Thesis Proposal

Students completing their PhD thesis proposal will enroll in one of the following courses, depending on whether they are in the MATH, APMA, or Operations Research program:

The thesis proposal should ideally be completed by the end of the sixth semester of enrollment in the PhD program. Students should discuss with their supervisor about when to enroll in this course.

Instructions:

1. At the beginning of the semester, students will enroll in one of the following courses, depending on whether they are in the MATH or APMA program:

2. The student presents a written thesis proposal to their supervisory committee. The written version of the thesis proposal is generally due two weeks before the proposal presentation. This deadline should be confirmed by the committee at the time the proposal presentation is scheduled.

3. The student and senior supervisor arrange a date and time with the supervisory committee and the GPA is to be emailed (mathgsec@sfu.ca) the following information 3 weeks prior to the thesis proposal:

  • Proposal Title
  • Abstract
  • Date and Time
  • Room/video conference information.

4. The student delivers a seminar talk, (approximately 30 minutes in duration) attended by members of the supervisory committee and chaired by the senior supervisor.

  • If the committee approves the thesis proposal, the members sign a form stating that the student has passed the general examination.
  • If the committee is not satisfied, then the process must be repeated at a later date.