1. Admission into the Ph.D. program in Marine Biology is normally restricted to students holding a Master’s Degree or its equivalent. In exceptional circumstances, a student with a B.Sc. (Honours) Degree who has spent not less than 12 months in an M.Sc. Degree program may be recommended for transfer into a Ph.D. program, provided that the student can demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the Department of Ocean Sciences, the student's ability to pursue research at the doctoral level.

2. Each student will be assigned a Supervisory Committee consisting of the Supervisor and at least one other member. Within three months of the first registration in the Ph.D. degree program, a student will meet with the student's Supervisory Committee. Within nine months, the student and the Supervisory Committee will agree on a written thesis proposal outlining the objectives, methods, timetable and funding for the project, and provide the proposal (signed by the student and the supervisory committee) to the Head for inclusion in the student’s file.

3. A student is normally required to complete a minimum of 6 credit hours of graduate program courses as follows:

   • Ocean Sciences 7100 or 7200

   • Ocean Sciences 7000 or relevant course as approved by the Supervisory Committee

4. All course requirements should be completed within five semesters from the date of first registration in the Ph.D. program.

5. Normally, upon completion of required course work the student shall undertake a mandatory comprehensive examination, following the General Regulations, Comprehensive Examinations, Ph.D. and Psy.D. Comprehensive Examination. The comprehensive examination will be both written and oral. A student should consult the Departmental guidelines for further information and a detailed description of the content of the Comprehensive Examination.

6. The Ph.D. program will conclude with the examination and oral defense of the completed thesis in accordance with the School of Graduate Studies General Regulations, Theses and Reports.

A selection of the following graduate courses will be offered to meet the requirements of students, as far as the resources of the Department will allow.

• OCSC 7000 Graduate Core Seminar (cross-listed as Biology 7000)
• OCSC 7100 Biological Oceanography
• OCSC 7200 Adaptations to the Marine Environment
• OCSC 7300 Plankton Dynamics
• OCSC 7400 Fisheries Resource Management
• OCSC 7500-7515 Special Topics in Ocean Sciences