Academic Milestones: PhD Program by Year

Coursework (Years 1 and 2)

Completing 4.0 approved full-course equivalents (FCEs) with an average standing of at least A-, including:

Mandatory courses: 

  • DRA1011H Sources and Concepts in DTPS I (0.5FCE, Fall, Year 1)
  • DRA1012H Sources and Concepts in DTPS II (0.5FCE, Winter, Year 1)
  • DRA1013H Modeling New Scholarship in DTPS (0.5FCE, Fall, Year 1)
  • DRA1014H Teaching and Learning in DTPS (0.5FCE, Winter, Year 1)
  • DRA5002H Research Development (0.5FCE, Fall, Year 2)

Elective courses:

  • Selected from the list of courses offered by the Centre and other units depending on the student’s research interests.

Independent Study:

  • One FCE or two 0.5 FCE courses maximum (related to research interests) can be pursued by students. 

Students are expected to complete 3.0 FCEs in their first year.

Thesis Proposal and Field Exam (Years 1 and 2)

Year 1

  • May-September of the 1st year - start putting together a foundation for (annotated) bibliography (to be used for thesis proposal, field exam and prospectus)
  • No later than the end of the 1st year - declare supervisor
  • Mandatory courses lay the ground for preparing students for their field exams and academic skills development courses prepare them for their prospectus

Year 2

  • September - declare second committee member
  • December 15 - Submit Thesis Proposal
  • April - declare third committee member
  • NOTE: 3 member committees are required (1 supervisor and 2 committee members or 2 co-supervisors and 1 committee member)
  • April 15 – submit a set of five exam questions for both fields to the supervisor for consideration
  • Students receive one exam question for each field exam on the first day of their exam weeks
  • 1st week of May – write field exam #1 (5-business day take-home exam: Mon-Fri, 11.59pm)
  • 3rd week of May – write field exam #2 (5-business day take-home exam: Mon-Fri, 11.59pm)
  • NOTE: If students wish, the exam time can be extended through the weekend until Sunday, 11.59pm

December 15: Deadline for submitting the thesis proposal for approval by the Academic Committee.

Thesis proposal

Thesis proposal (December of Year 2): The thesis proposal is an important academic milestone at the end of the fall term in the 2nd year of the PhD program. The academic sub-committee, consisting of six CDTPS graduate instructors, has to approve the proposal in order for students to proceed with their prospectus project development. 

Review process: The members of the academic sub-committee will provide their feedback to the associate director (graduate), who will communicate the results (passed/not passed/ recommendations) to the student and their supervisor. The student will then be guided by their supervisor on how to address the sub-committee's constructive feedback.  It is not entirely uncommon that the first proposal submission requires re-submission. Students will be guided by constructive feedback and the advice of their supervisors on how to proceed with re-submission.

Note: The thesis proposal is an important academic milestone at the end of the fall term in the 2nd year of the PhD program. Its format is inspired by the SSHRC proposal format and thus is intended to help students to develop their first thesis proposal both in preparation for their SSHRC proposals and their prospectus. The major mentor for developing the thesis proposal is the student’s supervisor.

Format
5 pages (total), single spaced, 12pt font.

Proposal information needed:
Student Name
Supervisor Name
Names of supervisory committee (if already decided)
Title of thesis
Keywords (5-6)
Research question/ research justification max. 500 words
Research methodology max. 500 words
Overview/Literature review max. 500 words
Appendix
A. Grant applications
B. Academic/artistic project and conference presentations (previous and current academic year)
C. Teaching
D. Language requirement: completed Y/N
Bibliography

Field Exams (May of Year 2)

This field exam has two parts. It will examine two fields relevant to the student's areas of research and teaching expertise. Both parts will be written as a take-home exam in essay form, responding to exam questions and requiring original interpretations of the exam material.

Grading Process

The grading is the responsibility of the supervisor and the supervisory committee.

Please see detailed description of the Field Exam Process.

After the Field Exams
Students will develop their prospectus plan in collaboration with their supervisor and the supervisory committee after the field exams. Students will then complete their written draft over the summer to share a full draft with their supervisor/committee at start of term, September of Year 3.

Language Requirement (End of year 2)

Language requirement. The student must demonstrate reading knowledge of a language other than English by passing an approved language examination, or providing adequate documentation of language knowledge (e.g., native speakers of other languages who plan to do research in those languages and were previously academically educated in them need to present their university record to meet this requirement). Students may also be asked to qualify in other program-related languages, depending on their research.

Submission of Prospectus Draft 

(submit to Supervisor between September and end of November Year 3)
The prospectus justifies the need for this dissertation research within existing academic literature and charts a viable path for how the research will be undertaken. The major terms, methods, and theoretical influences on the research may be contextualized within the project’s cognate fields to articulate both the integrity and novelty of the dissertation. Questions of scope, structure, and impact are significant. Though answers to questions are not expected before the research is undertaken, a tentative thesis may be broached, and a sense of why this question is of importance to the discipline should be thoroughly laid out. Practical discussion of how the research will be conducted, and how the thesis will be organized, is required. 

The dissertation prospectus should be no more than 30 double-spaced pages, with an accompanying annotated bibliography of no more than 15 pages.  

The prospectus should have the following elements:  

  • Title, date, institution;  
  • names of the committee members;  
  • a concise description of the project;  
  • clearly specified core research question(s);  
  • a brief literature review informed by the annotated bibliography;  
  • a statement about the significance of research and the contribution it is expected to make;  
  • a description of key primary sources (e.g., archival sources, visits with theatre companies), including the scope, nature, and availability of evidence;  
  • a description of the methodology(s) to be used;  
  • a timeline for the dissertation research and writing from inception through completion, including travel to archives; and  
  • an outline of the whole dissertation (by chapter).  

The student’s supervisor is responsible for overseeing the timely drafting of the prospectus, but students often find it helpful to meet with their other committee members (individually or collectively) between the field exams and their prospectus defence, and may circulate drafts to their full committee. 

Prospectus Defence (Year 3 January-March)

The final prospectus has to be submitted to the supervisory committee no later than three weeks prior to the set exam date. The defence should occur before the close of winter term, year 3.

After completing and defending their prospectus, students can submit any required ethical protocols for REB review and begin the research and writing of their thesis. Their supervisory committee is required to meet twice annually (including the prospectus meeting).  

Writing the Dissertation (Year 4)

Dedicated to writing the doctoral thesis, with the support of the student’s full committee. 

Submission of the Dissertation (Year 5)

Submission of a dissertation on an approved topic embodying the results of original investigation, which shall be judged to constitute a significant contribution to the knowledge of the field.

Before A Student’s Thesis Defence

10-12 weeks before examination date:

Final Oral Examination (FOE or Defence) 

A two-hour oral examination of the doctoral candidate’s work by their supervisory committee and external examiner. A typical committee will consist of five voting members: three who have supervised the project from its prospectus stage, and two who assess the thesis only in its final form, one external and one internal to the University of Toronto. FOEs are not public. Qualified individuals, in rare cases and with decanal approval, may attend as non-voting observers.

After Your Successful Thesis Defence

Submit: