C. In the case of MA students in our Critical, Historical and Theoretical Studies stream, a subject should be defined and agreed upon by both the Candidate and the Supervisor. This should include a statement of the problem of the MRP/Thesis, and an account of what its investigation will involve in the way of methodology, the ground to be covered, the specific issue or "thesis" of the investigation.
D. In the case of MFAs in Screenwriting and Production, students should provide a brief statement outlining the subject matter, the creative approach and the overall length. Production students should also provide an indication of their budget and technical requirements and a rough time-line for the production. The student should indicate the way in which their thesis will relate to the existing state of creative work in their field (i.e., films or screenplays).
E. In the case of MFAs in Screenwriting, students must provide a brief discussion of the intellectual and emotional territory they intend to explore with their proposed screenplay. They must then persuasively set out the basic dramatic elements of the proposed screenplay to show how their story concept will be developed through character, plot and theme; and also define a program of preparatory research. Their proposal will include a timeline, setting out the specific stages to be completed in the development of the screenplay (e.g. outline and treatment). A screenwriting thesis proposal does not need to have the story fully worked out, but it needs to show that the student has the story on the line and is ready to reel it in. Most screenplay proposals are 10-12 pages
F. A selective bibliography/filmography.
G. The text of the proposal should normally be no more than 5-10 pages (double-spaced), plus bibliography/filmography. FGS will not accept any proposals over 3,500 words.
H. Completed Human Participants Review Committe (HPRC) Form.
Sample proposals are available in the Program Assistant’s Office, 224 CFT.
Proposal DeadlineThe deadline for submission of the major research paper or thesis proposal is Tuesday, February 28, 2006 of the first year of study.
Proposal Approval
The proposal is submitted to the Graduate Executive Committee through the Graduate Program Office. This committee is composed of a representative from each of the program fields, the Chair of the Department, and the Graduate Program Director. The Committee may approve the proposal, request revisions, or reject it. The candidate and the supervisor will be informed of the Committee's decision within three weeks of the deadline. If revisions are requested, the proposal must be resubmitted.
NOTE: While the topic of your thesis proposal may change or develop from that which you submit at the time of your application to the program, your thesis must adhere to the stream (production, screenwriting or studies) into which you were accepted.
3. THESIS SUPERVISORY COMMITTEE
All students who are undertaking a thesis are required to assemble a Thesis Supervisory Committee consisting of a Supervisor, who must be a member of the Faculty of Graduate Studies from the Film and Video Program, and a Reader. A Second Reader may also be included, but is not necessary. While it is expected that you have your Supervisor in place at the time of submission of your thesis proposal, the Graduate Executive Committee may make recommendations for potential readers you can contact who may be useful to your project. Your Thesis Supervisory Committee nominees must be approval by the Dean of Graduate Studies. Any change in membership of the Committee must also be approved by the Dean.
Who May Be On Your Supervisory Committee?
At least two of your Committee members must be faculty members appointed to the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Your principal supervisor must be a faculty member appointed to the Graduate Program in Film & Video at York University and either your Supervisor or Reader must be a faculty member in the field (studies, screenwriting or production) in which you are producing your thesis project.
A third committee member, i.e. Second Reader, is optional. This person may be either from the Program or be a faculty member from another graduate program at York who is appointed to the Faculty of Graduate Studies. In exceptional circumstances, a member of your Supervisory Committee may be sought outside York University and/or the Faculty of Graduate Studies. In this instance, you must submit a rationale for their inclusion on your committee and a copy of their up-to-date curriculum vitae. It is best to discuss this option with the Graduate Program Director. The Graduate Executive Committee may request changes to the Committee you have assembled and submitted with your thesis proposal. Faculty members are often approached to be committee members over an extended period of time and find themselves committed to more than their fair share of projects. Ultimately, the Executive Committee will consult with any overextended faculty members to determine the projects to which they can offer the greatest assistance. Those projects on which they can be suitably replaced will be identified and the affected students will be consulted. Alternative members for their committees will be recommended.
Students benefit from this process in two respects: first, a more appropriate faculty member may be available to assist them and second, a less extended faculty member will have more time to offer. Faculty members teach courses, sit on committees, and are expected to produce works in their fields as well as supervise thesis projects and participate at oral examinations. As well, it is difficult for students to get to know all faculty members in the program, their fields of interest and expertise within only a few months. In some instances, recommended committee members may be identified from other graduate programs at York.
The Role of the Supervisory Committee
Typically, your Supervisor will be the one with whom you will have the most contact as you prepare your thesis project. However, there are key times throughout your thesis preparation in which all members must be consulted. See section 4, “After Your Proposal and Committee Have Been Approved”.
The Supervisory Committee is there to assist you at all stages of development of your thesis project, from the proposal to the oral examination. It is extremely important that you keep all members up to date as your thesis proceeds. According to Faculty of Graduate Studies regulations, if your committee is not satisfied with your academic progress, the Graduate Program Director may require you to withdraw from the Program.
Graduate students are required to meet with their supervisors at appropriate intervals as determined between the Supervisor and the student. The student is expected to consult with her or his Supervisor at every stage of the development of the thesis and appropriate documentation of the student's progress must be filed with the program. You may meet with the members of your Supervisory Committee individually or you may wish to arrange meetings with everyone present. A combination of these methods may also be used. It is up to you to arrange contact with your committee and your members are expected to make themselves reasonably available to you. Sometimes students meet their advisors off campus, if it is mutually convenient to do so. An exchange of home phone numbers may make communication easier, but this is not necessary. If numbers are exchanged, please respect the faculty members and their families’ time and observe regular office hours (between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm on weekdays).
Any difficulties you may encounter with a member or members of your Supervisory Committee should be resolved as quickly as possible. First, approach the individual(s) and see if it can be worked out between yourselves. If not, consult the other members of your committee. A group meeting of all members might then be arranged and a group consensus arrived at. Prior to such a meeting, the Graduate Program Director should be advised of the problem as his/her attendance will be required.
4. AFTER YOUR PROPOSAL AND COMMITTEE HAVE BEEN APPROVED
For most graduate students, approval of the proposal and Supervisory Committee will be granted before April of the second term in the program. You should complete the course work for each course in which you are enrolled before proceeding further on your thesis. Once you have completed all course work, you are ready for the next step. For each field in the Graduate Program in Film & Video, there are a series of progress forms designed to assist the program in keeping track of each student's thesis work and to ensure the provision of feedback from his or her supervisory committee at specific stages of their thesis development.
You may wish to meet with your committee (individually or as a group) before you begin in order to establish expectations and to be sure you are all working towards the same goal. Your members may also suggest sources best suited to your project.
If you are in the studies stream, your next step will be to work towards completing a more fully-developed outline of your thesis project described in progress form #1. Typically, this means beginning your actual research, forming a bibliography, and working towards a breakdown of chapters.
If you are a production student, you should be considering your intended shooting schedule to ensure you have script (or treatment/outline when applicable) and budget approval (progress forms #1 and #2) sufficiently in advance to obtain studio equipment and facilities. The studio will not permit bookings without a completed copy of progress form #2 which gives budget approval. You may be required to work on these items while completing your course work.
If you are in the screenwriting stream, your next step will be to undertake the research outlined in your proposal, and to begin the work of character and plot development. The next document submitted might be a step outline or a treatment, as set out in the student's thesis proposal. Once the outline or treatment is approved by their supervisory committee, the student sets to work on the full screenplay.
Although very specific progress points are indicated in each stream for contact with all members of your supervisory committee, each member may and should be consulted at an appropriate point in the process for their input and guidance. Studies students, for example, should do multiple drafts of their thesis/MRP before submitting it as their final draft and production students will typically produce a number of cuts before arriving at a fine cut. Screenwriting students will be expected to write as many drafts as are necessary to fully develop their screenplay. Typically this requires three drafts, though sometimes more or (rarely) less.
Regardless of your thesis stream, all written material you may wish to have bound as part or all of your thesis project must conform to specific guidelines. Copies of the manual explaining these guidelines are available from the Graduate Program Office and online. Students are advised to use the specified guidelines on their first draft and for each revision thereafter to avoid the possible anxiety of reformatting their entire thesis project as they prepare to submit their final copy for oral examination consideration.
NOTE: Works Cited must include films, videos and any other material consulted (e.g. websites, interviews, etc.), as well as books and articles.
If you meet with your committee members individually at the designated stages determined by your thesis field, make sure you bring the appropriate progress form with you so they may read the comments provided by the other members and add their own. In addition, the Program Assistant will provide you with a Faculty of Graduate Studies progress form which must be completed by all concerned. Please note that it is the student's responsibility to obtain forms and ensure they are completed.
It is in your best interest to provide each member of your Committee with their own copy of any written material they must view at least one week in advance of your meeting with them. This will give them time to review the material carefully and provide valuable comments. If you are working towards a deadline, consider this lead time in your scheduling or work plans. Please note that the program does not supply free photocopying for this material.
Any deadlines your Committee may impose on you must be regarded seriously, just as you would for any course in which you are enrolled. In fact, while you are preparing your thesis you are actually enrolled in FILM 6000.00 MFA/MA Thesis Research (non-graded). This course constitutes a 2/3 course-load permitting you to claim full-time status on student loans (i.e., at no interest), even if you must register part-time in the program to complete your thesis.
NOTE: Screenwriting and production students are required to submit a substantial written document which contextualizes their work. The Graduate Program Assistant can provide you with examples to guide you.
Thesis Support Funding
CUPE THESIS REIMBURSEMENT
Graduate students who are or have been members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 3903 (that is, have held a Teaching Assistantship) are entitled to receive reimbursement towards the costs of the final form of their thesis of up to $300.00. The Thesis Secretary (283 York Lanes) will provide you with the Thesis/Dissertation Reimbursement form when you submit your final three copies after your Oral Examination. You then must complete the form and attach original receipts for the amounts being claimed.
FGS RESEARCH COST FUND (RCF)
Teaching Assistants, past or present, who are full-time graduate students may apply to the Research Costs Fund competitions run by the Faculty of Graduate Studies. These competitions are usually held twice during the fall/winter academic session, but there have been occasions when it has been offered only once. Announcements will be posted on e-mail and/or a hard copy will be placed in your mailbox. Amounts awarded vary considerably.
GSA FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
The Graduate Students’ Association also offers financial assistance towards the completion of your thesis. Application forms are available at the GSA office.
You may be as resourceful as possible in acquiring external funding. However, external agencies may not exert any control or have any claim on the content and presentation of your thesis project.
5. PREPARING FOR THE ORAL EXAMINATION
As you are working towards the final draft or final cut of your thesis project, you should keep in mind several important deadlines; ideally, these deadlines should be considered throughout the preparation of your thesis so you can plan your time accordingly.
First, determine when you can realistically expect to hold your oral examination. The Program needs six weeks notice to organize the examination and will not begin to do so before receipt of five clean copies of your thesis written material (together with five copies of your film or video if you are a production major), the completed final progress form, and Oral Examination Approval Form.
Second, consider the deadline by which all degree requirements must be met in order to participate in the next convocation ceremony. All courses must be completed, sufficient grades achieved and duly recorded, and three copies of your final thesis containing any required revisions submitted for binding. As well, all paperwork must be received by the appropriate offices in Graduate Studies. Please be sure to advise the Graduate Program Assistant of the results of your examination and when your revisions, if any, have been made so that the appropriate paperwork may be prepared on time.
When you submit to your Supervisory Committee what you believe is the final draft or final cut of your thesis project, you will also be accumulating their signatures on the final progress form for your stream. Providing your Committee members determine that your thesis is ready for the Oral Examination, you should also request their signatures on another form, the Oral Examination Approval form. Your Committee members may refrain from signing this approval form if they feel further revisions are still required.
While you are acquiring the signatures for your Oral Examination Approval Form, you should also be inquiring as to when each member will be available in the following six weeks (approximately) in order to schedule your exam. Remember, the program must have at least six weeks notice from receipt of your approval form and all examining material in order to make the necessary arrangements (NOT six weeks from the date of the signatures).
NOTE: It takes longer to arrange Oral Examinations during the summer term and extra time may be necessary to find appropriate committee members.
Five clean copies of your written thesis material must be submitted to the program along with the Oral Examination Approval form. When you are submitting what may be your final thesis draft and are subsequently expecting to set your oral examination, you should request that your Supervisory Committee members record their comments on a separate sheet so if there are no revisions to be made you may then submit these copies to the program. Also, if only a few pages require revisions, you can then simply replace the revised pages.
Members of the Oral Examination Committee also are requested to write their comments separately and not on the actual documents in an attempt to keep your costs down and reduce waste. Consequently, your final draft of written material (including production and screenwriting support material) should be prepared according to the required standards for binding. Do not staple, punch holes or cerlox bind; a clip is sufficient.
Production students should note that five VHS/DVD copies of their thesis production must be made available for screening purposes of the Oral Examination Committee. These tapes must be ready six weeks in advance of the scheduled examination. Notes about the stage of production should be included. Alternate screening arrangements can be made, if necessary. If so, it is your responsibility to be available at the convenience of each member of your Oral Examination Committee so that they may screen the material. (Reminder: A copy of your film or video must be left with the Program/Library upon the successful completion of your oral examination.) Please note that you must submit your fine cut and sound mix prior to negative cutting or on-lining so that revisions can be made if requested by the Oral Examination Committee.
6. AFTER YOU SUBMIT THE ORAL EXAMINATION APPROVAL FORM AND COPIES OF THE THESIS TO BE EXAMINED
At this point, the Graduate Program takes over. Within a day or two, you must be available to sign forms prepared by the Graduate Program Assistant. Within approximately two weeks, you should receive confirmation that your Examination Committee has been set. This notice is prepared by the Faculty of Graduate Studies so you may not receive this until very close to your exam.
It is very important that you are accessible during this waiting period. In the event there are any problems, you must be prepared to act immediately.
During the weeks leading up to your exam, all the members of your Examining Committee will review your material. They will prepare comments and questions to raise at the exam. Remember, some of the participants may not be familiar with film & video. It is your responsibility to explain your thesis choices and presentation to them clearly and intelligently.
Prior to the exam, you may wish to review your material again. Do not revise anything! Remain calm. Most students claim that their expectations were worse than the actual experience.
The Oral Examination Committee
Normally, all members of examining committees must be members of the Faculty of Graduate Studies. In exceptional circumstances, approval may be made for external or York faculty not appointed to Graduate Studies to participate on the recommendation of the Graduate Program Director.
The following positions must be filled:
A) The Chair, usually from the candidate's Graduate Program and other than the individual who was the candidate's Supervisor.
B) The Supervisor or a faculty member from the candidate's supervisory committee.
C) At least one graduate faculty member at arm’s length from the thesis, recommended by the Supervisor, and normally from outside the program. If this member is from the program, the Dean’s Representative shall be from outside the program.
D) The Dean of Graduate Studies, or a representative, who will be at arm’s length from the supervision of the Thesis. The Supervisor will be asked to provide to the Faculty of Graduate Studies the name of at least one faculty member, normally from another program, who has agreed to be nominated as the Dean’s Representative.
E) Other graduate faculty members the Supervisor wishes to nominate (optional). At least two faculty members from the Graduate Program in Film & Video must participate at the Oral Examination in two of the above positions. However, some members of your Supervisory Committee might not be present.
It is up to the Supervisor to assemble the members of the Examining Committee, not the student.
7. THE ORAL EXAM
On the day of the exam please arrive a few minutes early so the Examining Committee does not have to wait for you. Bring a copy of your written material so you may look up any passages to which they may refer. You are permitted to take a moment to locate such passages, but you should be very familiar with the material as well.
Coffee and bottled water are usually served at the examination, but you may wish to bring in a different beverage. The exam lasts approximately one and a half to two hours.
Oral examinations are public events and are open to all faculty, students, and other members of the public. Observers will be permitted to ask questions only at the discretion of the candidate and Examining Committee.
After everyone arrives, you may be called in to the examining room to be introduced to the panel. Then you will be asked to wait outside while the Chair organizes the proceedings. This usually takes 10 minutes or so, after which you will be called back in and the exam begins. Sometimes the introduction is delayed until the panel is actually ready to begin the examination.
At the beginning of the thesis examination, the student is expected to make a brief presentation (10 to 15 minutes) on their thesis project. This presentation should be discussed with the thesis supervisor well in advance of the examination.
After each member of the Examining Committee has had their turn asking questions and making comments, you will be asked to leave the room while the Committee votes on the results and completes the appropriate paperwork (signing certificate pages, preparing the report form, etc.). You will then be asked to return to the exam room. At this point, you will be notified as to the result of your exam.
8. RESULTS OF THE ORAL EXAMINATION
The result of the Oral Examination is reported to the Faculty of Graduate Studies on the Oral Examination Report Form which is taken to the examination by the Dean or the Dean's Representative.
This form is completed and signed by the Chair and the Dean or the Dean's Representative. Where applicable, brief details of revisions required should be included under the "Comments" heading. A copy of this form is supplied to the Graduate Program Director and the student by the Thesis Office of the Faculty of Graduate Studies.
The signed certificate pages are also returned to the Thesis Office after the examination. If major revisions are required, the Committee may prefer to postpone signing the certificate pages until the revisions are completed. The certificate pages are subsequently forwarded to the Thesis Office.
The Examining Committee will indicate one of the following decisions
Accepted with no Revisions
The oral examination requirement is met if the Committee accepts the thesis with no revisions.
Accepted Pending Specified Revisions
The oral examination requirement is met if the committee accepts the thesis with specified revisions. These specified revisions could range from typographical errors or changes of a minor editorial nature, to specified insertions or deletions which do not radically modify the development/argument of the thesis. The committee must specify such changes with precision. It is the responsibility of the supervisor to ensure that all such changes are made and the Dean’s Representative will confirm that this is the case. (In cases where there is one vote for major revisions, then specified revisions are expected.)
Referred Pending Major Revisions
A thesis is referred for major revision if any of the following conditions exist:
1. the Committee agrees that the thesis requires substantive changes in order to be acceptable; or
2. there are a minimum of two votes for major revision; or
3. there is one vote for failure In this situation, one of the following procedures, agreed upon by the Committee before the examination is adjourned, must be used to finalise the results:
1. the committee adjourns and reconvenes within twelve months to examine the work; or
2. the revised thesis is circulated within twelve months to all members, who will then inform the Chair and the Dean or the Dean's Representative in writing as to whether or not they feel the requirements have been met.
Detailed reasons for referring pending major revisions must be supplied in writing by the Chair to the Dean, the Graduate Program Director and the candidate concerned within two weeks.
After an adjournment and when the major revisions have been completed, if there are two or more votes for failure, the thesis will be failed. A thesis or dissertation cannot be referred for major revisions more than once and no further adjournment is permitted. In the event of failure, detailed reasons must be supplied in writing by the Chair to the Dean, Program Director and candidate within two weeks.
Failed
The Committee agrees that even with major revisions the thesis is not acceptable.
9. AFTER THE ORAL EXAMINATION
Your first step after your Oral Examination ends is to go to the Graduate Program Office to ensure that the result is reported and to clarify your next steps.
If revisions are necessary, the steps outlined in the sections “Results of Oral Examinations,” referring to revisions, and “Approval of Revisions” must be followed before a Convocation form is prepared for you.
All students should collect the exam copies submitted to the Examining Committee when the exam is over. If no revisions are necessary, these copies may then be submitted to the Thesis Office for binding. Check these copies to make sure they are "clean". If revisions are necessary, only those pages which are affected need to be replaced. Of course, major revisions may result in changes to the page numbering, but some sections may be recoverable.
Approval Of Revisions
When handing in the three final copies to the Thesis Office (283 York Lanes), you must submit a memorandum from the Program Office stating the revisions have been completed and approved. For specified revisions, both the Supervisor and the Dean's Representative must sign.
Time Limits For Revisions
All revisions must be completed within a maximum of twelve months of the date of the oral examination, unless otherwise specified by the Examining Committee. The student must maintain continuous registration until the final three copies are handed into the Thesis Office at the Faculty of Graduate Studies.
Binding Of Your Thesis
When submitting your final copies to FGS for binding, please note that the cost of this is $17.50 per copy. If you would like to have more copies bound for yourself please notify the Graduate Program Assistant prior to your Oral Examination so that there will be sufficient copies of the certificate page available for signature.
10. CONVOCATION
After all degree requirements have been met, including submission of your (revised) thesis written material for binding and, for production students, a copy of your film or video has been left with the program, the Graduate Program Assistant will submit a Convocation form to the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Your record will be checked for accuracy and for any outstanding debts to the University or program. If any debts remain unpaid, you will be notified by FGS. Usually, they send such notice to your home address (as it appears on their records). Occasionally, it may be sent to the Graduate Program Office, so please ensure you check your mail box.
After these details have been settled, you are ready to graduate at the next convocation ceremony. The Faculty of Graduate Studies will notify you of the details of the ceremony and how to proceed, whether or not you plan to attend. If you move after your oral examination, please notify the Graduate Program and update your mailing address on the Registrar’s Website so you do not miss these details.
Congratulations! You now have your Master of Arts/Master of Fine Arts degree. Please keep in touch as we will enjoy hearing about your future successes.
