1. Apart from any qualifying year, the minimum period of residence for the degree shall be one academic year of full-time study including research, or its equivalent in part-time study. This requirement must be met regardless of the amount of graduate work previously completed in any other program or at any other university. 2. The maximum time allowed for the fulfilment of the MSc requirements shall be four consecutive years, excluding any qualifying years, in the case of full-time students. The thesis of a full time MSc student must be submitted through the supervisor and the department for transmission to the internal and external examiners by the end of the third year. 3. The candidate will be assigned, by the chairperson, to a supervisor who shall be a faculty member of the physics department and who will be responsible for advising the candidate and directing his/her thesis research. 4. The thesis shall be read by two examiners other than the supervisor, one of whom shall be an external examiner who is a specialist in the candidate’s field of interest. The examiners shall be selected by the supervisor in conjunction with the physics department. A thesis will be accepted only following its approval by both examiners. A thesis may be returned to the candidate for revision on the advice of one or both examiners, and subsequently re-examined.

The program is open to graduates of any university of recognized standing who have obtained at least a Bachelor’s degree with honours with a Class II standing (GPA of 3/4 or its equivalent). An applicant who has followed a combined program (e.g., majors in math and physics), must have obtained at least a Class II standing in their physics courses. Applicants who do not satisfy these requirements may, with the permission of the University, be admitted to a qualifying year to bring their standing up to that of an honours degree. Alternatively the department may require students to do additional courses to those that are considered mandatory to meet the minimum requirements. Even if MSc applicants meet the minimum requirements, the department is not obligated to accept applicants based on the availability of supervisors, financial considerations, ability to offer the necessary courses, or the ranking of more qualified candidates.