Current Students

• General Information for all current graduate students
  • Registration for courses
    In Geological Sciences, the Administrative Assistant processes registration on behalf of new and returning students. All students should ensure that there are no “holds” preventing registration by logging into Aurora Student and viewing their accounts. New students should discuss possible courses with their thesis advisor as soon as possible upon arrival, and then contact the Administrative Assistant. Returning students should discuss their course selection one to two months prior to the start of the regular session (Fall/Winter terms), and advise the Administrative Assistant of the course plan.
    
    
  • Progress Reports
    
    • Each student is required to submit a one to two page report on his/her thesis proposal, results and timetable of thesis work by February 1 annually. This is a departmental requirement. The student is responsible for initiating this report and submitting the report to the Administrative Assistant for review by the Department Head and Graduate Chair.
    • In addition, the Faculty of Graduate Studies mandates at least one Progress Report annually, normally in the spring. The Advisor is responsible for arranging a meeting of the Advisory Committee with the student and completing the form. Committee members and student sign the form and return it to the Administrative Assistant for review by the Department Head and Graduate Chair. Failure of an on-campus student to attend the majority of Graduate Seminars annually and give a Seminar annually will be noted on the Progress Report and may have an impact on whether progress is deemed acceptable. 
      
      
  • Policies and Procedures
    Become familiar with the University of Manitoba web-site and the location of policies and procedures related to your program and your rights and responsibilities as students. If you are unable to locate the information you need, feel free to contact the Graduate Chair, Andrew Frederiksen  or Administrative Assistant, Brenda Miller.

    Important on-line documents:
    
    Geological Sciences Graduate Program Supplemental Regulations
    
    Graduate Calendar and other publications relevant to graduate students: http://umanitoba.ca/faculties/graduate_studies/publications/index.html
    
    Graduate Studies Dates and Deadlines
    
    Graduate Studies Forms (various forms related to the program, including thesis committee forms, thesis approval form, progress report forms):
    
    Thesis Guidelines
    

• Funding and Awards
  • New students, particularly those who do not hold a major external scholarship or bursary, are notified by the Department of a research assistantship upon acceptance. It is anticipated, however, that all eligible students will continue to apply for other sources of funding, e.g., Tri-Council awards, University of Manitoba Graduate Fellowships.
  • Newly accepted international students are automatically assessed for the International Graduate Student Entrance Scholarship (IGSES). International Ph.D. students may apply for an International Graduate Student Scholarship (IGSS) for the second year of the program. Further information on international awards is available from the Faculty of Graduate Studies.
  • Check your e-mail regularly. The Department receives information on awards from external organizations and associations and will forward these to our graduate student e-mail list. In addition, the Faculty of Graduate Studies notifies students by e-mail of various awards and deadlines.
  • Students who are eligible for Tri-Council awards (e.g. NSERC Postgraduate Scholarships) should apply. Information on these awards may be found at: http://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/Students-Etudiants/pg-cs/index_eng.asp
  • Students who are eligible for University of Manitoba Graduate Fellowships should apply. The Department of Geological Sciences will notify current and prospective students of application procedures and deadlines. Normally the competition for these awards occurs in January.
  • Refer to the Faculty of Graduate Studies Awards Database for information on other scholarship opportunities.
    Many of our students apply for a U of Manitoba Graduate Student Travel Award.
    
• M.Sc. Program Information
  • M.Sc. Advisory Committee: Your thesis advisor will set up an Advisory Committee that will consist of a minimum of two members, including the advisor. In the case of a co-supervised student, the co-advisors may be considered to constitute the committee. The function of the Advisory Committee is to advise the student and supervisor on aspects of the research and to provide guidance to the advisor on the whether the student’s progress is satisfactory. The committee will meet with the student formally at least once per year, ahead of the submission of the student’s Faculty of Graduate Studies Progress Report. 
    
  • Coursework

    • A minimum of 12 credit hours is required, of which at least 6 credit hours must be at the 7000- (graduate) level. The remaining courses may be at the 3000-level or above.

    • In addition to the course requirements noted above, all students must register for GEOL 7760 Seminar in Geological Sciences (3 credit hours). After completion of GEOL 7760, all on-campus students are required to attend the majority of scheduled graduate seminars and to give one departmental seminar annually until they graduate or cease to be on-campus students.  (*NOTE: For the purposes of the seminar requirement, an on-campus student is defined as a full-time or a part-time student who has been assigned an office or alternate working space on-campus.) Students should contact the Graduate Seminar Coordinator in  September annually and discuss the seminar schedule, requirements, and format. Failure to attend seminars will be reported to the Department Head and may impact the student’s annual Progress Report.
      
  • M.Sc. Thesis Proposal
    • Each student is required to develop a thesis proposal within the first 8 months after starting the M.Sc. program.
    • The proposal must demonstrate the student’s understanding of the research area and must define the research objective including demonstrating that it is a distinct contribution to the field of study.
    • The proposal must include an introduction with citation of relevant literature, the thesis research objectives, the proposed methodology including a timetable, and the anticipated significance of the research, and references.
    • The length of the proposal is to be between 5 and 10 pages including figures and references (12 point, single spaced, 2 cm margins).
    • The evaluation of the proposal will be conducted by the Advisory Committee, chaired by the Graduate Chair, and all decisions of the committee must be unanimous.
    • The committee will define the proposal as being:
      i. Approved, or
      ii. Not approved. In this case the proposal must be revised to meet the requirements of the committee and resubmitted within a 3 month period. If the proposal is still regarded as unacceptable the student will be required to withdraw from the program.
      
  • M.Sc. Thesis: Guidelines, Examination, and Submission

    • Guidelines: The Faculty of Graduate Studies is the source for information on thesis requirements, deadlines for submission of the thesis, and final production requirements. Thesis guidelines are available from the Graduate Studies web-site at: http://umanitoba.ca/faculties/graduate_studies/thesis/guidelines.html
      Information on copyright is also available from the U of Manitoba Copyright Office: http://umanitoba.ca/admin/vp_admin/ofp/copyright/

    • Examination: In Geological Sciences, an oral examination of the final thesis is required of all M.Sc. candidates. The oral examination will be chaired by the Graduate Chair or designate, who should not be a member of the examination committee. The Graduate Chair or designate must be informed by the thesis advisor of the examination date at least two weeks in advance, in order to ensure the event is adequately publicized to the University community.  The full examining committee should normally attend the defense, if necessary via teleconferencing. When the absence of an external examination committee member is unavoidable, they will provide questions to the chair who will ask these questions in the examination.
      The oral examination will begin with a 20-30 minute oral presentation by the student of the results of the thesis research, which is open to all members of the University community. Following the presentation and a 15 minute open question session from the audience, everyone but the student, chair, and examining committee will be asked to leave. This will be followed by two rounds of questions put to the student by each member of the examining committee. Each examiner will be allocated a maximum of 20 minutes for questions. Questioning may be extended if necessary but only under exceptional circumstances should it be allowed to exceed 60 minutes.
      
  • Submission of Final Corrected Copies: Refer to the Faculty of Graduate Studies for information on submitting your thesis (number of copies, etc.). In addition, please note that the Department of Geological Sciences requires one bound copy of your final thesis for our files. In many cases, the advisor, committee members, and research sponsors  will also request bound copies.
    
• Ph.D. Program Information
  • Ph.D. Advisory Committee: The Advisor is responsible for establishing an Advisory Committee as soon as the student is accepted to the program. The composition and responsibilities of the advisory committee are governed by the Faculty of Graduate Studies regulations regarding Ph.D. advisory committees.
    
    Normally, within the first two weeks of the student’s commencement, and prior to the course change deadline, the Advisory Committee will meet with the student and discuss the student’s background and proposed research area, in order to formulate appropriate course work for the student’s program.
    
  • Coursework
    • Where admission to the Ph.D. program is directly from a Master's degree, a minimum of 12 credit hours (minimum 9 at the 7000 level, maximum 3 at the 3000 or 4000 level).
    • In addition to the course requirements noted above, all students must register for GEOL 7760 Seminar in Geological Sciences (3 credit hours). After completion of GEOL 7760, all on-campus students are required to attend the majority of scheduled graduate seminars and to give one departmental seminar annually until they graduate or cease to be on-campus students.  (*NOTE: For the purposes of the seminar requirement, an on-campus student is defined as a full-time or a part-time student who has been assigned an office or alternate working space on-campus.) Students should contact the Graduate Seminar Coordinator in  September annually and discuss the seminar schedule, requirements, and format. Failure to attend seminars will be reported to the Department Head and may impact the student’s annual Progress Report.
      
    Ph.D. Thesis Proposal

    • Purpose: The purpose of the Thesis Proposal is to demonstrate the student’s understanding of the research area and to define the research objective including demonstrating that it is a distinct contribution to the field of study.

    • Timing: The thesis proposal must normally be completed within 12 months of the student’s commencement date.  

    • Examining Committee: The evaluation of the thesis proposal will be conducted by the Advisory Committee chaired by the Graduate Chair. All decisions of the committee must be unanimous.

    • Format of the Proposal and its examination:  The proposal must include an introduction with citation of relevant literature, the thesis research objectives, the proposed methodology including a timetable, the anticipated significance of the research, and references. The length of the proposal must be between 10 and 20 pages including figures and references (12 point, single spaced, 2 cm margins). Within two weeks of submission of the proposal, the committee will meet with the student present. The student will give a 20 minute oral presentation of the proposal to the committee and then answer questions from the committee required to clarify points related to the proposal. Following these questions and withdrawal of the student from the meeting, the committee will evaluate the proposal.

    • Outcome: The committee will define the proposal as being:
      i. Approved
      ii. Conditionally approved. In this case the proposal must be revised to meet the requirements of the committee and resubmitted within a 3 month period. The committee may appoint the advisor and/or graduate chair as being responsible for ensuring the revisions are made adequately. If the committee considers that revised proposal is unacceptable it will treated as a failed proposal in accord with point iii.
      iii. Not approved. The proposal must be reformulated and rewritten and the evaluation process repeated within a 3 month period.  If the proposal is still regarded as unacceptable the student will be required to withdraw from the program.
      
  • Ph.D. Candidacy Examination

    • Purpose:  The purpose of the Candidacy Examination is as specified in the Faculty of Graduate Studies regulations and is to ensure the student has both the depth and breadth of knowledge required for the completion of the Ph.D. program. 

    • Timing: The candidacy examination will normally be completed within 24 months of the student’s commencement. The student will be advised on the topics to be included in the examination immediately following the completion of the thesis proposal.

    • Candidacy Examining Committee: The examination will be evaluated by a Committee chaired by the Graduate Chair (or designate), and consisting of the Ph.D. Advisory Committee and the Graduate Chair (or designate). The Graduate Chair (or designate) must not be a member of the Advisory Committee.

    • Format of the Examination:  The examination will be a written examination conducted over the course of one day. It will consist of an examination of three hours duration in the morning on topics in the area of the research program, a break of two hours, and an examination of three hours duration in the afternoon on topics defining the breadth of the student’s knowledge in the geological sciences.
      i. The examination on the area of the research program will consist of questions in two discipline areas of the student’s research and be at the level of Ph.D. research.
      ii. The examination of the student’s breadth of knowledge will consist of questions in three subject areas peripheral to, but relevant to, the research area and be at the senior undergraduate level.
      iii. The questions for both examinations are set by the Advisory Committee and reviewed by the Graduate Chair. The subject areas for the examinations will be defined by the Advisory Committee immediately following the thesis proposal and reviewed by the Graduate Chair.

    • Outcome:  A pass in the Candidacy examination is defined as a pass of both the examination in the area of the research program and of the examination on the student’s breadth of knowledge. A failure of either the research program or breadth-of-knowledge component of the examination, will require the full examination process to be re-started, with the repeated examination to be completed within a six month deadline of the date of the initial examination. If a student fails this second attempt, a recommendation will be made to the Dean of Graduate Studies that the student be asked to withdraw from the Ph.D. program.
      
  • Ph.D. Thesis Guidelines, Examination, and Submission
    
    

    • Guidelines: The Faculty of Graduate Studies is the source for information on thesis requirements, deadlines for submission of the thesis, and final production requirements. Thesis guidelines are available from: http://umanitoba.ca/faculties/graduate_studies/thesis/guidelines.html Information on copyright is also available from the U of Manitoba Copyright Office: http://umanitoba.ca/admin/vp_admin/ofp/copyright/

    • Ph.D. Oral Examination: Doctoral students must pass an Oral Examination of the subject of their thesis and matters relating thereto before they may obtain the Ph.D. degree. The examination will be conducted by the Dean of Graduate Studies or the Dean's designate chosen from among senior scholars of the University. The examining committee will include at least three members of the University of Manitoba academic staff, normally the same members as that of the candidate's advisory committee, and an examiner external to the University of Manitoba. All internal members of the examining committee must be present. The presence of the external examiner is not mandatory but is strongly encouraged. Further information on the Oral Examination is available from the following web-site:
        http://umanitoba.ca/faculties/graduate_studies/thesis/phdoegi.html

    • Submission of Final Corrected Copies: Refer to the Faculty of Graduate Studies for information on submitting your thesis (number of copies, etc.). In addition, please note that the Department of Geological Sciences requires one bound copy of your final thesis for our files. In many cases, the advisor, committee members, and research sponsors  will also request bound copies.