Graduate Studies Hub

Did you know that you need to comply with regulations on the duration of your studies? The same is true for absences.  

Duration  

• Full-time: 6 semesters  
• Part-time: 12 semesters  

Extension of studies (s. 4.5)   

Students who do not complete program requirements within the allotted program duration and who want to continue in the program must request an extension. The request will be accepted as long as the remaining activities can reasonably be completed within the requested extension period.     

Students who do not complete program requirements within the allotted program duration and who want to continue in the program must request an extension. The request will be accepted as long as the remaining activities can reasonably be completed within the requested extension period.     

Unauthorized absence (s. 4.2.2)  

Students in the second semester (or later) of a DESS or master’s degree (project track) are entitled to unauthorized absences of up to three consecutive semesters (s. 4.4.2). However, an absence does not extend the maximum length of time permitted for completing the program.  

Students in the second semester (or later) of a DESS or master’s degree (project track) are entitled to unauthorized absences of up to three consecutive semesters (s. 4.4.2). However, an absence does not extend the maximum length of time permitted for completing the program.  

Authorized absence (s. 4.4.3)  

Authorized absences due to certain special circumstances are not taken into account when calculating study duration or time limits. The maximum time period for completing the program will be extended by as many semesters as the authorized absence period. This period may be up to three semesters, whether consecutive or not.  

Legitimate reasons are required for all leave of absence requests. Reasons may include illness, parental leave, and family or work obligations. Supporting documentation is required.     

Did you know that you need to comply with regulations on the duration of your studies? The same is true for absences.  

Duration  

• Full-time: 12 semesters  
• Part-time: 21 semesters  

Applicants for master’s degree (thesis track) or a doctorate must commit to full-time enrolment upon admission. Part-time admission into these programs may be considered in special cases. To be admitted part time, or to move from full-time to part-time status, the student must satisfactorily prove that circumstances support their completing the program.  

Extension of studies (s. 4.5)  

Students who do not complete program requirements within the allotted program duration and who want to continue in the program must request an extension. The request will be accepted as long as the remaining activities can reasonably be completed within the requested extension period.     

Students who do not complete program requirements within the allotted program duration and who want to continue in the program must request an extension. The request will be accepted as long as the remaining activities can reasonably be completed within the requested extension period.     

Unauthorized absence (4.2.2)  

Unauthorized absences are not permitted in master’s degree (thesis track) and doctorate programs (s. 4.4.1).  

Authorized absence (s. 4.4.3)   

Authorized absences due to certain special circumstances are not taken into account when calculating study duration or time limits. The maximum time period for completing the program will be extended by as many semesters as the authorized absence period. This period may be up to three semesters, whether consecutive or not. 

Legitimate reasons are required for all leave of absence requests. Reasons may include illness, parental leave, and family or work obligations. Supporting documentation is required.  

You are responsible for your own registration each semester through Cheminot (accessible via Mon ÉTS) in accordance with the deadlines of the university calendar. Visit Registration for graduate programs for full details about registration. 

Doctoral Examination - DGA1030

The doctoral examination counts for nine credits and takes place over three sessions. Each step must be completed before you are allowed to register for the next, and you must successfully complete all three steps to obtain a “Success” grade for the doctoral exam on your transcript. The first step must be done in your second session and the other two in the next two sessions. It is not possible to postpone any phase of the doctoral exam (except in case of force majeure, see sec. 6.5.2 of the Graduate Studies Regulations, in French).  

In case of failure on any step of the doctoral exam (if you have no other previous failure), you will be asked if you wish to retake the failed step. If you do not take this opportunity to repeat the step, the failure is confirmed and you are expelled. Only one failure is permitted in the program, whether in an exam step or in a course.  

Because each step corresponds to three credits, you must also register for six credits of courses or research in each session in order to retain full-time status. It is your responsibility to verify and validate your registration on Cheminot at each stage of the doctoral exam process. 

Steps of doctoral examination 

DGA 1031 - Research Problem (3 credits): 2nd session 

1. Identification of the research subject (5%) 
2. Preparation of the research proposal (75%) 
3. Oral presentation (20%) 

DGA 1032 - Written Examination (3 credits): 3rd session 

1. Supervised examination (50%) 
2. Take-home exam (50%) 

DGA 1033 - Oral Examination (3 credits): 4th session 

1. Submission of the dissertation proposal 
2. Presentation before the jury 

Consult your thesis supervisor, the program director or the Office of Graduate Studies (A-1700) about any question related to the doctoral exam (jury formation, choice of exam subjects, steps in the process, etc.). 

Research Problem (DGA1031)

→ See detailed procedure

The “Research Problem” activity aims to have you define your research topic as early as possible in your program of studies.  It includes three steps: 

Step 1 

First of all, in collaboration with your research supervisor, you proceed to identify your research topic. This is done by filling in the "Research Subject Identification – Doctorate" form, following these instructions:  

Student Actions: 

• Arrange a meeting with your research supervisor. 
• Fill in the topic identification form electronically (handwritten forms will be rejected by the Office of the Dean of Studies). 
• Make sure the form has all the necessary signatures. 
• Submit the form to the program director. 

Research Supervisor Actions:  

• Sign the Research Subject Identification – Doctorate form. 
• Provide the résumé of the co-supervisor, if he/she comes from outside ÉTS. 

Program Director Actions: 

• Assess the identification of research topics of students enrolled in DGA1031. 
• Forward the forms to the Office of the Dean of Studies. 

Designation of a co-supervisor: 

• The official designation of a co-supervisor is made at the time of filing the Identification of Research Topic form. If the co-supervisor comes from outside ÉTS, this form must be accompanied by the co-supervisor’s detailed résumé.  

Step 2 

A preliminary research proposal (a written work) must be developed under the supervision of the research supervisor.  

Step 3 

Finally, the research proposal will be the subject of an oral presentation to all the candidates registered for this activity as part of the mandatory seminars. Students must not only present their own problem, but also attend other students’ presentations. 

During the session in which the DGA1031 activity takes place, the research supervisor will be invited to compose the jury that will participate in the following steps of the doctoral exam, the Written Examination (DGA1032) and the Oral Examination (DGA1033). View the rules for composition of the jury.  

Research projects that are confidential or those involving human subjects must be declared so that the School can take the necessary protection measures. It is very important to make the appropriate declarations on the Identification of Research Subject form. 

Written Examination (DGA1032)

→ View the detailed procedure

The juried written exam activity aims to confirm your basic knowledge in your domain of activity, your general knowledge and your mastery of areas more specifically related to your dissertation topic. This activity has two components: 

1. The supervised exam, which counts for 50% of DGA 1032, takes place in class. You will have 3.5 hours to answer the questions you are given on the spot. Use of documentation being permitted, you may consult in situ any works required to respond to the questions and thus demonstrate your mastery of the domain. Calculators are permitted. Devices permitting Internet access are forbidden (except for groups of students who have received explicit permission from their research supervisor).  
2. The take-home exam, which also counts for 50% of the DGA 1032 grade, is a paper that you must write (within a seven-day period) on one or more themes related to specific areas of specialization connected to your research subject. (This refers to what in French is called une dissertation, and should not be confused with the English word dissertation (in French la thèse) which refers to the doctoral research report.)  

The written examination is held once per semester, during the final exam period. The exact date is published on the ÉTS website approximately one month beforehand, and the location is published approximately one week in advance on your SIGNETS account (under DGA1032; see the pane “Important Dates”). Information on final exams is found on SIGNETS and on the Final Exams page. 

Oral Examination (DGA1033)

→ View the detailed procedure

The Oral Examination (DGA1033) is primarily used to show the potential originality of the research project, clarify the way in which the subject will be treated and demonstrate the project’s feasibility. The oral examination is also used to expand upon the questions of the written examination. This activity has two components: 
 

1. A dissertation proposal must be submitted, which includes a description of the research problem, the objectives to be met, a critical review of the literature, the proposed methodology, the type of results expected, a bibliography and a plan of activities in the form of a schedule.   
     
2. Afterwards an oral presentation of the dissertation proposal must be made to demonstrate and justify the development of the project.  

The date of the oral examination is fixed by your research supervisor who will inform you. You will be officially convened by the Office of the Dean of Studies which will specify the date and time of the presentation. 

Style Guide and layout template

Your thesis must adhere to the writing and design standards set out in the Guidelines for writing a project report, dissertation or thesis.

To make things easier, use the layout template and view the page layout checklist.

A thesis is an individual work. If the report was written in collaboration with another student or a research team, the thesis author must explain the context of the project and clearly identify his or her own contribution to the project in the report.

Please note that it is possible to use a “by articles” format to write your thesis (see section 1.7 of the Guidelines for writing a project report, dissertation or thesis).

Written language

Your thesis must be written in French. However, the use of the English language may be authorized in so far as the student and the thesis supervisor take appropriate action to ensure the thesis’s language quality. In such cases, the document must include a French summary.

Language quality

No matter which language you use, you must ensure that your report is well written. The thesis supervisor will check the grammar and spelling of your report and is authorized to refuse its submission if language use is not up to standard.

Conditions for submissions

Find out more about MonDépôtÉTS (PDF)

In order to submit your thesis, you must:

• Be registered at the time that your thesis is submitted for evaluation.
• Have completed all scholastic activities in your program of study.
• Have a GPA that is equal to or greater than 3.0.
• Have submitted at least one article as the main author in a scientific journal with a peer-reviewed committee, or have filed a preliminary patent in relation with your research subject (in the case of a dissertation by publication with integrated articles, you must give proof of submission for each of the articles; a minimum of 3 articles is required).
• Previously obtain authorization from your thesis supervisor to submit your thesis.

Layout approval

• As soon as your supervisor has verbally confirmed that your manuscript is ready, you can submit it (in PDF format) on the MonDépôtÉTS platform on the MonÉTS portal.
• The Dean of Studies’s office will be automatically notified. An initial summary check will be carried out to establish whether :
• The layout is suitable for sending to jury members:

The Dean of Studies’s office will then advise the director to submit the official authorization for deposit.

The student may submit the manuscript as is for the jury's evaluation.

However, the student must make the format corrections requested by the Dean of Studies’ office, in parallel with the evaluation process. The purpose of these corrections is to ensure that the dissertation meets the standards required for final submission (after defense).

• The layout is not ready to be sent to the jury members:

The Dean of Studies’ Office will inform the Director that the manuscript is not yet ready for submission to the jury (the Director will not authorize submission).

The student must make the format corrections requested by the Dean of Studies until the manuscript conforms and can be submitted to the jury.

The Dean of Studies’ office will then inform the Director to submit the official authorization for submission.

Please note:

The summary layout check is used to determine whether the manuscript can be submitted to the jury members as is, or whether it needs to be corrected before being sent to the jury members. This is followed by a complete check, which may take place in parallel with the jury's evaluation, or before the manuscript is sent to the jury, as the case may be.

The final submission (after defense) cannot be registered until the page layout is up to standard. To ensure that the layout conforms to standards, it is very important to use the official template and to refer to the writing guide.

Submitting your thesis for evaluation

The student must have received confirmation from the Dean of Studies’ office that the dissertation has been formatted either appropriately or according to standards (whichever comes first), in order to be able to submit the version for evaluation ("Évaluation_1") on MonDépôtÉTS.

The supervisor, for his or her part, must submit the "Official authorization to submit for evaluation" form online, together with the jury composition, as soon as the Dean of Studies has confirmed that the thesis layout is either suitable or complies with standards.

The Dean of Studies approves the composition of the jury, and the thesis is made available to jury members. Only the Dean of studies office is authorized to make the dissertation available to jury members.

Jury members have 40 working days in which to complete their evaluation and submit the "Authorization to defend" form.

Thesis evaluation

The Dean of Studies’ Office sends each member of the jury:

• a copy of the dissertation with a suitable layout;
• an evaluation and defense authorization form;
• if applicable, a confidentiality agreement form.

Jury members have 40 working days to evaluate the thesis and submit the required document to the Dean of Studies Office.

• If all jury members submit their evaluation and authorize the defense no later than three days before the date of the defense, the defense takes place at the time and date announced.
• If all jury members fail to submit their assessments three days before the scheduled date of the defense, the defense will be cancelled or postponed.
• If the opinions require major corrections, the defense will not take place and the student will have 12 months to make the requested corrections and submit a revised version. The same jury will carry out the second assessment of the dissertation, using the same procedures and criteria as for the first.

Thesis defense evaluation

Thesis defense is a mandatory activity. The Dean of Studies convenes the defense on the date suggested by the thesis supervisor in consultation with the jury members. It is public, unless an application for confidentiality has been made (see section "2. Thesis Defense" in the reference document concerning confidentiality).

• During the defense, the student presents the main points of his or her thesis (objectives, results) for 30 to 40 minutes. It is strongly suggested that, in addition to the files required for presentation to the jury, students bring an electronic copy of their dissertation for possible reference during the presentation or question period.
• The members of the jury then ask the candidate questions about his or her research, enabling him or her to demonstrate the level of knowledge in his or her field and to verbally expand on certain notions.
• The Chairman of the jury then collects the evaluation documents, completed and signed by all jury members, and forwards them to the Dean of Studies’ office.

Award of Excellence

• Following the defense, if a student receives an "Excellent" rating and a written recommendation from the jury president, he or she may apply for the ÉTS Award of Excellence for the best master's thesis and the best doctoral dissertation, if the jury's recommendation is positive.

• The Dean of Studies’ office will send an e-mail to invite the student to apply for this award, and will provide the necessary information and forms.

Minor corrections before submission

Minor corrections are generally requested after the defense.

• The student meets with his or her supervisor to learn about and make the corrections requested by the jury. The student has 40 working days (following the date of the defense) to submit the modified version to his or her supervisor.

• The supervisor also has 40 days to approve the changes and complete the "Certificate of compliance" form.

• This form is included in the correspondence sent to the student after the defense, or is available from the Dean of studies’ Office.

Final deposit

The student may then proceed with the final submission by e-mailing all required documents to the Dean of Studies’ office:

• The final version of the thesis in two different formats (Word and PDF or LaTex and PDF);
• the "Cerificate of compliance" form signed by the research supervisor (this form is sent by the Dean's Office Academic Management Officer);
• Distribution authorization forms (ÉTS, LAC and ProQuest French only);
• co-author authorization form (if applicable).

Distribution and binding of non-confidential dissertations

• Following final submission, an electronic copy of the dissertation will be sent to the ÉTS library, which will make it publicly accessible in compliance with copyright law (bound copies are no longer available at the library).
• Students may request a bound copy free of charge. Additional bindings will be charged at $50 each. The student is responsible for providing the unbound copy(ies).
• The Dean of studies’s office will inform the student as soon as the bound copy is available.

Please note:

In the case of a confidential dissertation, the electronic copy will be saved on the library server but will not be visible (neither the dissertation nor the record) until the end of the confidentiality period.

Similarly, no bound copies are produced for confidential briefs. Once the confidentiality period has elapsed, it is up to the student to request a binding and to submit the unbound copies to the Dean of Studies’ office.