Introduction
The Faculty of Engineering offers an Accelerated Master's Program in response to a number of needs, among which are:
- recognition of outstanding students and provision of academic enrichment for them;
- provision of an introduction to the postgraduate milieu for good undergraduate students who might otherwise overlook the opportunity of graduate studies;
- provision of a reasonably firm time limit for the completion of the MASc program.
The following is a minimum requirement and departments may add to, but not delete from, the requirements of the program.
General Principles of the Accelerated Master's Program
An accelerated Master's program is one in which it is deemed academically advantageous to treat the educational process leading through the BASc to the MASc degree as a continuous unit, while at the same time satisfying the requirements for both degrees. This stands in contradiction to treatment of the Bachelor's and Master's degree programs both as terminal activities. The accelerated program, starting at the undergraduate level and terminating with the MASc degree in the Faculty of Engineering, provides an alternative to the existing undergraduate and graduate programs for the attainment of the MASc degree.
The following are general conditions that all such accelerated Master's degree programs satisfy:
Students in the accelerated Master's program will fulfil the degree requirements of both the BASc program and the MASc program. This implies that:
- eight terms of full-time registration at the undergraduate level and at least two terms of full-time registration (or equivalent) at the graduate level are mandatory; since degree program fees are distributed over three terms, payment of the degree fee for the third term is required before graduation.
- the graduate program must include at least four (graduate) courses and a thesis, or eight courses and a MASc project.
- the co-operative work-term requirements of the BASc program must be met.
There must be complete freedom of transferability from the accelerated programs to the regular programs.
Admission to the accelerated program is on the basis of merit, as is continuance in the program. Students who fail to maintain sufficiently high standing will be required to revert to the regular program, or even, if circumstances so warrant, to withdraw from the University.
The culmination of the accelerated program is the Master's degree; this may be attained either through the completion of a Master's degree project or research thesis.
An accelerated program normally functions on the co-operative basis.
Entry to an accelerated Master's program may occur as early as the 3A term.
An accelerated Master's degree program must have the flexibility to satisfy the requirements of individual students; at the same time it must have coherence - each student's program must be addressed toward a well-defined area of specialization.
Structure of the Accelerated Master's Program
Application and Admission
Admission to the accelerated Master's degree program is normally restricted to students with a consistently good academic record at the end of the 3A term who are granted "conditional admission to the MASc program". The condition to be fulfilled is "satisfactory completion of the requirements of the BASc degree with at least a B average".
Students must have all application forms completed and be accepted into the accelerated program by the end of the 3B academic term. As in any program culminating in a Master's degree, a faculty supervisor is appointed on admission.
Course Programs
Although the supervisor advises students, all course selections and other academic administrative matters concerning each student are subject to the approval of the department Associate Chair for Undergraduate and Graduate Studies.
The courses chosen by the student (with the advice of the supervisor and approval of the Associate Chair) in the 4A, 4B, 5A, and 5B terms should form a coherent series which (together with the MASc project or thesis) complete the requirements of the Bachelor's and, ultimately, the Master's degrees.
In each of the 4A and 4B terms one course (normally 600 level) should be chosen for credit to the MASc degree. In some departments these courses are in addition to the normal academic program for the BASc level. Technically, it is necessary for students to register for these courses as "extras" in order to avoid counting them towards the requirements of both degrees.
A student proceeding to a MASc with a research thesis will normally complete the balance of courses (at least two courses numbered 500 or above) in the 5A and 5B terms.
A student who is proceeding to an MASc with a Master's degree project, having taken two extra courses in 4A/4B would normally select three courses in each of the 5A and 5B terms (with the advice of the supervisor and approval of the Associate Chair).
Co-operative Work Terms
The accelerated Master's program normally includes two work terms. These may take two forms:
Off-Campus Work Terms: It is expected that most of the students proceeding to the MASc degree by coursework and project will be involved in off-campus work terms. Because of the calibre of these students it should be possible to make special arrangements for significant projects to be completed in these terms, so they form a coherent pair, and for the students to have special supervision in industry. The "work reports" generated on the work terms will form the basis for the MASc project report. The Faculty supervisor will be expected to maintain liaison with the off-campus organization in which the student works during these terms.
On-Campus Work Terms: It is expected that most of the students proceeding to the MASc degree with a research thesis will be involved in on-campus work terms. During these work terms they will register as inactive students; they may be hired as associate researchers for the purposes of various research grants, without the restriction of student salaries. They may also work as teaching assistants during these terms. This combination can be attractive from the points of view of available research time, income generation for the student, total research cost from a grant and effective teaching assistantships.
In special cases, students may register as graduate students directly after completion of the BASc requirements, and complete the MASc without a seventh work term. As this option may result in a reduced level of financial support, students should receive approval from their department.
Fourth-Year Projects
All departments have some requirement or opportunity for projects in the 4A/4B terms. For students in the accelerated Master's program these projects may be integrated with their work term projects as well as their work in 5A and 5B.
Granting of Degrees
The BASc degree will be granted at the normal time, i.e., at the Spring Convocation following the 4B term. The program, however, culminates in the MASc, which may be granted, in principle, at the Convocation following the 5B term. Depending on progress made, additional time may be required to complete the thesis or the project.
Postgraduate Scholarships
Students in the accelerated Master's program may apply for NSERC, OGS and other scholarships, at the same time as their colleagues in the regular programs. They are also be eligible for FOE/UW scholarships during the 5A and 5B terms.
Withdrawal or Failure
Students may remain in the accelerated Master's program provided they maintain the academic standards stipulated for the MASc program. The minimum is a cumulative B average (73% to the end of 4B, 70% thereafter).
A student who fails to maintain this standard will be required to withdraw from the accelerated degree program. In such a case, all courses taken up to the end of 4B, including those originally intended to fulfill part of the Master's degree requirements, will be counted towards the Bachelor's degree program and marks therefrom included in the 4A and 4B averages as appropriate. Should the student have then satisfied the requirements for the BASc degree, it will be granted at the next Convocation. Such students will not be permitted to enter the regular MASc program.
If a student maintains at least the minimum standard mentioned above, but decides to withdraw voluntarily from the accelerated Master's program, the 4A and 4B results will be calculated including the courses originally intended to fulfill part of the Master's degree requirements, and if the requirements for the Bachelor's degree are then satisfied, the BASc will be granted at the next Convocation. Such a student will be allowed, at a later date, to enter the regular MASc program, but the graduate courses taken in the final undergraduate year may not be applied to the Master's degree.