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Candidacy Examination Committee
Candidacy Examination Committee
At least four weeks prior to the commencement of the Candidacy Examinations, the supervisor must submit the composition of the Candidacy Committee to the Graduate Program Office. Candidacy Committees must be approved by the FGSR and it is essential to obtain this approval prior to starting the Candidacy Examination process. If there is any doubt regarding the composition of the Committee or the eligibility of any potential member, the supervisor must discuss the matter with the Associate Dean well in advance of planning the examination.
The examination committee consists of:
The examining committee consists of the ex-officio examiners and either one university examiner or one specialized knowledge examiner.
When deemed necessary by the supervisor, one additional university examiner or specialized knowledge examiner may be appointed to the examining committee. In such cases, the examining committee consists of the ex-officio examiners and either two university examiners or one university examiner and one specialized knowledge examiner.
The examining committee does not normally include an external examiner. However, when deemed necessary by the supervisor, an external examiner may be appointed to the committee. In this case, the external examiner replaces a university examiner or a specialized knowledge examiner.
At least half of the examiners must hold a doctoral degree (see above).
The chair is not an examiner. The chair is a faculty member in the student’s home department or with experience chairing doctoral examinations
The authority for the appointment of doctoral candidacy examining committees rests with the department.
Teleconferencing may now be used for any member of the examination committee, the chair, and the student. In the event that an examiner is participating by distance and the communication connection is lost, the examination will be stopped until the connection is restored. If the connection cannot be restored within a reasonable time and that examiner’s participation is required to meet the examiner requirements specified in the Final Doctoral Examination Preliminary Acceptance of the PhD Thesis, the examination must be adjourned.
The Chair must complete a report on the outcome of the Candidacy Examination which is submitted to the Graduate Program Office. A completed copy of the Working Agreement must be placed in the student's file following the Candidacy Examination.
The examination shall be under the direction of the Examining Committee.
Refer to the FGSR’s Examining Committee Membership Checklist for further information: https://www.ualberta.ca/graduate-studies/about/resources-for-faculty-and-staff/resources-for-graduate-coordinators
Final Examination Committee
Final Examination Committee
The results of the candidate's research shall be presented in a thesis satisfying the general requirements of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research. The material must be of sufficient merit to meet the standards of reputable scholarly publications.
Committee Composition and Scheduling of Final Examination
The examination committee consists of:
The examining committee consists of the ex-officio examiners, one external examiner, and either one university examiner or one specialized knowledge examiner.
At least half of the examiners must hold a doctoral degree or higher (see above).
The chair is not an examiner. The chair is a faculty member in the student’s home department or with experience chairing doctoral examinations.
The authority for the appointment of final examining committees rests with the Dean of the department’s Faculty [unless delegated to the department].
Teleconferencing may now be used for any member of the examination committee, the chair, and the student. In the event that an examiner is participating by distance and the communication connection is lost, the examination will be stopped until the connection is restored. If the connection cannot be restored within a reasonable time and that examiner’s participation is required to meet the examiner requirements specified in the Final Doctoral Examination Preliminary Acceptance of the PhD Thesis, the examination must be adjourned.
At least four weeks prior to the expected date of the final examination the supervisor must submit the composition of the Examining Committee and details of the final examination arrangements to the Graduate Program Office. Committee composition and examination arrangements must be approved by the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research.
As in the case of the Candidacy Oral Examination, the examining committee must be chaired by a full-time staff member. The committee chair is not an examiner for doctoral examinations. The chair should not have real or apparent conflict of interest with the student or any of the examiners. Refer to the Committee Membership Checklist on FGSR's website for further information: https://www.ualberta.ca/graduate-studies/about/resources-for-faculty-and- staff/resources-for-graduate-coordinators
External Examiner
External Examiner
NOTE: The external reader has been eliminated as an equivalent option to external examiners. In order to encourage supervisors and programs to provide students with an opportunity for live engagement with experts in their field whenever possible. The new policy preserves the option for external examiners to participate without attending the exam only when virtual or in-person attendance is truly impossible for medical, technological, or geographic reasons.
At least three months prior to the expected final examination, the supervisor, in consultation with the Supervisory Committee and the student, should nominate an external examiner. The supervisor must provide the name and contact information of the nominee and a current CV to the Graduate Program Office. The external examiner must be a professor from another University, must be a recognized expert in the field of research and must have had previous experience as a supervisor of doctoral students and participate in doctoral examinations. The nominee must have no previous relationship with either the student or the supervisor that could be perceived as conflict of interest (see FGSR Graduate Program Manual for further details). The external examiner must be approved by the Associate Dean (Graduate).
In the event that an examiner is participating by distance and the communication connection is lost, the examination will be stopped until the connection is restored. If the connection cannot be restored within a reasonable time and that examiner’s participation is required to meet the examiner requirements specified in Appendix G, the examination must be adjourned.
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