Research Master’s Students

Overview

Completing your research master’s degree means satisfying your program’s full set of requirements—coursework, research milestones, a thesis, and any other requirements set by your unit. Not all research master’s programs require a Master’s Thesis Examination. Practices vary by graduate unit and faculty. Check with your graduate administrator for the complete list of requirements specific to your program.

This page contains information for students who do have a master’s thesis examination and / or are required to submit a thesis as part of their program requirements. For additional important information, please see:

Registration

You must be registered in the session during which your exam is held and your thesis is submitted. If your exam falls late enough in a session that your thesis submission slips into the next one, you’ll need to register, and pay fees, for that new session. Please consult the SGS Sessional Dates Calendar for the exam completion and thesis submission deadlines for each session.

Please reach out to your graduate administrator regarding any thesis or exam requirements and timelines.

You can also view the Registration & Enrolment page for detailed information about registration statuses and deadlines.

Thesis formatting

Your thesis must conform to the University’s formatting requirements. Review the thesis formatting & submission guidelines and use the University thesis template to ensure your document meets the standard. Formatting issues can delay acceptance of your thesis in ProQuest, so it is worth getting this right before you submit.

If you need formatting help, the Information Commons at Robarts Library (416-978-4292 or digital.studio@utoronto.ca) also has staff who can help with common formatting issues.

Scheduling your Master’s thesis examination

Consult your graduate unit about any internal submission deadlines or procedures for your thesis — these are set by your department, may fall well ahead of the SGS sessional dates, and determine when you can schedule a master’s thesis exam, if required.

Your supervisor and your graduate administrator each play a part in scheduling your exam. Your supervisor is involved in deciding when you’re ready to submit your final thesis and/or hold your master’s thesis examination. Your graduate administrator knows your department’s specific requirements and lead times, and handles the logistics of a master’s thesis examination, if required.

On the day of your exam, you’ll present your research and answer questions from your committee, who’ll assess whether you’ve met the requirements of your degree and program. Beyond that, format varies by graduate unit. Some hold a public seminar as part of the process, and others may have their own norms, so check with your graduate administrator to find out what applies in your department.

At the conclusion of your exam, once the committee has deliberated, you’ll be told the result.

After your exam, you’ll receive post-examination instructions from your graduate administrator, setting out your result and what comes next: any changes required to your thesis, when changes are due, how your supervisor will provide final sign-off confirming it’s ready, and how to submit it to the University for publication.

Your program requirements are not officially complete until your thesis has been accepted by SGS through ProQuest.

Submitting your thesis to ProQuest

Program Completion Office review

After you submit your thesis to ProQuest, the Program Completion Office will review your submission for formatting issues. If changes are needed, you will be notified. You must respond to any revision requests within 2 weeks so that your thesis can be accepted in time for convocation and fee adjustments.

Thesis embargo

Students may request to delay the release of their thesis in exceptional cases. Please review the Thesis Embargo page for detailed information.

Convocation

How graduation works for research master’s students

Once your graduate department confirms that you’ve met all of your program’s requirements, including your thesis being accepted in ProQuest, they’ll submit a recommendation for you to graduate to SGS. This sets in motion everything related to your convocation, degree conferral, and transcript updates.

The convocation ceremony dates, RSVP instructions and information about diplomas is available on the Office of Convocation website.

Getting invited

Once your department’s recommendation is processed, the Office of Convocation will contact you at your U of T email address approximately three weeks before the ceremony with instructions on RSVPing, regalia rental, and other logistics. Monitor your email account so you don’t miss deadlines.

For more information, please visit the Graduation and Convocation page.