Overview
Prior to writing their Master's thesis, the student is required to give a formal Thesis Seminar, during which they will explain the direction of their research and present their findings. After the successful completion of their seminar, the student is given permission to commence thesis writing, and is no longer required to organize Advisory Committee meetings.
Format
The Master's Thesis Seminar must be attended by the student's supervisor (and co-supervisor, if applicable), all members of the Advisory Committee, and the Program Mentor who will chair the seminar. The seminar can be attended by other interested individuals as well. While social distancing remains in effect, your seminar should take place via zoom. Should you and your committee wish to make in-person arrangements, please contact room booking services in the building for which you plan to hold your event.
- At least three weeks prior to the desired schedule for the seminar and only after your thesis proposal has been approved by your advisory committee, the student is responsible for arranging the date, time and venue of their Thesis Seminar, ensuring that their Advisory Committee members, Supervisor and mentor can attend. This should be done using a doodle poll.
- When the poll is decided, the student must send an electronic calendar invitation on the McGill e-mail exchange system to their supervisor, exam committee members, mentor, and ipn [at] mcgill.ca. The student will then attach the thesis seminar-related documents to this calendar invite and provide the committee with a zoom link. Please make sure to turn off the "Teams Meeting" link that gets automatically set up on the Outlook invite.
The seminar will take about 45 minutes, and will be followed by a question and answer period. At the end, the Advisory Committee members and Program Mentor will meet in closed session to review the student's file and the student's performance during the seminar, and will determine whether sufficient and satisfactory data is available to commence writing a successful thesis. The decision of the committee will be made by consensus on a pass/fail basis.
Template to be used:
Dear Members of my M.Sc. Seminar Committee:
This is a reminder that my M.Sc. Thesis Seminar will take place on:
Full date and time
The meeting will take place on zoom: insert zoom link
You will find detailed information on the M.Sc. seminar presentation on the following site: https://www.mcgill.ca/ipn/current-students/program-requirements/msc-thesis-seminar.
The following documents are attached:
- Student Transcript - showing that I am in progress to, or have passed three courses and Neur 705
- M.Sc. Seminar Poster
Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
In the case of failure, one repeat will be permitted.
Deadline
The M.Sc. thesis seminar must be completed at least three (3) months before the end of your third year. Seminars cannot be scheduled during the summer season (July & August).
Forms
| Form | Submission | Deadline |
 Student Poster |
On the McGill e-mail exchange system, the student creates a calendar invite to send to to their supervisor (and co-supervisor if needed), exam committee members, mentor, and ipn [at] mcgill.ca. | At least 3 weeks before seminar |
| MSc. Seminar Approval Form |
Upload the signed completed form to myProgress | Immediately after the seminar |
Important Notes
Must be registered in
Should be in progress to, or have passed three courses and Neur 705: https://www.mcgill.ca/ipn/course-requirements
Approved proposal from the student's Advisory Committee that he/she is ready for the seminar