Examinations

Graduate degree programs MNTB, PhD, & DN in the Faculty of Nursing require a final oral examination.

The purpose of the thesis oral examination is not only to defend independently the thesis, but also to serve as confirmation of the student’s knowledge of the research topic within the context of their field of study.

In order to safeguard and promote the quality of the graduate education, all students in thesis-based graduate programs must defend their theses in an oral examination before the degree may be granted

The student’s supervisor is responsible for making the arrangements for the examination.

In addition to Faculty of Graduate Studies regulations for thesis examinations, the program requires:

Scheduling of the Examination
All members of the Supervisory Committee must have reviewed the student's draft thesis document before an examination can be scheduled.

If the MN, PhD or DN final oral examination is preceded by a separate public presentation, this information must be provided to the Graduate Office with the submission of exam timeframe form. This arrangement must be communicated to the exam committee members. A list of all proposed attendees must be submitted to the Graduate Programs Office a minimum of one week prior to the examination.

Contact nursgrad@ucalgary.ca for any inquiries.

PhD Thesis Proposal Exam

Note: *For PhD students who started January 1, 2024 or later.

PhD Candidacy

Doctoral students must have their research proposals approved in principle by their supervisory committee prior to candidacy.

Students must receive formal approval of their research proposals from the supervisory committee before proceeding to ethical review and implementation of the project.

The doctoral candidacy examination has a written and an oral component.

View PhD Candidacy Regulations

PhD Final

All members of the Supervisory Committee must have reviewed the student's draft thesis document before an examination can be scheduled.

Normally, the supervisory committee will be comprised of:
• the faculty supervisor
• two other academic members (preferably one from inside the Faculty of Nursing and the other from another Faculty or another institution of higher education).

View Guidelines for Manuscript-based Thesis

DN Candidacy

The Field of Study (FOS) examination tests a DN student’s knowledge of a field or fields related, but not identical to, their applied research. The FOS examination encourages the student to develop both breadth and depth of knowledge within a given field or fields of enquiry.

The written FOS examination, which is to be based on a Reading List, requires students to respond to one question over the period of twenty-one days. The oral FOS examination, which is also based on the same Reading List, tests a DN student’s ability to respond orally to questions that extend beyond (i.e., are different from) those on the written FOS examination. It requires that the students articulate their responses in a clear and concise manner and that they evaluate the results of previous research and rely on the relevant theories, methods, and results (from the Reading List) to substantiate arguments.

View DN Candidacy Regulations

DN Final

All members of the Supervisory Committee must have reviewed the student's draft thesis document before an examination can be scheduled.

Normally, the supervisory committee will be comprised of:
• the faculty supervisor
• two other academic members (preferably one internal from the Faculty of Nursing and the other from another UC Faculty or another institution of higher education).

the workplace mentor

View Guidelines for Manuscript-based Thesis

MN Thesis-based

In addition to Faculty of Graduate Studies regulations for thesis examinations, the program requires:

Scheduling of the Examination
All members of the Supervisory Committee must have reviewed the student's draft thesis document before an examination can be scheduled.

View Guidelines for Manuscript-based Thesis