In addition to the general requirements set out by the Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Office, the following Institute requirements (which include the completion of an acceptable thesis based on the candidate's research) have been established.
MSc degree
Requirements: Candidates are required to write a research proposal, and to attend an open discussion of their thesis proposal at an Advisory Committee meeting in the second term of their registration to fulfil the requirements of [ CourseLink('PARA 600'); ]. While in the Institute, all students are required to register and participate in the seminar courses [ CourseLink('PARA 606'); ] and [ CourseLink('PARA 607'); ]. Although emphasis in the graduate program is on research, satisfactory completion of Cell Biology and Infection ([ CourseLink('PARA 635'); ]) and Host-Parasite Interactions ([ CourseLink('PARA 655'); ]) is required, usually within the first year of study. Other course work in related subjects may be required, depending upon the candidate's background and research orientation, at the discretion of the Advisory Committee. A minimum of 3 terms of residence are required to meet the requirements for obtaining an MSc degree.
Note: MSc students making good progress in thesis research and course work may be considered for PhD II status towards the end of their first year of study in the Institute. The decision is dependent on the successful completion of a qualifying exam and the authorization of the Director.
Guidelines Concerning a Master's Thesis
The Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies program requirements for a Masters are outlined in the Course Calendar and electronic versions can be found at the Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies web page under "Policies and Procedures for Graduate Studies".
Scope: The Master's thesis should be comparable to the substance of a full-length article in a refereed journal, but of more detail and greater length. The thesis should deal with a well-defined problem, contain a sufficient review of previous work, offer sufficient analysis of data and draw logical conclusions which should be shown in the context of the original problem. The thesis should consist of 80 to l00 pages including tables and bibliography, but may vary in length depending upon subject matter. The thesis must be organized and the material presented according to McGill Guidelines Concerning Thesis Presentation. With respect to references, abbreviations, tables, etc., the format must be consistent with a scientific journal dealing with the student's discipline and authors must be referred to by name in the text rather than by a number.
Originality: The purpose of the Master's thesis is to demonstrate that the student can, with Faculty supervision and assistance, design and execute an experiment(s). It is not expected that it should necessarily demonstrate originality of concept or of conclusions; rather, the originality may be in the area of application of existing methods or theories, or in a comparison of existing methods or theories.
Submission of Thesis
McGill University has regulations concerning the publication of theses (details are available in a "Thesis Submission Package" available from the Office), and these must be followed closely. Seven copies of the thesis are required. Copies 1 and 2 are submit to the department; copy 3 to the Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Office. For additional information click here. In addition, the Institute requires that a copy of the thesis be placed in our library. The Institute pays for the Xerox copying at the current rate for this copy.
Examiners and Evaluation: A draft of the thesis is to be read by the supervisor within a one-month period with comments and suggestions returned to the student. The final draft of the thesis is evaluated by both an Institute and an External Examiner. The Internal Examiner is not the supervisor and is appointed by the Academic Body of the Institute. The External Examiner(s) should normally be from within McGill, but preferably outside the Institute and only in exceptional circumstances, external to the University. McGill University recommends that External Examiners be from the Montreal region. The examiners are chosen from qualified people named by the supervisor and approved by the Academic Body of the Institute. The examiners must also be approved by the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies . The student shall be informed of the names prior to thesis submission. There is a Thesis Examination Fee of $75.00 for a MSc thesis. The fee is payable at the time of submission of the thesis and must be in the form of a certified cheque or money order payable to McGill University. Procedures with regard to Thesis failure can be found here. 
PhD degree
Candidates are normally expected to have an MSc degree or equivalent experience in an area related to the chosen field of specialization for the PhD program. Entry directly into PhD I from a BSc is also possible, however, only exceptional candidates holding a bachelor’s degree will be considered for direct admission to PhD1 level. In general, only students with a GPA of 3.5 or more in the last 2 years of undergraduate study and excellent letters of reference will be considered, and must be approved by the Director.
Since the PhD degree is primarily a research degree, the amount of course work required may comprise a smaller portion of the total than is the case for the MSc degree, particularly for the student who has already completed a recognized MSc degree in the same area. The course work required will then depend on the academic background of the individual student and must be approved by the student's Advisory Committee. All students, however, must complete the Institute requirements.
Requirements: In the first year of the doctoral program the candidates must successfully complete a written thesis proposal and attend an oral evaluation based on their thesis proposal to fulfil the requirements of [ CourseLink('PARA 700'); ]. Students are required to take Cell Biology and Infection ([ CourseLink('PARA 635'); ]) and Host-Parasite Interactions ([ CourseLink('PARA 655'); ]) in their first year. While at the Institute, all students are required to participate in the seminar courses [ CourseLink('PARA 710'); ] and [ CourseLink('PARA 711'); ]. In addition, students are required to attend all Institute seminars and to give a short annual seminar updating their research progress. A minimum of three years is necessary to complete the residency requirements if entering at PhD1 or 2 years if entering at PhD 2 level.
Guidelines Concerning a Doctor of Philosophy Degree
The Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies program requirements for a doctoral program are outlined in the Course Calendar, and electronic versions can be found at the Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies web page under "Policies and guidelines for graduate studies".
Thesis: The completion of a thesis which displays original scholarship expressed in satisfactory literary form and which is a distinct contribution to knowledge is required. The manuscript must be organized and the material presented according to McGill Guidelines Concerning Thesis Presentation.
Thesis Evaluation: The PhD thesis is evaluated similarly to the MSc thesis in that approval is required by Internal and External Examiners. The University does not consider geographical location of the External Examiner. In addition, the thesis is examined orally by a committee of not less than five and not more than seven members, exclusive of the Pro-Dean. At least two of the committee members should be from outside of the Institute of Parasitology. The Thesis Supervisor is usually a member of the committee. There is a Thesis Examination Fee of $100.00 for a PhD thesis. The fee is payable at the time of submission of the thesis and must be in the form of a certified cheque or money order payable to McGill University.
Submission of Thesis
McGill University has regulations concerning the publication of theses (details are available in a "Thesis Submission Package" available from the Office), and these must be followed closely. Seven copies of the thesis are required. Copies 1 and 2 are submit to the department; copy 3 to the Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Office. For additional information click here. In addition, the Institute requires that a copy of the thesis be placed in our library. The Institute pays for the Xerox copying at the current rate for this copy.
Undergraduate Level Passes
A student may, with the approval of or at the request of his/her Advisory Committee, take courses at the undergraduate level which are not among the courses designated as required for the degree. The decision to take a course at the undergraduate level must be made at the time of registration. The passing grade for graduate students taking undergraduate courses is 65%.
Failures:
Students are expected to pass all courses required for their degree at the level for which they are registered. Should a student fail a course, the student may be permitted to write a supplemental examination if available in the department in which the course was taken or retake that or an equivalent course. A student with any future failures in that course, or a failure in any other course, will be required to withdraw from their program of study. This policy does not pertain to the failure of comprehensive examinations, doctoral oral defences or thesis failures. PhD students and Masters's students can also be required to withdraw from their program of study for documented lack of performance in research.
Reread Policy:
This policy relates to 600 and 700 level courses (for all other level courses the reread policy of individual faculties applies).
Graduate Students have the right to consult with the examiner on any mark received for an exam, term paper etc. if they feel that totalling errors were made or if the mark given did not reflect the work done. If after consultation with the examiner, a student is still dissatisfied with the mark received, he/she can, by written request, ask Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Office for an impartial reread of the exam or term paper.
Please be aware of the following:
- The mark received for a reread is final whether or not the mark received is greater or less than the original mark.
- Rereads must be requested within 30 days of the posting of the final course marks and the mark must be worth 20% or more of the course grade.
- A charge of $35 per reread must be paid by the student.
Prior to requesting a reread, the student should read the full documentation on the reread policy in the Calendar issued by Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies electronic version can be found on their Web page under "Policies and guidelines for graduate studies".
