Oral defence
All theses are subject to an oral defence, which is chaired by a professor representing the Dean of the faculty.
After receiving the decision from the student to move to the oral defence, the faculty organizes the oral defence at a time acceptable to the examiners and the candidate.
Prior to the defence, the chair of the jury receives from the faculty, a file containing the examiners' reports and other documents pertaining to the defence.
Practical advice
The day of the defence, the candidate and the examiners will discuss the thesis. This is a valuable time when experts in the area of research will provide feedback to the student. In the spirit of academic discourse and the advancement of knowledge, they will ask questions, mention positive aspects of the thesis and make suggestions for further work.
To prepare for the defence, the student should take advantage of the fact that oral defences are open to the public and attend other students’ defences. The candidate should discuss with the supervisor about what else could be done to get ready. As soon as the date of the defence is set the candidate should:
- Ask the thesis supervisor or the academic unit to reserve the audiovisual equipment required for the defence.
- Visit the room where the defence will take place.
- Arrive early at the room where the defence will take place. The room is reserved 30 minutes before the start of the defence.
Board of examiners
Master’s thesis
A master’s thesis is read by and subsequently defended before a committee of no fewer than two examiners. The examiners of a master’s thesis are appointed by the chair of the academic unit or the dean of the faculty in which the student is registered. If a student is enrolled in a collaborative program at least one examiner will normally be approved by the director or coordinator of the collaborative program. In the case of joint programs with Carleton University, one examiner will normally be from Carleton University.
Doctoral thesis
A doctoral thesis is read by a board of no fewer than four examiners. The board of examiners is appointed by the vice-dean of the student's faculty upon recommendation from the chair of the academic unit. This recommendation is sent by the academic unit on the appropriate form and must reach the faculty one month in advance of the expected date of submission of the thesis. The academic unit should have determined in advance of submitting the form that the proposed examiners are available and willing to read the thesis.
In the case of joint programs with Carleton University, one examiner should be from Carleton University. This person is considered to be an internal examiner. In the case of a collaborative program, at least one internal examiner must be approved by the director or coordinator of the collaborative program.
At least one examiner, referred to as an external examiner, must be from outside the University of Ottawa and must be independent from the supervisor and the student. This examiner is selected by the vice-dean graduate studies of the student's home faculty from a slate of at least two, and preferably three, names provided by the academic unit.
The day of the defence
Prior to the oral defence
Immediately before the defence and in the absence of the candidate, the chair of the jury meets briefly with the examiners and the thesis supervisor
- to discuss any difficulties arising from the examiners' reports;
- to explain the procedure to be adopted;
- to determine the sequence in which the examiners will question the candidate;
- to determine the time allocated to each examiner for questioning
All of the examiners are expected to be present at the defence. However, if an examiner is unable to attend and has suggested specific questions, the chair may ask whether one of the examiners present is willing to put these questions to the candidate during the defence.
During the oral defence
The chair begins the oral defence by inviting the candidate to present the subject of the thesis. The time allotted for this purpose is specified by the chair. Ten minutes is usually sufficient.
The chair then invites the examiners in the previously determined sequence to question the candidate on the thesis. A second round of questions may be appropriate. Finally, the thesis supervisor is given the opportunity to comment or ask questions.
At the end of the defence, the candidate and other persons who are not members of the jury are asked by the chair to leave the room. The thesis supervisor can attend the jury deliberations but cannot vote.After the oral defence
The members of the jury then exchange views to arrive at a decision based on the general terms given in the form - Report of the jury thesis defence. The chair also indicates the decision on this form. The chair notes, if appropriate, in the space for "comments" the general nature of the corrections/revisions required, and specifies the names of the persons responsible for ensuring that these modifications are made satisfactorily.
If appropriate, the chair should inquire at this time whether the examiners are prepared to recommend the thesis for a prize. The supervisor must be asked to withdraw while this decision is being made.
The chair immediately informs the candidate of the verdict.
Verdicts - New regulation - Theses submitted FROM October 1st, 2016
Verdicts of the examining board for a first oral defence
Verdict 1
The thesis is accepted for the degree with minor corrections.
The thesis supervisor(s) will ensure that all corrections are made as required by the jury.
Procedure following a verdict 1:
The corrections must be completed and the final version of the thesis submitted no later than thirty (30) days after the defence. After this period, the student must register and the corrections and the approved final version of the thesis must be submitted no later than one hundred and twenty (120) days after the defence.
Important
In the case of a # 1 verdict for the defence, if the student does not submit the final version of his thesis within 120 days, a failure for the thesis will be recorded on the student’s transcript as NS (not satisfactory).
Verdict 2
The thesis is accepted for the degree with major corrections/revisions.
The jury, in consultation with the thesis supervisor(s) must decide whether the required corrections/revisions are to be verified by the thesis supervisor(s) OR the thesis supervisor(s) and one or more examiners.
Procedure following a verdict 2:
The student will have one hundred and twenty (120) days after the date of the defence to complete the required revisions and to submit the final version of the thesis. The student must register for a term (session) within this 120-day period. A registered student, who completes the corrections/revisions and submits the approved final version of the thesis within thirty (30) days after the defense, will receive a reimbursement of the tuition fees for his registration.
Important
In the case of a # 2 verdict for the defence, if the student does not submit the final version of his thesis within 120 days, a failure for the thesis will be recorded on the student’s transcript as NS (not satisfactory).
Verdict 3
The thesis is NOT accepted for the degree.
It must be revised and undergo the evaluation and defence process again with the same jury. A #3 verdict is considered a failure and it will be recorded on the student’s transcript as NS (not satisfactory).
Procedure following a verdict 3:
A #3 verdict is considered a failure and it will be recorded on the student’s transcript as NS (not satisfactory). The student must submit the revised thesis for evaluation within three (3) consecutive terms after the initial defence. The student must be registered for any and all of these terms and must make satisfactory progress during each term. If the submission deadline is missed or the student does not register, a second failure for the thesis (NS) will be recorded on the student’s transcript and his file will be closed.
Important
If, at any time, a student decides not to proceed to the second defence, this will be considered a second failure (NS) for the thesis and his file will be closed.
Verdicts of the examining board for a second oral defence
Verdict 1
The thesis is accepted for the degree with minor corrections.
The thesis supervisor(s) will ensure that all corrections are made as required by the jury.
Procedure following a verdict 1:
The corrections must be completed and the final version of the thesis submitted no later than thirty (30) days after the defence. After this period, the student must register and the corrections and the approved final version of the thesis must be submitted no later than one hundred and twenty (120) days after the defence.
Important
In the case of a # 1 verdict for the second defence, if the student does not submit the final version of his thesis within 120 days, a second failure for the thesis will be recorded on the student’s transcript and his file will be closed.
Verdict 2
The thesis is accepted for the degree with major corrections/revisions.
The jury, in consultation with the thesis supervisor(s) must decide whether the required corrections/revisions are to be verified by the thesis supervisor(s) OR the thesis supervisor(s) and one or more examiners.
Procedure following a verdict 2:
The student will have one hundred and twenty (120) days after the date of the defence to complete the required revisions and to submit the final version of the thesis. The student must register for a term within this 120-day period. A registered student, who completes the corrections/revisions and submits the approved final version of the thesis within thirty (30) days after the defense, will receive a reimbursement of the tuition fees for his registration.
Important
In the case of a # 2 verdict for the second defence, if the student does not submit the final version of his thesis within 120 days, a second failure for the thesis will be recorded on the student’s transcript and his file will be closed.
Verdict 3
The thesis is NOT accepted for the degree.
Procedure following a verdict 3:
A # 3 verdict at the second defence is deemed a failure (NS grade) and it leads to mandatory withdrawal of the student and closure of his file.
Subsequent steps
Deadlines for corrections
The corrections requested by the examiners must be made within the deadline indicated by the verdict.
Once the corrections are made, the student has to submit the revised version to the supervisor.
Failure to submit the corrected copies within this time limit will result in the faculty closing the student's file.
Thesis final version
After the successful defence and correction of the thesis, the student must get the approval from the thesis supervisor. In order to get the approval, the student must submit the thesis online by creating a service request through the Service Requests page (accessible via uoZone). The student will also need to register to receive the degree either by using the Apply for Graduation tab in uoZone (if online registration is open) or by submitting a Registration for Degree and Request for Diploma form (PDF) with the thesis as part of the same service request . If the student requests an embargo, the student must also complete and submit an Embargo Request Form (PDF) as part of the same service request.
When the service request is approved, the student must submit the final version electronically in uO Research, the institutional repository of the University of Ottawa. The University of Ottawa participates in the Thesis Canada program, whereby the electronic version of the thesis is harvested by Library and Archives Canada and added to their online collection.
Once deposited in uO Research, the thesis becomes available online in open access although the student keeps its copyright. Each thesis will be indexed in the University Library’s local catalogue.
Under no circumstances can a student be recommended for the degree unless one acceptable final version of his thesis has been submitted electronically in uO Research and approved by the faculty.
Thesis prizes
Each year, the University of Ottawa awards ten prizes for theses—four for masters’ theses and six for doctoral theses.
Thesis prize nomination and selection
For a thesis to be eligible for inclusion in the annual thesis prize competition, the jury must have voted to recommend it for a prize at the thesis defence. Over 100 theses are recommended each year. The University of Ottawa keeps track of all the recommendations and organizes the competition. The University provides each academic unit with a list of those students whose theses were recommended. If more than one thesis was recommended, the academic unit must decide which one it will forward to the university for inclusion in the competition. For each student included in the competition, the University of Ottawa requires his or her curriculum vitae and a letter of support signed by the director of graduate studies or the chair of the academic unit. The letter of support must outline the following: the merits of the thesis, the student's contribution to the thesis research, the student's contribution in other areas of scholarly endeavor, and the student's potential as a researcher. For doctoral theses, the external examiner’s report is particularly important, especially since it is the only report considered in thesis prize competitions external to the university.
The winning theses are selected by two selection committees, one for the humanities and one for the sciences, with three professors on each committee. The theses that win the internal prize competition are automatically eligible to be sent forward for external prizes.
Only the winners are contacted by the University. Students whose thesis does not win a prize are entitled to include in their curriculum vitae the fact that it was recommended.
For further details, visit the Master's and PhD thesis prizes page.