The thesis may be submitted at any time of the year, but candidates are encouraged to have the final examination well in advance of the deadline date for thesis submission. Students should be aware of the deadline schedule, a copy of which may be obtained in the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. and Postdoctoral Studies. Students should discuss their thesis with their Advisors early in their final semester.

As the student writes their thesis, they are expected to be in regular communication with the Advisory committee who will review a draft(s) and recommend revisions. When a draft is completed that the Advisory Committee recommends for examination, the final draft is sent to the members of the Master's Examination Committee and the final oral examination is sheduled.

Each department is expected to establish master’s examination guidelines to assist members of the Examination Committee to follow, as far as possible, a uniform procedure in the evaluation of theses, and in the conduct of oral defenses of the thesis, so that all students are subjected to uniformly fair examinations. Where policy in this calendar appears to conflict with that in departmental guidelines, the policy in this calendar takes precedence.

Following the master's examination the student, if successful, prepares the thesis in final form for its submission to the Assistant VP Graduate Studies(see below). The thesis must include any minor corrections or revisions by the Examination Committee. Approval of the thesis takes the form of a Certificate of Approval, signed by the Examination Committee.

The final oral examination, devoted chiefly to the defence of the thesis, is a departmental examination identified as the master's examination. The Master's Examination Committee normally consists of four members appointed by the Department Chair, as follows:

• A member of the regular graduate faculty or retired faculty with Associated Graduate Faculty status of the department, who is not a member of the Advisory Committee, to act as chair of the master's Examination Committee and to make arrangements therefor;

• A member of the candidate's Advisory Committee (normally, the Advisor);

• A member of the graduate faculty who may be a member of the Advisory Committee;

• A fourth member appointed from among graduate faculty from another department, from the department or from the Advisory Committee, according to departmental and/or examination requirements.

If possible, a graduate faculty member of another department should be included on the Master's Examination Committee.

The examination is open to the public; members of the audience may question the candidate only upon invitation of the Chair of the Examination Committee.

The examination is passed and the thesis approved if there is no more than one negative vote. An abstention is regarded as a negative vote. 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).

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 Graduate Calendar. A brief abstract consisting of no more than 150 words must also be included in the electronic submission. The Certificate of Approval signed by 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.

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, which will also receive the agreement form signed by the student 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 150 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 student prior to the master's examination, to be signed and submitted to the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies immediately after the successful completion of the examination.

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