COMPUTING SCIENCE GRADUATE STUDENTS
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M.Sc. and PhD Thesis Defence Procedures
Before Scheduling Your Defence
Before you start preparing to schedule your MSc or PhD thesis defence, please ensure that you have completed the first two program milestones.
1. Set up your Supervisory Committee
- As per Graduate General Regulation 1.6.4, a supervisory committee consists of the student's supervisor, at least one other computing science faculty member, and others (typically faculty) as appropriate. The choice of supervisor should be made by mutual consent of the graduate student and faculty member based on commonality of research interests. The student and supervisor should consult on the remainder of the committee members.
- If you have not already set up your supervisory committee, please complete the Supervisory Committee form, signed by your supervisor, and submit to csgrada@sfu.ca.
- If you are making a change to your supervisory committee (i.e., adding a second committee member, or removing a committee member), please submit the Change of Supervisory Committee form.
2. Submit your Breadth Evaluation
- Evaluation forms are found here.
IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT SUBMITTING FORMS:
Please note that the Graduate Studies office will only accept handwritten and official digital signatures. Type written fonts will not be accepted. Information on how to create a signature and sign documents in Adobe can be found . For all forms, we will get the Graduate Chair signature on your behalf.
Important note about defence dates:
It is best practice to schedule defences with enough time for post-defence revisions prior to the . Requests to schedule defences during the following dates will require supporting rationale:
| Term | Dates requiring supporting rationale |
| Spring 2025 | April 24-30 |
| Summer 2025 | August 19-25 |
| Fall 2025 | December 16-22 |
5 Weeks Before Your Defence
1. Submit the following to csgrada@sfu.ca. These must be completely filled and submitted together.
- Approval of Examining Committee form, including your supervisor鈥檚 signature.
- Your MSc Thesis Defence abstract (download template here)
2. The Graduate Program Assistant (GPA) will confirm your room booking/Zoom meeting for the defence.
3. Apply to graduate on goSFU by the deadline listed here during the term of your scheduled defence
2 WEEKS BEFORE YOUR DEFENCE
- Submit your completed MSc Thesis to csgrada@sfu.ca. This is a firm deadline.
IMPORTANT: The version of your thesis you submit to the GPA will be the version that is provided to your examining committee for review. You will not be able to make additional edits after this submission. Do not send your thesis directly to the Examining Committee. Communication with your examiner is prohibited at this time.
AFTER YOUR DEFENCE
- After your defence, a signed Results, Approval & Degree Recommendation (RAD) form will be submitted by your Supervisor to the GPA. If revisions were required, the RAD will be submitted to the GPA upon satisfactory completion of revisions.
- Once the GPA obtains the Grad Chair signature on your RAD form, the form will be sent to you via email.
- along with the fully signed RAD form.
- Ensure you submit your thesis to the library by the deadline listed
8 Weeks Before Your Defence
1. Provide all of the following to the Graduate Program Assistant (GPA) at csgrada@sfu.ca:
- CV of your External Examiner (this would be provided to you by your supervisor)
- Title of your Thesis
- Defence Date, Time, and Location (i.e., in-person or remote)
- Name of the Chair
- Name of the Internal Examiner
- Ethics Approval Letter (only if applicable)
2. The GPA will use this information to fill out your pre-defence paperwork and submit it to your supervisor and committee member for their signatures.
3. The GPA will confirm your room booking or Zoom meeting for the defence.
4. Apply to graduate on goSFU by the deadline listed here during the term of your scheduled defence.
6 Weeks Before Your Defence
1. Submit the following to csgrada@sfu.ca. This is a firm deadline.
- Your completed PhD Thesis
- Your PhD Defence abstract (download template here)
**Effective Spring 2025, thesis seminars are no longer required. However, a dry run of the defence is strongly recommended. Students should consult with their supervisor for guidance on scheduling an informal seminar prior to the defence.
IMPORTANT: The version of your thesis you submit to the GPA will be the version that is provided to your examining committee for review. You will not be able to make additional edits after this submission. Do not send your thesis directly to the examining committee. Communication with your external examiner is prohibited.
AFTER YOUR DEFENCE
- After your defence, a signed Results, Approval & Degree Recommendation (RAD) form will be submitted by your Supervisor to the GPA. If revisions were required, the RAD will be submitted to the GPA upon satisfactory completion of revisions.
- Once the GPA obtains the Grad Chair signature on your RAD form, the form will be sent to you via email.
- along with the fully signed RAD form.
- Ensure you submit your thesis to the library by the deadline listed .
What is the composition of the examining committee for an M.Sc. defence?
As per Graduate General Regulation 1.9.1:
a) the chair of the student鈥檚 graduate program committee, or designate, who shall be a non-voting chair of the examining committee.
b) all members of the student鈥檚 supervisory committee.
c) an examiner who is a member of faculty, or a person suitably qualified, who is not a member of the student's supervisory committee.
Who selects the examiner(s) and chair for my defence?
Please consult with your supervisor. Please note, PhD students should not have any contact with the external examiner.
Can I get an early completion refund if I defend my thesis in the first month of the term?
For information on the early completion refund and eligibility, please see the bottom of this page.
Where can I find thesis templates?
Please see the library website .
Who can I ask if I have more questions?