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PhD Curriculum | PhD Examinations | PhD Comprehensive Examination | PhD Proposal Seminar | Supervisory Committee
Ph.D. Curriculum
Students with a Master's degree in Atmospheric Science (Meteorology) or Physical Oceanography normally register at the PhDII level when entering the program. The minimum course requirements are given below.
Compulsory
TWO courses approved by the research supervisor and the Departmental Chair
The two additional courses may be waived by the Chair for students whose prior experience or achievements give clear evidence that the additional courses are unnecessary. And, PhD students are required to give at least one seminar per year in the Seminar Series ATOC 751D1 Seminar:Physical Meteorology and ATOC 751D2 Seminar:Physical Meteorology or ATOC 752D1 Atmos,Ocean & Climate Dynamics ; and ATOC 752D2 Atmos,Ocean & Climate Dynamics whether or not they have registered in one of these courses. Also, their thesis proposal is presented at one of these seminars in order to satisfy the requirements of ATOC 700 Ph.D. Proposal Seminar .
Students without a Master's degree in Atmospheric Science (Meteorology) or Physical Oceanography register at the PhD I level when entering the program. The first year is then devoted mainly to course work and is usually identical to the MSc I year. The selection of courses is made in consultation with the PhD research supervisor, and is subject to the approval of the Departmental Chair.
PhD Examinations
Refer to Section 8.4 of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research General Information, Faculty Regulations, and Research Guidelines.
PhD candidates are required to take the Comprehensive Examination ATOC 701 Ph.D. Comprehensive (General) , and to give a Proposal Seminar ATOC 700 Ph.D. Proposal Seminar , usually during their PhD II year.
Ph.D. Comprehensive (General) - ATOC 701
This examination is intended to determine whether the candidate has a sufficiently broad understanding of topics in atmospheric sciences, climate dynamics and/or physical oceanography to proceed in the Ph.D. program. The level of knowledge should be sufficient, for example, to allow the candidate to teach at the undergraduate level. The candidate will be examined on three areas of atmospheric and oceanic sciences among the following nine, with associated courses listed:
- Atmospheric and Oceanic Dynamics or Geophysical Fluid Dynamics ( ATOC 513 Waves & Stability )
- Climate Dynamics ( ATOC 530 Paleoclimate Dynamics , ATOC 531 Dynamics of Current Climates )
- Physical Meteorology ( ATOC 620 course description not available , ATOC 621 course description not available )
- Synoptic Meteorology ( ATOC 540 Synoptic Meteorology 1 )
- Atmospheric Chemistry ( ATOC 619 Advanced Atmospheric Chemistry , CHEM 619 Advanced Atmospheric Chemistry )
- Turbulence ( ATOC 515 Turbulence in Atmosph&Oceans )
- Oceanic Circulations ( ATOC 568 Ocean Physics )
- Mesoscale Meteorology ( ATOC 646 Mesoscale Meteorology )
- Remote Sensing/Radar Meteorology ( ATOC 626 Atmos/Oceanic Remote Sensing )
The selection of the three topics is made by the student, subject to the approval of his/her Ph.D. supervisor. Within five days of being informed by the departmental Chair of the approximate date of the examination, the student must inform the departmental Chair of the three selected topics so that an appropriate examining committee can be appointed. The student is encouraged to then consult the committee members for advice as to how best to prepare for the examination. The examination will normally take place within the first nine months of the Ph.D.2 year. Questions will not only test knowledge of the material in a particular book or books but will also test the candidate's ability to reason and to synthesize ideas from different areas. Prior to the commencement of the exam, the candidate will be invited to introduce him/herself and say a few words about his/her academic background and research interests. If the candidate fails the examination, a grade of HH (continuing) is assigned and s/he may take the Comprehensive (General) examination a second time, normally after a period of two to three months. A second failure, however, requires withdrawal from the Ph.D. program.
PhD Proposal Seminar - ATOC 700
The Proposal Seminar is intended to assess the candidate's preparedness for undertaking research in a particular subject area as a first reporting stage in the student's thesis research. The student is required to make a presentation as part of the ATOC 751D1 Seminar:Physical Meteorology and ATOC 751D2 Seminar:Physical Meteorology or ATOC 752D1 Atmos,Ocean & Climate Dynamics and ATOC 752D2 Atmos,Ocean & Climate Dynamics Seminar Series on their thesis proposal in order to meet the course requirements of ATOC 700 Ph.D. Proposal Seminar. This is in addition to seminar presentations made on an annual basis. The student is required to prepare a written thesis proposal of no more than 20 pages (type-written, double spaced) for the members of the examining committee. This proposal must be given to the members of the candidate's examining committee at least one week prior to the thesis proposal presentation. The proposal should define the problem to be undertaken, demonstrate that the candidate is familiar with the relevant literature, and provide an outline of the methodology to be used in addressing the problem. The actual presentation should take about 20-30 minutes after which time the student will address questions from the audience (students and faculty). All those in attendance will then be asked to leave and the candidate will be questioned further by the Examining Committee, which will explore the depth of knowledge and understanding of the candidate in the area of the proposed research and in related areas. If the committee is satisfied that the candidate is adequately prepared to undertake the proposed research, a grade of "Passed" is reported to the Dean of the Graduate Faculty. Otherwise the candidate may be given an assignment, such as improving the thesis proposal, doing further reading leading to seminars or a report, or taking one or more additional courses. All assignments must be completed within nine months of the thesis research examination. On successful completion of the assignment, a grade of "Passed" is reported. Should a grade of "Failed" be reported, the candidate would be required to withdraw from the PhD Program.
PhD Supervisory Committee
Purpose
The role of the Supervisory Committee is to assist the PhD student in the advancement of his/her thesis and research and to report on progress.
The primary responsibility for carrying out the research project rests with the student.
The responsibility for day-to-day evaluation of work, providing suggestions and constructive criticism, and the overall guidance of the research belongs to the supervisor. Additional perspective provided by other members of the committee can be helpful to both student and supervisor. The committee may consider issues such as the validity of the approach, technical problems, the significance of results, directions to be taken in the future, and complementary course work. The supervisory committee participates actively in the setting of research goals and evaluating progress as detailed below.
Appointment of Members
Shortly after the successful completion of the PhD General Examination, a Supervisory Committee will be selected for each PhD student by the supervisor, usually on the basis of consultation with the student and prospective members of the Committee and the departmental Chair.
This committee should consist of the student's supervisor plus two or more other members. (Ordinarily, the Committee will consist of professors in Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences. However, persons in other McGill departments, or persons with outside affiliation, may also be appropriate in some cases.)
Normally, this Committee and one additional professor will comprise the examination committee for the Ph.D. Thesis Proposal examination.
Review Meetings
Shortly after the student first registers in the program, the supervisor will discuss the degree requirements, including which courses are to be taken, the Ph.D. Comprehensive (General) examination, the Ph.D. Thesis Proposal examination, and the thesis research. The supervisor will complete the Graduate Student Research Objectives Form (form 1), entering the objectives for the next 12 months.
The Department requires that each PhD student meet formally with his/her Supervisory Committee at least once a year, at which time the student's progress will be discussed and updated. (Informal meetings are also encouraged.)
The first meeting of the Supervisory Committee for a new student will be held shortly after the Ph.D. General Examination. The student will bring to the meeting a completed Graduate Student Research Progress Record Form (form 2). The Committee will discuss the student's progress and future plans. At the end of the meeting the supervisor will complete the Graduate Student Research Progress Report Form (form 3) and the Graduate Student Research Objectives Form (form 1) for the period up to approximately the date of the Thesis Proposal examination. The latter form will normally be completed in consultation with the student.
Subsequent meetings should be held in conjunction with the student's yearly seminar presentation. In the seminar, the student will present a review of progress and an overview of future research endeavours. (This seminar will be the basis for discussion at the next Supervisory Committee meeting at which time the student and the Committee should be prepared to discuss the research progress critically.)
Another meeting of the Supervisory Committee will be held after the Thesis Proposal examination. Shortly after this examination, it is appropriate for the examining committee to provide feedback to the student. In this regard, the student may wish to make a list of special issues that s/he would like to be addressed. At this meeting of the Supervisory Committee there will be a review of the student's progress, which involves assessing the completed Graduate Student Research Progress Record Form (form 1) for the period since the last meeting, and the student's future plans. The supervisor will complete the Graduate Student Research Progress Report Form (form 3) and, in consultation with the student, the Graduate Student Research Objectives Form (form 1) for the next 12 months. The cycle of annual meetings continues until completion of the thesis. Normally, each such meeting will take place after the annual seminar presentation in ATOC 751/752.
If a student is deemed to have not made satisfactory progress, the Supervisory Committee will meet with the student at least once per semester for the subsequent 12 months to review progress and if appropriate, set new objectives. On the occasion of a second unsatisfactory progress report, the student may be asked to withdraw from the Ph.D. program.
Responsibility for scheduling meetings belongs to the Supervisor.
Issues such as the validity of the approach, technical problems, the significance of results, directions to be taken in the future, and complementary course work should be considered.
Reporting
The Chair of the Supervisory Committee will report annually to the departmental Chair on the student's progress. The report should be submitted soon after the student's annual seminar, but not later than the end of May.
In addition to a general evaluation of the progress as "satisfactory", "conditional" or "unsatisfactory", any recommendation made by the Committee should be included in a written report.
A report with a "conditional" evaluation must be accompanied by an addendum explaining the motivation for this assessment as well as the conditions to be fulfilled to restore a "satisfactory" rating.
An "unsatisfactory" evaluation will be treated with utmost concern by the Department. The matter will be brought to the attention of the departmental Chair, who shall provide a course of action.
Usually the course of action will be a second meeting of the Supervisory Committee, with the student and departmental Chair present, at which time serious efforts will be made to resolve whatever problems may have arisen and to ensure a successful completion of the thesis.
However, the departmental Chair may ask the student to withdraw from the PhD program, recommend to the research supervisor to discontinue the student's financial support, or take some other course of action appropriate to the case if the unsatisfactory evaluation is unchanged.
All members of the Committee must sign the report, plus any addendum describing conditions, to indicate that they support the decision. The student's signature on any report or addendum will indicate that he/she has read and agrees with the content of the report. If the student and/or a committee member objects to signing the report, the objecting person(s) should report in writing directly to the departmental Chair.
Members of the department are usually willing to assist students in dealing with problems arising in their research. The first line of approach to resolving such problems, however, should be through the members of the student's Supervisory Committee. Students are encouraged to meet informally with these members throughout the year.
