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Final Oral Examination

Candidates complete a thesis that constitutes a distinct contribution to knowledge in the field of social work and must be based on research conducted while registered for the PhD Program. Copies of the completed Thesis must be submitted to all final oral examination committee members and to SGS at least 8 weeks before the candidate’s final oral examination to allow enough time for the appraisers to review the Thesis and provide feedback. The candidate shall successfully defend the Thesis at a final oral examination which is administered by SGS. The student can refer to Guidelines for Review of Doctoral Dissertations.

When the Supervisory Committee has approved a final draft of the thesis, the Supervisory Committee Chair (supervisor) arranges with the PhD Examinations Office of the School of Graduate Studies a date and time for the Oral Examination. This request must be made at least 8 weeks prior to the desired examination date. It is the responsibility of the supervisor to decide, in consultation with the student, which scholar is appropriate as external examiner for the oral examination. See SGS website for regulations.

NOTE:  In August 2006, the School of Graduate Studies stated that only defense committees consisting of five members will be approved; four persons must be present at the time of defense (either in-person or via zoom).  

The Final Oral Examination Committee must include:

  • Up to three members of the supervising committee. 
  • One to three examiners who have not been closely involved in the supervision of the Thesis. Those eligible would include the external appraiser, members of the graduate faculty of the University in other departments, and other faculty members from the candidate’s Department. 
  • A non-voting Chair appointed by SGS. SGS will provide the Department with the name of a suitable Chair and will notify the Chair by letter. 

The Examination Committee, exclusive of the Chair, will not normally be composed entirely of members of one department. 

Submission of the Thesis for Assessment

The student submits an electronic version of the Thesis in both Word and PDF formats to the Administrative Coordinator, Admissions and Programs (ACA), who will distribute the thesis by email to each of the Final Oral Examination Committee members at least 8 weeks in advance of the examination date. 

Appointment of a Final Oral Examination Committee

With the exception of the External Appraiser, each member of the Final Oral Examination committee must hold a Graduate Faculty Membership at the University of Toronto. 

1. The Examination Committee shall consist of four to six voting members. Because quorum is four voting members, SGS recommends including at least five voting members to ensure the exam proceeds as scheduled. The Committee must include:

  • At least one member, but not more than three members, of the Candidate’s supervising committee.
  • At least two examiners who have not been closely involved in the supervision of the Thesis. Those eligible include: the External Appraiser, members of the faculty appointed to the Candidate’s graduate unit, and members of the faculty appointed to other graduate units of the University.
  • A non-voting Chair appointed by SGS. The Doctoral Examinations Office will inform the graduate unit when a Chair for the examination has been appointed. Note that the graduate unit is not required to include the name of the Chair of the Examination Committee on the Examination Committee Nomination Form, which the graduate unit should submit to SGS as soon as possible by requesting approval on ACORN.

2. The Examination Committee may also include up to two non-voting members. These members must also be listed on the nomination form and approved by the Vice-Dean, Programs. 

NOTE: Proposed exceptions to the above must be approved by the Vice-Dean, Programs. 

Producing and Submitting Your Electronic Thesis

After your thesis supervisor has approved your final thesis, see SGS guidelines for producing and submitting an Electronic Thesis/Dissertation (EDT) to the digital library repository.

Publishing Your Thesis

For information about publishing the dissertation, please refer to the University of Toronto Libraries Guide on “Publishing Your Thesis.”

In select cases, students may choose to embargo the thesis to postpone distribution and publication for a period of up to two years from the date of acceptance of the thesis. For information about embargo, please see the University of Toronto Libraries Guide on “Thesis Embargo.”