Building Science Programs & Degree Requirements

As a Ph.D. student you are required to complete a course program, one of three experiential learning activities and your dissertation. All requirements are outlined below.

Courses

As a doctory of philosophy (PhD) student, you are required to successfully complete one core course (BL9105 Advanced Building Science Seminar) and three elective courses, some of which are outlined on the Courses page. It is up to the student and supervisor to design an appropriate course program to support your research. 

Experiential Learning Activity

A unique aspect of the curriculum is the inclusion of three experiential learning activities; one with focus on mentoring, teaching and professional activities.  The choice of at least one of these activities as a degree requirement allows our students to focus on an area of experiential learning that supports their career trajectory.  For example, a PhD applicant in our program may know s/he is pursuing a career in academia; as a result, s/he may choose to engage with the Mentorship Activity and Teaching Component in order to gain experience in these vital academic areas. 

Dissertation

The research component of the PhD program requires the passing of a qualifying/candidacy examination (more information will be provided in the PhD Candidacy Examination Guide coming soon) and a dissertation based on original research. Your supervisor must approve the dissertation research proposal submitted in writing by you. After consultation with you, your supervisor will recommend to the program director the appointment of a supervisory committee. Within 20 months of initial registration, every student in the PhD program will undertake an oral and written candidacy examination. The core aspect of the program is the successful defence of the doctoral dissertation at both the program and Yeates School of Graduate Studies oral examinations.

As a master of applied science (MASc) student, you are required to successfully complete three out of the five core courses and two elective courses, which are outlined on the Courses page. You are also required to complete a collaborative workshop and a thesis, which are outlined below.

Collaborative Activity

The collaborative activity is an exercise designed to provide our graduate students with the chance to collaborate with students/industry professionals/other parties, who they would not normally work with, to come together for an intensive project. Students may work in teams under the guidance of Toronto Met faculty members or (with the approval of the program director) a design professional (or several design professionals) in the community. This gives students direct experience in working with industry and other design professionals, as well as community groups, university researchers from other disciplines, and artists. These collaborative activities are often focused around experiences such as charrettes (which are intense periods of design or planning activity), design competitions or outreach projects. This is a “milestone,” meaning it is graded on a pass/fail basis

A collaborative activity must be initiated by completing a proposal form, which will be reviewed by a faculty advisor and the program director. Upon completion of the activity, you must hand in the completion form. 

Thesis

You will be required to conduct high quality research on a topic related to building science. Once the topic has been chosen in consultation with your thesis supervisor, you will present a research proposal in writing. The research will be carried out under the direction of your supervisor, with regular advising from your supervisory committee. You must submit the completed research in a thesis format to an examination committee and make an oral presentation to this committee, which will assess the thesis. Through the thesis, you will be expected to furnish evidence of competence in research and a sound understanding of the specialty area associated with the research. The thesis is a “milestone,” meaning it is graded on a pass/fail basis.

As a master of building science (MBSc) student, you are required to successfully complete five core courses and three elective courses, which are outlined on the Courses page. You are also required to complete a collaborative workshop and a major research paper or project, which are outlined below.

Collaborative Activity

The collaborative activity is an exercise designed to provide our graduate students with the chance to collaborate with students/industry professionals/other parties, who they would not normally work with, to come together for an intensive project. Students may work in teams under the guidance of Toronto Met faculty members or (with the approval of the program director) a design professional (or several design professionals) in the community. This gives students direct experience in working with industry and other design professionals, as well as community groups, university researchers from other disciplines, and artists. These collaborative activities are often focused around experiences such as charrettes (which are intense periods of design or planning activity), design competitions or outreach projects. This is a “milestone,” meaning it is graded on a pass/fail basis.

A collaborative activity must be initiated by completing a proposal form, which will be reviewed by a faculty advisor and the program director. Upon completion of the activity, you must hand in the completion form. 

Major Research Project

You will be required to conduct an applied advanced research project on a topic related to building science. You will present and agree to the project plan with a supervisor, and the project will be carried out under the guidance of the supervisor. You must submit the completed project to an examination committee and make an oral presentation of the report to this committee, which will assess the report. The Major Research Project is a “milestone,” meaning it is graded on a pass/fail basis.