MSCF Students

Master of Science in Forestry (Thesis-based) Timeline 

First month  

• Meet with Supervisor to discuss mutual expectations on research, degree requirements, and timeline to completion. 

First academic term  

• Meet with Supervisory Committee (minimum attendance: Supervisor and one other Core Member of the Master of Science in Forestry program) to discuss coursework and the research plan. 

• Apply for scholarship funding. Merit-based scholarships from the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and the Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) have a similar application process, with a deadline in October.  

First two academic terms 

• Establish a full Supervisory Committee: three members including the Supervisor, at least two of whom are Core Members of the Master of Science in Forestry.  

• Complete the coursework requirement. Two and one-half course equivalents (five half-courses): NRMT 5510 (Research Methods I: Philosophy and General Methods of Science, fall term) and NRMT 5515 (Research Planning, winter term), plus three electives, normally chosen to support the Student’s research plan. Most students take either NRMT 5530 (Research Methods II: Experimental Design in Forestry Research, winter term) or a course in qualitative research methods plus two other electives.  

• Scope the research project. If defence of a proposal has not occurred within the first eight months, the Supervisor must provide a project that can be completed in a reasonable (<18 months) time.  

• Prior to commencing research, convene a Supervisory Committee meeting to discuss the Student’s research proposal.  

First academic year  

• Have the Thesis research proposal approved by your Supervisory Committee.  

• Complete the data collection to support the Thesis.  

• Begin data analysis. 

 Second academic year  

• Convene a Supervisory Committee meeting at the beginning of the second year to discuss research results to date, possible further research, and the timeline to Thesis completion.  

• Complete the Thesis first draft at least six months before the end of the second year.  

• Plan and contribute a research seminar of 20-40 minutes on your preliminary results and contribute to the Natural Resources Management Seminar Series in an academic term. 

 Two terms before degree completion  

• Obtain approval of your Supervisor before a Thesis draft moves forward. Revision of drafts with the help of your Supervisor is likely to be an iterative process (involving more than one draft and taking most of the second-to-last term of study).  

• Submit an approved Thesis draft to your Supervisory Committee and allow at least two weeks for committee comments. This step leads to the Internal Examiner’s Report on the Thesis and your Supervisor’s permission to bring a revised Thesis draft to the Coordinator of the Master of Science in Forestry program to forward to an External Examiner.  

• With your Supervisor’s help, recommend an External Examiner to the Coordinator of the Master of Science in Forestry program and allow four weeks (excluding Holidays) for the External Examiner’s Report on the Thesis. Only when both the internal and external reports are received and the Thesis is passed (‘Minor Revisions Required’ being the normal outcome of both examinations to qualify as a pass) does the Student proceed to Oral Defence. Work with the Graduate Coordinator at this time.  

• Schedule an Oral Defence date and submit the version of the Thesis that has passed, including any revisions requested that are possible to complete before Defence, to members of the Examining Committee. Do this at least one week before the Oral Defence date. The Examining Committee is the Supervisory Committee and a designated Chair, usually the Coordinator of the Master of Science in Forestry program.  

• On the date of the Oral Defence, provide a 25-minute seminar on the Thesis research that is open to the public. Following general questions and discussion of the seminar, the Student and Examining Committee move to a meeting closed to the public (the Oral Defence) during which the Student answers questions on the topic of the Thesis, and the Examining Committee probes the Student’s completeness of knowledge on this topic. In a meeting closed to the Student, the Chair of the Examining Committee determines (by majority vote) whether the Thesis is passed, and then conveys the decision to the Student, listing any remaining revisions required.  

• Complete the remaining revisions on the Thesis and submit an electronic (pdf) copy to the Graduate Coordinator. Complete other Degree requirements (see the Graduate Studies website for the full list). 

Master of Science in Forestry Timeline (Course-based Option) 

First academic term  

• Start coursework requirements. Up to two course equivalents (four half-courses): NRMT 5550 (Principles of Research: Methods & Experimental Statistics) and NRMT 5111 (Professional Communication), plus one or two electives, normally chosen to support the Student’s research plan. 

Second academic term 

• Complete coursework requirements. Up to two course equivalents (four half-courses): NRMT 5515 (Research Planning), plus one or two electives, normally chosen to support the Student’s research plan. The total number of electives is three half-courses (over the first and second academic terms).  

• Develop a research plan. In a meeting with the Dean of Natural Resources Management, discuss your preliminary research plan toward finding an Internship, which may be chosen by the Student and approved by the Dean or assigned by the Dean. 

Third academic term  

• Complete the Field School requirement, entailing a 10-day field tour at the beginning of the term.  

• Complete the Internship, entailing a four-month research placement outside the Faculty and under the supervision of the placement supervisor and the Dean, with a report on the research submitted to the Dean. 

PhD (Forest Sciences) Timeline 

First month  

• Meet with Supervisor to discuss mutual expectations on research, degree requirements, and timeline to completion.  

First academic term  

• Meet with Supervisory Committee (minimum attendance: Supervisor and one other Core Member of the Master of Science in Forestry program) to discuss coursework and the research plan.  

• Apply for scholarship funding. Merit-based scholarships from the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and the Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) have a similar application process, with a deadline in October.  

First two academic terms  

• Complete the required coursework. One and one-half course equivalents (three half-courses): NRMT 5515 (Research Planning, winter term), plus two electives, normally chosen to support the Student’s research plan. Students who have not taken the equivalent of NRMT 5510 (Research Methods I: Philosophy and General Methods of Science, fall term) take this course as a fourth half-course.  

• Prior to commencing research, convene a Supervisory Committee meeting to discuss the research proposal. From this point, the Student independently develops a research proposal that includes a plan for at least three Dissertation chapters or at least three published manuscripts, listing and defending the overall research questions that link them.  

First academic year  

• Have the Dissertation research proposal approved by your Supervisory Committee in a meeting that is called by the Graduate Coordinator responsible for the PhD (Forest Sciences) program and chaired by the Coordinator or a Chair designate. This meeting is the Qualifying Examination and has a Pass/Fail outcome. It is an oral examination that serves as a diagnostic of the Student’s readiness to undertake PhD research and comprises two rounds of questions asked by the Supervisory Committee of the Student. In a meeting closed to the Student, the Committee (and, in the case of a tie, the Chair) vote on the outcome based on the Student’s research proposal and answers to questions. The outcome is delivered to the Student immediately after this meeting.  

• Start or continue the data collection to support the Dissertation.  

• Begin data analysis. 

Second academic year  

• Continue data collection to support the Dissertation.  

• Continue data analysis and writing the Dissertation.  

• Meet with the Supervisor and/or Supervisory Committee two months prior to the end of the second academic year to discuss expectations for the Comprehensive Examination, and set date and time for this examination.  

Third academic year  

• On the date of the Comprehensive Examination, the meeting is chaired by the Graduate Coordinator responsible for the PhD (Forest Sciences) program or a Chair designate. The Student has prepared by doing research toward the Dissertation, plus any assigned additional and topical readings. The Examination Committee comprises the Supervisory Committee and one External Examiner (external to the Supervisory Committee and normally from the PhD Forest Sciences Core membership).

The Comprehensive Examination is an oral examination of not more than three hours that serves as a diagnostic of the Student’s knowledge in the Dissertation’s research area and their ability to integrate concepts from divergent sources. The Student must be able to demonstrate the potential to carry out advanced, original research in Forest Sciences in presenting the research to date and in answering questions in two rounds of the Examining Committee. In a meeting closed to the Student, the Committee (and, in the case of a tie, the Chair) vote on the outcome based on the Student’s answers to questions. The outcome is delivered to the Student immediately after this meeting, and it is either a Pass or a recommendation for Re-examination to occur not less than one month and not more than six months from the date of the first examination. (Only one Re-examination is allowed with its outcome either Pass or Fail.)  

• Continue (as necessary) data collection to support the Dissertation.  

• Continue data analysis and writing the Dissertation.  

Fourth academic year  

• Complete all Dissertation research. Early in the fourth year, complete the writing of the Dissertation.  

Two terms before degree completion  

• Obtain approval of your Supervisor before a Dissertation draft moves forward.  

• Submit an approved Dissertation draft to your Supervisory Committee and allow at least three weeks for their comments. This step leads to the Internal Examiner’s Report on the Dissertation and your Supervisor’s permission to bring a revised Dissertation draft to the Coordinator responsible for the PhD (Forest Sciences) program to forward to the Dean of Graduate Studies.  

• With your Supervisor’s help, recommend an External Examiner for approval by the Graduate Coordinator responsible for the PhD (Forest Sciences) program and by the Dean of Graduate Studies. Allow four weeks (excluding Holidays) for the External Examiner’s Report on the Thesis. Only when both the internal and external reports are received and the Dissertation is passed (‘Minor Revisions Required’ being the normal outcome of both examinations to qualify as a pass) does the Student proceed to Oral Defence. Work with the Graduate Coordinator at this time.  

• Schedule an Oral Defence date and submit the version of the Dissertation that has passed, including any revisions requested that are possible to complete before Defence, to members of the Examining Committee at least one week before the Oral Defence date. The Examining Committee is the Supervisory Committee and the External Examiner, plus a designated Chair, usually the Graduate Coordinator responsible for the PhD (Forest Sciences) program.  

• On the date of the Oral Defence, provide a 30-minute seminar on the Dissertation research that is open to the public. Following general questions and discussion of the seminar, the Student and Examining Committee move to an Oral Defence of the Dissertation that is open to the public, unless the Student chooses not to have the meeting open. During the Defence, the Student answers questions on the Dissertation and the Examining Committee probes the Student’s completeness of knowledge on the research topic. In a meeting closed to the Student, the Chair of the Examining Committee determines (by majority vote) whether the Dissertation is passed, and then conveys the decision to the Student, listing any remaining revisions required.  

• Complete the remaining revisions on the Dissertation and submit an electronic (pdf) copy to the Graduate Coordinator. Complete other Degree requirements (see the Graduate Studies website for the full list).