Academic Milestones: PhD Program by Year

  • Take all the required courses for your program field 

  • May: Complete your comprehensive examinations  

  • End of first year: Start your thesis work after you completed your comprehensive examinations (We highly encourage you to discuss ideas and topics with faculty members from day one)   

  • Attend mandatory department seminars

  • By October: Choose your PhD supervisor  

  • Choose your research area 

  • Work on your thesis research 

  • Write up (in TeX/LaTeX) a brief thesis research proposal 

  • Meet with your PhD supervisor on a regular basis 

  • Attend PhD-level courses as appropriate 

  • Form your PhD thesis committee 

  • By March 15: Meet with PhD thesis committee at least once  

  • Deliver a short talk in the department seminar on Graduate Seminar Day 

  • Attend mandatory department seminars

  • Keep working on your thesis research, writing up results as you go 

  • Meet with your PhD supervisor on regular basis 

  • By March 15: Meet with your PhD thesis committee at least once per year  

  • Continue to upgrade your writing skills, as required 

  • Deliver a short talk at the department seminar on the Graduate Seminar Day 

  • Attend PhD-level courses as appropriate 

  • Finish writing your thesis 

  • Defend your thesis at both the departmental and the School of Graduate Studies examinations 

  • Correct and bind the final version of your thesis

Other important information for PhD Students 

  • You must apply each fall for NSERC and OGS scholarships if you are eligible, unless you have already secured other full external funding for the following academic year. 

  • If you comply with the program’s timeline, and are making satisfactory progress towards your degree, you will receive full funding during the first four years of your PhD studies. This currently includes a minimum of $17,500 per year plus costs for full tuition and additional fees. This money may come from a variety of sources, including department and university funds, external scholarships, Teaching Assistant (TA) work, including summer TA work, and research assistantships. 

  • We strongly encourage you to complete the PhD program within four years. For students in the fifth or higher year of PhD studies, funding is not guaranteed and will be considered on a case-by-case basis, subject to availability of funds. 

Your PhD committee should include at least three faculty members, one of whom should be your PhD supervisor. You are encouraged to meet with your committee more than once per year if possible. 

  • Students in second and higher years are required to make annual presentations at the departmental PhD student seminar event. 

  • We encourage you to present your research results at seminars and at conferences, such as the Statistical Society of Canada (SSC) annual meeting. The department will make every effort to cover your travel expenses for this purpose.