1. Graduate
  2. Graduate Student Handbook

Graduate Student Handbook

Welcome to the Department of Psychology Graduate Student Handbook. It is designed to assist you in progressing through your graduate degree program and to provide you with associated instructions and documentation along the way. Key components have been given their own section to clearly outline the details associated with that step in the process and includes the specific form where applicable. Many of our forms are also available in the Forms at a Glance section below. 

Our Handbook is a living document and we welcome your assistance in including any/all information that you the student expect to find in a Handbook. If you cannot find a detail or explanation of a process associated with your degree in this Handbook please contact the PSYC Grad Office and we will work together to enhance our Handbook with that new information.

 

Handbook

Change Your Status

To change your current status from full-time to part-time, or complete your time-limit extension, apply for Maternity and/or Parental Leave etc – login with your student NetId and password online at: https://webapp.queensu.ca/sgs/forms  

Your supervisor will receive a prompt to approve/sign

The PSYC Grad Office will receive a prompt to approve/sign

Student will receive a confirmation email after SGS has processed the request.

Graduate supervisor provide guidance, advice and mentorship to graduate students. The most critical relationship in determining the quality of the graduate experience is the relationship between the graduate student and their faculty supervisor. The Guide to Graduate Supervision outlines roles, responsibilities and expectations that support a healthy and productive collaboration that supports students to timely completion.  Graduate supervisors and their students are encouraged to review the following publications also available on the School of Graduate Studies Teaching and Supervision website:

If you have any questions or concerns about your graduate student/ graduate supervisor relationship, you may contact:

  • The Chair of your PSYC program area of study

  • Coordinator of Graduate Studies, Department of Psychology

The Department of Psychology offers four distinct programs at both the master’s (MSc) and doctoral (PhD) levels. Each program has overall degree requirements as well as specific course and other requirements depending on the area of study. 

Master’s Program Details

The master's program normally extends over two calendar years. For students with an honour’s degree in psychology the requirements for the master's program are: PSYC 801, PSYC 802, and PSYC 899 - thesis to be completed by the end of the second year in the program. Click on the program area Degree Requirements link below for program-specific requirements:

Doctoral Program Details

The doctoral program normally extends over four calendar years.  Clinical students remain for a fifth year internship. The base requirements for the program are: PSYC 999 thesis course, written completion and oral defense of the Comprehensive Examination required by the specific program, and, a written submission and oral defense of a doctoral thesis.

Clinical Psychology

Cognitive Neuroscience

Developmental Psychology

Social-Personality Psychology

Read the School of Graduate Studies Guidelines for Effective Remote Supervision. Guidelines updated March 24, 2020.

PSYC Course Enrolment

PSYC graduate students select their courses by referring to their specific program degree requirements (outlined in Degree Requirements - General above) and in consultation with their graduate supervisor as appropriate.

Students must follow the following steps for course enrollment:

  1. Send an email to your supervisor and copy psycgrad@queensu.ca listing all the courses you want to be enrolled into. Your list should include both required and optional courses. Include in this email “Please review the listed courses I have selected for my 2021-2022 enrollment. Upon approval please reply all”

  2. Your supervisor will approve and reply all that they have approved your 2021-2022 course selection.

  3. The Graduate Program Administrator will review all approved course selections with Graduate Program Coordinator. After verifying the details, you will be enrolled into your approved courses.

External Course Enrolment Instructions

Where a student chooses to enrol in a course offered by another Queen’s University unit, they complete an Academic Change Form PSYC FILLABLE, (PDF, 193 KB) sign the bottom, obtain the signature or supporting email from the course instructor, obtain their PSYC graduate supervisor’s signature of approval to attend the course; and submit the AC Form to the PSYC Graduate Program Administrator for final processing.

Your transcript will be updated following entry of your external course by the offering unit’s graduate program representative. This may take 5-7 business days.

External Units’ Timetables

Other Queen’s units may post their specific annual graduate timetable on their website. In many cases you may search SOLUS to determine the term, day, and time of other units’ course offerings.

Regulations Regarding Financial Support

A full-time student is expected to engage in their studies on a full-time basis. It is expected that a full-time student will limit paid employment unrelated to the student's research to a total of ten hours per week (average); students wishing to exceed this level should consult their supervisor and graduate coordinator. A student who fails to meet program requirements or who fails to maintain progress consistent with full-time status may be required to withdraw from their program. Under no circumstances will a student be permitted to register as a full-time student while maintaining full-time employment (more than 30 hours a week) elsewhere. Full-time students employed as teaching assistants are limited to a maximum of ten hours a week (average) in this capacity.

Each student is responsible for ensuring that their status as a full- or part-time student correctly reflects their employment situation and that the Department is fully informed of this. The University is audited each year by the Provincial Government to check on the accuracy of this information.

Queen's University provides a minimum funding guarantee currently valued at $18,000 per year, for eligible doctoral students in years 1-4. The Department guarantees Master's students $18,000/year for each of years 1 and 2. In both cases the guaranteed funding will include work as a teaching assistant for a minimum of 8 hours/week for 26 weeks. The remaining portion of the guarantee can consist of University Fellowships, Queen's Graduate Awards, and supervisor's research grants. Students who are successful in earning external funding are still eligible for a teaching assistantship. Our policy in the Department is that students are required to apply for all external fellowships for which they are eligible.

The Psychology Department has developed the PSYC Graduate Student Funding Allocation Terms of Reference (PDF, 76 KB) which guide the unit in allocating available funds equitably among eligible graduate students.

Human Research Ethics Requirements

At Queen’s University, any research project that involves human subjects must receive ethics approval from the appropriate university Ethics Board prior to the start of the project.  Health Sciences students submit to the Health Sciences Research Ethics Board (HSREB).  For details, go to the HSREB section of the Office of Research Services website  

Non-health sciences students submit to the General Research Ethics Board (GREB). For details, go to the GREB section of the Office of Research Services website  

To determine if your planned research project requires this approval, contact the General Research Ethics Office 

Students must have completed the CORE Human Research Ethics online tutorial before proceeding to perform any research involving human subjects. 

General Research Ethics Board (GREB)

All researchers must be familiar with these guidelines, as interpreted by the Queen's University General Research Ethics Board (GREB), and to ensure that their research conforms to all requirements. All the necessary information to submit to GREB, including application forms and guidelines for the letter of information/consent form (LOI/CF), recruitment posters, using Qualtrics, etc., can be accessed at the GREB web site.

All faculty, librarians, archivists, and research team members applying for ethics clearance are required to complete the Course on Research Ethics (CORE interactive tutorial) and provide evidence of ethics training by uploading a CORE completion certificate into the TRAQ ethics application system.

Psychology Research Ethics Board (Unit REB)

The Psychology Research Ethics Board – Unit REB - reviews applications only from student researchers (faculty members and post-docs apply directly to GREB). Unit REBs exist for two reasons:

  1. To provide discipline specific feedback to students conducting human research

  2. To assist with the high volume of applications from specific departments

The Unit REB also makes recommendations for delegated or full Queen’s General Research Ethics Board (GREB) review. The Unit REB review process tends to be quicker when students ensure that their LOI/CF conforms to the latest guidelines and is consistent with information provided in the relevant sections of the GREB application. Students doing online studies using Qualtrics also should consult GREB’s Guidance for Qualtrics documents. Specific questions can be directed to the Chair of the PSYC REB at jill.jacobson@queensu.ca (Dr. Jill Jacobson).

Health Sciences Research Ethics Board (HSREB)

Research to be reviewed by the Health Sciences Research Ethics Board (HSREB) should be sent to the Health Sciences REB directly. Determination of the appropriate ethics board to review an application will be based primarily on the methodological features of the proposed research rather than the location where the data are to be collected. The HSREB will clear projects involving research methodologies typically confined to the health sciences (e.g., collection of saliva samples, blood draws, etc.). GREB will handle all other research methodologies.

As discussed at length in the Guidelines for Satisfactory Progress, students are monitored throughout their graduate careers to ensure they are meeting established timelines towards completion of their degrees.

Each year PSYC graduate students are required to submit an Annual Graduate Student Report Form outlining their progress in their program for that year. The Report provides an overview of your progress through the program in that year and identifies remaining requirements leading towards degree completion. Working with your supervisor, graduate students are asked to prepare the form and submit the signed version to the PSYC Graduate Office for retention in your PSYC graduate student file. Below is a helpful Criteria for Satisfactory Progress spreadsheet which provides the criteria for satisfactory progress through each of the master’s and doctoral degree programs. This spreadsheet will assist you in preparing your Annual Graduate Student Progress Report. 

Examination Overview

The aim of the comprehensive examination is to ensure that the student has a broad knowledge and critical understanding of the major trends and controversies in the field. In general terms the examination asks broad integrative questions designed to assess the student's understanding of the major trends in the primary literature.

Previous examinations are kept on file in the PSYC Graduate Office and are available to students preparing for their own examination. Students in the graduate program are required to pass a Comprehensive Exam in their Program area as part of their Doctoral degree.

Program-Specific Formats

The timing and details of format, etc. are the responsibility of the Area Chairperson. There are a variety of formats, e.g. in-class, take-home, review paper. Students have the choice, with the approval of their supervisor, of completing a standard in-class examination, followed by an oral at the discretion of the examining committee, or a standard take-home examination (with a time limit of one week maximum) followed by a mandatory oral. Follow the links below for details of the comprehensive examination process for your area of study:

Faculty Member Responsibility

Setting, scheduling, conducting and marking Doctoral Comprehensive Examinations is the responsibility of the Chair of the relevant area of study and their committees. Area Chairs are responsible for providing the PSYC Graduate Program Administrator with a file copy of the examination, the PhD Comprehensive/Qualifying Examination Notice (PDF, 566 KB), and must retain the written examinations for a period of 12 months. Area Chairs submit decisions regarding examination results to the PSYC Graduate Coordinator within one month of completion of the examination.

Student Responsibility

Students must indicate their intent to write the Comprehensive Examination in their Annual Report. Students in the graduate program are required to pass a Comprehensive Examination with the first attempt taken by 30 June of the PhD2 year.

Evaluations of Comprehensive Examinations

  • All examinations will be marked on a pass-fail basis.

  • Both written and oral examination components must be passed.

Retaking of Examinations

Two re-takes/re-submissions of the comprehensive examinations/review papers are permitted with the first re-take/re-submission normally being attempted at the next scheduled examination date. These must be held within one year of the first attempt.

Appeals

An informal appeal should be directed initially to the chair of the committee (within two weeks of receipt of the negative result). If an agreement is not possible at the informal level, a formal appeal should be directed in writing to the Coordinator of Graduate Studies. Appeal to the Coordinator of Graduate Studies may not be made until the student has exhausted all normal re-take possibilities.

Students who wish to appeal the composition of the examining committee may appeal to the Graduate Committee. Appeals should be made at least 8 weeks prior to the examination.

It is expected that the final level of appeal in the department shall be the Department Chair. Beyond this level, the student may have recourse to the procedures laid down by the University Senate.

Thesis Proposal Summary of Steps – from Preparation to Oral Defense

  1. Under the guidance of their graduate supervisor, as part of their degree requirements, the student prepares a written research proposal (PDF, 29 KB) and submits it to their supervisor.

  2. The supervisor works with the student to develop a proposal that meets departmental requirements and approves the edited thesis proposal for oral defense.

  3. The supervisor arranges a meeting of the Thesis Proposal Committee (supervisor and 2 other PSYC faculty members) in order to examine the scientific merit and feasibility of the thesis proposal.

  4. The student presents and orally defends their thesis proposal to the Thesis Proposal Committee.

  5. Following the thesis proposal oral defense, the student works with the supervisor to complete the MSc Approval of Thesis Proposal Form FILLABLE (PDF, 58 KB) or the PhD Approval of Thesis Proposal Form FILLABLE (PDF, 52 KB) as appropriate and the student submits the signed Form in PDF format to the PSYC Graduate Office for filing.

Objectives

  1. To provided standardized guidelines deriving from current grant applications for the Masters and Doctoral theses proposals.

  2. To identify a format that will ensure a more standardized assessment of the scientific quality of the proposed research by the supervisory committee.

  3. To provide an opportunity to students to gain experience in grant writing and have a formalized review process to evaluate the quality of the proposed research similar to that of a granting agency. The students will learn to design an investigation(s) which starts from a wide and analytical knowledge base, proposed imaginative and testable hypotheses, relies upon exemplary investigative procedures, and aims to provide data critical to an identified area in psychology.

  4. To develop skills in communicating scientific ideas in an oral and in a written format.

Format of Thesis Proposal

General Style
The proposal should be considered as a finished document that has both scientific merit as well as feasibility. The proposal should be typed and doubled spaced. The desirable length is 10 pages and must not exceed 20 pages. Grammatical conventions of standard edited English should be followed, with correct spelling and punctuation. As well, the proposal should be formatted according to APA Sixth Edition requirements. Append (in addition to the 10-20 pages of description) a list of references cited and instruments. The required ethical approval forms will be signed following committee approval. Use the following headings to describe the research in enough detail to allow informed assessment by your committee.

Summary
Provide a 1 page summary of your proposal. Include concise explanations of the general objectives of the proposed research, the work undertaken to achieve these objectives, and the scientific contribution of the research.

Objectives
Briefly state the explicit objectives of your proposed research such that the overall purpose of the research can be evaluated.

Theoretical Context
Identify the theoretical perspectives from which your research derives in the context of relevant scholarly literature. Identify and explain the importance, originality, and the anticipated contribution to knowledge of the proposed research.

Method
Describe the methodological approach of the proposed research, including subjects, measures, and procedures for data collection that will be used to achieve the stated objectives. In this section, you need to justify the choice of method and explain the specific instruments to be used. The method should flow logically from the stated objectives and the theory.

Data Analysis
Describe your proposed data analysis and explain how these analyses will be used to assess the stated objective.

Time Line
Provide a proposed schedule for data collection, data analysis, and data write up.

Evaluation Criteria

  1. Is the overall purpose of the investigation worthwhile and clearly stated?

  2. Is the analysis of the background data and theory succinct, complete, and logical? Is the research literature that is relevant to the topic adequately covered?

  3. Is there a clear statement of a problem to be addressed and do the hypotheses follow from the existing knowledge base?

  4. Are the research strategy, experimental design, the techniques, the participants and methods of data analysis clearly described? Can the research questions be answered with this methodology? Are the sampling and sample size explained?

  5. In what way is the proposal original? What advances in knowledge, theory, research or practise will this research result in?

  6. Are there any ethical concerns associated with this proposal?

  7. Is the proposal written according to grammatical conventions of standard edited English, with correct spelling and punctuation and does it maintain a consistent and appropriate level of formality? Is the paper clearly written, effectively organized, and logically developed?

  8. What are the costs associated with the research? Does the student have the funding resources that are needed to complete the thesis?

Master’s Students (MSc) – Preparing Your Draft Thesis and Preparing for Your Oral Defense

Congratulations on getting to this point in your program! This means you have completed all other degree requirements, tutorials, etc. and have written your draft thesis for consideration t to proceed to oral defense. The following outlines the steps and timeline associated with those steps from starting the approval process to defend your thesis orally, to applying to convocate following a successful oral defense.

Draft Thesis Approval Submission and Timeline

Students are required to follow SGSPA Thesis Format requirements.

Theses from the Department of Psychology must also adhere to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA) Thesis Format or another thesis format that is generally accepted in the relevant field of specialization

A student should count on having to have the thesis approved by the supervisor not less than six (6) or seven (7) weeks prior to the ‘desired’ defense date. It is the responsibility of the student to prepare the thesis early enough to allow the following:

Submit the Draft Thesis to Your Supervisor for Review/Approval

The draft thesis is first given to your supervisor for review. Your supervisor must consider your thesis ready for consideration before it goes to the rest of the committee. It is part of the supervisor’s role to work with the student by making any major editorial recommendations on the first draft(s) of the thesis. Allow two weeks for your supervisor to review and provide approval of your draft thesis.

Submit Your Approved Draft Thesis to Committee Members for Review/Approval

Upon approval from their supervisor that the thesis is ready for evaluation by the examining committee, the student may distribute their draft thesis to their thesis advisory committee members for review, editing requirements, and approval (the thesis is not distributed to the internal/external examiner or the chair at this time). Committee members perform their evaluation and return their findings complete with comments within two (2) weeks of receipt of the supervisor-approved draft thesis. Extra time may be needed if committee members are out of town or on vacation during this time period. If a committee member is away, that time cannot be counted as part of the above two (2) weeks for review so students are advised to confirm examiners’ possible away times to avoid delays.

Edits to Draft Thesis

The student may then need to make required revisions identified by committee member(s) comments (this may require another two weeks to complete).

Permission to Defend

Once the supervisor and thesis advisory committee have approved the draft thesis, the student asks them to complete the MSc Permission to Defend Form FILLABLE (PDF, 60 KB). The student then submits the signed and dated Permission Form to the PSYC Graduate Program Assistant via email to: psycgrad@queensu.ca. This step is completed before the student begins to set their oral defense date and identify their defense committee membership.

Identify Oral Thesis Defense Committee Membership

Following submission of the approved Permission to Defend Form, the supervisor and student work together to identify the oral thesis defense examining committee members. It is the responsibility of the supervisor to arrange for the internal examiners and an internal/external examiner and set a date for the thesis defense. Supervisors may also identify the head’s delegate. The supervisor may identify a chair or request that the PSYC Grad Program Administrator secure one. It is preferred that the chair be either from another PSYC program or be from another Queen’s unit.  

Thesis Examining Committee Membership

  • Chairperson

  • Head of the Department (or their delegate)

  • Supervisor

  • at least one other faculty member in the Department

  • at least one faculty member from another Queen’s Department

Guidelines for Selecting Internal-External Examiners

It is the responsibility of the student’s supervisor to recommend to the Head a suitable external examiner. Appropriate internal-external examiners in the Department of Psychology meet the following criteria:

  • They are “at arm’s length” which means in this context that (1) they have no stake in the project; and (2) they are capable of independent judgment regarding the thesis. Individuals who are or who have recently collaborated with the thesis supervisor are usually excluded from consideration.

  • They are a faculty member in another department at Queen’s University. In the exceptional case, where a suitable faculty member of another department within Queen’s University cannot be found, a member from another nearby institution may be recommended to the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies for approval.

  • Their area of expertise is sufficiently related to the thesis topic to permit informed judgment beyond that of an intelligent lay person.

  • They have not seen the thesis prior to its submission for oral defense.

Selection of Chair

Where the supervisor has recruited a chair, the supervisor will ensure that the date and time identified are acceptable to the chair. Where the supervisor requests that the Grad Prog Administrator secure a chair, the Administrator will add the chair’s name and ensure they are available to serve at the time indicated by the committee.

Preparation and Submission of the Thesis Oral Defense Form to the PSYC Grad Office

In order to comply with SGSPA regulations, the following oral defense preparation steps must occur no less than thirteen (13) business days prior to the actual date of the defense (may occur earlier if possible):

THE SUPERVISOR emails the PSYC Grad Program Administrator at: psycgrad@queensu.ca and provides the following information:

  • Name of student defending

  • Date and time of defense

  • Location of defense (the supervisor should consult with the Psychology General Office to reserve the room)

  • Committee membership including the name of the head’s delegate and chair if confirmed – or – requests that the PSYC Grad Program Administrator secure a chair following SGSPA processes

  • Remote participation by any party (see Provisions for Remote Attendance below)

THE STUDENT who is defending provides the following information to the PSYC Grad Program Administrator via email at: psycgrad@queensu.ca

  • their signed Permission to Defend form

  • an MS Word or PDF version of their advisory-committee approved thesis document

THE PSYC GRAD PROGRAM ADMINISTRATOR then has two (2) working days to:

  • Review the student’s progress in their degree to determine their eligibility to proceed to oral defense

  • Prepare the oral defense form with the information provided by the supervisor

  • Secure both the supervisor and the PSYC Coord of Graduate Studies’ signatures on the defense form

  • Provide a confirmation of permission to proceed to defense email to the committee members and attaches the signed oral defense form, the approved thesis, and other oral-defense related documentation no less than eleven (11) working days prior to the oral defense

  • Send the defending student an email with instructions on “things to do before/after your defense”

  • Provide the PSYC Weekly Newsletter with a defense announcement

Co-Authorship Form for Completion by Student

The student will receive a “Thesis Q-Space Submission” email from the SGSPA Thesis Coordinator as part of the defense confirmation process. The student will be given instructions on how to complete and submit the Co-Authorship Form in preparation for the defense.

Provisions for Remote Participation in Oral Defenses

It is preferred that all examiners and the candidate are physically present for the defense. Remote participation by videoconference or teleconference (e.g., Zoom, Teams) is acceptable if circumstances warrant.  Supervisors should contact PSYC IT for advice and assistance on setting up the oral defense with remote attendees.

Oral Thesis Examination Outcome Categories

At each oral thesis examination, the examining committee will reach one of the three outcome categories as stipulated by the School of Graduate Studies:

  1. Passed

  2. Passed with Major Revisions

  3. Referred

  4. Failed

Evaluation of Thesis Form Submission

The PSYC Graduate Program Administrator provides each examiner with a PSYC Evaluation of Thesis form. Examiners complete their form and submit it to the PSYC Graduate Program Administrator via email to: psycgrad@queensu.ca at the end of the oral defense or shortly thereafter. Evaluation forms are retained in the PSYC Graduate Office for consideration for the annual competition.

Chair’s Responsibilities After the Defense

Following completion of the Result Form, the Chair returns all oral defense documentation to the PSYC Grad Program Administrator for final processing to SGSPA. 

Supervisor’s Approval for Submission of Final Approved Thesis to QSpace

Once the student has made any revisions required to their thesis as identified by the examining committee, they submit this final version to their supervisor for final approval. When the supervisor determines the final thesis meets the requirements as identified by the examining committee, that supervisor sends an email to: thesis@queensu.ca and copy the student indicating that: All edits required by the thesis examining committee at the oral examination have now been met and this thesis is APPROVED and eligible for loading to QSpace. 

Student’s Upload of Final Approved Thesis to QSpace

SGSPA will provide the student with instructions on how to load their final approved thesis to QSpace following receipt of the supervisor’s APPROVAL email as noted above.

UMI and Permission Forms Completion

These processes are performed by the student online as part of the upload to QSpace of the final approved thesis. 

SGSPA Confirmation of Permission to Convocate

SGSPA will provide the student with instructions will forward a letter of degree completion to the student and copy the department; provide information about any tuition refunds where applicable; provide information about how to apply to convocate, and any other completion details as required immediately following the permission to load final thesis to QSpace notification.

 

The School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs website provides information for ‘Completing your Degree.

  • Thesis Formatting and Other Resources

  • Final submission to QSpace

  • Submission of paper copies of theses for binding

Queen's Copyright Policy can be viewed on the Queen’s University Library website.

Doctoral Students (PhD) – Preparing Your Draft Thesis and Preparing for Your Oral Defense

Congratulations on getting to this point in your program! This means you have completed all other degree requirements, tutorials, etc. and have written your draft thesis for consideration to proceed to oral defense. The following outlines the steps and timeline associated with those steps from starting the approval process to defend your thesis orally, to applying to convocate following a successful oral defense.

Draft Thesis Approval Submission and Timeline

Students are required to follow SGSPA Thesis Format requirements.

Theses from the Department of Psychology must also adhere to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA) Thesis Format or another thesis format that is generally accepted in the relevant field of specialization

A student should count on having to have the thesis approved by the supervisor not less than six (6) or seven (7) weeks prior to the ‘desired’ defense date. It is the responsibility of the student to prepare the thesis early enough to allow the following:

Submit the Draft Thesis to Your Supervisor for Review/Approval

The draft thesis is first given to your supervisor for review. Your supervisor must consider your thesis ready for consideration before it goes to the rest of the committee. It is part of the supervisor’s role to work with the student by making any major editorial recommendations on the first draft(s) of the thesis. Allow two weeks for your supervisor to review and provide approval of your draft thesis.

Submit Your Approved Draft Thesis to Committee Members for Review/Approval

Upon approval from their supervisor that the thesis is ready for evaluation by the examining committee, the student may distribute their draft thesis to their thesis advisory committee members for review, editing requirements, and approval (the thesis is not distributed to the internal/external examiner or the chair at this time). Committee members perform their evaluation and return their findings complete with comments within two (2) weeks of receipt of the supervisor-approved draft thesis. Extra time may be needed if committee members are out of town or on vacation during this time period. If a committee member is away, that time cannot be counted as part of the above two (2) weeks for review so students are advised to confirm examiners’ possible away times to avoid delays.

Edits to Draft Thesis

The student may then need to make required revisions identified by committee member(s) comments (this may require another two weeks to complete).

Permission to Defend

Once the supervisor and thesis advisory committee have approved the draft thesis, the student asks them to complete the PhD Permission to Defend Form FILLABLE (PDF, 106 KB). The student then submits the signed and dated Permission Form to the PSYC Graduate Program Assistant via email to: psycgrad@queensu.ca. This step is completed before the student begins to set their oral defense date and identify their defense committee membership.

Identify Oral Thesis Defense Committee Membership

Following submission of the approved Permission to Defend Form, the supervisor and student work together to identify the oral thesis defense examining committee members. It is the responsibility of the supervisor to arrange for the internal examiners, an internal/external examiner, and external/external examiner, and set a date for the thesis defense. Supervisors may also identify the head’s delegate. The supervisor may identify a chair or request that the PSYC Grad Program Administrator secure one. It is preferred that the chair be either from another PSYC program or be from another Queen’s unit.

Thesis Examining Committee Membership

  • Chairperson

  • Head of the Department (or their delegate)

  • Supervisor

  • at least one other faculty member in the PSYC Department

  • at least one faculty member from another Queen’s Department

  • an external/external expert in the discipline area from another university

Guidelines for Selecting Internal-External Examiners

It is the responsibility of the student’s supervisor to recommend to the Head a suitable external examiner. Appropriate internal-external examiners in the Department of Psychology meet the following criteria:

  • They are “at arm’s length” which means in this context that (1) they have no stake in the project; and (2) they are capable of independent judgment regarding the thesis. Individuals who are or who have recently collaborated with the thesis supervisor are usually excluded from consideration.

  • They are a faculty member in another department at Queen’s University. In the exceptional case, where a suitable faculty member of another department within Queen’s University cannot be found, a member from another nearby institution may be recommended to the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies for approval.

  • Their area of expertise is sufficiently related to the thesis topic to permit informed judgment beyond that of an intelligent lay person.

  • They have not seen the thesis prior to its submission for oral defense.

Selection of Chair

Where the supervisor has recruited a chair, the supervisor will ensure that the date and time identified are acceptable to the chair. Where the supervisor requests that the Grad Prog Administrator secure a chair, the Administrator will add the chair’s name and ensure they are available to serve at the time indicated by the committee.

Preparation and Submission of the Thesis Oral Defense Form to the PSYC Grad Office

In order to comply with SGSPA regulations, the following oral defense preparation steps must occur no less than thirty (30) business days prior to the actual date of the defense (may occur earlier if possible):

THE SUPERVISOR emails the PSYC Grad Program Administrator at: psycgrad@queensu.ca and provides the following information:

  • Name of student defending

  • Date and time of defense

  • Location of defense (the supervisor should consult with the Psychology General Office to reserve the room)

  • Committee membership including the name of the head’s delegate and chair if confirmed – or – requests that the PSYC Grad Program Administrator secure a chair following SGS processes

  • Remote participation by any party (see Provisions for Remote Attendance below)

THE STUDENT who is defending provides the following information to the PSYC Grad Program Administrator via email at: psycgrad@queensu.ca

  • their signed Permission to Defend form

  • an MS Word or PDF version of their advisory-committee approved thesis document

THE PSYC GRAD PROGRAM ADMINISTRATOR then has two (2) working days to:

  • Review the student’s progress in their degree to determine their eligibility to proceed to oral defense

  • Prepare the oral defense form with the information provided by the supervisor

  • Secure both the supervisor and the PSYC Coord of Graduate Studies’ signatures on the defense form

  • Provide a confirmation of permission to proceed to defense email to the committee members and attaches the signed oral defense form, the approved thesis, and other oral-defense related documentation no less than eleven (11) working days prior to the oral defense

  • Send the defending student an email with instructions on “things to do before/after your defense”

  • Provide the PSYC Weekly Newsletter with a defense announcement

Co-Authorship Form for Completion by Student

The student will receive a “Thesis Q-Space Submission” email from the SGSPA Thesis Coordinator as part of the defense confirmation process. The student will be given instructions on how to complete and submit the Co-Authorship Form in preparation for the defense.

Oral Thesis Examination Outcome Categories

At each oral thesis examination, the examining committee will reach one of the three outcome categories as stipulated by the School of Graduate Studies:

  1. Passed

  2. Passed with Major Revisions

  3. Referred

  4. Failed

Provisions for Remote Participation in Oral Defenses

It is preferred that all examiners and the candidate are physically present for the defense. Remote participation by videoconference or teleconference (e.g., Zoom, Teams) is acceptable if circumstances warrant.  Supervisors should contact PSYC IT for advice and assistance on setting up the oral defense with remote attendees.

Evaluation of Thesis Form Submission

The PSYC Graduate Program Administrator provides each examiner with a PSYC Evaluation of Thesis form, Examiners complete their form and submit it to the PSYC Graduate Program Assistant via email to: psycgrad@queensu.ca shortly after the defense. Evaluation forms are retained in the PSYC Graduate Office for consideration for the annual competition.

Chair’s Responsibilities After the Defense

Following completion of the Result Form, the Chair forwards all oral defense documentation to the SGSPA Thesis Coordinator at: thesis@queensu.ca

Supervisor’s Approval for Submission of Final Approved Thesis to QSpace

Once the student has made any revisions required to their thesis as identified by the examining committee, they submit this final version to their supervisor for final approval. When the supervisor determines the final thesis meets the requirements as identified by the examining committee, that supervisor sends an email to: thesis@queensu.ca and copy the student indicating that: All edits required by the thesis examining committee at the oral examination have now been met and this thesis is APPROVED and eligible for loading to QSpace.

Student’s Upload of Final Approved Thesis to QSpace

SGS will provide the student with instructions on how to load their final approved thesis to QSpace following receipt of the supervisor’s APPROVAL email as noted above.

UMI and Permission Forms Completion

These processes are performed by the student online as part of the upload to QSpace of the final approved thesis.

SGSPA Confirmation of Permission to Convocate

SGSPA will provide the student with instructions will forward a letter of degree completion to the student and copy the department; provide information about any tuition refunds where applicable; provide information about how to apply to convocate, and any other completion details as required immediately following the permission to load final thesis to QSpace notification.

The School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs website provides information for ‘Completing your Degree.

  • Thesis Formatting and Other Resources

  • Final submission to QSpace

  • Submission of paper copies of theses for binding

Queen's Copyright Policy can be viewed on the Queen’s University Library website.

 

The department has considered the question of the authorship of papers arising from joint research done in the Department and recommends the following guidelines.

Joint Authorship

The authorship of a paper should accurately reflect the intellectual contributions of each individual. These include the origin of the ideas, the design of the study, the collection and interpretation of the data, the preparation and submission of the manuscript, and the completion of all revisions and editorial requirements. All else being equal, the first author should be the individual who has written the paper and guided it through the editorial process.

A research assistant who is hired to conduct a study is not normally included as an author. If their contributions exceed the job requirements, this should be acknowledged in a footnote. Financial support for the project should be acknowledged in a footnote.

Thesis Research

The production of a thesis involves an interaction between a student and a supervisor and the authorship of any resulting publications should reflect the contributions of each. Supervision is part of the teaching duties for university staff and does not necessarily warrant authorship. However, if the supervisor has contributed to the research, they should be included so that others are not misled about the student's capabilities for independent research.

In general:

The student should be the sole author if the thought and work are the student's and the supervisor has provided no more than general guidance and encouragement during data collection and writing. The contributions of the supervisor should be acknowledged in a footnote.

The supervisor should be included as a junior author if they have contributed to the planning and design of the research and the student has written the paper with no more than usual guidance from the supervisor.

The supervisor should be included as senior author if they initiate the research, determined the course of data collection, and wrote the resulting paper.

The interaction between the student and the supervisor is complex and serves many purposes. The student is often unaware of the stimulation and guidance provided by the supervisor; indeed, a good supervisor may foster a sense of independence while maintaining close, though indirect, control.

Authorship should be determined by mutual agreement prior to the completion of the project if possible. If disagreements arise, the Head of the Department or the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies should be asked to mediate.

The student has a responsibility to provide broad public access by publishing the results of the thesis in an appropriate journal. If they choose not to then the supervisor should be given the opportunity to prepare and publish the manuscript.

Access to Data

All students should be aware that the publication of scientific results entails a responsibility to provide other researchers with access to the raw data. The fifth edition of Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association states:

“To permit interested readers to verify the statistical analysis, an author should retain the raw data after publication of the research. Authors of manuscripts accepted for publication in APA journals are required to have available their raw data throughout the editorial review process and for at least 5 years after the date of publication.” This should also be observed with all theses as well as scientific papers. Whenever possible, the above information should be included as an appendix to the theses. In all cases, the supervisor should be regarded as an “interested reader” and should have access to the results.

Please see Funding and Financial Support: Teaching Assistantships

Nature of Award
Prize for the best teaching assistant in a Psychology course.

Nomination Criteria
Judged best teaching assistant in Psychology.

Nomination Procedure
Call for nominations is held in March. Instructors or students may put forward a nomination to the PSYC Coordinator of Graduate Studies.

Selection Process
Selection is made by the Graduate Committee in Psychology.

Presentation of Award
Announcement of the prize winner is published in the PSYC Departmental weekly memo. A letter of congratulations is issued to the winner along with a cheque from PSYC for $400.

Current Year's Recipient
The current year’s recipient is listed on the CTL website.

Past Year’s Recipients
PSYC Teaching Assistant Prize and CCDP Certificate Recipients Thru the Years (PDF, 41 KB)

Go to the CTL Website

PSYC Teaching Assistant Prize Terms of Reference Terms of Reference (PDF, 59 KB)

Please see Funding and Financial Support: Research Assistantships

Terms of Reference (PDF, 52 KB)

Nature of Award
To recognize outstanding teaching at the graduate level.

Nomination Criteria
Any faculty member or member of the adjunct teaching staff who has taught a minimum of a half course in the Department of Psychology during the academic year in which the award is given.

Nomination Procedure
In March of each year, the Association of Graduate Students in Psychology invites members to nominate the instructor they feel is most deserving of this award. The name of the recipient will be forwarded to the Head of Department.

Selection Process
In March of each year, the Association of Graduate Students in Psychology invites members to nominate the instructor they feel is most deserving of this award. The name of the recipient will be forwarded to the Head of Department.

Presentation of Award
The award is presented annually at the Departmental Reception by the President of AGSIP, or their designate. The prize will be a book award and the name of the recipient engraved on a plaque to be hung in Humphrey Hall.

Current Year and Past Years Winners
The current and past years’ recipients are listed on the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) website at:

https://www.queensu.ca/ctl/awards/internal-awards/faculty-arts-and-science/psychology

International students at Queen's University are provided with support through the Queen's International Centre QUIC.

The International Centre provides a variety of services to help international students get settled in Kingston including:

  • helping you with documentation ie VISA etc to permit studies in Canada

  • house hunting

  • assisting with settling your children into appropriate schools

  • tuition costs

  • expectations of living costs while in Canada

  • and many other important resources

 Follow this link to learn more: Queen's International Centre (QUIC)

The School of Graduate Studies also provides an abundance of information to international students about arriving at Queen's and preparing for graduate studies. Click here for SGS International Student Information

The Department of Psychology endorses the essential values, as articulated in the Queen’s Senate “Report on Principles and Priorities"

The Departmental Committee

The Departmental Committee is responsible for academic and administrative authority. The Head of the Department of Psychology serves as chair of the PSYC Departmental Committee. The Head is responsible to the Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science, the University Provost, and ultimately the Principal.

The Head is assisted on the Departmental Committee by the Coordinator of Graduate Studies of the Graduate Committee for graduate matters; the Chair of Undergraduate Studies of the Undergraduate Committee for undergraduate matters; and the Department of Psychology Department Manager for administrative matters. Policies approved at any of the PSYC committees are submitted to the PSYC Departmental Committee for final approval at which time they become the official policy of the Department.

Graduate students are represented on all committees of the Department that deal with policies and procedures which affect them. These appointments are made through the Association of Graduate Students in Psychology (AGSIP). Student representatives are, however, excluded from discussions in which confidential information regarding individual students is discussed.

Graduate Committee

The PSYC Graduate Committee is led by the PSYC Coordinator of Graduate Studies. This position is held by a PSYC faculty member normally for a period of three years. Each of the four program areas of study identify a Chair of that program to serve on the Graduate Committee. Graduate students identify up to three members via AGSIP. The PSYC Graduate Program Administrator serves as secretary and minute-take for the Graduate Committee.

Association of Graduate Students in Psychology (AGSIP)

All graduate students in the Department of Psychology are also members of the Association of Graduate Students in Psychology - AGSIP. AGSIP maintains an executive membership to work with PYSC graduate students in identifying policy and procedures suggestions for consideration at PSYC Graduate Committee and to convey other pertinent information from the University that affects graduate students.

Psychology is a particularly diverse profession encompassing research, teaching and applied work. While the two former activities are relevant mainly, but by no means exclusively to universities, applied psychologists work in a wide variety of settings including: industry, management, the school systems, private practice, penitentiaries, and hospitals. Like members of all professions, the conduct of psychologists whether they are engaged in practice, teaching or research, is regulated by principles, standards and by statute.

To learn more about the Profession of Psychology visit:

All students who are conducting research off campus that may involve physical risk are invited to register their trip/activity in the Off Campus Activity Safety Policy Online Planning Tool. 

You are not required to complete the Off Campus Activity Safety Policy Online Planning Tool in these instances:

  • when you attend conference either in or out of province

  • when you attend conference either in out of country

  • when you collect data in the form of written or verbal surveys in or out of province

  • when you collect data in the form of written or verbal surveys in or out of country

Off Campus Activity Safety Policy Online Planning Tool

This webpage contains information related to the Queen’s Emergency Support Program and International Travel which used to be located on the QUIC website.

Policy on Transfer to Part-Time Status

Students are admitted to the Department of Psychology graduate program on a full-time basis for the duration of their degree.

Applications for transfer from full-time to part-time status are considered by the Department from time to time. The Department will normally only support transfer to part-time status where the student has submitted their thesis for oral defense and normally for no more than one year. The Department makes recommendation to the School of Graduate Studies (SGS). 

SGS provides a final decision based on the departmental recommendation and SGS’s determination of whether the student has met one of the available criteria noted in the Request to Transfer to Part-Time status regulation.

Transferring to part-time status may involve financial implications other than reduction of tuition including loss of income from grants, fellowships, scholarships, etc. and/or changes in the deferred and/or interest free status of student loans. It is the responsibility of the student to be aware of all financial implications of the change to part-time status.

Students wishing to request a change of status from full-time to part-time may visit the SGS Admissions and Registration page to complete the online Part Time On or Off Campus Request.

This program is available to students who work as teaching assistants at Queen's, it is a voluntary confidential counseling and information service for all Queen's University employees and their families. Please see EFAP

The Positive Space program offers visibility and support to 2SLGBTQI+ communities.

All leave options and vacation time policies are described in the School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs academic calendar.

Please see Supporting Student Wellness for full outlines of Medical and Parental Leaves.

Queen’s University is committed to providing non-judgmental sexual violence support and response.

See more information at www.queensu.ca/sexualviolencesupport/

The Four Directions Indigenous Student Centre (4D) is open and committed to being of service to Indigenous Students here at Queen's University.

The following procedures apply regarding final examinations in the Department of Psychology:

  1. In large lecture courses, where examination must be standardized across sections, final examinations consisting entirely of multiple choice questions may be necessary. For multiple choice examinations, matching marking, or marking by teaching assistants is permissible, but course instructors are responsible for preparing the marking key and for assigning the final marks.

  2. In large intramural courses with a single section, final examinations may consist partly of multiple choice and short answer questions. Some essay questions(s) are highly recommended. Marking the multiple choice and the short answer questions can be performed by teaching assistants, but instructors are required to provide appropriate marking keys and to supervise the marking. Instructors are expected to mark a reasonable proportion of those questions that require comprehensive and integrative answers, on each student paper.

  3. In upper-year courses with smaller enrollments, examinations should take the form of essay questions, take-home examinations or term papers. Instructors are responsible for all the marking in these courses.

Appeal of Academic Decisions These procedures were developed in accordance with a directive from Division I of the School of Graduate Studies and Research and represent the course of action that is to be followed if a graduate student in the Department of Psychology wishes to appeal an academic decision. These procedures should be read in conjunction with the linked section of the Calendar of the School of Graduate Studies.

Review of Course Grades

Informal Appeal
If a student wishes to appeal a course grade they should first appeal informally to the instructor of the course and ensure that the instructor is award of all the facts which the student believes should bear on the decision. This informal appeal should be made as soon as possible after the grade is announced and, in all cases, within a month of the decision.

Formal Appeal
If the student is not satisfied by the informal review outlined above and still feels the decision is not academically just, then they may appeal to the Head of the Department for a further review. This request should be in the form of a letter to the Head and should outline all the relevant facts presented at the informal review and should be lodged within two weeks of the informal review. The Head of the Department will then appoint an ad hoc committee to undertake the Departmental review. This review committee should consist of a professor nominated by the graduate student and two additional professors appointed by the Head of Department. The student and the instructor of the course in question should be interviewed by the committee to ensure that all the pertinent facts are taken into consideration. The committee will submit a written report which will represent the final departmental decision on the matter. Admission to Ph.D. A student, registered in the M.Sc. Program, who is denied admission to the Ph.D. Program, may appeal to the Graduate Committee and request that they reconsider their decision. The student may attend the meeting convened to hear the appeal and they, together with a member of faculty of their choice, may present such facts as they consider relevant to the appeal. Having done so, they will be asked to withdraw from the meeting.

Withdrawal on General Academic Grounds (Unsatisfactory Progress)
If a student wishes to appeal a Departmental decision for Withdrawal on General Academic Grounds, they should submit a written request to the Head of Department within a month of being informed of the withdrawal decision. Since the decision to seek withdrawal would have already progressed through several levels of discussion and decision making (supervisor, supervisory committee, Graduate Committee) the Head will call a Special Department Meeting to review the decision at which the student should present all the facts which they believes are relevant to the decision. A written report of this meeting will be prepared and will contain the final Departmental decision on this matter.

M.Sc. and Ph.D. Theses
Since the examinations are conducted by the School of Graduate Studies and Research, reviews of these decisions should follow the procedures outlined in the Graduate Calendar.

Clinical Psychology Program Remediation Policy 2019 Revised (PDF, 229 KB)

Questions?

Graduate Program Administrator
Tel: 613-533-2872
Email: psycgrad@queensu.ca