About Admission to Candidacy (ATC)
The ATC is an opportunity for the student to present their proposed research, to defend it to their supervisory committee, and receive feedback. It is both a formal meeting of the supervisory committee and an opportunity for input from the Graduate Studies Office.
For the full guidelines, see ATC Guidelines [PDF - 191 kB]
The information below is an abbreviated version of the guidelines:
The ATC is early in the program so that the discussion of the supervisory committee may identify areas that can be improved and/or suggest additional resources. The committee may find that the student is lacking in some background and recommend a course or additional reading that would help carry out the research.
The ATC must be done within the first six (6) months of beginning the MSc Agriculture. It is preferable to do the exam within the first four (4) months. If the ATC is not completed within the first six months, the student must submit an ATC Extension Request Form with a detailed timeline for completion and the reason why the ATC has to be delayed.
Students who have not completed the ATC by the end of their second semester will need to meet with the Graduate Studies Coordinator. Students who have not completed the ATC by the end of the third semester may be required to withdraw on the basis of non-completion of an academic requirement.
- The student registers for the AGRI 9410 Admission to Candidacy – Master’s administrative course in the semester they plan to take the exam before the course add/drop deadline.
- The student consults with their supervisory committee to choose a date for the exam and completes the ATC Planning Form & Part 1. This form must be signed by all members of the supervisory committee and submitted to the Graduate Studies Office (gradagri@dal.ca) at least three weeks before the proposed date of the ATC, along with the research proposal (in Word format).
- For virtual and hybrid exams, the Graduate Program Assistant will send the supervisory committee and student a Teams invitation with the meeting details and link. For in-person and hybrid exams, the Graduate Program Assistant will book the room, but it is the student's responsibility to bring and set up the necessary technical resources. It is recommended that a tech test be performed prior to the exam.
The proposal is prepared in consultation with the supervisory committee. It should include the rationale for the proposed research, the general outline of the planned project, the resources available and any practical limitations to the project, and the timeline for the student to complete the project and defend the thesis.
It is recommended that students have all members of their supervisory committee review, comment and edit, and critique the proposal before submission for the ATC exam.
The proposal must be no more than 25 pages, single sided, including all attachments. It should be written in 12-point font in the main body text, with 1-inch margins, and be double spaced. The proposal should include:
- a cover page;
- a table of contents;
- a reference list;
- any necessary figures or tables;
- and the timeline for completion.
Students may wish to consult the Dal AC Writing Centre for general assistance, located in the MacRae Library.
ATC exams are open to the public.
The student will make a 15-minute oral presentation of their proposal, highlighting the goals and objectives of the research, the research strategy/methodology, and the impact, significance, or benefit of the proposed research.
The supervisory committee members will question the student on the proposal and concepts relevant to the proposal. There are typically two rounds of questions.
The examination is expected to be completed in two hours.
The ATC evaluation decision is by consensus of the supervisory committee. The decision will be Pass or Fail.
A Pass may be accompanied by recommendations and/or by conditions. A student may be required to re-write the research proposal if this is not satisfactory.
A recommendation is to be considered by the student and supervisor in consultation with supervisory committee members.
A condition will be verified by the Graduate Studies Coordinator. This must be completed before the student will be allowed to proceed to thesis defense.
A student who Fails the ATC is required to withdraw from the program. A failed examination can be appealed to the Graduate Studies Coordinator within three (3) working days. The student has the option to request to be re-examined.
About the Master’s Thesis Defence
The final step of your MSc Program is submitting your thesis to the Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS). Make sure to review the FGS website for:
The Faculty of Agriculture’s Graduate Studies Office will help you plan and schedule your thesis defence. Please note that MSc examinations are public and members of the public can ask questions.
For the upper limit for program completion, consult Section 7.0 Degree Requirements of the Academic Calendar.
FGS outlines the composition of the master’s thesis examining committee in Section 10.3.2 of the Academic Calendar.
Examiners for your MSc Agriculture thesis are your supervisory committee members, including your supervisor, one external examiner approved by the Graduate Studies Coordinator, and a chair.
- The student consults with their supervisor to choose a general date for the exam and identify potential external examiners. Please be mindful of the FGS thesis submission deadlines.
- The name, contact information, and area of expertise of at least three suggested external examiners must be sent to the Graduate Studies Office at gradagri@dal.ca for approval prior to submission of the planning form. The external examiner must come from outside of the Faculty of Agriculture.
- Once the suggested external examiners are approved, the student completes the MSc Thesis Defence Planning Form. This form must be signed by all members of the supervisory committee and submitted to the Graduate Studies Office (gradagri@dal.ca) at least four weeks before the earliest proposed date of the defence.
- Neither the student nor the supervisor is allowed to contact the external before the defence. The Graduate Program Assistant Office will contact the external to invite them to participate in the defence.
- Once an external is secured, the Graduate Program Assistant will put out a call for an exam chair.
- Once a chair is secured, in case of virtual and hybrid exams, the Graduate Program Assistant will send the examining committee and student a Teams invitation with the meeting details and link. For in-person and hybrid exams, the Graduate Program Assistant will book the room, but it is the student's responsibility to bring and set up the necessary technical resources. It is strongly recommended that a tech test be performed prior to the exam.
- The student must submit an electronic copy of their thesis document to gradagri@dal.ca at least three weeks prior to the defence date.
More often than not, you will be required to make revisions to your thesis after your defence. Make sure to plan for this when preparing your thesis submission timeline.
Your supervisor will oversee the revision process and complete the final re-read of the revised thesis. Once the final dissertation is approved by your supervisor, they will sign the Master’s Thesis Approval Form and the thesis can be submitted to the Dalhousie Institutional Repository (DalSpace), along with applicable documents.
Don’t forget to apply to graduate in the semester your submitting your thesis in!