CCAP: Additional PhD regulations

Typically, a PhD thesis will contain the following sections: Introduction, Method and Materials/Procedure, Results, Discussion, Conclusions, and Implications (followed by Appendices, as relevant).

During the preparation of the written thesis the student should be receiving feedback from the Advisor as well as the Advisory Committee. What form that takes (e.g., drafts, meetings) will be up to each committee to determine. Students are encouraged to have a carefully planned timeline for this process in order to support timely completion of milestones and the final thesis document.

Thesis length can be highly variable depending on the nature of the PhD thesis project. Students are strongly encouraged to discuss a plan of the structure of their thesis (including approximate length of the different sections) with their Advisor prior to writing their thesis.

The style of the thesis (e.g., based on chapters; similar to a manuscript) should be confirmed with the Advisory Committee. The committee is encouraged to consider thesis styles and format amenable to scholarly publications when appropriate. Theses must adhere to the most recent APA formatting guidelines.

The thesis should strive to evince critical and creative thinking skills, literacy skills and communication skills and a global understanding. The thesis and the work it includes must be professional and adhere to the highest ethical standards. The thesis must also demonstrate the candidate's capacity for original and independent work, and should include a critical evaluation of work which has previously been done in the candidate's field of research. The thesis should emphasize any new conclusions which may be drawn from the candidate's own research.

As stated in the graduate calendar “The thesis is expected to be a significant contribution to knowledge in its field and the candidate must indicate in what ways it is a contribution. The thesis must demonstrate mature scholarship and critical judgement on the part of the candidate and it must indicate an ability to express oneself in a satisfactory literary style. Approval of the thesis is taken to imply that it is judged to be sufficiently meritorious to warrant publication in reputable scholarly media in the field.”

Typically, students will submit multiple drafts of their thesis to their Advisor prior to submitting it to their committee.

A minimum of two weeks will be allowed for any Advisory Committee member, including the Advisor, to evaluate any work submitted to them.