Student Handbook > Master's of Arts, Science, and Fitness Science Programs
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Master's of Arts, Science, and Fitness Science Programs
Program Requirements for all Master's Degree Programs
1. Program Advising Forms, Supplementary Coursework
Masters Thesis Information
1. Membership and Roles of Supervisory Committee
6. Evaluation
8. Major Research Paper Option
Program Requirements for all Master's Degree Programs
1. Program Advising Forms, Supplementary Coursework
Program Requirements for all Master's Degrees in Kinesiology and Health Science
Advising Form
Prior to initial registration in any of the Master's programs, the student and his/her supervisor will submit a completed Advising Form to the Graduate Program Office. The Advising Form outlines the required and elective courses to be completed prior to graduation. Changes to the Advising Form can only be made with the approval of the Graduate Program Director and the student's Supervisor in Kinesiology and Health Science.
Supplementary Courses
The successful Master's applicant (all degrees) may be required by his/her supervisor, to enrol in certain undergraduate courses or to complete suitable courses offered in other graduate programs. These required courses will be counted in the determination of the "combination of C grades" outlined in the Faculty of Graduate Studies Regulations (See Graduate Courses and Grading). However, additional elective courses will not be included for this purpose. Supplementary courses may be substituted for all or part of either Master's thesis practica, KAHS 5400 3.0 or KAHS 5410 3.0, and this will be taken into account when determining the student's practicum responsibility.
2. Master of Arts / Master of Science (MA / MSc) thesis
Candidates will be required to complete the following, in addition to the regulations of the Faculty of Graduate Studies pertaining to all Master's degrees:
- one of either Univariate (KAHS 6010 3.0) or Multivariate (KAHS 6020 3.0) Statistics;
- graduate seminar (KAHS 6210 3.0);
- one practicum (KAHS 5400 3.0);
- two half course electives from within the Kinesiology and Health Science graduate course offerings;
- one of either a second practicum (KAHS 5410 3.0) or a third elective graduate half course, as specified by the supervisor; and
- a thesis that demonstrates independence, originality, and advanced understanding of the area of study. After formal submission of the thesis, it will be examined according to Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS) Theses and Dissertation Guidelines.
Master's Thesis Progress
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Student Evaluation and Progress
Master's thesis progress shall be assessed at the September, January and May meetings of the Graduate Executive Committee via the Student Evaluation and Progress Report Form, in consultation with the Supervisory Committee, if necessary.
Thesis Proposal
The Thesis Proposal must be completed by the end of the student's 16th month in the Graduate Program.
Research Ethics Forms and Procedures
NOTE: York University is committed to the highest standards of integrity in research. All projects involving the use of Human Subjects, Animals and Biohazardous Materials are subject to review by the appropriate University committee. York University has formulated policies for the conduct of research involving all three of these areas. In the case of a research project involving Human Subjects, Animals and Biohazardous Materials to be conducted as an assignment for a graduate course, all students must follow the FGS Research Ethics Forms and Procedures.
Thesis Defence
All program requirements, including setting a thesis defence date, should be completed within 24 months of entering the Graduate Program. Students who do not finish within the 24 month period are normally ineligible for any further assistantship funding. To set a thesis defence date, students are expected contact the Graduate Program Office not less than three weeks before the proposed date for the oral examination. (See FGS Thesis and Dissertation Guidelines: Regulations Regarding Examining Committees). Any Master of Arts (MA) and Science (MSc) thesis degrees student who has not set a thesis defence date within 28 months (January) of entry into the Graduate Program, will receive a warning letter from the Graduate Program Director. If a defence date has not been set within 32 months (May) of entry into the Graduate Program, the student will be placed on probation and subject to termination at the next Graduate Executive Committee meeting unless extenuating circumstances exist. It is the supervisor's responsibility to ensure that these deadlines are brought to the attention of their students early in their program of study.
Practica
Both practicas, KAHS 5400.30 and KAHS 5410.30, each involve 10 hours per week for 12 weeks and are normally taken in Fall/Winter and Winter/Summer of the first year. Practicum work is limited to the training necessary for a student to carry out their thesis research successfully, and may involve such activities as library research, conducting and assisting in experiments, data analysis and the preparation of written reports. If supplementary work in preparation for thesis research is deemed necessary by the supervisor, then either an undergraduate make-up course or a graduate course may be substituted for all or part of either masters thesis practica, KAHS 5400 3.0 or KAHS 5410 3.0.
Graduate Seminar
Master of Arts (MA) and Science (MSc) thesis degrees students shall complete KAHS 6210 3.0 (Graduate Seminar) by attending scheduled colloquia and seminars during the first two years of their studies. This course shall be graded on a pass/fail basis by the faculty member(s) responsible for the seminar series. The content shall include visiting speakers, faculty and student presentations. Students shall give a presentation on their research during the proposal stage at this seminar. This will normally be as soon as feasible in the fall term of the second year of study.
Thesis Quality
A thesis submitted by the candidate must embody the results of original research and must be successfully defended at an oral examination. The quality and length of the thesis shall be such that it is, in principle, publishable in a refereed journal relevant to the discipline in question.
3. Master of Fitness Science (MFSc) non-thesis
Candidates will be required to complete the following, in addition to the Faculty of Graduate Studies regulations pertaining to all Master's degrees:
- One of either Univariate (KAHS 6010 3.0) or Multivariate (KAHS 6020 3.0) Statistics;
- Two non-thesis practica (KAHS 5400 6.0 and KAHS 5410 6.0)
- Four half course electives from within the Kinesiology and Health Science graduate course offerings.
- Submit a written paper to the student's supervisor.
Practica
Students enrolled in the Master of Fitness Science (MFSc) non-thesis practica (KAHS 5400.60 and KAHS 5410.60), are required to complete an average of 10 hours per week for 52 weeks in total of supervisor- directed laboratory and/or field experience. The practica are normally taken in the Fall/Winter and Summer/Fall sessions over the 16-month program. Practicum work involves laboratory and field experience in research projects or fitness assessment/exercise counselling. It may involve such activities as library research, data analysis, writing reports and/or conducting assessments on populations such as elite athletes, applicants to physically demanding populations to the general public.
Completion
All Master of Fitness Science (MFSc) non-thesis degree students must aim to complete the program requirements within 16 months of entering the Graduate Program.
Masters Thesis Information
1. Membership and Roles of Supervisory Committee
Supervisor
The supervisor, as the director of the candidate's research, is expected to keep in close touch with the candidate's progress and to be available for consultation. The supervisor should:
- Advise on the writing of the thesis as drafts are submitted, and
- Approve the draft before the final stage. It is understood that such approval is of the content and form for examination purposes and not necessarily a judgement of the standard of the work.
Supervisory Committee
Master's Supervisory Committee consists of a minimum of two members from the Faculty of Graduate Studies:
- the supervisor from the candidate's graduate program; and
- a minimum of one other faculty member from the candidate's Graduate Program; and if appropriate, one graduate faculty member from outside the Graduate Program in which the student is registered, normally from York. (Faculty members cross-appointed to more than one program may be defined as outside examiners for the programs that are not their primary affiliation).
The membership of each committee must be recommended by the Graduate Program Director for approval and appointment by the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies no later than the second term of study.
Selection of the other members of the Supervisory Committee is the responsibility of the supervisor in consultation with the student.
It should be determined informally that they are willing to serve, after which the Faculty of Graduate Studies Supervisor and Supervisory Committee Approval Form should be submitted to the Graduate Program Office. The Graduate Program Director will then approve the committee membership and inform the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies of the composition of the supervisory committee.
Roles of the Thesis Supervisory Committee
The Thesis Supervisory Committee:
- reviews the candidate's research proposal and recommends its approval to the Graduate Program Director;
- reviews the candidate's progress at the end of each term;
- reports to the Graduate Program Director unsatisfactory progress that may require a candidate to withdraw from the program.
Before the Thesis Examining Committee is convened, the members of the Thesis Supervisory Committee:
- agree that the thesis is ready to be examined;
- sign the Recommendation For Thesis (Masters) Oral Examination form.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
It is the candidate's responsibility to will ensure that a copy of their thesis is sent to each member of their Thesis Examining Committee as far as possible in advance of the oral examination but no later than three weeks prior to the date set.
Change of Supervisor/Committee
Students have the right to change supervisors, providing they can obtain the agreement of a faculty member to act as the new supervisor. It is the responsibility of the student to inform the Graduate Program Director in writing of this change.
Students have the right to request a change in Supervisory Committee membership, provided there are grounds for such a request. Such grounds should be discussed between the student and his/her supervisor, at which point a replacement Committee Member should be determined.
Once an agreement to serve has been obtained from the new Supervisory Committee Member-Select, the student's supervisor advises the outgoing Committee Member (if appropriate), and the Graduate Program Director is advised in writing of this change. Faculty of Graduate Studies Supervisor and Supervisory Committee Approval Form must then be completed.
2. Thesis Proposal
The purpose of the thesis proposal is to enable the student to clarify the rationale and strategy for approaching the subject, and to permit members of the Thesis Supervisory Committee to provide advice.
All thesis students in Kinesiology and Health Science are expected to complete thesis proposals after being enrolled in the program for 16 months.
Any student who has not completed a thesis proposal by their fourth evaluation (16 months after entry into the Graduate Program) will be placed on probation by the Graduate Executive Committee unless it is determined that extenuating circumstances exist.
It is the responsibility of supervisors to ensure that this deadline is brought to the attention of their students early in their program of study. It is also the responsibility of supervisors to make every effort to ensure that students meet this deadline.
The thesis proposal should include an introduction, a brief literature review and a methods section. The introduction should provide a rationale for the study and a concise statement of the problem and specific purpose(s). The review of literature should include those references that illustrate where the study fits in relation to the existing body of knowledge in the topic. The methodology should contain a description of the procedures to be conducted and the experimental design. Preliminary results should be included if available.
The supervisor works in close consultation with the student in preparing the thesis proposal. The thesis proposal must be approved by the supervisor and the other Supervisory Committee member(s). When the Supervisory Committee is in agreement that a thesis proposal is acceptable, they sign the Form TD1: Thesis/Dissertation Research Submission
Two copies of the thesis proposal, along with the completed Form TD1: Thesis/Dissertation Research Submission are submitted to the Graduate Program Office.
In the case of a research project involving Human Subjects, Animals and Biohazardous Materials, all students must follow the FGS Research Ethics Forms and Procedures and complete the applicable forms (e.g. TD3, TD4).
3. Thesis Preparation
All students must refer to the Faculty of Graduate Studies document Guidelines for the Preparation of Theses and Dissertations. Outlined below for your convenience are some guidelines to be followed in the preparation of theses.
Expectation of Quality of Masters Thesis
A thesis submitted by the candidate must embody the results of original research and must be successfully defended at an oral examination. The quality and length of the thesis shall be such that it is, in principle, publishable in a refereed journal relevant to the discipline in question.
Manuscript-Based Thesis
As an alternative to the traditional thesis format, one or more papers can be presented of which the student is an author or co-author. The following regulations must be observed:
- Candidates have the option of including, as part of the thesis, the text of one or more full papers submitted or to be submitted, for publication, or the clearly-duplicated text (not the reprints) of one or more published papers. These texts must conform to the Faculty of Graduate Studies Guidelines For The Preparation Of Theses And Dissertations with respect to font size, line spacing and margin sizes and must be bound together as an integral part of the thesis. (Reprints of published papers can be included in the appendices at the end of the thesis.) Relevant citation information for all published or "in press" manuscripts must be included.
- The thesis must be more than a collection of manuscripts. All components must be integrated into a cohesive unit with a logical progression from one chapter to the next. In order to ensure that the thesis has continuity, connecting texts that provide logical bridges between the different papers are mandatory.
- The thesis must conform to all other requirements of the Faculty of Graduate Studies Guidelines For The Preparation Of Theses And Dissertations. In addition to the manuscripts, the thesis must include the following:
i. a table of contents;
ii. an abstract in English;
iii. an introduction or opening chapter which clearly states the rationale and objectives of the research and includes a comprehensive review of the literature (in addition to that covered in the introduction to each paper). The literature review must adequately explain its relationship to the literature of the work undertaken.
iv. a final conclusion and summary chapter which integrates the results of the various manuscripts, including all previously published parts.
v. a complete reference list that forms the final chapter (prior to appropriate appendices) rather than separate reference lists for each chapter.
- As manuscripts for publication are frequently very concise documents, where appropriate, additional material must be provided (e.g., in appendices) in sufficient detail to allow a clear and precise judgment to be made of the importance and originality of the research reported in the thesis.
When previously published copyright material is presented in a thesis, the candidate must include signed waivers from the co-authors and publishers and submit these to the Faculty of Graduate Studies Thesis Office with the final deposition, if not submitted previously.
If the oral defence committee feels that the thesis has major omissions with regard to the above guidelines, the candidate may be required to resubmit an amended version.
4. Thesis Examining Committee
Members
The master's Thesis Examining Committee consists of at least four voting members plus two non-voting ex-officio members (whose presence is not required):
- the Dean of FGS or his/her representative who will be at arm's length from the supervisor of the thesis;
- at least two graduate faculty members from the program, at least one of whom must be from the supervisory committee;
- one graduate faculty member at arm's length from the thesis, and normally from outside the program. If this member is from the program, the Dean's Representative shall be from outside the program;
- ex-officio non-voting members: Vice-President (Academic), Graduate Program Director.
The Supervisor will recommend names for all voting members of the Thesis Examining Committee to the Graduate Program Director.
Recommendation of Thesis to the Faculty of Graduate Studies
The Graduate Program Director is responsible for recommending the membership of the Examining Committee to the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, along with the date, time and place of the oral examination, not less than THREE WEEKS before the date set for the oral examination. All Thesis Examining Committee members must agree to be present on the date set. Follow the procedures to set up a masters defense available on the Guidelines, Policies and Forms page.Members of Thesis Examining Committee must receive a copy of the dissertation at least THREE WEEKS before the oral examination is held.
5. Format of Oral Defense
The student must present for 10 – 20 minute to the Thesis Examining Committee. (PowerPoint presentation may be used.)
Following the presentation, the student will be examined on his/her thesis by the Thesis Examining Committee. Each committee member will question the candidate. Typically two rounds of committee questions are conducted prior to deliberation. Normally, the first round of questions will refer to general aspects of the work. Subsequent questions will deal with more detailed matters. The total length of the seminar and examination should be approximately 2 hours.The oral examination is open to all who wish to attend, although no questions can be asked by spectators unless they have read the thesis and let the Chair of the Thesis Examining Committee know in advance of their intention to ask questions.
6. Evaluation
The final deliberation of the Thesis Examining Committee is exclusive to the committee members and not be open to the public.
The quality of the thesis and the performance of the student will be assessed by each of the Thesis Examining Committee members as indicated on the Examining Committee Thesis/Dissertation Defence Checklist, following the examination. The Chair of the Thesis Examining Committee shall submit these reports to the Graduate Program Office after the examination.
Thesis Prize
If the candidate is nominated for a Faculty of Graduate Studies Thesis Prize, it is the responsibility of the Chair of the Thesis Examining Committee to detail in a letter those aspects of the written thesis AND oral defence that led the committee to their judgement of excellence. This letter should be circulated to all committee members and submitted to the Graduate Program Office shortly after the examination.
7. Thesis Revisions
For thesis revisions, refer to the Results for Oral Examinations Faculty of Graduate Studies Thesis/Dissertation Guidelines.
Students must remain registered in the Faculty of Graduate Studies during the time period in which they are completing their thesis revisions.
Specified Revisions
All specified revisions must be completed within six months of the date of the oral examination. These six months are considered to be outside of the time limitations on the degree program. Failure to complete the specified revisions within the six months will result in a failure on the thesis. The revisions must be approved by the supervisor and the Dean's Representative from the Thesis Examining Committee.
Major Revisions
All major revisions must be completed within twelve months of the date of the oral examination. Major revisions require re-examination by the Thesis Examining Committee or circulation of the revised thesis to all Thesis Examining Committee members for approval.
8. Major Research Paper Option
This option is available only under exceptional circumstances. A student wishing to switch from the thesis option to the research paper option after acceptance into the program must have the permission of both their Supervisor and the Graduate Executive Committee.
The student given permission to switch would be required to fulfill the additional one half course requirement for this option unless extenuating circumstances exist and the Graduate Executive Committee votes to waive this option. The student shall prepare a research paper proposal in the manner described for the thesis proposal, with suitable modifications consistent with the nature of a research paper. The paper shall consist of:
- A thorough analytical review of the literature, including theories and research, synthesized so as to provide either insight into productive new directions for research of the presentation of a new theoretical model or significant modifications to a current model.
- The quality and length of the research paper shall be equivalent to that of the thesis such that it is, in principle, publishable in a refereed review journal relevant to the discipline in question.
The Supervisory and Examining Committees shall be constituted under the same guidelines as the thesis option.
