Program Transfers
Program transfers between MSc and PhD
You may request to transfer from the MSc to the PhD program with the recommendation of your thesis advisory committee.
The transfer examination must take place between 16 - 23 months after the start of your MSc program (i.e. January - August in your second year).
Once you complete your program transfer you will become a PHD U Direct Entry student and will follow the PHD U course requirements.
Procedure for MSc to PhD transfer
1. Set up and prepare the committee
Upon the recommendation of the thesis advisory committee, you and your supervisor will schedule the transfer examination and set up an Examination Committee.
If you are using the Faculty directory to seek members for your committee, only approach faculty marked ‘yes’ under Graduate Faculty.
You will submit a transfer request at least four weeks before the examination using the Transfer Request Form (online form).
The Examination Committee consists of:
- Examination Chair, a member of the LMP graduate faculty, who chairs the examining committee, and at her/his discretion may participate in questioning you;
- Two of your thesis advisory committee members, excluding your supervisor(s); and
- One other graduate faculty member from any graduate unit.
2. Prepare a research proposal
You will prepare a Research Proposal and distribute it to the members of the examination committee (including the Chair) at least two weeks before the examination.
You should also send the committee:
- Instructions for the MSc to PhD Transfer Examination Chair (PDF)
- The transfer report to the Examination Chair (Word Doc)
Your research proposal should describe the experiments that you intend to perform as a PhD student.
It is your task to convince the committee members that your proposed work will likely lead to novel and significant findings – passing the Transfer Exam depends on this.
In general, good experiments have clearly described hypotheses, strong rationales (based on published data or your preliminary data that support your hypotheses), and feasible experimental approaches (well-established assays or assays that are within the expertise of your laboratory or your collaborator’s laboratory).
Your research proposal should not exceed 11 pages (12-point font; double-spaced; page limit does not include references and figures/figure legends).
The research proposal should include the following sections:
- Abstract: Summary of the proposal (~1 page)
- Introduction: The purpose of the introduction is to provide background information that allows the examiners to understand your proposed work. Try to avoid writing a generic overview of the field. Your introduction should be tailored to your proposal. (~3 pages)
- Preliminary data: This section should contain data you have generated that is relevant to your proposed work. The style should be similar to that of a Results Section of a manuscript. (~3 pages)
- Research plan: The research plan should contain two to three specific aims. Ideally for each aim, you should provide a rationale (the reason why you believe the aim is strong), describe the experiments you will perform to achieve the aim, discuss potential pitfalls, and indicate alternative approaches if your primary approach fails. (~4 pages)
3. Deliver a presentation at the examination
At the examination, you will give a presentation describing your research carried out to date as well as the research proposed for the PhD thesis.
Your presentation should be 20 minutes.
The committee will examine you on:
- your research
- the proposed research, and
- general knowledge related to the proposal.
You should be prepared to discuss background knowledge and techniques as well as to defend the significance and feasibility of the proposed research.
4. Committee discussion
After the formal examination, you and your supervisor will leave the room.
The Committee will then discuss your:
- examination
- written proposal
- academic record
- progress in research
- the proposal for PhD thesis.
They will pay special attention to whether you have developed, or you have the potential to develop, the intellectual processes required for original thinking and independent research.
All committee members must unanimously agree for the recommendation to transfer to the PhD program for it to be passed.
If the Examination Committee does not recommend transfer to the PhD program
Three options are available. The Committee can recommend you:
- revise the proposal and re-take the oral examination within 6 weeks;
- re-take the oral examination within 6 weeks, with no proposal revision;
- complete an MSc degree.
Final decisions
If the Examination Committee recommends transfer to the PhD program, the final decision will be made by the School of Graduate Studies.
Use The Transfer Examination Checklist (Word doc) to ensure you meet all the requirements.
PhD to MSc transfer
Your advisory committee may recommend you transfer to the MSc program, or you may request the back-transfer.
This request requires approval of the Vice Dean, School of Graduate Studies.