Admission

• The normal basis for admission to DVSc studies as a regular or a provisional student is a DVM or equivalent degree which would allow the applicant to be eligible for licence to practice veterinary medicine in Ontario. The applicant must have achieved high academic standing as set out in the Admission Requirements. If a student enrolled in the graduate diploma program achieves a superior record and shows a particular aptitude for applied studies, the Board of Graduate Studies, on recommendation of the Interdepartmental DVSc Program Committee may authorize transfer to the DVSc program effective in the following semester. The recommendation must be made no later than the end of the second semester.
• An alternative basis for admission is a DVM or equivalent degree plus either an acceptable graduate diploma or an acceptable MSc degree or PhD degree, with a 'B' average. Students so admitted may be granted credit for two semesters in the DVSc program.

Minimum Duration

At least nine semesters of full-time study must be devoted to the doctoral program. Credit may be allowed for up to two semesters of previous graduate study as indicated above. For a student registered part-time, the minimum duration period is eighteen part-time semesters.

Completion

Normally, a thesis must be formally submitted (see Submission of Thesis) or the program otherwise completed, within nine semesters (Program Duration). Candidates must understand, however, that announced departmental policy may require completion of the degree requirements within a briefer time period.

Advising

Advisory Committee

This committee will consist of no fewer than three members of the graduate faculty. The graduate student normally participates in their selection. At least one of the committee members must be in a department outside the one in which the student is registered. The committee chair is normally the Advisor of the student's program and is nominated by the Department Chair. The Advisory Committee must be established and the Advisory Committee Appointment form submitted to the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies not later than the 20th class day of the student's second registered semester.

Interdepartmental DVSc Program Committee

This Program Committee, appointed by the Board of Graduate Studies, will consist of one member of the graduate faculty in each of the departments involved, and will be chaired by the Dean of the Ontario Veterinary College or a designate. The program committee will review and make recommendations to the Assistant Vice-President (Graduate Studies) upon all applications for admission; it will review the proposed program of study and the semester evaluation reports of each student (see Department Review); and it will determine the membership of each Qualifying Examination committee. The Program Committee may specify regulations in addition to those set out here, and will be responsible for publicizing them in each department, where the student is responsible for seeking out this information.

Courses

The DVSc degree is an advanced applied degree which requires the acquisition of applied skills and in-service training, and the submission of a thesis based on research investigations in an applied area. Depending upon the background of the individual student, the proportion of time devoted to investigational work normally will be no less than one-third of the total.

Prescribed Studies

The program committee may designate certain courses be taken as part of the student's background in the disciplinary area of specialization. Other courses may be designated because of the relationship to in-service training and applied skills. Such substantive courses comprise the prescribed courses in which the candidate must achieve an overall weighted average of at least ‘B-' standing (see Establishment of Program and Prescribed Studies). At least 2.5 credits of prescribed courses must be completed, of which no more than 1.0 credits may be in Special Topics courses. Students who are granted credit for previous graduate study may, with the approval of the DVSc Program Committee and the Assistant Vice-President (Graduate Studies), have the credits from prescribed courses reduced to no fewer than 2.0.

Additional Courses

In addition to the prescribed courses, the student may complete ancillary courses supportive of the discipline and specialty fields.

Program of Study

The program of study will involve course work and research work on a problem with applied aspects. The total program, including the research proposal, should be formulated as early as possible, but in no case later than the end of the second semester. Prepared in consultation with the Advisory Committee, the program is subject to the approval of the Program Committee and, ultimately, the Assistant Vice-President (Graduate Studies). If it is necessary for any part of the program to be conducted off-campus, the arrangements are subject to the prior approval of the Program Committee and the Assistant Vice-President (Graduate Studies).

Each semester, the student's Advisory Committee prepares a written evaluation of the student's performance in course work and of progress in applied skills. The evaluation will be discussed with the student before it is sent to the Program Committee. If the student fails to make satisfactory progress, the Program Committee may recommend to the Board of Graduate Studies that the student be required to withdraw (see Cancellation of Registration).

Qualifying Examination

Prior to the end of the sixth semester, the student is required to pass a Qualifying Examination to assess their overall ability in the selected area of specialization. The examination will be in two parts (one written, one oral), and will normally be completed within a two-week period. Upon satisfactory completion of the examination, the student is deemed to have met the departmental standards and becomes a candidate for the DVSc degree.

The Qualifying Examination is an examination by the academic unit in which the student is enrolled and the Examination Committee is appointed by the departmental Graduate Program Coordinator. The examination is conducted by a committee consisting of five members, as follows:

• The Departmental Graduate Program Coordinator of the Program Committee, who acts as chair of the Examination Committee except when this person is also a member of the advisory committee. In that event, the Chair will designate another member of the regular graduate faculty of the unit to chair the examination;
• Two members, normally of the regular or associated graduate faculty who are not members of the Advisory Committee, at least one of whom must be a member of the department in which the student is registered;
• Two members of the Advisory Committee.

Note:

• The Chair serves to administer and ensure the proper conduct of the examination. The Chair is expected to exercise full control over the proceedings and does not participate directly in questioning the candidate during the examination. In unforeseen circumstances where an examiner is unable to attend due to sudden illness, accident, etc., the Chair will attempt to receive questions to ask on behalf of the absent member, to be answered by the student to the satisfaction of the examiners.

The Qualifying Examination will primarily assess the student's knowledge of the area of specialization, the basic sciences supporting this area, and to a lesser extent, the student's area of research. The student's general ability to integrate and apply this knowledge is also assessed. In addition, the Examination Committee will take into account a written submission from the student's Advisory Committee evaluating the quality of the student's applied skills and performance to date in the program.

The student is deemed to have passed the Qualifying Examination if not more than one of the examiners votes negatively. An abstention is regarded as a negative vote. The results of the Qualifying Examination will be reported to the Assistant Vice-President (Graduate Studies) through the Chair of the Program Committee. The report to the Assistant VP will record the decision as unsatisfactory or satisfactory. If unsatisfactory, the student may be given a second attempt at the examination. A student who fails the Qualifying Examination and who is being given a second opportunity to pass the examination will be required to repeat it no later than six months after the failed attempt. Academic units may impose a shorter time limit. A second unsatisfactory constitutes a recommendation to the Board of Graduate Studies that the student be required to withdraw (see Unsatisfactory Progress and Appeals of Decision).

Thesis

Each candidate shall prepare a thesis on the approved research project. Students should register for UNIV*7500 Research/Writing in each semester that they are working towards their thesis and/or are not taking any other courses for which an active section exists. The thesis is expected to be a significant contribution to knowledge in its field and the candidate must indicate in what ways it is a contribution. The thesis must demonstrate mature scholarship and critical judgement on the part of the candidate and it must indicate an ability to communicate in writing in a satisfactory style.

The thesis will be based on the research project carried out in the DVSc program. Like all theses, it will contain a detailed critical review of the pertinent theoretical and empirical literature and place the work in the context of existing knowledge in the field. The hypotheses, research design, results, and discussion of the results will be presented in normal thesis format as approved by the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

External Examiner

For each doctoral thesis an External Examiner from outside the university is appointed on behalf of the Assistant Vice-President (Graduate Studies) by the Graduate Program Coordinator, in consultation with the Advisor. The External Examiner must not have served as Advisor to the student’s Advisor or have been a trainee of the Advisor in the last six years, must not have directly collaborated in joint projects or co-authored publications with the Advisor or the student in the last six years, and must not have an existing plan to collaborate with the Advisor or the student. In addition, the External Examiner must not have been a student or member of the graduate faculty at the University in the last five years. The nomination will be made when the candidate's Advisor declares that the thesis is about to be prepared, normally no later than the beginning of the student's last semester. The External Examiner will submit a written appraisal of the thesis (at least seven days prior to the examination) to the Chair of the department who will then provide these comments to the candidate and the Advisory Committee. The External Examiner is expected to participate in the final oral examination and to assist in evaluating all aspects of the candidate's performance. Any individual who serves as an External Examiner may not serve again until a period of 3 years has passed.

Procedures

The thesis may be submitted at any time of the year, but candidates are advised to allow ample time for revision and examination. A copy of the schedule of deadlines should be obtained from the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies by the candidate no later than the beginning of the semester in which the candidate intends to graduate.

It is understood that, as the thesis is being written, the candidate will be in regular communication with the Advisory Committee. When a draft is completed that the Advisory Committee recommends for examination, the candidate, with the endorsement of the departmental Chair, formally requests an examination. A copy of the final draft is then sent to the External Examiner as fair copy of the thesis. Arrangements for the final oral examinations are made. It is understood that as a result of the final oral examination corrections may be necessary to produce a revised final draft of the thesis.

Final Oral Examination

The final examination is devoted chiefly, but not necessarily entirely, to the defence of the thesis. It is a faculty (as distinct from a departmental) examination, for which the arrangements are made by the department and the college on behalf of the faculty in consultation with the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

The examination is conducted by a committee consisting of five members, as follows:

• A member of the regular graduate faculty who is not a member of the Advisory Committee appointed to act as Chair by the Department Chair on behalf of the Assistant Vice-President (Graduate Studies);
• The External Examiner;
• A member of the regular graduate faculty who is not a member of the Advisory Committee, selected by the Department Chair;
• Two members of the student's Advisory Committee, selected by the Advisory Committee.

Note:

• The Chair serves to administer and ensure the proper conduct of the examination. The Chair is expected to exercise full control over the proceedings and does not participate directly in questioning the candidate during the examination. In unforeseen circumstances where an examiner is unable to attend due to sudden illness, accident, etc., the Chair will attempt to receive questions to ask on behalf of the absent member, to be answered by the student to the satisfaction of the examiners.

The Assistant Vice-President (Graduate Studies), or a designate, may attend part or all of the examination. The examination is open to the public and members of the audience may question the candidate only upon invitation of the Chair of the Examination Committee.

The members of the Examination Committee, including the External Examiner, report individually on the final examination and the thesis. The candidate is deemed to have passed if no more than one of the four examiners votes negatively. An abstention is regarded as a negative vote. Concurrently, the members sign the Certificate of Approval, which is submitted with the approved thesis in its final form to the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (see Submission of Thesis). The report to the Assistant Vice-President (Graduate Studies) will record the decision as unsatisfactory or satisfactory. If unsatisfactory, the candidate may be given a second attempt. A second unsatisfactory result constitutes a recommendation to the Board of Graduate Studies that the student be required to withdraw (see Unsatisfactory Progress and Appeals of Decisions).

Copies of Thesis

One electronic (.pdf) copy of the certified thesis must be submitted to the Atrium by the thesis submission deadline date shown in the Schedule of Dates in the calendar. Also included in the electronic submission must be a copy of an abstract consisting of no more than 350 words. The Certificate of Approval signed by the External Examiner and the members of the Examination Committee, a copy of the circulation waiver and the copying license must also be submitted to the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Departments may have a requirement to submit a bound copy of the thesis.

Publication

The Certificate of Approval indicates that the thesis is suitable for publication. The university requires publication of the thesis in the following manner:

One electronic copy of the thesis is uploaded by the National Library of Canada, and the agreement form signed by the candidate authorizing the National Library to publish the thesis and to make copies available for sale on request. The National Library will upload the thesis exactly as it is and will list the thesis in Theses Canada as a publication of the National Library.

An abstract of not more than 350 words, prepared by the author and approved by the Advisor and submitted as part of the electronic thesis submission, is also uploaded by the National Library.

The National Library's Theses Non-Exclusive License will be sent to the candidate prior to the final oral examination, to be signed and submitted to the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies immediately after the successful completion of the examination.

The candidate, in consultation with the Advisor and the department Chair, shall have the right to request that circulation and/or copying of the thesis in any form be withheld for up to one year.

Publication in the above manner does not preclude publication of all or part of the thesis in journals or in book form.

Departmental Regulations

Individual programs may have specified regulations in addition to those described in this calendar. The student is responsible for consulting the program concerning any such regulations. University regulations, as specified herein, take precedence and may not be overruled by any program regulations.