Program Requirements

M.Sc. Program

Please note: Students entering graduate studies with insufficient background in Physiology will be required to take at least two additional 300-400 level courses in addition to their required course work.

Supervisory Committee:

Each student must have a Supervisory Committee to help monitor the progress of their studies and research, providing support, advice and guidance: Within 2 months of entering the Graduate Program in Physiology, students are expected to establish a Supervisory Committee. Students need to consult with their supervisors for assistance in selecting members for their Committee. The Committee (4 in total) is comprised of your supervisor (and possibly a co-supervisor) as well as 3 other members. Of these 3 members, 2 should (preferably) be members of Physiology and the 3rd member can be external to the Department if you wish.

Please note: The research advisory committee (RAC) is instrumental in guiding the successful efforts of Graduate Students engaged in research. Supervisors have a responsibility to avoid including on the supervisory team anyone with whom they have a personal relationship. It is the supervisor’s role to ensure that there is no real or perceived conflict of interest among all members of the supervisory team proposed. Specific definitions have been developed regarding these regulations. Many faculty have close personal relationships with members of the broader academic community. For example, some members of the faculty are married to persons with faculty appointments at McGill or other universities. Spouses and other family members including any consensual amorous relationships are specifically identified as persons with a conflict of interest, and thus cannot serve on the supervisory team. Scientific members of the spouse’s research lab also should not be included on the student’s supervisory team to avoid the appearance of a potential conflict of interest. Supervisors are also responsible for declaring any business relationships, and must not supervise a student employed in a company where the supervisor or a person with whom the supervisor has a close personal relationship or has an interest. There may be existing Supervisory Committees where a spouse or scientific member of the spouse’s lab is currently serving on the Supervisory Committee. In such cases, these individuals must resign from the committee immediately and the supervisor must notify the Graduate Program Director in writing.

Physiology letter of Understanding between Student and Supervisor:

Physiology has implemented a letter of Understanding. Once completed by the supervisor, the letter should detail what is expected of the student. e.g. numbers of lab hours required, conference attendance, readings, other commitments, etc... Students must read this carefully and if some expectations are unreasonable, they should be negotiated with the supervisor before signing. This form must be returned to the Graduate Program Coordinator to be kept in the student file. A blank copy of the letter of understanding can be found in the Resources for graduate students tab, useful forms

Important Note: Graduate Students can be required to withdraw from their program of study for documented lack of performance in research or two course failures more info can be found here www.mcgill.ca/study/2019-2020/university regulations and resources/graduate/gps go failure policy. Details on graduate policies and tracking can be obtained at www.mcgill.ca/gps/students/research-tracking.

M.Sc Proposal Seminar:

Within 5-9 months of entering the Graduate Program in Physiology, students are expected to present a proposal seminar to their Supervisory Committee. The purpose of the Proposal Seminar is to propose a series of experiments that will constitute the student's research program. In this seminar, the student should demonstrate: 1) familiarity with the relevant literature; 2) give a rationale for the project outline, and 3) describe the methodology that will be used for the research. A 250 word proposal abstract reflecting the 3 items above is to be emailed to the Graduate Coordinator a minimum of 2 WEEKS before the seminar is to take place. It is not necessary to present any data at this point, and a seminar should not be delayed for this reason. This seminar, which will be a formal presentation approximately 20 minutes in length, is presented to the student's Supervisory Committee . The student and the supervisor are responsible for scheduling the seminar and advise the Graduate Program Coordinator at least 1 month in advance. A Seminar Report form along with the Graduate Student Research Progress Tracking form will be sent to the student prior to the seminar which must be signed by all members of the committee and the student during the seminar and then returned to the Graduate Coordinator.

Final M.Sc Seminar:

This seminar should be presented approximately 6 -8 weeks before the student is ready to submit the thesis in order for the candidate to incorporate suggestions made by the committee into their thesis. The student is responsible in scheduling the final M.Sc. seminar and must communicate the date and time to the Graduate Program Coordinator at least 6 weeks in advance. The evaluation committee consists of the Supervisory Committee and a representative of the GSAAC (Graduate Student Advisory and Admissions Committee). If you do not know who your GSAAC representative is, please contact the Graduate Program Coordinator prior to scheduling your final seminar. The student is responsible for coordinating with the GSAAC representative and their supervisory committee when scheduling their final M.Sc. Seminar. Failure to include the GSAAC representative will result in the seminar needing to be rescheduled if they are not available. The student must be prepared to incorporate any recommendations made by the evaluation committee into their thesis. The presentation should last 30-40 minutes and include the following items: (1) Introduction: a review of the literature and background and a statement of the hypothesis; (2) A discussion of the methodology; (3) A discussion of the results, in context of the field; (4) Overall conclusions. A 250-word abstract, reflecting the four items listed above, must be submitted to the Graduate Coordinator 2 WEEKS prior to the seminar. The Graduate Student Research Progress tracking will be emailed to the student prior to the seminar and must be signed by all members of the committee including the student during the seminar and returned to the Graduate Coordinator. It is expected that the M.Sc. thesis will generate one first-author paper, and the seminar will be evaluated with this aspect taken into account.

For more details, see Thesis Submission.

M.Sc Program outline

Transferring to the Ph.D. Program:

Upon recommendation by the program/supervisor and the student's Committee members, academically promising students registered in the Master's program may fast-track to the Doctoral program in the same academic unit. The student must have a strong academic record (CGPA of 3.5 or higher) and present strong evidence that they are capable of successfully completing appropriate research for the Doctoral level. The student must have completed a minimum of 2 terms in the Master's program and up to a maximum of 4 terms. The student, if approved for fast-tracking, will enter the doctoral program at the Ph.D 2 level. The current requirement to submit an M.Sc. thesis would then be waived (PHGY 621, 622 and 623). A candidate for fast-track must present a transfer seminar to the committee members and, if approved, will need to submit a fast-track application on Slate to the Doctoral program according to procedures and unit deadlines. (Please contact the Graduate Program Coordinator for more details concerning the fast-track application). For Transfer Requirements, see section on Transfer from MSc to PhD.

Ph.D. Program 

Please note: Students entering graduate studies with insufficient background in Physiology will be required to take at least two additional 300-400 level courses in addition to their required course work.

Physiology letter of Understanding between Student and Supervisor:

Physiology has implemented a letter of understanding. Once completed by the supervisor, the letter should detail what is expected of the student, e.g. number of lab hours required, conference attendance, readings, other commitments, etc.. Students must read the agreement carefully and if some expectations are unreasonable, they should be negotiated with the supervisor before signing. This form must be returned to the Graduate Program Coordinator for the student file. A blank copy of the letter of understanding can be found in the Resources for Graduate Students tab, useful forms.

Student Supervision and Tracking:

All graduate students are required to have a Supervisory Committee which include the supervisor (and a co-supervisor, if necessary) and three other committee members (2 of these members should preferably be full-time academics in the Department with the other member being external to the department if you wish. The supervisory committee assists in the supervision of the student, monitors the progress of the studies and functions as a resource. This committee must be established within 2 months of entering the program and prior to the presentation of the Proposal seminar. Annually students must report their research objectives and progress to their supervisory committee. A blank copy of the Graduate Student Research Progress Tracking form can be found here: Annual Progress Tracking Form

Please note: The research advisory committee (RAC) is instrumental in guiding the successful efforts of Graduate Students engaged in research. Supervisors have a responsibility to avoid including on the supervisory team anyone with whom they have a personal relationship. It is the supervisor’s role to ensure that there is no real or perceived conflict of interest among all members of the supervisory team proposed. Specific definitions have been developed regarding these regulations. Many faculty have close personal relationships with members of the broader academic community. For example, some members of the faculty are married to persons with faculty appointments at McGill or other universities. Spouses and other family members including any consensual amorous relationships are specifically identified as persons with a conflict of interest, and thus cannot serve on the supervisory team. Scientific members of the spouse’s research lab also should not be included on the student’s supervisory team to avoid the appearance of a potential conflict of interest. Supervisors are also responsible for declaring any business relationships, and must not supervise a student employed in a company where the supervisor or a person with whom the supervisor has a close personal relationship or has an interest. There may be existing Supervisory Committees where a spouse or scientific member of the spouse’s lab is currently serving on the Supervisory Committee. In such cases, these individuals must resign from the committee immediately and the supervisor must notify the Graduate Program Director in writing.

Important Note: Graduate Students can be required to withdraw from their program of study for documented lack of performance in research or two course failures more info can be found here www.mcgill.ca/study/2019-2020/university regulations and resources/graduate/gps go failure policy. Details on graduate policies and tracking can be obtained at www.mcgill.ca/gps/students/research-tracking.

Ph.D. Proposal Seminar:

Within 5-9  months of entering the Ph.D program, students need to present a proposal seminar to their Supervisory Committee. The purpose of the proposal seminar is to present a series of experiments that will constitute the student's research program. In this seminar the student must demonstrate: 1) familiarity with the relevant literature:2) give a rationale for the project outline and 3) describe the methodology that will be used for the literature. A 250 word abstract reflecting the 3 items above is to be emailed to the Graduate Program Coordinator one week before the seminar is the take place. It is not necessary to present any data at this point, and the seminar should not be delayed for this reason. This seminar, which will be a formal presentation of approximately 20 minutes in length. The student and the supervisor are responsible for scheduling the seminar. A seminar report form along with the Graduate Student Research Progress Tracking form will be sent to the student prior to the seminar which must be signed by all committee members and the student during the seminar and returned to the Graduate Coordinator.

Comprehensive Examination: Policy and Procedures:

All doctoral students must complete and successfully pass the Comprehensive Examination. Given the importance of this exam and the consequences of failure, the exam is normally to be held 12 - 18 months from the start date of the program. Students are required to inform the Graduate Program Coordinator of the date of their Comprehensive Exam at least one month in advance and include the name of their External Examiner and Student Representative. Graduate students are assigned a GSAAC representative and are responsible for coordinating their comprehensive exam with their representative along with their committee. If you have not been assigned a GSAAC representative, please contact the Graduate Program Coordinator ahead of scheduling your exam. Failure to include the GSAAC representative will result in the exam needing to be rescheduled if they are not available. Students also need to select and coordinate with an external member that will attend the exam. For detailed information see: guidelines for students and examiners. Important Note: It is the responsibility of the student to inform him/herself of the Exam Policy and Procedures and deadlines. Failure to comply can lead to expulsion from the program, unless strong justification is provided and confirmed in writing by the Supervisor. Please also refer to: https://www.mcgill.ca/study/2019-2020/university_regulations_and_resources/graduate/gps_gi_phd_comprehensives_policy

Ph.D Annual Progress Seminars:

As per McGill University regulations, students are required to have a progress seminar every year following the Ph.D Comprehensive exam, until submission of a thesis. Failure to complete an annual progress seminar will be deemed unsatisfactory and could result in a mark of  F. Two unsatisfactory reports constitute unsatisfactory progress towards the degree, and if recommended by the academic unit, the student will be withdrawn from the university. Please also consult Graduate Student Research Program Tracking.

Progress Seminars are a "work in progress", and are intended as a report on what the student has accomplished to date following the Ph.D. Comprehensive Exam. The progress seminar should not be delayed in order to include additional experiments. This seminar, which should be a formal presentation approximately 30 minutes in length, is presented to the student's Supervisory Committee every year until submission of the thesis. The student and the supervisor are responsible for scheduling the seminar and must inform the Graduate Program Coordinator at least one month in advance. The student needs to email the Graduate Coordinator a one page report reflecting the following items: a) Research Summary (abstract/background), b) Research Progress/Accomplishments and c) Research Objectives TWO weeks before the seminar is to take place. The Graduate Student Research Progress Tracking Report which is to be completed by the Supervisor or one of the Supervisory Committee members and signed by everyone during the seminar, will be sent to the student at the appropriate time. These forms must be returned to the Graduate Coordinator following the seminar. A final progress seminar should be completed close to submission of the thesis (6-8 weeks prior) to obtain formal committee feedback and any recommendations towards the thesis.

Thesis Submission:

Students are required to submit a thesis and defend their thesis orally. It is expected that the Ph.D. thesis will generate three first-author publications. Students will no longer have to print hard copies of their theses, but will instead submit their thesis on mythesis. More detailed information is available at https://www.mcgill.ca/gps/thesis/guidelines/initial-submission. Should any examiner or member of a student’s committee request a hardcopy of the thesis, the student must provide one to the relevant office making the request.

For thesis preparation and submission guidelines, forms and submission deadline dates, please see: https://www.mcgill.ca/gps/students/thesis.

Corrections of the thesis are made after the oral defense. Final corrected copies of the thesis are to be submitted electronically (e-thesis). Please see: https://www.mcgill.ca/gps/thesis/e-thesis

Convocation ceremonies are held twice a year; in the spring and fall. See: https://www.mcgill.ca/students/graduation/convocation/

Ph.D. Oral Defense:

Ph.D. candidates are required to defend their thesis orally. The defense can generally be set for any time from eight - ten weeks after the submission of the thesis, the Thesis office will advise the department when the defense can be scheduled. The oral examination committee must be comprised of a minimum of 5 members (not including the Pro-Dean), the Chair of the Department or deputy, the supervisor, the internal examiner, and at least two other persons, one of whom must be from outside the Department of Physiology, who have been nominated by the supervisor and approved by the Chair of the Department. Students should consult the Oral Defense Guidelines issued by the Faculty of Graduate Studies: Oral defense guidelines

Ph.D Program Outline

Acceptable Graduate (M.Sc/Ph.D) Level Credit Courses:

The following courses are acceptable graduate level courses (500 level and above) in Physiology and Science. Students who wish to enroll in 500 level or above courses that are not found on this list, must email gradstudies.physiology [at] mcgill.ca with the course outline and proof that your supervisor has approved you taking this course(s).  NOTE: Some courses for some Departments may require permission from the professor teaching the course prior to registration, please contact the corresponding department's Student Affairs Officer.