Student Handbook

Doctoral Program Requirements

1. Internal Promotion to PhD

An internal promotion within the program may only be made within 3 terms (12 months) of registration in the Graduate Program.

KAHS Internal Promotion: Master's To PhD without completing Master's degree
For most students, completion of the Master's degree is the best route for entering the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree program. However, exceptional KAHS students who are making exceptional progress in their research project may transfer directly from the Masters to the PhD program without writing and defending their Masters thesis. Normally, it is expected that this situation is rare and would apply to only a few students within the Kinesiology and Health Science Graduate Program. A judgement as to the suitability of the student for this promotion is first made by the student's Supervisor to the Graduate Program Director before consideration by the Graduate Executive Committee. The supervisor and student must provide a copy of his/her work including a brief rationale for the transfer. If deemed suitable, an examining committee  (including Graduate Program Director), will be  formed to evaluate the suitability for promotion based on the student's progress, perceived research potential and scholarly maturity. After the examination, the examining committee's recommendation will be reviewed for approval by the Graduate Executive Committee, before it is forwarded to the Faculty of Graduate Studies for consideration and final approval.

Procedure

1. Supervisor must provide a copy of the student's work including a brief rationale for the internal promotion to the Graduate Program Director for consideration by Graduate Executive Committee.
2. If deem suitable, the Supervisor will contact the second Supervisory Committee member, two KAHS appointed faculty members, along with the Graduate Program Director, to be part of the examination committee .
3. Supervisor provides the names of the examination committee to graduate program office along with date and time of examination at least 21 days prior to exam date.
4. Student provides copy of his/her work including a brief rationale for the transfer to the each member of the Examining Committee, at least 14 days  prior to the exam.
5. Student presents a 10-15 minute synopsis of his/her work to the Examining Committee.

Examination
The duration of the examination shall be no longer than 1 hour. After the presentation, the examining committee members will ask the student questions related to their work in order to determine whether the student should be promoted, or whether he/she should remain in the Master's degree program to completion. Questioning should follow the standard procedure of a thesis defence, with 1-2 rounds of questions followed by committee deliberation. The Examining Committee's decision shall be unanimous in order to recommend for the internal promotion within the program.

Approval
If the internal promotion within the program is approved, the student must complete an Admission application and pay the application fee. The student will be considered a PhD (year 1) student and will be governed by PhD degree requirements. (The two half graduate course electives at the KAHS 6000 level taken at the master's level will be applied to the PhD course requirement). The student must complete the PhD Comprehensive Examination within 24 months of entering the PhD program, and must also complete the required coursework for the Master's degree. If the student does not pass the PhD Comprehensive Examination, or if the PhD is not completed, the student can elect to transfer back to the Master's degree program and is eligible to obtain a Master's degree following successful completion of the Master's thesis and defence.

2. Progress in the Program

Registration
The PhD degree requires a minimum of two years (6 terms of registration). The expectation is that all requirements for a PhD degree shall be fulfilled within 15 terms (5 years) of registration as a full-time doctoral student. Terms that students register as Leave of Absence, Maternity Leave or Parental Leave are not included in these time limits. Any students who do not achieve these timelines will be given a warning and/or placed on probation by the Kinesiology and Health Science Graduate Executive Committee.

Student Evaluation and Process Reports
PhD dissertation progress shall be assessed at the September, January and May meetings of the Graduate Executive Committee via the Student Evaluation and Progress Report online form in consultation with the Supervisory Committee, if necessary.

Supervisor and Supervisory Committee
Supervisory Committee should be formed within 5 terms of registration of entering the PhD Program.

PhD Comprehensive Examination
STAGE 1: Cognate Topics – due before end of term 4.
The Cognate Topics Examination will normally occur within the first 4 terms of registration in the PhD program. Students who do not meet this deadline will be put on academic probation.
STAGE 2: Dissertation Grant Proposal – due before end of term 6
Examination of the dissertation grant proposal will normally be completed within 6 terms of registration in the PhD program. Students who do not meet this deadline will be put on academic probation.

Graduate Seminar
PhD students enroll in Graduate Seminar in each of their first 2 years of study. Students shall give a presentation at Graduate Seminar on their research at least twice during their tenure in the program, once during the proposal stage of their research and once at a later stage.

3. Course Requirements

Students shall complete:

• two Graduate Seminars (KAHS 7200 3.0 and KAHS 7210 3.0 plus 2 presentations: one in year 3 and one in year 4)
• and at least two half elective courses at the KAHS 6000 level

The selection of elective courses shall be approved by the Supervisor and Supervisory Committee. Candidates must demonstrate to their Supervisory Committee a satisfactory knowledge of statistical and/or computational techniques, as these techniques are deemed necessary for the conduct of their research.

Readings in Special Topics
A rationale must be given for the Supervisor to require a Readings in Special Topics (KAHS 6220 3.0) course for a PhD student. Approval by Graduate Executive Committee will be based on the following criteria:

1. Student cannot find a suitable course at York or at another university within reasonable commuting distance.
2. Readings in Special Topic does not overlap with the three areas (cognate and dissertation proposal topics) that will be examined at the PhD Comprehensive Examination.
3. Submission of a course outline to the Graduate Program Office which follows the Faculty of Graduate Studies protocol: title, course description, course director(s), method of evaluation (including at minimum two items of evaluation) and bibliography

4. Seminar

Students shall enrol in two Graduate Seminars (KAHS 7200 3.0 and KAHS 7210 3.0); by attending scheduled colloquia and seminars during the first two years of their studies.

These courses shall be graded on a pass/fail basis by the faculty member responsible for the Graduate Seminar series.

The content shall include visiting speakers, faculty and student presentations. Students shall give a presentation on their research at least twice during their tenure in the Graduate Program; once during the proposal stage of their research and once at a later stage. These presentations shall be taken into account by the Supervisory Committee when assessing research progress in Dissertation Research.

Doctoral Dissertation Information

1. Composition of Doctoral Dissertation Supervisory Committee

A dissertation supervisory committee will consist of a minimum of three members from the Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS), at least two members must be appointed to the Graduate Program in Kinesiology and Health Science (KAHS). The committee should include:

1. The principal supervisor must be a Full Member. An Associate Member of the KAHS graduate program may serve as a co-supervisor on the condition that the other co-supervisor is a Full Member of the graduate program.

2. Full or Associate KAHS member

3. Full, Emeritus, Associate, Adjunct, Cross-appointed KAHS member or from another FGS graduate program at York University.

In exceptional circumstances and with prior approval of the GPD and FGS Dean, the third, or an additional member, may be appointed who is not a member of the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Such recommendations are to be accompanied by a brief rationale and a up-to-date curriculum vitae, which should be attached to the Supervisor & Supervisory Committee Approval Form and approved by the KAHS Graduate Program Director prior to submission.

The Faculty of Graduate Studies provides full details regarding Doctoral Dissertation Supervisory Committee including:

• Supervisor's Roles and Responsibilities
• Supervisory Committee Roles and Responsibilities

2. PhD Comprehensive Exam (Stage 1 and 2)

The PhD Comprehensive Examination involves an in-depth review of two cognate topics and the dissertation grant proposal. Its purpose is to determine whether the student has sufficient mastery of the areas to continue in the graduate program.  The first stage will be the cognate topics and the second stage will be the dissertation grant proposal.

STAGE 1: Cognate Topics shall be chosen so as to contribute to the student’s overall knowledge of their area of specialization, without being directly related to the dissertation proposal. Two cognate topics are determined by and must be approved by the doctoral dissertation supervisor and two KAHS faculty members who are familiar with the topic areas (normally Supervisory Committee members). Candidates must be provided with a minimal reading list (range 5 – 10 articles) from the members. The cognate topic papers are intended to be an outline for examining the candidate rather than a comprehensive review. The expectation is that the papers take no more than three months to complete.
Cognate Topic Papers are intended primarily for examining the candidate. Each paper shall be submitted by the student (e.g. one on each cognate topic area) to each member of the examination committee at least 15 working days prior to the Cognate Topics Examination. Each paper shall be no less than 10 double-spaced pages (excluding references).
The Cognate Topics Examination will normally occur within the first 4 terms of registration in the PhD program. Students who do not meet this deadline will be put on academic probation for term 5 of registration in the PhD program. Failure to meet this requirement after term 5 will result in withdrawal from the program for failure to meet academic standards.

NOTE: The Cognate Topics Examination Form must be completed and submitted by the student to graduate program office no less than 15 working days prior to the examination. 

KAHS Cognate Topics STAGE 1 - Student Submission FORM

The Cognate Topics Examination Committee will consist of the members who selected the topics plus one KAHS member at arm’s length.

Responsibilities of the Cognate Topics Examination Committee

Doctoral dissertation supervisor and two KAHS members who are familiar with topic areas:

• Approve cognate topics in consultation with the student;
• Provide adequate literature/reading lists and consultation;
• Read the written work submitted by the student prior to the examination;
• Take part in the questioning of the student at the examination;
• Vote on the outcome.

KAHS (arm’s length) member

• Acts as Chair for the examination to ensure that the examination is conducted according to the regulations and that all signatures are obtained;
• Reads the written work submitted by the student prior to the examination and take part in the questioning of the student at the examination;
• Conducts the vote on the outcome (Chair is a voting member), including eliciting a consensus on written comments about the examination;
• Records and provides examination results to the graduate program office.

NOTE: If any member is not in attendance, the examination shall be postponed and rescheduled.

Format of Examination

The duration of the examination shall be no more than two hours, and it shall follow standard oral examination procedure. The examination of the first cognate topic will commence with a 15 minute presentation by the student, followed by one round of questioning by the examination committee.   The examination of the second cognate topic follows, which will also commence with a 15 minute presentation by the student, followed by one round of questioning by the examination committee.

Evaluation

Each element of the examination is evaluated independently, with the results recorded by the Chair and forwarded to the graduate program office. Evaluation options are as follows:

• Pass
• Pass with revisions
• Re–examine with revisions
• Fail

Revision of a cognate topic paper(s) is necessary if members of the examining committee decide there is substantive weakness in either the paper or the question period that warrants the revision of the document.

Re–examination of one or both cognate topic papers is required if there is gross error or omission in the paper or if the student does not display sufficient knowledge of the material. This normally involves submission of a revised written paper(s) to the examination committee prior to re–examination.

The evaluation is based on the student’s ability to demonstrate program learning outcomes in their response to the exam questions insofar as they will:

1. Apply discipline specific knowledge of kinesiology and health science to assess the quality and validity of past and emerging research
2. Conduct a systematic review of kinesiology and health sciences literature to recognize the strengths and limitations of established methodologies

In the case of “Pass with revisions”

• Required revisions must be specified in writing to the student and a copy of these specifications shall be provided to the graduate program office.
• The due date for submission of revised materials must be set and written on the examination form at the time of the examination. The date must be within 6 weeks of the examination date.
• The doctoral dissertation supervisor and two additional KAHS members (not arm’s length KAHS member) must be presented with the revised cognate paper(s) for their approval before the set due date.
• The doctoral dissertation supervisor must notify the graduate program office in writing or by email when the revisions are completed to the satisfaction of the doctoral dissertation supervisor and two KAHS members (not arm’s length member)

In the case of “Re–examine with revisions”

• The student will automatically be put on academic probation for failure to maintain academic standards.
• Required revisions must be specified in writing to the student and a copy of these specifications shall be provided to the graduate program office.
• The Re–examination shall occur within 6 weeks of the initial examination.
• The examination committee membership shall remain the same as for the initial examination.
• The student will present the examination committee with revised written paper(s) in the relevant area(s) a minimum of 10 working days prior to the re-examination date.
• The student will undergo a second oral examination, following the same procedures.
• The student’s performance in each area is evaluated as ‘pass’ or ‘fail’ and recorded on the Re-examination form provided by the graduate program office.
• The Re-examination Chair will record and provide examination results to the graduate program office.

In the case of “Fail”

• In the event of a ‘fail’ vote in any area after the re-examination, the student will be immediately withdrawn from the PhD program for failure to maintain academic standards. The student cannot be converted to a master’s degree.

STAGE 2: Dissertation Grant Proposal is to enable the student to clarify the rationale and strategy for approaching the subject, and to permit members of the doctoral dissertation supervisory committee to provide advice to the student. The student may work in consultation with the supervisor in preparing the proposal. The proposal is written in the format of a grant application.

Examination of the dissertation grant proposal will normally be completed within 6 terms of registration in the PhD program. Students who do not meet this deadline will be put on academic probation for term 7 of registration in the PhD program. If the examination has not taken place by end of term 7, the student will continue on academic probation for term 8 of registration in the PhD program. Failure to meet the requirement by the end of term 8 will result in withdrawal from the graduate program for failure to meet academic standards.

NOTE: The Dissertation Grant Examination Form must be submitted by the supervisor using the online form no less than 15 working days prior to the examination. The graduate program office will process the request and follow up with an email confirmation.

Dissertation Grant Examination - Supervisor Submission FORM

The written 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.

Content and Length: Presentation of the proposal content can be tailored to the granting agency that is appropriate for the person’s area (e.g., CIHR is more project based while NSERC is more program based). The proposal should be 15-20 pages (double-space) regardless of the grant style.

Budget: The budget (including the budget justification) and CV portions of the dissertation grant proposal are expected to be completed. These components are not included in the page limits of the dissertation grant proposal. The aim of this exercise is to give the student experience with writing all aspects of a dissertation grant proposal.

The Dissertation Grant Proposal shall be submitted by the student to each member of the examination committee at least 15 working days prior to the examination.

The Dissertation Grant Proposal Examination Committee should consist of the Dissertation Supervisory Committee members plus one KAHS members at arm’s length. Additional members from outside KAHS may be added if specific expertise is required.

Responsibilities of the Examination Committee

Doctoral Dissertation Supervisory Committee (three members):

• Approve the dissertation grant proposal
• Read the proposal submitted by the student prior to the examination;
• Take part in the questioning of the student at the examination;
• Vote on the outcome.

KAHS (arm’s length) member

• Acts as the Chair’s for the examination to ensure that the examination is conducted according to the regulations and that all signatures are obtained;
• Reads the dissertation grant proposal submitted by the student prior to the examination;
• Takes part in the questioning of the student at the examination;
• Conducts the vote on the outcome (the Chair is a voting member), including eliciting a consensus on written comments about the examination;
• Records the examination result and returns the completed examination form to the graduate program office.

Format of Examination

The duration of the examination shall be no more than two hours, and it shall follow standard dissertation defense procedure. It shall commence with a 15-20 minute dissertation grant proposal presentation by the student, followed by at least two rounds of questioning by the examination committee. Questions focus on the research proposal.

Evaluation

The result is recorded on the examination form. Evaluation options are as follows:

1. Pass
2. Pass with revisions
3. Re–examine with revisions
4. Fail

Portions of the dissertation proposal grant will no doubt be used subsequently in various sections of the dissertation and, thus, constructive criticism from members of the examination committee is encouraged.

Revision of the dissertation grant proposal is necessary if members of the examination committee decide that substantive changes to any component of the proposal are required.

Re–examination of the dissertation grant proposal is necessary if the student does not display sufficient knowledge of the study rationale and relevant literature, experimental design, or methodology, or analytical tools to be employed. This normally involves submission of a revised written proposal to the examination committee prior to re–examination.

All members of the examination committee must sign the Examination Form. The Chair shall submit the signed form to the graduate program office after the examination.

In the case of “Pass with revisions”

• Required revisions must be specified in writing to the student and a copy of these specifications shall be provided to the graduate program office.
• The due date for submission of revised materials must be set and written on the examination form at the time of the examination. The due date must be within 6 weeks of the examination date.
• All members of the doctoral dissertation supervisory committee must be presented with the revised dissertation grant proposal for their approval before the set due date. At the discretion of the committee, approval of the final revisions may be turned over to the Chair and Supervisor (i.e. minor revisions).
• The doctoral dissertation supervisor must notify the graduate program office in writing or by email when the revisions are completed to the satisfaction of all members of the doctoral dissertation supervisory committee.

In the case of “Re–examine with revisions”

• The student will automatically be put on academic probation for failure to meet academic standards.
• Required revisions must be specified in writing for the student and a copy of these specifications shall be provided to the graduate program office.
• The re–examination shall normally occur within 6 weeks of the initial examination.
• The re-examination committee membership shall remain the same as for the initial examination.
• The student will present the re-examination committee with revised proposal a minimum of 10 working days prior to the re-examination date.
• The student will undergo a second oral examination, following the same procedures.
• The student’s performance is evaluated as ‘pass’ or ‘fail’ and recorded on the Re-examination form provided by the graduate program office.
• All examination committee members must sign the form, and submit the signed form to the graduate program office after the re-examination.

In the case of “Fail”

• In the event of a ‘fail’ vote in any area after the re-examination, the student will be immediately withdrawn from the PhD program for failure to maintain academic standards. The student cannot be converted to a master’s degree.

The evaluation is based on the student’s ability to demonstrate program learning outcomes in their response to the exam questions insofar as they will:

1. Use specialized knowledge within one or more disciplines within kinesiology and health science in their dissertation
2. Conduct original scholarly investigation by formulating research questions and using quantitative or qualitative techniques to produce research or other advanced scholarship of suitable quality for publication in a peer-reviewed venue
3. Demonstrate qualities of transferable skills such as discipline specific technical skills and methodologies, initiative, personal responsibility and accountability to work independently and in teams to enhance employability
4. Recognize the complexity of the knowledge gained and the potential impact and/or contributions of their own work
5. Identify alternative interpretations of one’s own work and/or alternative methods that could have been used

Submission of Approved Dissertation Proposal

Following successful completion of the dissertation grant proposal examination or upon completion of revisions or re-examination, the student is responsible to submit the following documents to the Graduate Program Office within 10 days of the examination date.

Form TD1: Thesis/Dissertation Research Submission;
One copy of the dissertation proposal;
One copy of all appropriate ethics forms.

3. Dissertation Preparation

All students must refer to the Faculty of Graduate Studies web page on organization and technical requirements for the preparation of thesis and dissertation.

4. Doctoral Dissertation Exam Committee

Full details regarding composition of the dissertation examining committee are available at the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

5. Scheduling PhD Oral Exam

25 work days prior to a dissertation exam, the student is required to follow the steps below:

1. Apply to graduate.
2. Review the Oral Examination section on FGS website.
3. Set exam date/time and email the graduate program office so that a room and audio/visual equipment can be reserved as soon as possible. (Zoom may be an option)
4. Submit copy of a completed Recommendation for Oral Examination Form (on FGS website) to the graduate program, at least 25 work days prior to the examination date, along with and electronic copy (.pdf format) of the dissertation.
5. Provide members of the Examination Committee (except external member)  a copy of the dissertation at least 20 work days before the date of the examination.

The graduate program assistant will:

1. reserve an examination room
2. book audio/visual equipment
3. send e-copy of dissertation to external examiner with instructions

Recommendation of Dissertation to the Faculty of Graduate Studies
The Graduate Program Director is responsible for recommending the membership of Dissertation Examining Committee to the Faculty of Graduate Studies, along with the date, time and place of the PhD Oral Examination.

The graduate program requires ALL examining committee members to be present on the date set.

External Examiner's Copy of Dissertation
Students should not contact the external examiner directly themselves. A copy must be submitted to the graduate program assistant at least 25 work days prior to the PhD Oral Examination date, so that the dissertation can be sent directly to the external examiner.

Conduct of the PhD Oral Examination

1. Before the PhD Oral Examination can be convened; a majority of the Dissertation Examining Committee members must agree that the dissertation is examinable. The Graduate Program Director shall poll the members of the examining committee one week before the scheduled date for the oral examination. If the candidate's dissertation does not receive a majority vote, the members of the examining committee who do not agree that the dissertation is examinable are required to give their reasons in writing to the candidate, the Supervisor, and the Dean within one week after the poll. In such cases, the oral examination shall be postponed for a period not to exceed one year. However, the student has the right to insist that the oral examination proceed as planned.
2. The time and place of PhD Oral Examination shall be set by the Graduate Program Director in consultation with the candidate, the Chair and members of the PhD Oral Examining Committee and with the approval of the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Normally the examination shall be held no less than four weeks from the date on which copies of the completed dissertation approved by the supervisory committee are received by each member of the examining committee. The PhD Oral Examination may be held less than 20 work days from the time copies are received by the examining committee provided all parties agree.
3. The PhD Oral Examination will centre on the dissertation. The student begins with a seminar (generally expected to use a PowerPoint presentation) of 20–25 minutes duration.
   Following the seminar, the student will be examined on his/her dissertation. 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. Total length of the seminar and examination should be approximately 3 hours.
4. The PhD Oral Examination is a public academic event. Faculty members, graduate students and others may attend oral examinations at the discretion of the Chair of the examining committee. They may, at the discretion of the Chair, participate in the questioning.

Evaluation
Only members of the Dissertation Examining Committee may be present for the final evaluation and for the vote at the conclusion of a PhD Oral Examination.

The quality of the dissertation and the performance of the student will be assessed as indicated on the accompanying Examining Committee Thesis/Dissertation Defence Checklist, which must be completed by each examining committee member following the examination. The Chairperson of the Dissertation Examining Committee shall submit these reports to the Graduate Program Office.

Thesis Prize
If the candidate is nominated for a Faculty of Graduate Studies Thesis and Dissertation Prizes, it is the responsibility of the Chair of the PhD Dissertation 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.

PhD Oral Examination Requirement

No Revisions
The PhD Oral Examination requirement is met if the committee accepts the dissertation with no revisions.

Specified Revisions
The PhD Oral Examination requirement is met if the committee accepts the dissertation with specified revisions.

Specified revisions could range from typographical errors or changes of a minor editorial nature, to specified insertions or deletions that do not radically modify the development/argument of the dissertation. 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.

All specified revisions must be completed within six months of the date of the PhD Oral Examination. These six months are considered to be outside of the time limitations on the degree program. Failure to complete these specified revisions within the six months will result in a failure on the dissertation. The revisions must be approved by the candidate's Supervisor and the Dean's Representative from the Dissertation Examining Committee.

Major Revisions
A dissertation is referred for major revisions if any of the following conditions exist:

1. the committee agrees that the dissertation requires substantive changes in order to be acceptable.
2. there are two votes for failure.
3. there is one vote for failure plus a minimum of one vote major revision.
4. there are at least three votes for major revision.

In cases where there are no more than two votes for major revision or one vote for failure, then specified revisions are expected.

Procedure for Major Revisions
In the cases of major revision, one of the following procedures, agreed upon by the Dissertation Examining Committee before the PhD Oral Examination is adjourned, must be used to finalize the oral results:

1. the committee will reconvene within twelve months to continue the oral examination.
2. the revised dissertation will be circulated within twelve months to all members, who will inform the Chair and the Dean's representative whether they feel the stipulated 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 from the PhD Oral Examination date.

All major revisions must be completed within twelve months of the date of the PhD Oral Examination. Major revisions require re–examination by the Dissertation Examining Committee or circulation of the revised dissertation to all Dissertation Examining Committee members for approval.

Fail
A dissertation is failed if there are a minimum of three votes failure. In the event of failure, detailed reasons must be supplied in writing by the Chair to the Dean, the Graduate Program Director and the candidate concerned, within two weeks from the PhD Oral Examination date.

After an adjournment and when the major revisions have been completed, the dissertation is failed if there are two or more votes for failure. A 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, the Graduate Program Director and the candidate concerned, within two weeks from the PhD Oral Examination date.

Final Decisions
Decisions of the Dissertation Examining Committee are communicated to the Faculty of Graduate Studies' Thesis Office, usually in the form of the Certificate Pages containing appropriate signatures, through the Dean's representative.