The PhD program requires a minimum of three years of full-time study. Note that all doctoral students are expected to be full-time students. UBC policy establishes a  six-year time limit for the completion of a Doctoral program. See the UBC policy regarding leaves, or extensions to these limits. It is important to note that most doctoral scholarships offer funding for only three or four years from the start of the graduate program.

It is expected that doctoral students will be admitted to candidacy within two years of enrolment. Students must be admitted to candidacy within three years of first enrolment. For students who transfer to the PhD from a masters program, this means within three years since first enrolment in the masters program.

The following is a sample timeline for a doctoral student. The time points for applying for funding will vary depending on the nature of funding needed (operating funds vs. fellowship assistance) and funding agency deadlines. The important message is that funding should be sought as early as possible.

Prior to Admission (recommended, not mandatory)

• meet with individual faculty members, identify potential supervisor, and research topic
• where possible apply for graduate fellowships

• Year 1, Term 1 – coursework, meet with faculty advisor and other faculty to choose supervisor, submit applications for scholarship funding
• Year 1, Term 2 – coursework; finalize choice of thesis supervisor, supervisory committee, research topic; apply for research funding
  
• Year 1, Summer – develop thesis proposal, meet relevant personnel, write ethics application, submit data requests, and do other preliminary work to prepare for thesis
  
• Year 2, Term 1 – complete required courses
  
• Year 2, Term 2  – continue preliminary work to prepare for thesis, complete comprehensive exam, present thesis proposal to Thesis Screening Panel
• Admission to candidacy – after completion of courses, Thesis Screening Panel, and comprehensive exam
• Subsequent to Admission to Candidacy – complete thesis research, write dissertation, complete oral doctoral examination, submit dissertation to Faculty of Graduate Studies

The following table outlines courses in each thematic area of concentration. Note that courses already taken in the masters degree do not need to be repeated.

Friday Academic Day

In order to foster a community of scholars, Friday mornings during the Fall and Winter terms are considered "academic days" in which all students are expected to participate. The breadth of topics provides insights into the context and methods of the many disciplines of the School's research and teaching. Attendance is an important means to engage in cross-disciplinary learning and interact with colleagues.

Attendance at Friday Academic Day is required at 80% of the sessions for PhD students in the first two years of their program. The only exception is for students carrying out fieldwork away from Vancouver. In which case, Academic Day requirements can be deferred to the future, with approval. Third year PhD students are strongly encouraged to participate and will be asked from time to time on a rotation basis to attend to provide critical information regarding the research process from their own experience, assist with small group discussions, and initiate discussions of the literature.

Friday morning Rounds, the School seminar series, starts Friday Academic Day.

SPPH 607, which includes both Research in Progress and Journal Club, follows Rounds. Research in Progress provides in-depth discussion of student research as well as exposure to special topics such as ethics and management of research, supervisory committee dynamics, and methodological issues. Interdisciplinarity is a key focus to foster understanding and respect for differing methods and research contexts.  Journal Club provides students with an opportunity to hone their critical appraisal skills and apply their growing research expertise by extending their capacity to apply published research to practice.

Doctoral students are required to pass a comprehensive examination whose purpose is to test the student's understanding of core course material and preparation for the field of study that will form the basis of the student's thesis. University requirements for this examination are outlined on the Faculty of Graduate Studies website.

Exam timing

The examination is offered once in the academic year, in May or June. It is recommended (but not mandatory) that students complete the comprehensive exam before presenting their thesis proposal to the Thesis Screening Panel. 

By university regulations, students are normally expected to complete the comprehensive examination within 24 months of the date of initial registration, but no later than 36 months. (Note: For students who transfer from the Masters to PhD program, the time of initial registration is the time of entry into the Masters program.) A student who is not admitted to candidacy within 36 months of the date of initial registration must withdraw from the program. Extension of this period may be permitted by the Dean of Graduate Studies only in exceptional circumstances.

Exam protocol

The comprehensive exam consists of two parts - Part A and Part B. Students who successfully pass Part A will be exempted from taking Part B.

Part A is in-class format. It is open book with no internet access permitted. The exam is comprised of three sections and is scheduled on Mon, Wed and Fri from 9am-12pm.

Part B is an oral examination format. Exemption for Part B will be granted if the student successfully attains at least 68% in each of the three sections of Part A with an overall average grade of 76% or higher. Part B is scheduled within two months of Part A. 

Members of the PhD Comprehensive Examination Committee  administer and oversee the examination. The exam itself will be developed by the Committee. The examination will test the students' skills in critical appraisal and the integration of knowledge gained from the core courses. Students are encouraged to use ideas from their own research area to illustrate and elaborate the application of conceptual and methodological knowledge.

Please note: Unsatisfactory academic progress will result in withdrawal from the PhD program. Failure of the PhD Comprehensive examination is considered by the SPPH PhD Program to be unsatisfactory academic progress.

Some students enter the program with a thesis supervisor already identified; others enter without. Each student without a supervisor is assigned a faculty advisor whose role is to assist the student in the initial months, until a thesis supervisor is identified. The student and faculty advisor should move quickly to identify a general domain and supervisor for the thesis research.

The advisor's (or thesis supervisor's) role in the first year is to

• help the student to select courses in the initial 1-2 terms, 
  
• ensure the student is aware of how to find departmental and faculty policies
  
• provide advice regarding strategies for finding a thesis supervisor
  
• assist student in finding information about funding sources and teaching opportunities, where appropriate
  
• ensure the student has opportunity to be nominated for awards, where appropriate
  

How do I choose a supervisor and committee?

You are responsible for choosing your thesis supervisor, who will chair your supervisory committee. The thesis supervisor is usually a Professor or Associate Professor of the School, with some previous experience on doctoral committees or as research supervisor or Chair of Doctoral committees. The supervisor must be a member of the Faculty of Graduate Studies. A review of the School's full-time faculty will enable you to familiarize yourself with the research being conducted in the School and start a preliminary dialogue with any faculty members whose research appears compatible with your intended course of study. If your research interests or plans change, you can change your supervisor, although you should be aware that this may delay your progress towards graduation.

The supervisory committee consists of the chair and two or more other committee members. You work together with your supervisor to identify suitable committee members. The majority of the committee must be from UBC. When persons from outside the University are proposed, a memo requesting approval should be sent to the Dean of Graduate Studies, with a justification and a curriculum vitae of the person(s) nominated.

Roles and Responsibilities of Students and Supervisors 

Research Topic

Any research topic related to the health of human populations is considered suitable for a thesis in the School. Specific research topics will be constrained by the availability of faculty with suitable content and methodological expertise to supervise the work. Students are encouraged to meet with many different faculty members to discuss potential research topics.

Thesis Proposal

PhD students are required to present their thesis research protocol to the Thesis Screening Panel. Please refer to the Thesis Screening Panel web page for information on  proposal format and the Panel meeting.

Thesis Format

The written thesis must adhere to the formatting requirements of the University.

There are no specific rules regarding thesis length or content. This should be determined by the student and the supervisory committee, bearing in mind that final evaluation of the thesis includes examiners external to the School and the University. Some theses will describe aspects of a single research project, others may describe more than one related project. A PhD thesis must be the result of independent work (even if associated with faculty research) and often includes a comprehensive investigation of related research questions. It is expected that a PhD dissertation will make an original contribution to the scientific literature.

The School strongly encourages students to publish their doctoral research results in the peer-reviewed literature and supports thesis formats based on a unified collection of peer-reviewed publications. The final written thesis may include any combination of published and unpublished work (including 100% unpublished and 100% published), provided that the published work is that of the student. Work carried out and published prior to developing the thesis proposal should not be included. Please check the UBC formatting guidelines for inclusion of published papers in the thesis. 

University Oral Examination