Research Aptitude Defence & Thesis Proposal Defence
The research aptitude project provides an early assessment of a Ph.D. student's ability to work through all stages of research methodology that includes clearly stating a problem, proposing some work that makes a significant step towards the resolution of the problem, assessing the merit of the work in relation to the problem and the research literature that surrounds the problem, and effectively communicating the work. The research aptitude Defence is also an opportunity for students to receive feedback at an early stage in their Ph.D. studies. It is similar to the depth-based Ph.D. comprehensive that is conducted in many universities. The Research Aptitude Defence is separate from the Thesis Proposal Defence Exam. Ph.D. students go through a three-stage process:
Research Aptitude Defence ==> Thesis Proposal Defence ==> Thesis Defence
The work towards the Research Aptitude Defence will be done as part of the Directed Research Project course (CSCI 7900), normally taken after the course work is completed. The project will entail new research work and make a tangible research contribution. The supervisory committee is the best judge of the scope of the expected research contribution, which, as a guideline, should correspond to a fully refereed conference publication in an international conference. It should not just be a literature review or background reading. The project work would typically lead towards their Ph.D. thesis proposal (CSCI 7901), which will expand on open issues and future research identified by the research aptitude project. Students will complete the Research Aptitude Defence at the completion of CSCI 7900.