FAST Guide to graduate program

FAST Guide to graduate program[edit | edit source]

PhD ECE[edit | edit source]

FUTURE STUDENTS[edit | edit source]

The following two links can be found on the UWO ECE Future Students page.

1. Link to graduate degrees and specializations in ECE: https://www.eng.uwo.ca/electrical//graduate/future_students/degrees_in_ECE.html#Degrees_in_ECE
2. Link to Application Procedure, Deadline, and Timeline: https://www.eng.uwo.ca/electrical//graduate/future_students/How-to-apply.html#How_to_Apply

CURRENT STUDENTS[edit | edit source]

The following sections describe important information for a PhD Student

Getting Started in ECE and Required Safety Training Modules: The following link describes what-do-to for new students: https://www.eng.uwo.ca/electrical//graduate/current_students/new_student_information.html

Courses information:

• The list of courses is updated before the start of the semester at the following link: https://www.eng.uwo.ca/electrical//graduate/current_students/PhD_Program_Information.html.
• Note that you are required to take 8 courses before your comprehensive examination. You can apply for a waiver of up to 4 courses if you already hold a Master's Degree, and up to 2 courses if you are a direct-entry PhD student. Direct-Entry refers to applying for PhD right after your Bachelor's degree.
• Recommendations from past students:
  • Take a maximum of 2 classes per semester to maintain study-research balance
  • Remember you have the choice of taking 0 classes during a semester if there is no class you are interested in
  • You have the option to audit a class if you need the knowledge but are not sure you want it on your transcript

Research Communication and Seminars:

• Each student is required to take a research communication module, usually during the summer. Be on the lookout for an email from the department.
• Each Phd student must present during two annual student research seminar, usually during the summer. Be on the lookout for an email from the department.

PhD Comprehensive Examination:

• Information on the PhD qualification examination is found on the following link: https://www.eng.uwo.ca/electrical//graduate/current_students/PhD_Program_Information.html
• Advisory Committee Rules for PhD students at UWO (ECE department)

PhD MME[edit | edit source]

FUTURE STUDENTS

For future students, information related to application process, application documents, application information, useful links etc. can be accessed at https://www.eng.uwo.ca/mechanical//graduate/research_program/future_students/index.html.

CURRENT STUDENTS

For current student, information related to program and policies, course enrollment, course schedule, course drop, course information, useful links etc. can be accessed at https://www.eng.uwo.ca/mechanical//graduate/research_program/current_students/index.html. Summary of the same is given below:

Course Information

• 8 courses (4 courses can be exempted from previous Master's degree subject to relevant approvals)
• A maximum of two (2) courses is allowed to be taken outside the home program.  A graduate student who wishes to also enrol in a collaborative program (i.e. CMHR) must complete the collaborative program admission form and submit it to the MME graduate office.
• Non-Engineering or Non-MME Engineering Degree: A student with a non-engineering or non-mechanical engineering background, may be required to take additional relevant courses, to provide fundamental understanding in order to complete his/her degree. These courses must be taken during the first term of registration

Program of Study Form - PhD

• The Ph.D. program comprises of a thesis and a minimum of eight (8) courses.
• Discuss with the suprvisor and finalize the research topic/title as well as the set of courses required.  It is expected the student enrol in  9600 or 9700 courses, and a maximum of two (2) courses only, to be taken outside the home program.
• Request for course exemption (credit) must be made at this time. Courses being requested for credit exemption must be equivalent to an A- (based on the Western University scale). Official course outlines must accompany the request for credit exemption.
• A maximum of four (4) graduate courses taken previously at another university, may be used as credit exemption to fulfill course requirements.  Official course outlines must accompany the request for exemption.
• The completed Proposed Program of Study must be submitted by the end of the first term of registration.  Failure to submit by this time, may entail the denial of permission to register in further courses.

Course Enrollment and Deadlines

• Enrolment deadline for the Winter, Summer and Fall terms is: January 15th, May 15th, September 15th, respectively.
• Graduate Enrolment in a Graduate Course Outside Home Program: Permission required of the course instructor and home program, using the Request to Enrol in Graduate Course Outside Home Program form.
• Student outside MME program, wishing to take an MME graduate course: Approval required from both the instructor and the graduate office, and meet all other criteria assigned by the instructor and/or the MME department. A graduate student must first obtain Instructor's signature and submit the signed form to the MME graduate office by the MME graduate course registration deadline for the term (4:00 p.m. January 15th, May 15th, or September 15th). Once approval is granted, it is the responsibility of the student to submit the form to his/her Home Program/Office of the Registrar so they may enrol the student in the course.  Failure to complete and/or submit the form in the manner outlined above, will result in automatic removal from the course.

Course Drop

Request to drop form is to be completed after obtaining the signature of the supervisor and Associate Chair (graduate) which is to be submitted tp MME office before the following deadline for each term: January 30th, May 30th, September 30th.

• Course(s) dropped within one (1) month of the official beginning of the term will not appear on the academic record.
• Course(s) dropped after the deadline date, but within eight (8) weeks of the beginning of the term stay on the academic record with the notation of "WDN" (withdrawn).
• Course(s) dropped after eight (8) weeks from the beginning of term stay on the academic record and are recorded as "FAI" (failed).

PhD Comprehensive Exam

• The comprehensive examination consists of two parts: proposal and oral examination. The procedure for the comprehensive exam is described as follows:
• The comprehensive examination form must be submitted to the MME Graduate Office in the third (3rd) term of registration, and the exam must be taken before the end of the fourth (4th) term.
• A written proposal of Ph.D. research is to be submitted to the MME Graduate Office, three (3) weeks prior to the scheduled comprehensive examination date.
• Examiners will review the proposal and submit the assessment to the Graduate Office no later than one (1) week prior to the oral examination date.
• The committee decision is made based on the average scores from the examiners and outcome is communicated to the individual (student).
• If passed, the oral examination will proceeds. Else, the oral examination will be cancelled and the re-submission of the proposal is required.
• The revised proposal must be resubmitted no earlier than three (3) weeks from the date of the assessment result of the proposal is conveyed to the student. The oral examination should be rescheduled to a date at least three (3) weeks after the proposal resubmission date.
• For oral examination, a short presentation (15 minutes) is to be prepared which will be followed with queries by the committee members.
• The committee decision on the oral examination is based on the average scores from the examiners. The results of the examination shall be stated as:
  • Passed without conditions, or
  • Passed with specific conditions to be satisfied for continued registration, or
  • Failed (with oral re-examination, required to withdraw, or recommended to transfer to MESc)
• In case of failure of comprehensive examination, the individual may be required to withdraw, transfer to MESc program or may be allowed to attempt the oral examination again.  The re-examination may not take place before three (3) months, but must be completed by the end of the fourth (4th) month from the original oral examination.  

Committees[edit | edit source]

• For the supervisory committee, there is a requirement of 3 members minimum. One is the supervisor and two other members. One of these members could be from another department, however, one must be from the same department (Mechanical & Materials Engineering). Supervisor chooses the two members of supervisory committee.
• For Comprehensive Exam, there are 3 examiners. Supervisor can be one of them. They can also be the same members as the supervisory committee.
• Members of the comprehensive exam can not become part of the examiners who conduct the last thesis defense. In last thesis defense, there are two internal examiners and one external examiner.
• Annual check-ins are required in the form of progress report (submitted via path finder) and graduate seminar series presentation.
• You can complete the PhD program early than 4 years – Joanna needs to be informed two months before the date when we intend to do the last thesis defense.

MESC ECE[edit | edit source]

Admission requirement and application process & deadlines: https://grad.uwo.ca/admissions/programs/program.cfm?p=39

Program requirement:

• 4 graduate courses
• Courses must be technical courses - professional development or non-technical courses would be considered outside the 4 course requirement.
  • Undergraduate courses can be taken as an audit with supervisory approval. Any undergraduate course taken would be above & beyond the degree requirement and would not be considered as credit towards the degree.
  • Students may request course credit exemption in accordance with the Faculty of Engineering Graduate Course Exemption Policy.
  • Students are permitted to take up to two (2) courses outside of our Department toward your degree requirements, with permission in advance of enrolling. Please note students will not be able to self-enroll in non-ECE courses, so they will need to complete request forms and submit them to graduate coordinator or ecegrad@uwo.ca to be enrolled.
• Complete 1 seminar session over the course of degree: https://www.eng.uwo.ca/electrical/graduate/current_students/graduate_research_symposium.html
• Thesis examination. Exam consists of an oral defense of the thesis, attended by the student, the thesis supervisor, and two examiners appointed by the faculty of graduate studies.

Graduate Proposed Program of Study Form: This form is due during first term. This form is how student will communicate to the Department how and when they intend to meet the program requirements. It will also help student to plan their own program progression. The form will be reviewed by supervisor(s) and the Associate Chair of Graduate Studies.

Link to form in digital platform Kuali: https://uwo.kualibuildca.com/app/builder/app/6047d449be49420020f5dc28/run

Offered courses for MESc:https://www.eng.uwo.ca/electrical/graduate/current_students/mesc_program.html

Course enrollment deadline:

1. Fall term:
   • September 1, 2022: Fall term officially begins.
   • September 15, 2022: Last Day to ADD a Graduate Course for Fall term. Last Day to Drop a graduate course online.
   • September 30, 2022: Last Day to declare an AUDIT for a Fall course.
   • September 30, 2022:Last Day to DROP a Fall graduate course without it appearing on the transcript.
   • October 31, 2022: Last Day to DROP a Fall graduate course and receive a 'Withdrawn' on the transcript - after this date a 'Fail' will be assigned.
2. Winter term:
   • January 1, 2023: Winter term officially begins.
   • Janaury 15, 2023: Last Day to ADD a Graduate Course for Winter term. Last Day to Drop a graduate course online.
   • January 30, 2023: Last Day to declare an AUDIT for a Winter course.
   • January 30, 2023: Last Day to DROP a Winter graduate course without it appearing on your transcript.
   • February 28, 2023: Last Day to DROP a Winter graduate course receive a 'Withdrawn' on the transcript - after this date a 'Fail' will be assigned.
3. Summer term:
   • May 1, 2023: Summer term officially begins - does not necessarily concide with the beginning of classes.
   • May 15, 2023: Last Day to ADD a Graduate Course for Summer term. Last Day to Drop a graduate course online.
   • May 31, 2023: Last Day to declare an AUDIT for a Summer course.
   • May 31, 2023: Last Day to DROP a Summer graduate course without it appearing on the transcript.
   • June 30, 2023: Last Day to DROP a Summer graduate course receive a 'Withdrawn' on the transcript - after this date a 'Fail' will be assigned.

Committee:

1. Supervisory committee: A Supervisory Committee consists of at least one Supervisor and at least one Committee Member. Supervisor: This designation indicates that the faculty member(s) have primary responsibility for overseeing the Master’s or Doctoral thesis research program. Up to two Supervisors can participate in a Supervisory Committee. Committee Member: All supervisory committees must contain at least one Committee Member. Up to three Committee Members can participate in a Supervisory Committee. The committee Member: Must have any level of SGPS membership in any program (i.e. could have Teaching/Advisory Membership outside of student’s program). Once confirmed with committee, either you or your supervisor can send the members of your committee to ECE graduate coordinator by email and she will update your file.
2. Thesis Examination Board
   1. Chair
   2. Two Program Examiners (One can be from the advisory committee)
   3. University Examiner (must not be from the candidate's or Supervisor's home Department)

Thesis guide: https://grad.uwo.ca/academics/thesis/index.html

General thesis regulations:https://grad.uwo.ca/resources/regulations/8.html

Thesis Examination request form: https://grad.uwo.ca/doc/academic_services/thesis/masters_thesis_exam.pdf

MESc. Thesis Timeline:

Final Date for Program to Submit Examination Request to SGPS	Final Date for Candidate to Submit Thesis for Examination	Final Date for Thesis Examination	Final Submission of the thesis	Convocation Eligibility
November 18, 2022	November 25, 2022	December 16, 2022	final business day of term	Award Degree in Absentia, February 2023
March 27, 2023	April 3, 2023	April 24, 2023	April 30, 2023	Eligible for Spring Convocation 2023
July 27, 2023	August 3, 2023	August 24, 2023	August 31, 2023	Eligible for Fall Convocation 2023

ECE M.E.Sc. to Ph.D. program transfer

Both the ECE Transfer Request and the SGPS Transfer Request Forms must be completed and submitted to the Department. These forms are located on the ECE Forms page.

Requirements:

• In order to request a transfer to the PhD program an MESc student must submit the request prior to beginning their 4th term of enrolment.
• An average of 85% across the courses taken during the MESc program is required to be eligible to transfer to the PhD program
• MESc to PhD transfer students must take 8 graduate level courses to complete the degree requirements. A Maximum of 2 courses may be waived, with ECE Graduate Committee approval.
• A formal request from your Supervisor that She/he is willing to support you for a PhD program and the additional 2 years of study

Accelerated MESc.: Students in 3rd year completing a summer research experience are eligible to apply for early graduate admission in their 4th year and take up to 2 graduate courses to substitute 2 4th year technical electives.

Requirements:

• Students who work in the summer prior to beginning their 4th year of study through the summer research program in Engineering (NSERC USRA, Dean's Award or Summer Research Award) are eligible to apply.
• Minimum 78% cumulative average based on 2nd and 3rd years of the undergraduate program.
• Application deadline: August 1st prior to beginning 4th year of study

Program format:

Applicant must identify a supervisor during 3rd year, and begin his/her research project in supervisor's lab (typically through NSERC USRA or Dean' s Research Award) in the Summer before the beginning of 4th year. Applications are done through student center by creating a new graduate application.

During the 4th year of undergraduate program:

• Take one graduate level course as a substitute for a 4th year technical elective.
• Complete rest of the courses and other requirements for the BESc program.
• May take (optional) one graduate course as an overload, to be counted as a credit in the graduate degree. Maintain a cumulative average of 78% based on 3rd and 4th years of the undergraduate program

Starting the MESc program in May (immediately after completing BESc degree):

• Take two graduate courses (if took the overload graduate course in the 4th year)
• Take three graduate courses (if no overload graduate course in the 4th year)
• Complete research and thesis

Contact the program coordinator for ECE, Cherryl Fredette (cfredett@uwo.ca), or the graduate department (weresgrd@uwo.ca) if you have any questions.

MESC MME[edit | edit source]

FUTURE STUDENTS - The Application Process and Requirements[edit | edit source]

Deadline to Apply[edit | edit source]

• Canadian Students:
  • Winter Term: November 1st
  • Summer Term: March 1st
  • Fall Term: July 1st
• International Students
  • Winter Term: June 1st
  • Summer Term: October 1st
  • Fall Term: February 1st

Application and Acceptance Requirements:

• 4 year honours Bachelors degree in Engineering from an accredited university
• 78% minimum average assessed using the last two years of full-time study to be eligible for funding
• The applicant must submit:
  • official digital transcript
  • two academic reference letters
  • CV/Resume
  • additional expectations for international students (e.g. English proficiency, residency, etc.) available here

CURRENT STUDENTS - Graduation Requirements[edit | edit source]

MME Graduate coordinator: Joanna Blom (jblom@uwo.ca)

General Overview[edit | edit source]

• full-time thesis based program over an anticipated 2 year (6 term) timeline
• minimum of 78% must be achieve to maintain funding
• minimum of 70% cumulative average to remain enrolled
• passing grade of 60% in all classes
• Fill banking information in MyHR to receive payment from funding package

Course Requirements[edit | edit source]

• Must participate in the weekly Graduate Seminar Series (minimum of 75% attendance is required)
• minimum of 4 courses required
  • students expected to enroll in 9600 or 9700 level courses
• students must select a course from each of Category 1 (Methodology), Category 2 (Fundamentals), Category 3 (Advanced)
  • Complete course list can be found here and here
  • Courses offered each term vary based on availability. The updated yearly course schedule can be viewed here NOTE: class schedule associated with each course is ONLY available here and will not appear on student center

Important Dates and Submission Deadlines

Item	Deadline
Training and Certifications	Prior to the end of the first term of study
Proposed Program of study	Prior to the end of the first term of study
Progress Review	To be completed annually under the organization of the student with supervisor and committee. Results must be submitted to MME graduate office
Enrollment	Winter Term: January 15th Summer Term: May 15th Fall Term: September 15th
Term Start Dates	Winter Term: January 1st Summer Term: May 1st Fall Term: September 1st
Drop Deadline (To not appear on academic record)	Winter Term: January 30th Summer Term: May 30th Fall Term: September 30th
Drop Date (Withdrawn on academic record)	dropped after the deadline, but within 8 weeks of the beginning of the term. Any dropped classes exceeding this window will be recorded as failed.
Course audit, undergraduate course, graduate course outside program	Declare with program form and supervisor's signature intention and course prior to the enrollment deadline

Additional Information on above submission items:

• Complete the following training and email certificates to the graduate office
  • 1) Worker Health and Safety Awareness, 2) Laboratory Safety and Hazardous Waste Management, 3) WHMIS, 4) Workplace Hazard Communication Form, 5) Safe Campus Community, 6) AODA Training, 7) Gender Based Sexual Violence, 8) Cyber Security, 9) Anti-Racism
  • Health and safety Form signed by supervisor
• Proposed Program of Study
  • login to the KUALI website hereand fill out application form
  • any changes must be updated to proposed program and resubmitted for review with supervisor. Any courses taken outside of this document will be removed from the academic record
  • A supervisor committee of at least 2 members (additional professors) must be selected and included on the form

Thesis Information[edit | edit source]

All thesis information can be found at the Thesis Guide Webpage for Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies

• revisions and final thesis submission are due 6 weeks after a successful thesis examination
• see the Master's Candidate timeline page to review official dates for examination requests, thesis submission, revision submission, and convocation eligibility.

Additional Important Information[edit | edit source]

Program Forms

• All request for course auditing, exemptions, courses outside of him program, etc. can be accessed here.

Converting from MSC to PhD[edit | edit source]

4+1 MSC[edit | edit source]

Thesis Defense Only[edit | edit source]

Use this only if you dont think you can finish your thesis and defend in your planned graduation semester.

TDO registration is for students who are done writing their thesis, but are waiting for the defense to happen. It basically allows students some tuition relief if they aren’t able to finish writing their thesis in time to meet the defense deadlines in a given term and need to continue registration in the next consecutive term to defend. They must submit their preliminary thesis by the last business day of the last regular term in order to qualify (i.e. April 30 to qualify for TDO in Summer 2024). The preliminary thesis is the version that will be circulated by SGPS to the examiners. No further edits are allowed between submission and the defense.

TDO costs the student $90, plus UHIP if applicable. Their registration is counted as part-time status. International students should consult IESC about any potential impacts to their residency or future PGWP if they register under PT categories.

There is a form that students must submit to SGPS (or to me to send to SGPS on their behalf) to initiate the registration change. However, in recent terms, they have been asking for students to send their manuscript ID to verify thesis submission before actioning the registration change.

Here is the webpage about it: https://grad.uwo.ca/academics/thesis_defense_only_tdo_status.html