Ph.D. Candidacy Examination

Overview

All Ph.D. students are required to complete a Candidacy Exam (also known as the Comprehensive exam) before the end of Ph.D. 3 and may not be scheduled during the Summer without permission from the IPN administration. The Candidacy Exam is a McGill academic requirement and the outcome will be reflected on the student's academic transcript.

An M.Sc. student may be eligible to transfer to the Ph.D. program by taking the Candidacy Exam. More information about this is available here. 

Deadlines

Policy

Candidacy Exam Policy 2023

Procedures

1. Register for NEUR 700 Doctoral Candidacy Examination in the semester you intend on taking the Ph.D. Candidacy Examination.

2. Together with your supervisor, invite an external examiner (a McGill Professor who is NOT on your advisory committee) to join your examination committee.

3. Poll your committee (supervisor, mentor, external examiner + advisory committee members) to select a date for your Candidacy Examination, respecting the deadlines listed below. It is highly recommended to plan far in advance to avoid scheduling conflicts.

4. In consultation with your supervisor, distribute your proposal to your examination committee. Obtain approval from your committee for your proposal using the Ph.D. THESIS PROPOSAL APPROVAL & CANDIDACY EXAM SCHEDULE form.

5. Send an email to finalize the date of the exam, along with an electronic calendar invitation through the McGill outlook system to the supervisor, exam committee members (including external examiner & IPN mentor) and to ipn [at] mcgill.ca. The student will then attach all examination-related documents to this calendar invite. The following documents are required at least two weeks prior to the exam :

· Ph.D. THESIS PROPOSAL APPROVAL & CANDIDACY EXAM SCHEDULE form signed by all members of your committee

· Unofficial Transcript

· IPN Progress Reports to date

· Thesis Proposal

· Exam Poster (optional)

6. Your mentor will chair the proceedings of your exam (and in the case of a hybrid or online exam must be the sole host of the Zoom meeting). Detailed instructions for the proceedings can be found in Candidacy Exam Policy and Procedures 2023, which you should read fully prior to the exam.

7. Following the successful Candidacy Exam upload the signed Candidacy Exam form on myProgress within one week of the exam.

Documents

You can find the relevant forms here. 

Important Notes

Must be registered in

If you did not register for NEUR 700 during Add/Drop period, please inform the IPN office and then request a Late Registration (will entail a late registration fee).

PhD Candidacy Exam Deadline