name of author, and year the Master's degree was granted.

7) Copyright application and microproduction by the National Library do not apply for the major paper program. One copy may be required for library deposit, the type of binding to be specified by the program. Major papers are available to library users for examination in the Reserve Reading Area of the Leddy Library.

8) Fees for the above are to be paid at the time of deposit of the thesis or major paper in the Office of Graduate Studies and Research.

Examinations: In addition to the usual examinations on course work, there are three types of special examinations in the program leading to the Master's degree:

1) Qualifying Examinations: A qualifying examination is one in which the student is asked to demonstrate a reasonable mastery of the fundamentals in the major subject; it is designed to test the student's preparation for advanced graduate work. If such an examination is required, it must be administered and passed before the student registers for the final year of Master's work.

2) Comprehensive Examinations: The comprehensive examination is one in which the student is asked to demonstrate a reasonable mastery of the field of specialization; it is designed to test the student's command of knowledge and ability to integrate that knowledge, after completion of all or most of the graduate course work. Normally, this examination is written at the end of the student's final year of study for the Master's degree.

3) Final Examinations: Traditionally, the final examination of a candidate for a Master's degree is an oral defense of the thesis or major paper. A program may, however, permit as a substitute for this oral examination an open seminar to be conducted by the candidate for graduate students and faculty in the program on the subject of the research.

©1997 University of Windsor
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