Program Requirements

For more information, please visit the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

For Master's and Doctoral Levels

Formation of an advisory committee approved by the Health and Rehabilitation
Sciences Program Committee
Completion of mandatory courses as set out by each program field of study
Participation in the Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Seminar
Preparation of a research proposal and conduct of original research under the supervision of an advisory committee
Completion and defence of a research thesis
Completion of a comprehensive examination as specified by each field (PhD only)

Program Regulations

Source: Graduate Calendar, School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies

All graduate programs provide a graduate-level learning experience. This means frequent interaction with faculty; interaction among peers; participation in the community of scholars in colloquia, seminars and conferences; and opportunities for advanced students to present their own research at regional, national, and international conferences. Graduate course work must be delivered at the graduate level. In the case of combined/double-numbered courses, in which graduate and undergraduate students are enrolled together, graduate students must be a majority. Normally SGPS will not accept an undergraduate course as a degree requirement unless specified in the Program’s SGPS-approved regulations.

The program specifies milestones for satisfactory progress towards the degree (e.g. documenting seminar completion, a minimum grade for a course, etc.) and ensures that students are aware of these in a timely fashion through Program’s website or by other means.

The master's degree entails a program of advanced study and research approved by OCGS and the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Advanced study means study beyond the undergraduate level. Research entails the critical analysis of current knowledge and the creation of new knowledge.

The degree of Doctor of Philosophy requires an OCGS and School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies-approved program of study and independent research that culminates in a thesis. The thesis (or dissertation) must be presented in a scholarly manner, make an original contribution to knowledge, and be successfully defended at a School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies examination.

Because thesis research is highly specialized, doctoral programs must provide mechanisms to ensure a breadth of knowledge and skills (participation in colloquia, a comprehensive examination, or other means).
Doctoral programs offer OCGS-approved study fields: areas of strength, concentration, or specialization.

Progression Requirements

Graduate faculty must provide students with timely feedback on courses, examinations, or other requirements.

The program may require students to withdraw if they fail to meet the following standards:

Students must maintain a cumulative average of at least 70% calculated each term over all courses taken for credit, with no grade less than 60%. In the case of failing grades given for Scholastic Offences, only the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies can withdraw a student.
Students must make satisfactory progress towards the degree according to milestones set by the program.

Course Evaluations

Instructor and Course Evaluations provide an opportunity for students to give constructive feedback to course instructors. These are completed for all courses. A summary of numeric evaluations for courses with five or more students is posted on Western’s website. Anecdotal comments for courses of four or fewer students are compiled internally.

Academic Offences/Plagiarism

Please review the information on the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies website with regard to academic offences, including plagiarism.

Plagiarism – the “act or an instance of copying or stealing another’s words or ideas and attributing them as one’s own.” (Excerpted from Black’s Law Dictionary, West Group, 1999, 7th ed., p. 1170). This concept applies with equal force to all academic work, including theses, assignments or projects of any kind, comprehensive examinations, laboratory reports, diagrams, and computer projects. Detailed information is available from instructors, Graduate Chairs, or the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Students also may consult style manuals held in the University’s libraries. Students must write their essays and assignments in their own words. Whenever students take an idea or a passage from another author, they must acknowledge their debt both by using quotation marks where appropriate and by proper referencing such as footnotes or citations. The University of Western Ontario uses software for plagiarism checking. Students may be required to submit their written work in electronic form for plagiarism checking.

Milestones

The Health & Rehabilitation Sciences Program has generated a timeline that shows when particular milestones should be completed for a typical student. Major milestones include: forming an advisory committee, completion of course requirements, submitting a advisory committee report each May, development and approval of a research prospectus, completion of the comprehensive examination (PhD only) and completion and defense of the thesis.

The following are the HRS Milestone documents: (These documents can also be found on the Forms & Documents page)