Intake and Residency:
Part-time students enter in the fall term, with the incoming full-time students. Usually part-time students take one course per term, although two would be permissible.
Students are required to be physically present and active on campus for at least 2 full terms (can be consecutive or non-consecutive terms). During the residency period, students are expected to participate fully in the life of the Faculty and doctoral program, including activities such as attending class, attending seminars and talks, conducting research, being involved with doctoral student events, attending conferences, interacting with faculty, consulting with advisors, and participating in committee work, as appropriate.
Courses and Comprehensive Exam:
In the fall term, part-time students take the required Research Methods course, LIS 9809, followed by Statistical Methods, LIS 9806, in the winter term. In the subsequent four terms, a student takes courses in her/his area of specialization and electives, completing a minimum of 6 doctoral courses in total. Typically, at the beginning of term 7, each student writes the comprehensive exam for his/her area of specialization.
Proposal and Thesis:
Upon successful completion of the comprehensive exam, the student commences work on the thesis proposal. It is anticipated that most students would have a completed proposal by the end of term 8 (and no later than the end of the 3rd year).
Following approval of the proposal by the student's advisory committee, the student then proceeds to carry out the research and writing required for the thesis. Years 4, 5 and 6 thus are spent conducting the research and completing the thesis, and ultimately defending the work.
Conversion to Full-Time Status:
If a part-time student wishes to do so, or if circumstances change (such as a loss of employment), s/he may convert to full-time status. In this case, the student is eligible for Teaching Assistantship and Western Graduate Research Scholarship funding from the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (SGPS), but only if there is funding readily available that is not already allocated to other students. There is no guarantee that funding automatically would be provided through conversion to full-time status.
Once a student has converted to full-time status, all SGPS regulations governing full-time students apply. The student would not be able to change status again to part-time, except as allowed by SGPS regulations governing full-time students.
Updated 07/02/2008