Thesis Requirement

During the thesis component of the M.Sc. in Finance program the student will develop, under the supervision of an academic advisor, a research project consisting of the following three distinct stages:

1. The identification, in conjunction with the academic supervisor, of an appropriate thesis topic and the completion of an oral proposal defence,
2. The development and completion of the written thesis project involving regular interaction with the thesis supervisor, and
3. A final defence of the thesis.

Successful completion of the final defence will require that the research project be completed to the satisfaction of the student's supervisory committee which, in most cases, will consist of the academic supervisor as the chairman, two other faculty members from within the department, and an external examiner selected from outside the department.

The transition from coursework to thesis is often the most difficult stage in the program as students may have difficulty in determining a topic that is appropriate for the thesis. Faculty will often have ideas that may be used as thesis topics. Students are therefore encouraged to familiarize themselves with the faculty and the research that is being conducted by them. To facilitate this process, brief faculty-student meetings will be arranged as required to determine the compatibility of students’ ideas and faculty research.