A detailed list of the reason(s) for failure must be included in the report.
If all examiners recommend that the thesis/report is totally unacceptable, then the thesis will be failed, and shall not be re-examined.

If an examiner recommends that the thesis/report is unacceptable, and this recommendation is accepted by the Dean, then the student may apply to the Dean for permission to resubmit the thesis for re-examination in one of the following ways:

to submit a modified thesis/report to the original examiners.

to submit a modified thesis/report to new examiners.

to submit the original thesis/report to an Examination Board to be appointed by the Dean.

If a thesis/report is re-examined, the student will not be awarded a pass unless all examiners find the thesis acceptable.

Under no circumstances may a thesis/report be re-examined more than once.

 

4.10.4 Evaluation of Ph.D. and Psy.D. Theses
Students for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy and the Degree of Doctor of Psychology must submit a written dissertation deemed acceptable by the University, and demonstrate their ability to defend their work in a public oral examination. For this reason, the final decision on whether a student will be recommended for the award of the degree is made only at the conclusion of the oral examination (see The Examination Process).
Responsibilities of the Thesis Examining Board: The work of each student will be assessed by a Thesis Examining Board. Its first responsibility is to determine whether the thesis successfully demonstrates the student's competence to undertake independent research work. The Board must be satisfied that the work contributes significantly to knowledge in the field of study; that the contribution is of high scholarly merit; that the student is aware of the pertinent published literature; that it is written in a satisfactory style; and that it is free from typographical and other mechanical errors. The second responsibility of the Board is to conduct a final oral examination of the student and to then recommend to the Dean of Graduate Studies whether the student should be awarded the Degree.

Composition of the Thesis Examining Board: The members of the Thesis Examining Board will be appointed by the Dean on the recommendation of the Head of the academic unit who will have consulted with the supervisory committee. The Board shall consist of four members. Normally these will be the student's Supervisor (who serves on the Board in a non-voting capacity), two examiners from within the University, and one from outside the University. However, when circumstances warrant, a second external examiner may be substituted for one of the internal examiners with permission of the Dean. Examiners shall normally be those who have completed a graduate degree at the doctoral level, including a thesis, in the discipline or cognate area. Members of the supervisory committee other than the Supervisor are ineligible for appointment to the Board. Those serving as examiners shall not have been involved in the preparation of the thesis/report.

The Examination Process

The voting members of the Board shall submit written reports on the thesis containing an assessment of the quality of the written work and a recommendation as to whether the student should be permitted to proceed to an oral examination and defence of the work. An examiner may recommend:

that the student be allowed to proceed to the oral defence of the thesis.