Ā鶹AV

Ā鶹AV.CA / Music / Programs / Music Education; Ph.D.

Thesis

Thesis Criteria

In this section: Thesis criteria and deadlines. Ā For writing tips, visitĀ Student Resources. For more comprehensive guidelines, visit Ā鶹AV's GPS website.

The thesisĀ is original scholarship and makes a distinct contribution to knowledge. ItĀ shows familiarity with previous work in the field, andĀ demonstrates the ability to plan and carry out research, organize findings, and defend the approach and conclusions in a scholarly manner.Ā It is succinct and reflects the standards of the discipline, recognizing the value of music and music research beyond the ā€œacademiaā€.

Thesis Evaluation Criteria

The thesis document will be reviewed by an expert from outside the University, and a Schulich School of Music faculty member in discipline expertise.

Each of the following criteria are ranked on the following scale, Excellent, Very Good, Good, Satisfactory, Fail.

  1. Evidence of originality and creativity;
  2. Resourcefulness, alertness to significance of findings;
  3. Diligence, care, technical skill in the research;
  4. Usefulness of the results to other workers in the field; value as a contribution toĀ knowledge;
  5. Grasp of subject, powers of criticism and general adequacy in review of previous work;
  6. Quality of presentation (coherence, lucidity, grammar, style, freedom from typographicalĀ errors).

Dissertation Committee

The committee consists of a minimum two professors - your supervisor and one other.

Format of Dissertation Proposal

A complete dissertation proposal consists of the following elements:

  • Summary, defining and situating topic, explaining: rationale based on literature review; purpose, research questions or hypothesis; methodology; expected results; expected contributions/implications for the field (2Ā double-spaced pages of text, 1 page for Table of Contents).
  • Bibliography (2-3 pages).
  • Completed PDF icon PhD/D.Mus. Dissertation Proposal Form including confirmation of REB Ethics Submission/Approval if required. The primary readerships of the proposal are faculty members in the Music Education area and members of the candidateā€™s committee.

Proposal Presentation

The Oral Presentation Committee will consist of three members:

  • the candidateā€™s supervisor
  • the co-supervisor or second reader
  • a third committee member from outside the Music Education Area, who will serve as Committee Chair.Ā 
    If the co-supervisor or second reader is from outside the Music Education Area, then the Committee Chair may be from within the area.

All three committee members must be present for the presentation either in person or via teleconference.

The presentation will include the following components:

  • A brief presentation by the candidate providing an overview of the topic (between 15ā€“20 minutes)
  • A brief period in which the candidate will respond to questions from the faculty (approximately 15-20 minutes)

Candidates are advised to respect the 15-20 minute maximum for the brief presentation.
Since all committee members will have read the submitted proposal in advance of the defense, the presentation should be used as an opportunity to go into greater detail, to provide additional context, and/or to discuss an example that demonstrates the proposed methodology.

Evaluation of the Oral Presentation

The Oral Presentation Committee will deliberate to reach a consensus on one of the following three outcomes:

  • Pass (with no revisions): indicates that the proposal and the proposal form may be forwarded to Graduate Studies Office by the Area Chair. The Music Education Area Chair will sign the proposal form to indicate that the oral presentation has been successfully passed.
  • Provisional Pass (with minor revisions): indicates that the candidate must revise the proposal based on feedback provided by the committee. The final proposal will be approved by both the candidateā€™s Supervisor and by the Committee Chair.
    • Once approved, the final proposal and the proposal form may be forwarded to Graduate Studies Office.
      The Music Education Area Chair will sign the proposal form to indicate that the oral presentation has been successfully passed.
  • Fail (major revisions required): indicates that major revisions are needed and that a new proposal presentation must be scheduled.

The proposal should be submitted in the semester (excluding summer) immediately following the candidate's completion of their comprehensive examinations. At the time of submission of the proposal, a date will be suggested for the Oral Presentation which is to occur in the same semester.

For Ph.D. proposals only, it will be standard practice for Graduate Studies to circulate the approved proposals to the Graduate Music Research Sub-Committee members, so that further comments and suggestions may be offered to the candidate.

Thesis Submission Timeline

Graduation date Initial submission Thesis evaluation semester Final submission deadline
May/June December 15 Winter April 15
Fall (October, November) April 15 Summer August 15
Winter (no convocation) August 15 Fall Ā December 15

Initial Submission Steps

Your supervisor may find some useful tips for selecting examiners on the Graduate Supervision website.

  • At least two months before initial submission:

Students must submit their ā€œIntent to Submit Thesisā€ through myThesis.

You will be asked to provide your thesis title, abstract, length of thesis and date of submission.
You will also be asked to nominate examiners (please discuss the examiners with your supervisor(s) prior to submitting the names). Once this is submitted, the request will be sent to your supervisor(s) and Associate Dean of Graduate Studies in Music for approval. Then an invitation to the examiner will be sent through myThesis for the examiner to accept or decline. This whole approval process must be completed prior to your submission date.

Doctoral students can access myThesis through the GPS website. Detailed guidelines and an instructional video are available on this page.

Verify MyProgress to ensure that all components of the program are complete or components of the program are marked as ā€œCompleteā€ or ā€œIn Progressā€.

  • Day of submission:

Submit your thesis through the submission page on myThesis on the date submitted in your ā€œIntent to Submit Thesisā€ form. Your supervisor(s) and Associate Dean of Graduate Studies in Music will be advised of your submission and they will be asked to approve it.

Final Submission Steps

  1. Review the examiner's comments with your supervisor and make revisions if required. Consult the Associate Dean (Graduate Studies in Music) and the GPS website if the thesis has not been passed.
  2. Submit online as per instructions by the date in the above table.
  3. Notify your supervisor(s) that this has been completed. Ā Your supervisor will review and issue the final confirmation.
  4. Check out the convocation website for further details, and prepare to celebrate!

Keys for a Successful Oral Defense

Many helpful hints about content, developing the right mindset, and practice can be found on the Graduate Supervision website. Ā ProDeans,Ā who oversee the defenses, remind us that they come hoping to hear some music!

Colleagues' Tips for Surviving the Thesis Journey

  1. Begin using a bibliography such as endnotes or Zotero at the beginning of your research process.
  2. Decide if you are doing a chapter- or manuscript based thesis early. Know the elements comprising the final document and review periodically in light of the evaluation criteria.Ā 
  3. Take time for fun, nourishment and living lifeā€”each day, each week, each month!
  4. Assemble all software packages that your work will require at the outset (e.g., statistical or other analytical tools, notational, word processing, bibliography, illustration tools, etc.). Write a short ā€œtestā€ document and apply the Ā鶹AV software package formatting to understand style implications and any potential challenges for your work (e.g., margins, fonts, headings, etc.).Ā 
  5. Review the Schulich School of Music Style Guide pertaining to style manuals and music.
  6. Attend a concert, a movie, or some other live cultural event at least once a week.
  7. Keep a file tracking the style choices you make from the very beginning.
  8. Assemble musical examples, figures, and illustrations in a separate file, even in preliminary sketch form, keeping an overall tracking record that details what each requires for final thesis inclusion (e.g., formatting, copyright release and permissions, etc.). Check and update the tracking file periodically. Use the talents of others to format musical examples as a major time-saver and to facilitate proof-reading.
  9. Consider copyright practicalities at the outset. Collect written permission to use materials as soon as possible.
  10. Attend the thesis defenses and lecture-recitals of your colleagues ā€“ enjoy in particular the wine!
  11. Develop a schedule with your supervisors and other dissertation committee members. Think of each marker ā€“ not as a deadline, but as a checking in moment, a reporting that always involves some element of writing even if it involves only two lines of summary that will eventually become the basis for determining the ā€œheaderā€ of an outline, the first line under the header, or a working hypothesis. This way, the research and the writing can become inter-connected and benefit from the clarity of thought and direction that each provides the other. For other helpful hints on how to develop the schedule as you define your topic see here. Recognize that any step involving human interactions will require more time than anticipated. Plan well ahead when organizing trips to archives, festivals, research labs, etc.
  12. Share the results of your work in a variety of formal and informal settings throughout its evolution, giving at least one presentation a year. The more people you share with, academic and non-academic, musical, non-musical, the clearer the expression becomes! /gradsupervision/timelines/emergence-independent-re...
  13. Draw on the resources of the whole Schulich School of Music Team and beyond: become long and lasting friends with the Library Faculty, attend grant writing sessions for funding tips, the labs of other supervisors, and call upon the expertise of Prof. Lena Weman, the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies in Music, and Helene Drouin, Graduate Studies for questions small or large, research or procedural, or if you are merely feeling the pressure and angst of this and that. Writing assistance may also be obtained through Graphos.
  14. For other helpful hints, see the Graduate Supervision website. Know that usually you are not the most effective proof-reader, that it takes much longer than you ever imagined, and that at least once, the computer, the electricity, the plumbing or some other critical disaster will occur at the most inopportune moment.
  15. And did we say, take time for fun, nourishment and living lifeā€”each day, each week, each month!

Other Resources

Tools for writing and research (including the Schulich School of Music Style Sheet)

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