MASTER OF SCIENCE PROGRAM
FACULTY OF VETERINARY MEDICINE MSc
FACULTY OF SCIENCE MSc PROGRAM
Faculty of Science Graduate Studies website
Veterinary Medicine Graduate Studies website
(Graduate Courses - Faculty of Science & Faculty of Veterinary Medicine)
A. General Structure of the Program
The MSc degree of the University of Prince Edward Island requires the demonstration of a reasonable mastery of a concentrated field of study. The latter is attested by the achieving of satisfactory standings in the minimum number of graduate courses required by the respective Faculty, the completion of a research project, and the writing of a thesis based upon the research.
There will be considerable interaction and co-operation among the departments/faculties to provide courses and research facilities to meet the needs of individual students and their research projects.
In addition to the "General Regulations for Graduate Programs," described above, the following regulations apply specifically to the Master's degree:
Residency Requirements
Normally, at least two semesters of full-time study in residence at the University must be devoted to the Master's program if the student is admitted as a regular student. For a regular student admitted to a part-time study program, the residency period is based on the equivalence of three part-time semesters to one full-time semester. A student, admitted as a provisional student requiring two semesters in that category, must spend at least one additional semester as a regular full-time student to meet the residency requirement. Upon completion of the residency requirement the student is then eligible to become a candidate for the MSc degree.
Normally, the thesis must be formally submitted or the program be otherwise complete within 48 months of the completion of the residency requirement. Departure from these normal requirements requires approval from the Graduate Studies Committee.
B. Courses
Prescribed Studies
The proportion of weight attached to the research and thesis may vary, even within a department/faculty. Accordingly, the number of courses and/or general examinations may correspondingly vary. In no case, however, will the minimum requirements be less than those outlined in the following two paragraphs. For graduate credit, the courses selected must be acceptable to the department/faculty and the Graduate Studies Committee. The candidate must maintain an average grade of at least a B standing (see Grades in General Regulations section) in the substantive courses outlined below in order to maintain registration in the program.
A department/faculty may require examinations (oral and/or written), from time to time, to evaluate the student's progress in his/her overall program.
Additional Courses
In addition to these prescribed studies, the candidate may undertake to achieve satisfactory standings in courses supportive of the special discipline. These courses may be at either the undergraduate or the graduate level. The standings obtained in them will not affect the average grade of the prescribed studies.
C) The Thesis
Research
Normally, the equivalent of at least two full-time semesters must be devoted to research in fulfilment of the thesis requirement. Summers during which research work is actively conducted may be counted as research semester equivalents, even though courses would not normally be offered at that time. In order to avoid undue prolongation of the time required to complete the degree, the research topic should be identified early and approved by the Supervisory Committee. Research involving the use of animals must follow the Guidelines of the Canadian Council on Animal Care.
Thesis
Each candidate for the degree of Master of Science is required to submit a thesis based upon the research conducted under supervision as described above. The thesis must demonstrate the candidate's capacity for original and independent work, and should include a critical evaluation of work which has previously been done in the field of his or her research. The thesis should emphasize any new conclusions which may be drawn from the candidate's own research.
General specifications as to paper, format, order, and binding are available from the Office of the Program Administrator.
Procedures
The thesis may be handed in at any time of the year, but candidates must bear in mind the desirability of having the final examination as much in advance of the deadline date for thesis submission as possible. Candidates are advised to inform themselves of the deadlines schedule, a copy of which may be obtained in the Office of the Program Administrator. It is desirable that each candidate initiate discussion about examination dates with the Supervisor early in the final semester.
The candidate should keep in close touch with the Supervisor and the Supervisory Committee, throughout the preparation of the thesis. The final draft of the thesis, after it has been reviewed by all members of the Supervisory Committee, is sent when ready for examination, to the members of the Master's Examination Committee (see below).
Following the Master's Examination, the candidate, if successful, arranges for the preparation of the thesis in final form, and for its submission to the Program Administrator (see below). The thesis in final form must include any minor corrections or revisions indicated during the Examination. Approval of the thesis takes the form of a Certificate of Approval, signed by the Examination Committee.
The Master's Examination
The final oral examination, devoted chiefly to the defence of the thesis, is an examination identified as the Master's Examination and carried out by the Master's Examination Committee.
The Department Chair selects the Examination Committee at the request of the Supervisor and is responsible for notifying the Program Administrator of its composition. The Examination is normally open to the public; however, members of the audience may question the candidate only upon invitation of the Chair of the Committee.
The Examination is passed and the thesis approved if there is no more than one negative vote, an abstention being regarded as a negative vote. The report, from the Department Chair to the Program Administrator, records the result as "unsatisfactory” or “satisfactory." If the result is "unsatisfactory," the candidate may be given the opportunity by the Master's Examination Committee of a second attempt. A second "unsatisfactory" result will terminate candidacy at this university.
FACULTY OF VETERINARY MEDICINE MSc Department of Biomedical Sciences Department of Companion Animals Department of Health Management Department of Pathology and Microbiology
Substantive courses are graduate level courses assigned a minimum of two credit hours. Students are required to complete courses totaling a minimum of twelve credit hours. Within this course complement there must be at least four substantive courses and the appropriate departmental Seminar course (one credit). Only one of the substantive courses may be a Directed Studies Course. All students are expected to complete VHM 801 (Veterinary Biostatistics) and VBS 803 (Principles of Biomedical Research) unless comparable training has been completed prior to entry into the program.
The graduate students will register in one of the four academic departments listed below and in one of the designated areas of specialization:
Animal Behaviour
Physiology, Pharmacology and Toxicology
Cell and Molecular Biology
Neuroscience
Endocrinology
Anesthesiology
Cardiology
Diagnostic Imaging
Small Animal Medicine
Small Animal Surgery
Epidemiology/Health Management
Animal Science and Animal Nutrition
Clinical Sciences
Aquatic Animal Health
Animal Welfare
Biostatistics
Public Health
Morphologic Pathology
Wildlife Pathology
Clinical Pathology
Parasitology
Virology
Bacteriology
Public Health
Immunology
Aquatic Animal Health
Biosecurity
When a student is required to register in a seminar or colloquium course in more than one semester, the record will show a grade or a designation of "In Progress" for semesters prior to completion of the course and "Pass" or "Fail" (or a numerical grade in the case of Chemistry 890) for the final semester. With the consent of the Supervisory Committee, and of the instructor and the Department Chair concerned, a student may register for, and audit, all or part of a course. It is understood that the student will attend lectures as prescribed, but will not write any examination or receive any grade. Such a course may be recorded as an additional course, identified by AUD.
The Master's Examination Committee normally consists of five members as follows: FACULTY OF SCIENCE MSc PROGRAM The graduate students will register in one of the designated areas of specialization listed below: Molecular and Macromolecular Science (MMS) Students are required to take a minimum of three graduate level courses, all of which are to be regarded as substantive. A Seminar course (MMS 890 or ESC 890 or HDH 890) is required. Students may take only one Directed Studies course (MMS 881 or ESC 881 or HDH 881, or alternatively, VBS 881 or 882, VPM 881 or 882, VCA 881 or 882, VHM 881 or 882) for credit. Students lacking an Honours degree or background in one or more area may, at the discretion of the Supervisory Committee, be required to take the appropriate undergraduate level course(s), in addition to the required courses. All graduate students must receive non-credit WHMIS (Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System) training in their first year. When a student is required to register in a seminar or colloquium course in more than one semester, the record will show a grade or a designation of "In Progress" for semesters prior to completion of the course and "Pass" or "Fail" (or a numerical grade in the case of MMS 890) for the final semester. Enrolment in the Seminar course implies the student will participate as a presenter in at least one Graduate Studies Day. With the consent of the Supervisory Committee, and of the instructor and the Department Chair concerned, a student may register for, and audit, all or part of a course. It is understood that the student will attend lectures as prescribed, but will not write any examination or receive any grade. Such a course may be recorded as an additional course, identified by AUD. The Master's Examination Committee normally consists of five members as follows:
Environmental Sciences (ESC)
Human Development and Health (HDH)
the Coordinator of Graduate Studies (or designate), who will Chair the Master's Examination Committee.
