Program/Course Requirements

Completion requirement

In addition to the Faculty of Graduate Studies requirements and Cumming School of Medicine requirements, the Immunology Graduate Program requires:

The minimum academic course requirement is normally 9 units, which is met by:

the satisfactory completion of Cellular and Molecular Immunology (MDSC639.02) and Inflammation (MDSC639.04) in the first year, and
the satisfactory completion of another 3-unit graduate-level course in an area that is pertinent to the student's thesis project and approved by the supervisor and supervisory committee.

Exceptions require the approval of the Graduate Program Director.

Each student is required to participate regularly in the Synder Institute graduate program seminar series and present at least one work in progress seminar per year.

Contributions to journals, relevant journal clubs and/or seminars are an expectation. Visit the program website.

Research Integrity Day

Research Integrity Day is a Research Ethics session offered several times each year. All graduate students in the Cumming School of Medicine are required to attend Research Integrity Day in the first year of their program as part of their course requirements. See the Graduate Science Education https://cumming.ucalgary.ca/gse/current-students/research-integrity-day for details and to register for the Research Integrity Day session.

Sex and Gender Training Module

The inclusion of Sex and Gender in Research programs is becoming more prominent. All graduate students in the Cumming School of Medicine are required to complete one of the CIHR sex and gender online training modules found at http://www.discoversexandgender.ca/ within the first year of their program.

Additional Program Information

Completion requirement

Advanced Credit

Applicants must make request for Advanced Credit as part of the admission process. Credit will not be given for academic course work taken as part of another completed degree/diploma or for courses taken to bring the applicant's grade point average to a required level for admission. Any credit to be given for courses completed will be included in the letter of offer for admission to the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

Flexible Grade Option (CG Grade)

Students admitted to the graduate programs in the Cumming School of Medicine will not be allowed to request the Flexible Grade Option (CG Grade) for any course that is applicable to their degree; or apply any course awarded a grade of CG towards their graduation requirements.

Students may not choose the CG grade for a course taken extra to load.

The use of the CG grade will affect students' eligibility for internal awards.

Credit for Undergraduate Courses

Credit may be given for courses taken below the 600 level. At least one half of a graduate student’s course work must be at the 600 level or higher. Students may receive credit for completing a course numbered 500-599 providing that the course is recommended by the supervisory committee and approval is received by the Graduate Program Director.

Time Limit

Completion times follow the Faculty of Graduate Studies regulations (see Time Limits):

Maximum completion time for a doctoral program is six years. Expected completion time is five years.

Supervisory Assignments, Research Proposal and Required Examinations

Completion requirement

Supervisory Assignments

The selection of a graduate supervisor must be by mutual agreement between the student and the faculty member concerned at the time of the application to the program and approved by the Graduate Program Director. Supervisors must commit to supporting the student for the duration of their graduate studies, before admission is recommended.

Supervisory committees, required for both master’s and doctoral students, are established based upon the needs of the student and the expertise of the committee members, following discussions between the student and the supervisor and approved by the Graduate Program Director. A supervisory committee, consisting of supervisor and co-supervisor (if applicable), plus two additional members, must be in place no later than 3 months after the student's first registration in the program.

Research Proposal Requirements

All MSc and PhD students must defend a written research proposal to their supervisory committee. For additional information about the PhD research proposal, refer to: http://wcm.ucalgary.ca/gse/files/gse/csm-candidacy-examination-process-effective-september-1-2015.pdf.

Required Examinations

Candidacy

To enter candidacy, doctoral students must: (1) successfully complete all required courses, (2) attend Research Integrity Day (3) successfully complete the CIHR Sex and Gender in Research online training module(s), (4) have the thesis research proposal approved at a thesis proposal evaluation meeting, and (5) successfully complete a Field of Study oral examination. Specific details of the examination format and other candidacy requirements can be found at: http://wcm.ucalgary.ca/gse/files/gse/csm-candidacy-examination-process-effective-september-1-2015.pdf.

Thesis Examination

All students in thesis-based programs (MSc and PhD) must successfully pass the Final Thesis Oral Examination (see Thesis Examinations).

PhD students are expected to give a public seminar prior to the examination. During this public seminar, members of the examining committee will not be permitted to ask questions, and this presentation is not considered part of the examination.

PhD examinations will consist of an open oral examination. If the student has not given a public seminar immediately prior to the examination, they may be offered the opportunity to give a 15-minute presentation at the beginning of the examination.

Scheduling of the Examination

All members of the Supervisory Committee must have reviewed the student’s research, including a relevant written sample of the materials related to the thesis, before an examination can be scheduled.

Composition of the Examination Committee

For MSc thesis examinations, the examination committee will consist of the student’s supervisory committee (which includes the supervisor) plus an Internal/External Examiner, who may be internal to the student’s home program. For a doctoral thesis examination, the examination committee will consist of the supervisory committee, an internal/external examiner (who may be internal to the student’s home program), PLUS an external examiner who is external to the University of Calgary. The external examiner must be approved by the program director and the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

Financial Assistance

Completion requirement

Students in thesis-based graduate programs will receive a graduate stipend as outlined in the Cumming School of Medicine Funding Policy and can be found at https://cumming.ucalgary.ca/gse/current-students/student-payments.

Students are expected to apply to external agencies for financial support from scholarships or studentship awards and for University of Calgary Scholarships (see Awards and Financial Assistance section of this Calendar). Possible sources of financial support are listed on the Faculty of Graduate Studies website: https://grad.ucalgary.ca/awards and the Cumming School of Medicine website: https://cumming.ucalgary.ca/gse/current-students/scholarships.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Immunology Medicine

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