Program Requirements

Graduate Studies : Graduate Programs :

Earth and Ocean Sciences : Program Requirements

Program Requirements

The spectrum of research in the School is broad and will be attractive to students from many areas of the basic and applied sciences; cross-disciplinary research involving faculty and facilities in other departments is encouraged. As an integral part of their program, students are normally required to undertake teaching or research assistantships or equivalent duties within the School.

All graduate students in the School of Earth and Ocean Sciences are required to take EOS 525 (1.5 units). All students are also required to present at the Annual Graduate Student Workshop at least once during their degree program.

The supervisory committee, in consultation with the student, determines the content of the program and the exact division of units between coursework and thesis for each student. For example, the supervisory committee may decide that additional coursework is required depending on the student’s background. Coursework may include graduate courses in SEOS or other departments, including directed studies courses (EOS 580) and 300- or 400-level undergraduate courses.

Master’s Program

Course Requirements

The Master’s program consists of a minimum of 15 units with no fewer than 12 graduate-level credits (i.e. excluding 300- and 400-level undergraduate courses). Normally, students must complete a minimum of 4.5 units of graduate or upper-level undergraduate coursework, with a Master’s thesis (EOS 599) making up the remaining units.

Oral Examination

MSc students will be required to defend their completed thesis in a final oral examination open to the public.

A student proceeding towards a Master’s degree will be required to complete all the requirements for the degree within five years (60 consecutive months) from the date of the first registration in the Master’s program.

The PhD program is a full-time program of full-time independent research. Students can expect to take a minimum of two years to complete the program.

Course Requirements

The PhD program consists of 45 units beyond the Bachelor’s level, or 30 units beyond the Master’s level. PhD students who enter the program with a Master’s are normally expected to complete a minimum of 3 graduate or upper-level undergraduate course units. Students who enter the PhD program with a Bachelor, including students who transfer from a Master’s to a PhD at UVic, are normally expected to complete a minimum of 7.5 units of coursework. Students enroll in EOS 699 upon registering in the PhD program (or upon switching to the PhD program from the MSc program) and remain enrolled until all dissertation requirements have been completed.

All PhD students are required to give a one hour seminar to the School on their research, normally within six months before the defense of their PhD dissertation. All PhD students must register in EOS 525 as part of their 3-unit graduate course requirement, unless they have previously taken this course in the MSc program. In addition to the minimum 3 graduate or upper-level undergraduate course units, all PhD students must register in EOS 693 (PhD Candidacy Examination). The PhD dissertation (EOS 699) makes up the remaining program units.

Students should consult the department for courses that will be offered in any given year. Admission to any graduate course requires permission of the instructor.

The Candidacy Examination is a requirement of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and cannot be waived. SEOS requires that within two years of first registration as a provisional doctoral student (or 18 months of transferring from a MSc program) and at least six months before the final oral examination, a PhD student must submit a written dissertation research proposal, defining the research topic, the goals of the research and the methodology to be used. This thesis proposal will be defended in an oral candidacy exam. The Examining Committee will question the candidate to determine that the candidate has the appropriate background knowledge and skills to undertake the proposed project, and that the project is likely to lead to results suitable for a PhD dissertation.

Students enroll in EOS 693 (PhD Candidacy Examination) upon registering in the PhD program (or upon switching to the PhD program from the MSc program) and remain enrolled until all candidacy requirements have been completed.

Oral Examination

PhD students will be required to defend their completed dissertation in a final oral examination open to the public.

A student proceeding toward a doctoral degree will be required to complete all the requirements within seven years (84 consecutive months) from the date of first registration in the program. If the student transfers to the doctoral program after an initial period in a master’s program, completion is required within seven years of the date of the first registration in the Master’s program. A doctoral degree will not be awarded in less than twenty-four consecutive months from the time of first registration.