Each candidate, in consultation with their research supervisor, must establish a Reading Committee at the beginning of their program.
The first Reading Committee will take place within the first 9 months of beginning the program. Subsequent meetings will be at the discretion of the committee members.
In addition to the regular consultation between candidate and supervisor, the candidate should seek advice and consultation informally with other members of the committee throughout their program.
Planning of the format and length of the thesis should be carried out in close consultation with the supervisor and committee.
Reading Committee Membership
The supervisor and candidate work together at the beginning of the program to select the Reading Committee membership, which must be comprised of:
- the supervisor(s)
- two other faculty members, at least one of whom must hold their primary appointment and will be assigned the role of chair by the Graduate Office
Formal Confirmation of Reading Committee Meetings
The student must submit a Reading Committee Confirmation request by email to the Graduate Assistant at least one week (5 business days) prior to the meeting date, providing the following information:
- Name of each Committee Member
- Date, Time and Location of Meeting
The meeting room can be booked by contacting the Departmental Assistant in the Main Office. If this is your first Reading Committee Meeting, the Graduate Office will assign the Chair of your committee.
Progress Reports and Conduct of Reading Committee Meetings
At least one week prior to each meeting the student must submit the following to their committee:
- Written progress report
- A blank Reading Committee Meeting Assessment Form
- Academic record (downloaded from ACORN)
- Previous Reading Committee form(s), if applicable
The written progress report is typically 4-5 pages in length, but may be longer if required by the supervisor or committee. The report will include:
- A summary of the student’s project
- Rationale
- The research hypothesis
- The research objectives
- The student’s progress towards each of the research objectives to date
- A summary of how the student has addressed committee recommendations from previous meeting(s)
- Future plans with a timeline to achieve the research objectives
- If the student has a recent paper in progress, submitted or published, this can be added to the progress report.
In addition to the written progress report, the student will prepare a 20-minute oral presentation on the work to date and future plans to complete their degree.
On the basis of the progress report, the oral presentation and the student’s answers to questions, the committee will evaluate the student’s performance to date and make recommendations regarding modifications to the research plan or emphasis of the work.
The committee’s assessment will be summarized and communicated to the student. Students are asked to sign the Reading Committee Meeting Assessment Form in order to confirm that the document accurately reflects the discussion and recommendations made at the meeting. Students may also add their own comments to the form after the assessment has been communicated to them. The student should retain a copy of the form for their records and submit a copy to the Graduate Office at gradassist.chemeng@utoronto.ca.
