Thesis Requirement
MSc Thesis Requirement (HSCI 887‐12)
The MSc is a research degree in which the main component is a thesis that addresses a research problem relevant to Health Sciences. Upon initiating their thesis research, MSc students enroll in HSCI 887-12 (MSc Thesis), and are continuously enrolled in HSCI 887 until the thesis is completed and successfully defended in accordance with the SFU's Graduate General Regulations 1.9 and 1.10.
Before commencing research leading to the MSc thesis, all students must prepare and successfully defend a thesis proposal. Students must also obtain, as necessary, relevant ethics, biosafety, and animal care and use approvals.
Thesis Proposal (HSCI 886-6)
The student will prepare a written research proposal prior to commencing research leading to the MSc thesis. Upon initiating preparation of the proposal, MSc students enroll in HSCI 886-6 (MSc Thesis Proposal). The proposal shall be organized and evaluated in accordance to policies and procedures established by the FHS Graduate Studies Committee. In general, the proposal will integrate a review the relevant research literature and describe research methodology appropriate to the principal research question(s), expected results and their significance.
MSc students will normally submit their thesis proposal by the end of their first calendar year in the program to their Supervisory Committee. The student will then orally present and defend the proposal before their Committee. The proposal and oral defence will be graded on a pass/fail basis. Failure of the written proposal or oral defense will be considered unsatisfactory progress, and will trigger review by the FHS Graduate Studies Committee as outlined in SFU’s Graduate General Regulation 1.8.2.
Thesis Defence
A written thesis is based on the candidate's original contribution to research in the field of his/her expertise, and is the final requirement for completion of the MSc program. The thesis will typically include a background/introduction section, research materials and/or methods, results and analyses, and discussion. Students must note in the thesis that the appropriate ethics, biosafety, and animal care and use approvals were obtained prior to conducting their research work.
All MSc candidates must pass the formal thesis defence which is conducted in accordance with SFU's Graduate General Regulations 1.9.2 and 1.10.1. The candidate will be recommended for the award of an MSc degree in Health Sciences upon successful defence of the thesis.
Academic Requirements within the Graduate General Regulations
All graduate students must satisfy the academic requirements that are specified in the http://students.sfu.ca/calendar/student-info/grad-regulation.html (residence, course work, academic progress, supervision, research competence requirement, completion time, and degree completion), as well as the specific requirements for the program in which they are enrolled, as shown above.
