Candidacy Examination Regulations

Candidacy Exam Requisites

After successful completion of UH9010: Theories and Concepts in Urban Health, UH9011: Research in Urban Health Settings and UH9012: Pathways to Becoming a Successful Scientist, as well as one elective course, students must take a pass/fail Candidacy Examination. This would typically be in the 5th term of registration, but no later than 2 years after registration in the PhD Program.

The Candidacy Examination includes the completion and successful oral examination of the dissertation proposal. Once the student has passed the Candidacy Exam, they will be required to undertake an original study.

The candidacy examination requires:

Completion of the written dissertation proposal, including chapters that introduce the research problem related to health needs or challenges experienced by urban populations, situate the problem within relevant theoretical and empirical literature and plan for the research study by selecting most appropriate methods;
successful oral exam of the dissertation proposal, including presentation of the proposal and defense of the research proposal. Students will be required to pass this candidacy exam, which will evaluate their ability to present and defend their research proposal, the feasibility of the dissertation project, and their knowledge in the proposed research and related areas.

Once the student has passed the Candidacy Examination, they will be required to complete the UH9013: Data Analysis in Urban Health Research course during their third year; and carry out the proposed research with the aim of completing it prior to the end of their fourth year of enrollment.

Preparation for the Oral Candidacy Examination

The Candidacy Examination Committee will be formed no later than the fourth term and will consist of:

all members of the student’s supervisory committee,
an examiner from one of the Schools within the Faculty of Community Services and who is a member of the Yeates School of Graduate Studies (preferably from outside of the supervisor’s school), and,
a committee chair, who may be the Graduate Program Director or a faculty member from the Faculty of Community Services who has a YSGS appointment.

At least four to six weeks prior to the Candidacy Examination, the research proposal should be approved for examination by the student’s supervisor (and co-supervisor, if applicable) and supervisory committee.

At least four weeks prior to the planned Candidacy Examination date, a (google form) Candidacy Examination Scheduling Request Form (external link) must be submitted to the Graduate Program Director for Approval.

At least two weeks prior to the date of the scheduled oral candidacy examination, the candidate must submit to all members of the Candidacy Examination Committee a comprehensive PhD research proposal, in a mutually agreed upon reference format, which may typically include:

background, problem statement, research purpose;
literature review
theoretical/conceptual framework, and,
proposed methodology.

The intent of the oral examination is to determine both the scope of the candidate's conceptual, methodological, and technical knowledge of his/her area of specialization and his/her ability to communicate this knowledge in writing.

On the day of the candidacy exam, the committee chair, who is usually the Graduate Program Director, or designate, will determine the readiness of the committee to proceed with the exam. The Chair will confirm that all examination committee members received the research proposal, in a timely manner, if all members read the entire proposal, and if any members have concerns with proceeding with the exam. If concerns are raised, they will be discussed by the committee. If there is a need to reschedule the exam, the Chair will work with the student and their supervisor (and co-supervisor, if applicable) to reschedule the examination. The Chair will invigilate the examination on the scheduled date.

Oral Candidacy Examination Procedures

The candidate will be asked to present their research proposal within a period of 15-20 minutes. The oral presentation includes a discussion of the phenomenon or research problem to be investigated, which is situated (briefly) in the context of recent methodological and theoretical developments in the field. The nature and availability of resources required will be outlined, and the ways in which the research should provide both advances in the field and real or possible applications to Urban Health should be discussed.
The oral presentation will be followed by the candidate being questioned by each member of the examination committee; beginning with the external examiner and ending with the supervisor (co-supervisor,if applicable). The oral questions from the Examination Committee will relate to the candidate’s comprehension and critical understanding of his/her selected field of expertise. A basic premise of the examination is that the research must result in work of relevance to the field of Urban Health and of a publishable quality (in a recognized peer reviewed journal). The questions posed by the committee members must be related to the research proposal
The Chair may question the candidate even if not an official examiner.
There is no specified time limit for the oral component of the examination, but the exam will average approximately 2 hours, with the oral presentation, and question and answer period being open to the larger Ryerson community. The period of deliberation by the examination committee following the oral examination will be in camera.
The oral exam and the written proposal will be assigned a Pass or Fail, decided through a majority vote by the committee members. The Committee Chair will vote only in the case of a tie.
A student may be granted a “pass” even though a few weaknesses are identified, if it is considered that these may be remedied quickly and are feasible within the context of the planned research study.
- In such cases, a detailed plan, inclusive of timelines will be recorded on the Report of the Candidacy Exam that will be posted on the PhD in Urban Health website. One copy of this report will be immediately given to the student, and a copy will be delivered to the Yeates School of Graduate Studies as soon as possible via the Graduate Program Administrator.
A student who receives a failing grade on the oral exam will be given an opportunity to attempt the oral exam a second time within 3 months of the failed oral exam date.
- In the event of a failure, the student has one opportunity to repeat all or part of the candidacy exam.
- A second unsatisfactory grade for the oral exam will result in withdrawal from the program.
The Committee Chair will facilitate the completion of a Report of the Candidacy Examination Committee form, including entering comments through consultation with the supervisor (or co-supervisors) and committee.
The Graduate Program Administrator will share a copy of this report with the student, the Program Director and the School of Graduate Studies.

After the Oral Candidacy Examination

Within one week after the Candidacy Exam, the student and supervisor formalize a proposed completion timeline with a goal defense date. The student and supervisor communicates this to the graduate program assistant through the Candidacy Program Outline form.

The student's Supervisory Committee may require the student to fulfill additional course requirements based on the result of the exam

Once the student has passed the Candidacy Examination, he/she must carry out the proposed research with the aim of completing it within the following two years.