queen's university phd thesis

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(in)security and storytelling in sri lanka: negotiating safe spaces to remember, reenact and reconcile violence.

Supervisor: Magowan, F. (Supervisor)

Student thesis : Doctoral Thesis › Doctor of Philosophy

(Mis)understanding Afghanistan: an ethnographic examination of 'human elements' affecting the nexus between understanding and strategy in population-centric conflict

Supervisor: Donnan, H. (Supervisor) & Sousa, P. (Supervisor)

5-fluorouracil : mechanisms of action (or resistance) in p53-proficient and -deficient colorectal cancer

Supervisor: Longley, D. (Supervisor) & McDade, S. (Supervisor)

A BAME woman's right to rehabilitation: the case study of contemporary England & Wales

Supervisor: Dowds, E. (Supervisor) & Brown, K. (Supervisor)

Student thesis : Doctoral Thesis › JD (Juris Doctor)

Ab initio modelling of photoinduced electron dynamics in nanostructures

Supervisor: Gruening, M. (Supervisor) & Dundas, D. (Supervisor)

A bioactive peptide, QUB-1813, from the defensive skin secretion of the Chinese Large Odorous Frog, Rana (Odorrana) livida

Supervisor: Wang, L. (Supervisor), Wu, Y. (Supervisor), Chen, T. (Supervisor) & Zhou, M. (Supervisor)

Student thesis : Masters Thesis › Master of Philosophy

A bioactive peptide, QUB-2048, from the defensive skin secretion of Phyllomedusa tomopterna

Supervisor: Wu, Y. (Supervisor), Chen, T. (Supervisor), Wang, L. (Supervisor) & Zhou, M. (Supervisor)

A bioactive peptide from the defensive skin secretion of Odorrana versabilis

Supervisor: Shaw, C. (Supervisor), Chen, T. (Supervisor), Wang, L. (Supervisor) & Ma, C. (Supervisor)

A bioactive peptide from the frog skin secretion of Pelophylax nigromaculatus GAPKGCWTKSYPPKPCS-NH2

Supervisor: Shaw, C. (Supervisor), Chen, T. (Supervisor), Wang, L. (Supervisor), Zhou, M. (Supervisor), Xi, X. (Supervisor) & Ma, C. (Supervisor)

A bioactive peptide from the skin of the Chinese Torrent Frog, Amolops wuyiensis

Supervisor: Shaw, C. (Supervisor), Chen, T. (Supervisor), Zhou, M. (Supervisor), Wang, L. (Supervisor), Xi, X. (Supervisor) & Ma, C. (Supervisor)

A bioactive peptide from the skin secretion of the bamboo leaf odorous frog, Odorrana versabilis

Supervisor: Chen, T. (Supervisor), Wang, L. (Supervisor), Xi, X. (Supervisor) & Zhou, M. (Supervisor)

A bioactive peptide from the skin secretion of the Chinese bamboo odorous frog, Odorrana versabilis

Supervisor: Zhou, M. (Supervisor), Wang, L. (Supervisor), Shaw, C. (Supervisor) & Chen, T. (Supervisor)

A bioactive peptide from the skin secretion of the Chinese Torrent Frog, Amolops wuyiensis

Supervisor: Zhou, M. (Supervisor), Wang, L. (Supervisor) & Ma, C. (Supervisor)

A bioactive peptide from the skin secretion of the Red-eyed Leaf Frog, Agalychnis callidryas

Supervisor: Chen, T. (Supervisor), Zhou, M. (Supervisor), Wang, L. (Supervisor) & Ma, C. (Supervisor)

A bioactive peptide QUB-1370 from the frog skin secretion of Pelophylax nigromaculata

Supervisor: Zhou, M. (Supervisor), Wang, L. (Supervisor) & Wu, Y. (Supervisor)

A bioactive peptide QUB2177 from the defensive skin secretion of the frog, Odorrana livida

Supervisor: Wu, Y. (Supervisor), Zhou, M. (Supervisor), Wang, L. (Supervisor) & Chen, T. (Supervisor)

A bioactive peptide QUB2870 from the defensive skin secretion of the Heilongjiang brown frog (Rana amurensis)

Supervisor: Wu, Y. (Supervisor), Wang, L. (Supervisor), Zhou, M. (Supervisor) & Chen, T. (Supervisor)

A bioactive peptide QUB3009 from the defensive skin secretion of the frog, Phyllomedusa tomopterna

Supervisor: Shaw, C. (Supervisor), Chen, T. (Supervisor), Zhou, M. (Supervisor), Wu, Y. (Supervisor) & Wang, L. (Supervisor)

A bioactivity peptide QUB2852 from the frog skin secretion of pelophylax nigromaculata

Supervisor: Wu, Y. (Supervisor), Chen, T. (Supervisor), Shaw, C. (Supervisor), Zhou, M. (Supervisor) & Wang, L. (Supervisor)

A bioinformatics approach to identifying ulcerative colitis patients at-risk of developing colorectal cancer

Supervisor: Kennedy, R. (Supervisor) & Blayney, J. (Supervisor)

A blueprint for food fraud mitigation and prevention for the beef industry

Supervisor: Dean, M. (Supervisor) & Elliott, C. (Supervisor)

A Bourdieusean perspective on the genesis and development of the science fiction translation field in China (1891–1949) with special reference to translations of H.G. Wells’s science fiction

Supervisor: Sadler, N. (Supervisor) & Harding, S. (Supervisor)

Absence and presence: Investigating the cinematic representation of Northern Irish unionists (1981-2020)

Supervisor: McLaughlin, C. (Supervisor), Barber, S. (Supervisor) & Bryan, D. (Supervisor)

Academic achievement of adolescents with chronic pain: the mediating role of sleep

Supervisor: Percy, A. (Supervisor) & Graham, A. (Supervisor)

Student thesis : Doctoral Thesis › Doctorate in Educational, Child and Adolescent Psychology

Academic self-efficacy in undergraduate student nurses in Northern Ireland

Supervisor: Dunne, L. (Supervisor) & O'Hare, L. (Supervisor)

Student thesis : Doctoral Thesis › Doctor of Education

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Faculty / School Portals

• Collections

Queen's University Archives stores print versions of Queen's University Master's and PhD theses up to 2007. Requests to view print copies must be sent to [email protected], where we will require information on the Author, Title, Degree, and Year to be able to find the thesis. All theses are catalogued in Omni . Microform versions of the theses produced from 1975-2007 are available in Stauffer Library, and theses produced after 2007 are available through QSpace or Library and Archives Canada's  Thesis Portal .

Please note that theses completed after 1955 are stored offsite, and Archives staff will need 2-3 days from the time of the request to obtain the item. Theses may only be consulted in the Reading Room of Kathleen Ryan Hall during regular business hours.

Theses: Finding theses

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• Embargoes and making your thesis open
• Copyright: seeking permission
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QUB PhD theses

The McClay Library holds copies of all Queen's University PhD theses . 

A number of recent QUB PhD theses can be accessed online via the Queen's Research Portal . Please note that not all theses include the full-text (e.g. where an embargo has been applied).

Older QUB theses are held by the library in hardcopy format, and they are kept in the store. You can search for hardcopy theses in Library Search: search for a topic, then filter your search results by Resource Type: Dissertations and by Availability: Held by library . You can recognise theses by their distinctive shelfmark, which begins with T/ q e.g. T/q 1999.S4. 

If you would like to consult a hardcopy thesis, you can request that library staff fetch it from the store. Use the Request button in Library Search (you need to be signed in to Library Search). Theses may not be borrowed, but can be read in the library.

Please note: the Library does not collect QUB undergraduate and masters dissertations. Please contact the relevant School if you are trying to locate one.

Obtaining theses from other universities

Uk and ireland.

Universities listed here have agreed to make their theses freely available through EThOS. If you need a thesis from a UK or Ireland university which is not participating in the scheme, please request it through the Inter-Library Loans service.

Please note: the EThOS service is currently unavailable due to a cyber attack.

Outside UK/Ireland

The websites listed on this page provide free online access to theses. It is only possible to obtain theses which must be paid for in exceptional circumstances: please consult your Subject Librarian .

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global Collection of full-text dissertations and PhD theses from around the world, including from UK and Irish universities

EThOS EThOS (Electronic Theses Online Service) replaced the British Library Thesis Service in 2009. Theses from participating universities are digitised on demand, after which they are available for free download.

DART-Europe E-theses Portal Access to the full-text of a large and growing number of theses from over 520 universities in 27 European countries.

DiVA DiVA portal is a finding tool and an institutional repository for theses written at Swedish universities and colleges.

Netherlands Research Portal Portal for theses and other research outputs from the Netherlands.

theses.fr Aims to provide an entry point to: • all ongoing doctoral theses in France • all awarded theses in France, available in any format (print, digital, commercially published, etc.) • individuals and institutions in connection with these theses.

International

North America

PQDT Open With PQDT Open, you can read the full text of US open-access dissertations and theses free of charge.

Theses Canada portal Theses Canada provides an index of all theses produced at Canadian universities and free PDFs of theses produced since 1998.

Trove Trove documents Australia’s research effort, bringing together articles, books, theses and data sets. Currently Trove includes the details of more than 300,000 theses submitted in, or relating to, Australia. Search tips for finding theses via Trove

South Africa

National ETD Portal Full-text access to South African theses and dissertations.

NDLTD (Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations) The NDLTD Union Catalog contains more than one million records of electronic theses and dissertations.

OATD (Open Access Theses and Dissertations) An international database giving free access to over 2 million theses and dissertations.

EBSCO Open Dissertations This database gives free access to the full text of open access dissertations and theses.

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• Last Updated: Feb 28, 2024 4:30 PM
• URL: https://libguides.qub.ac.uk/ethesis

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Finding Theses and Dissertations

• International Theses
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• Canadian Theses
• United States Theses
• Borrowing & Purchasing Copies of Theses

International Theses: Search Tools

Proquest dissertations and theses.

A comprehensive collection of dissertations and theses from around the world from 1861-present. Full text  since 1997. Abstracts  since 1980 for doctoral dissertations and 1988 for masters' theses. Citations  since 1861.

Citations are indexed in Web of Science in the  ProQuest ™ Dissertations & Theses Citation Index  collection. 

Center for Research Libraries

CRL holds more than 800,000 doctoral dissertations outside of the U.S. and Canada. Search dissertations in the dissertations section of the CRL catalogue. Digitized dissertations can be searched in the catalogue's e-resources section.

Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations

A collection of more than 800,000 international full text theses and dissertations.

Google Scholar

Try searching Google Scholar for theses posted on institutional digital repositories or on personal web pages.

ScienceDirect

A web search engine devoted to Science and Technology.

Search for dissertations, theses and published material based on theses catalogued in WorldCat by OCLC member libraries worldwide. In Advanced Search, you can search by author, title, subject, year, and keyword. Under Subtype Limits, select Theses/Dissertation from the Any Content menu

International Theses: By Country

Österreichische Dissertationsdatenbank

The Austrian dissertation database contains the bibliographical data of dissertations approved in Austria from 1990 on, and in most cases the relevant abstracts. (This website is hosted by the National Library of Austria).

National Library of Australia’s Trove Service

Search for full text digital theses from Australian universities.  On the Advanced search screen under Format, select Thesis.

DART-Europe :  Access to full text theses and dissertations from many countries in Europe.

Europeana : Additional electronic dissertations from other European libraries.

Système universitaire de documentation  (Sudoc): Provides access to records and some electronic theses and dissertations published at French research institutions.

Fichier central des thèses

DissOnline provides information on the subject of electronic university publications. It can be used to find out directly all about online dissertations and post-doctoral theses. Sample documents can be downloaded to provide help in the creation of electronic university publications. For more information about the portal, please go to  German National Library  website  (DNB) .

México

TESIUNAM: Tesis del Sistema Bibliotecario de la Unam

(Theses from the National University of Mexico / Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México). To search for electronic theses, click on “tesis electrónicas (REDUNAM).”

Middle East

The Center for Research Libraries and the British Library have made available online 400 UK doctoral theses focusing on the Middle East, Islamic studies, and related subjects.  More information .

The Netherlands

Some Dutch e-theses are available through NARCIS.

South America 

• Some electronic theses from Bolivia, Brasil, Chile and Peru can be found at  Cybertesis.NET , a portal created by the University of Chile (Information Services & Library System) that provides an easily accessible tool to full text electronic theses published in different universities of the world.

For more university/national library catalogues, search for the word University/Universidad and the country (Argentina, Peru, etc.) in Google. Find the link to the library ( biblioteca ) and search the catalogue for theses ( tesis ). You may need to click on the advanced search function ( búsqueda guíada  or  búsqueda avanzada ) and select tesis as a format or type. ​

There are several portals/catalogues in Spain for theses and dissertations. Here are some examples listed on Spain’s  National Library  website:

Spain’s Ministry of Education thesis database (TESEO)

Biblioteca Virtual del Español (on the Biblioteca Virtual, Miguel de Cervantes website)

Universidad Complutense de Madrid’s catalogue

TDX (Tesis Doctorals en Xarxa)

This is a cooperative repository of digital theses from the University of Cataluña and other autonomous communities (such as Murcia, Cantabria, Barcelona, and Oviedo)

Switzerland

For print and electronic dissertations, please consult the  Swiss National Library  website.

• NDLTD: National Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations in Taiwan is an open full-text permanent archive of scholarly research in Taiwan.

EThOS : Access to doctoral dissertations (paper and electronic) from UK institutions of higher education.

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• Last Updated: Oct 18, 2023 3:58 PM

PhD Public Health Sciences

 OUR PhD PROGRAM 2023

The Department of Public Health Sciences has broadened its PhD program to include all areas of research expertise represented in our faculty including, but not limited to, epidemiology, biostatistics, qualitative, mixed- and community-based methods, the use of health and public-health services, program evaluation, clinical epidemiology, health equity, global health, indigenous health, and health economics.

Our programs place an emphasis on close faculty-student relations and a philosophy that puts the student first. Through coursework, thesis opportunities, and involvement in the academic life of our department, our students graduate with an in-depth understanding of public health research. Our graduates are able to function as independent investigators in academic, health-research institutes and health-research government agencies, or as emerging public-health leaders in government or the private sector.

In the coming year, our PhD program in the Department of Public Health Sciences at Queen’s University has a number of exciting opportunities for qualified applicants. The following members of our department have each expressed an interest in supervising a new PhD student:  

Dr. Susan Bartels is a Clinician-Scientist in the Department of Emergency Medicine with a cross appointment to Public Health Sciences. Her research focuses on the health and well-being of women and children affected by humanitarian crises around the globe. Dr. Bartels is interested in the social determinants of health and uses innovative research methods to provide evidence intended to inform policy and programming that will improve health outcomes and mitigate the risks of natural disasters, armed conflict and forced displacement.  

Dr. Susan Brogly is an epidemiologist with research interests in the area of perinatal epidemiology, surgical outcomes, and advanced epidemiologic methods. Dr. Brogly used both population-based administrative health care data (ICES, Medicaid) and primary data collection in her studies.  

Dr. Steven Brooks is a Clinician-Scientist and Emergency Physician in the Department of Emergency Medicine who conducts research in the areas of cardiac arrest and resuscitation. Dr. Brooks may have availability for a PhD student willing to work with the Canadian COVID-19 Emergency Department Rapid Response Network. This is a developing registry funded by CIHR and the Ontario government, tracking patients with suspected and confirmed COVID-19 who attend one of 50 EDs in the country.

Dr. Bingshu Chen is a biostatistician with an interest in survival analysis and generalized linear models. He has developed biomarker threshold models to predict treatment benefit in cancer clinical trials. His other research interests include analysis of health economic data, statistics computing and missing data problems.  

Dr. Anne Duffy is a Clinician-Scientist. She has longitudinal data spanning two decades in high-risk offspring of bipolar parents and has up to two years of psychosocial, clinical and familial data from a representative cohort of undergraduate university students to understand mental health and academic outcomes. These databases provide several opportunities that would make for an interesting thesis including using joint modelling, multi-state and survival analysis. Further information on Dr. Duffy’s research can be found at: https://www.mdco.ca/research/ .

Dr. Jennifer Flemming is a Clinician-Scientist who studies the link between cirrhosis and biliary tract cancer and the burden of chronic liver disease and cirrhosis in Ontario. She uses large population-based databases housed at ICES. Her goal is to improve management strategies for Canadians with liver disease.

Dr. Ana Johnson is a health economist who conducts economic evaluations of health care programs, cost-effectiveness analyses, assessments of resource allocations and use of health technologies.

Dr. Will King is a molecular epidemiologist whose research program seeks to identify modifiable risk factors for cancer. Dr. King studies intermediate markers of cancer risk and genetic susceptibility to better understand environment-cancer relationships.

Dr. Diane Lougheed is a Clinician-Scientist with a research interest in asthma and the development of better information technologies to improve the care of patients with asthma. Dr. Lougheed conducts health services and outcomes research and guideline implementation research in asthma and often uses the ICES data holdings to conduct her work.

Dr. Zihang Lu is a Biostatistician. His research focuses on developing and applying statistical and machine learning methods to answer clinical and epidemiological research questions. His current research interests are in longitudinal data, survival data and high-dimensional data modeling. He is also interested in Bayesian statistics, causal inference and data fusion.

Dr. Maria Ospina is an associate professor with the Department of Public Health Sciences at Queen’s University, and a clinical epidemiologist, and population-health researcher in the areas of perinatal and early childhood health. Her research program (DMETRE) uses a life-course approach and a variety of epidemiological methods (observational studies, systematic reviews, GIS analysis, mixed-methods designs), to assess the developmental origins of health inequalities, and how critical periods of human development such as pregnancy and the first 1,000 days of life influence future health.

Dr. Paul Peng is a is a biostatistician with research interests in survival analysis with a focus on cure models, longitudinal and panel data modeling, statistical computation methods for big data, biostatistical methods for epidemiological and clinical trial research.

Dr. William Pickett is in the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences at Brock University and is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences at Queen’s University, and an Adjunct Professor in the College of Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan. He is a trained epidemiologist whose research interests include: injury and violence prevention; injury and illness in rural and farm populations; and health and its social determinants in adolescent populations, with a primary focus on pediatric violence and injury. Using public health surveillance, analytical and experimental epidemiology, and mixed methods approaches, this work has provided critical insight for policy/health promotion initiatives in Canada, the US and Europe.

Dr. Amrita Roy is a family physician and MD-PhD clinician-scientist in the Departments of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences at Queen’s. A settler ally with a research focus in Indigenous health, Dr. Roy works in close collaboration with Indigenous peoples in community-engaged research centred on the principles of Ownership, Control, Access, and Possession (OCAP). Apart from Indigenous health, Dr. Roy’s other areas of research interest include immigrant and refugee health, women’s health, youth health, and global health. Methodologically, Dr. Roy has expertise in quantitative, qualitative, mixed- and multiple-methods approaches to health research, in addition to community-based and participatory research approaches.  Fall 2023 PhD opportunity with Dr. Roy:  Opportunity for a PhD student starting fall 2023 in a CIHR-funded Indigenous health research project on sleep and mental health, in partnership with Akwesasne Mohawk Nation .

Dr. Sahar Saeed is an epidemiologist and health-services researcher. Dr. Saeed primarily investigates retention and access to health care among populations including persons living with HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C and chronic liver disease. She uses primary data collection, population-based administrative health-care data and novel surveillance tools (GPS) to answer her research questions. For more information on her research interest, visit her website at Epidemiologist | Sahar Saeed .   Fall 2023 PhD opportunity with Dr. Saeed and Dr. Stoner

Dr. Bradley Stoner is Professor and Head, Department of Public Health Sciences and Professor of Medicine at Queen’s University. An infectious disease physician and medical anthropologist, Dr. Stoner’s research focuses on the epidemiology, clinical care, control and prevention of sexually transmitted infections (STI) including HIV. Fall 2023 PhD opportunity with Dr. Saeed and Dr. Stoner

Dr. Wei Tu  is a biostatistician with research interests in data science and its application in health care. His research focuses on translating different sources of high-dimensional data into informed clinical decision-making. The topics he is working on include personalized medicine, data privacy and causal inference.  

Dr. Maria Velez is a Clinician-Scientist with research interests in reproductive and perinatal epidemiology. Her current research program focuses on infertility and pregnancy outcomes, and the reproductive health of young women with cancer. She uses population-based cohort studies including databases housed at ICES.  

Dr. Paul Villeneuve is an environmental and occupational epidemiologist. His research program is focused on quantifying the health effects from exposure to outdoor air pollution, noise, low levels of radiation, as well as the benefits of urban greenness and walkability.  In addition to carrying out spatiotemporal exposure studies in Canada and Grenada (West Indies), he also uses large population-based databases housed in Statistics Canada’s Research Data Centers, and ICES.

If you have a demonstrable interest in the work of one or more of these professors we encourage you to reach out to them to discuss the possibility of supervision.

Our PhD students are guaranteed minimum funding of $21K per year for four years with further income possibilities coming from Teaching Assistantships, Research Assistantships, or Research Fellowships. Many of our students receive national or provincial scholarships.

For further information about our PhD Program, you can contact the Program Director, Dr. Ian Janssen at [email protected]    or the Program Assistant, Ms. Sue Preston at [email protected] .  Note that all applicants must meet the entry requirements to the program:  https://phs.queensu.ca/programs-courses/degree-programs/phd-public-health-sciences/how-apply  

Student Stories

Program Contacts

• Program Director  Dr. Ian Janssen [email protected]
• Graduate Assistant Sue Preston [email protected]  | 613-533-2901

Affiliated Research Groups

• Canadian Cancer Trials Group
• Centre for Health Services and Policy Research 
• Emergency Medicine & Injury Research Group
• Cancer Care & Epidemiology, Queen's Cancer Research Institute
• Queen's - ICES Health Services Research 
• Centre for Studies in Primary Care
• Centre for Obesity and Research Education 
• Practice and Research on Nursing (PRN) Group
• KFL &A Public Health

Queen's Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Permanent uri for this collection.

This is a collection of the Queen's University Masters Degree and PhD Theses and Dissertations. Submissions are limited to officially registered Queen's University graduate students, only.

Recent Submissions

• No Thumbnail Available Item Patient Function as a Health Indicator of Team-Based Primary Care: A Study of Why, What, and How for Health Leaders Cutforth, Gregory S O ; Rehabilitation and Health Leadership ; Donnelly, Catherine ; Miller, Jordan Show more Background: Team-based care is core to primary care transformation initiatives aimed at strengthening primary care as the foundation of health systems to improve patient and provider experience, reduce healthcare costs, and improve health outcomes for patients. To assess impacts, performance measurement should include health indicators of patient health outcomes. Efforts to measure patient function, a biopsychosocial model of functioning and disability health, in primary care have been largely unsuccessful. This research aims to explore the concept of patient function as a health indicator of team-based primary care and how it can be practically measured to inform quality improvement. Methods and Results: The research was conducted through 3 concurrent phases. In phase 1, a qualitative study explored patients’ and primary care teams’ understanding of patient function and perspectives on the utility of function as a health indicator. The findings suggest patients and teams understand the concept of function, perceive value in function as a health indicator, and measurement and reporting of function should reflect the complex nature of primary care. In phase 2, a Delphi study was employed to identify patient function health indicators for use in in primary care. These findings suggest that identifying patient function health indicators in primary care is complex and all domains of function are important. Five valid and reliable measures of function were deemed to be appropriate and feasible health indicators in primary care, of which the SF-12 ranked the highest. In the third phase, 3 frameworks were described from the quality improvement and implementation science literature that health leaders could use to implement patient function health indicators to inform quality improvement for primary care teams. A quasi-fictitious case scenario was used to demonstrate how the frameworks could be practically used to develop theory-informed implementation strategies. Conclusion: Patient function health indicators are important to patients and primary care teams. There are valid patient-reported measures of function that can be used as health indicators in primary care. Healthcare leaders can use quality improvement and implementation science theory to inform effective strategies to implement patient function health indicators with primary care teams to drive quality improvement. Show more
• No Thumbnail Available Item A DSL for modifying data in ROS Systems Duffy, Ella Maria Lillian ; Electrical and Computer Engineering ; Dean, Thomas Show more The future of robotics will transform human life favourably, but only if they are robust, safe, and secure. Using an Air Traffic Control (ATC) Simulator and the ROS 2 Navigation framework (Nav2), we demonstrate the compromise of a single compo- nent and how it can trick a robotic system into displaying abnormal behaviour. This research presents ROS 2 developers with a framework to generate a node that models this malicious compromise. By targeting any high level event within the system, this node can mutate data or inject new instances into the topic. Four fuzz operations are implemented by our domain-specific language (DSL) to achieve the various attacks: PassThrough, Create, Update, and Delete. By leveraging the framework presented in this work, users can optimally and automatically test their systems for robust- ness. The DSL uses defined sections identified by a keyword to help users specify the requirements for their fuzzer. From there, the TXL program transforms the specifi- cation to generate Python code output. This language was validated against a ROS 2 X-Plane plugin and demonstrates it’s portability, readability, and reliability. The research done throughout this thesis works to remove barriers, such as the absence of knowledge and time, from the testing process so it can be further integrated into the development process of robotic systems. Show more

• 1 (current)

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Submission Process

The below guidelines have been prepared to assist students and staff members in making thesis submissions..

Please note this process applies to Postgraduate Research Students submitting a thesis - if you are a Postgraduate Taught Student submitting a dissertation please contact your School. 

Please ensure you read the below carefully and ensure you follow all appropriate steps for submission.

Pre-viva submissions continue to be electronic.

Student must send final thesis as a PDF accompanied by a signed pre-viva  submission form  to their supervisor or school PGR office. 

Supervisor/School:

• On behalf of the student, Supervisor/School must submit the final thesis and signed submission form (signed by both student and supervisor) to [email protected] via QUB Dropoff ( https://dropoff.qub.ac.uk/ ) to verify that this is the final approved copy for examination. The Dropoff Recipient is  [email protected] . Student should also be added as a dropbox Recipient by School.
• Approval of the examiners  must  already be completed on Qsis as usual, or the submission will be rejected until that time, in line with normal procedure.

Student Registry:

• The Thesis team will email the student and sender to confirm receipt. 
• Paperwork (letter of instruction, viva report forms etc.) will be emailed to the examiners as Word documents*, with a soft copy of the thesis, by Student Registry.

If you have any further queries please email  [email protected]

Further Information:

1) A Notice of Intention to Submit is submitted via your Qsis account - this should be completed at least 3 months prior to your intended submission date to allow time for your examiners to be appointed.

2) Check that the wording of your title is exactly the same as stated on your Notice of Intention to Submit and that the title of the thesis is approved by the School Postgraduate Research Committee (you can check this via your supervisor). If your title does not match that on your QSIS record you must inform your School office to have this updated.

3) Examiners are appointed. Your School will notify you when your examiners have been approved and appointed. You may not submit before the Nomination of your examiners is fully completed.

4) The submission form is completed and signed by both you and your supervisor. 

5) Submit an electronic copy of your Thesis, following the steps in the section above.

6) Student Registry will send your thesis and the relevant reports to each of your examiners  your School will be in touch with you regarding arrangements for your viva examination.

From 1st September 2021, hardbound theses are no longer a requirement of research degree programmes (with the exception of Higher Doctorates and PhD by Published Works)

• Student should submit their e-thesis to Pure (See also  How Do I Upload my E-thesis in Pure? ) 
• Both the Thesis and the Repository Deposit Form must be uploaded in PDF formats  
• Registry  must  have received the student’s viva paperwork prior to submission i.e. you must have officially received your viva outcome from Registry before uploading your final thesis. 
• Student’s record will be Completed  on validation of the Pure submission and following the usual record completion checks , and a confirmation letter issued via email. 

1) Depending on the outcome of your viva you may have some corrections to make to your final version of the thesis. Ensure you complete these within the timeframe specified and send to your examiner to approve them (you will only need to send these to your internal examiner, unless you are told otherwise. Consult your supervisor if you are unsure).

2) If you need more information on the format of your thesis click over to the ‘Thesis Format’ tab above.

3) Submit your final thesis to Pure.

4) Email  [email protected] with a copy of your Repository Deposit Form so that we can verify your Pure upload.

5) The Open Access Team will validate your upload and apply any embargoes etc. that have been requested. Registry will be informed that your submission is complete.

6) Registry will finalise your Qsis record and will send a PDF completion letter to your QUB email address.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The PhD program in the School of Computing is entirely research-based, is typically completed within four years and is fully funded ( i.e. , students receive financial support and avoid accruing student debt).

Applicants should normally have completed an M.Sc. in Computing Science or a closely related field at an established university. They are admitted in accordance with the general regulations of the School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs . Candidates normally enter the program at the beginning of the Fall term (September).

Students who are interested in pursuing a part-time Ph.D. should contact the School for further details.

Ph.D. Program Summary

Candidates pass through six stages of activity:

• finding a supervisor
• organizing a supervisory committee
• completing the breadth requirement
• completing the topic proposal
• completing the comprehensive exam
• working on their research and writing their thesis

Note: students admitted prior to September 2013 may complete the research proposal and depth requirement rather than a topic proposal and comprehensive exam.

Ph.D. Requirements

There are four formal requirements imposed by the School:

• a breadth requirement , which can be met through a combination of graduate courses, an MSc thesis, and work experience;
• a six-page topic proposal ;
• a comprehensive examination , which includes a written research proposal and an oral defense; and
• a Ph.D. thesis .

Candidates who fail to complete any requirement within the time limit specified will be required to withdraw from the program. The Ph.D. program committee may approve extensions to time limits, subject to the rules of the School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs, and will normally do so for part-time and inactive students.

Management of the Ph.D. Program

The Ph.D. program is managed by the Ph.D. program committee who are responsible for:

• maintaining consistency in the requirements for individual candidates;
• approving the candidate's progress through various milestones;
• handling disputes that may arise; and
• acting as chairs and examiners when needed.

The Ph.D. program committee is appointed by the School Director and reports annually to the Director on the progress of each Ph.D. student.

Ph.D. Thesis

A thesis presenting original research is submitted for approval by a thesis examining committee. The research described in the thesis should constitute a significant contribution to knowledge in an area of Computing Science. It must be original and of such quality as to warrant its publication in a recognized journal.

Candidates should consult the School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs' Calendar for university regulations regarding Ph.D. theses. The thesis is examined in accordance with the general rules of the School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs .

Requirement to Withdraw

Any of the following are grounds for requiring a candidate to withdraw. The list is illustrative rather than exhaustive.

• inadequate performance in a token ;
• failure to have a research proposal approved within three years; and
• an unsatisfactory rating by the supervisory committee in two regular reviews.

PhD in Nursing (Online)

Launched in 2008, the Queen's Nursing doctoral degree has an online and in-person blended delivery model. Our experienced faculty use both synchronous and asynchronous teaching modalities to lead small graduate seminars, engaging you in a lively, critical examination of philosophy, policy and theory while you delve into your own areas of research interests.

This innovative research program will not only give you the tools you need to become an expert in clinical, theoretical, and health system issues, but it will also prepare you for a career as a leader in health research, nursing education, clinical practice, and health care administration.

Questions? Contact the graduate nursing office →

Program overview, general information.

Our PhD program consists of six courses, five in the first year and one in the second year. There are three mandatory on-site intensive weeks ranging from 5-10 days in length, normally held in early September, mid-January, and early May of the first year of the program. After the intensive weeks, the courses continue with weekly online seminars.

Following the completion of the first-year courses, students will write the comprehensive exam and then take the sixth and final course which is designed to support students in developing a thesis proposal. After a successful oral examination of the thesis proposal, students submit their project for ethics review and then proceed to data collection, analysis, and writing. The thesis requires independent, original research and makes up at least two-thirds of the time normally required for the program.

Upper year students are expected to visit campus at least once per year, normally coinciding with the annual student research conference in spring (usually May); students are required to attend the final thesis examination in person. Nurtured by close mentoring relationships with faculty supervisors, the Queen’s model is to ensure graduate students present and publish their research, and normally complete their program in 4 years.

Additional Resources

• School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (SGSPA)
• SGSPA Academic Calendar
• SGSPA Academic Calendar - Nursing Section
• Society of Graduate and Professional Students
• Queen’s Nursing and Health Research
• Queen’s Collaboration for Health Care Quality (QcHcQ)

Interprofessional Education

Interprofessional education is essential to equip health professional students with the knowledge, expertise, and fundamental values required for collaborative practice. Learn more about how Queen’s Faculty of Health Sciences supports interprofessional education .

• Mandatory o nsite residency in September
• NURS 901: Philosophy of Nursing Science   (online)
• NURS 902: Qualitative Research Methods (online)
• NURS 999: Thesis Research (independently with PhD supervisor) 
• Mandatory o nsite residency in January
• NURS 900: Advanced Statistics and Analytic Techniques (online)
• NURS 903: Advanced Quantitative Measurement, Methods and Design (online)
• NURS 999: Thesis Research (independently with supervisor)

Spring/Summer:

• Mandatory o nsite residency in May (includes NURS 905)
• NURS 905: Nursing, Health Services and Public Policy in Canada  
• Prepare for comprehensive exam (independently with supervisor)
• Write c omprehensive examinations in early fall
• NURS 906: Thesis Seminar Course   (online)
• NURS 999: Thesis Research   (independently with supervisor)
• Graduate Research Day (May)
• Oral t hesis proposal exam late summer/early fall

Year 3/Year 4

• Participate in Graduate Student Research Day each spring
• Final oral t hesis exam, onsite at the end of fourth year

For more course information please visit the School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs Academic Calendar .

School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs

International student resources, funding & awards, indigenous applicants.

Deadline to apply: Applications for Fall 2024 are due February 1, 2024.

Applications to all graduate programs are made through the School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs starting in September for admission the following year.

Please note, only complete applications will be reviewed by the Graduate Program Committee in the School of Nursing.

Academic Requirements

• Master's degree in nursing science or equivalent, and a b accalaureate degree in nursing from an accredited university.
• Minimum overall average equivalent to B+.
• Two academic letters of reference (e.g. course professors).
• Statement of Interest  (see Additional Required Information tab).
• We strongly encourage applicants to contact  potential supervisors before applying.
• Applicants without an baccalaureate degree in nursing will be considered, but are strongly encouraged to contact the program prior to applying.

Additional Required Information

In addition to the online application submitted to the School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs, the following documents must be submitted to [email protected] :  

• Describe your research experience to date (e.g. grants, publications, unpublished studies). Max. 250 words.
• Describe your proposed plan of research. What problem do you plan to address and why? What is its importance to the discipline? Describe a possible study design (e.g. framework, methodology). Max. 400 words.
• Describe how you have advocated for health equity, diversity, inclusion, indigeneity, and/or accessibility (EDIIA) within the healthcare system. How has your experience influenced your career path and other pursuits to this point? Max. 300 words.
• What will be your strategy in your personal and professional life to manage the time commitment this program requires? This can include any academic accommodations that you plan to request. Max. 250 words.
• Proof of registration as a nurse in local province or own country; and
• Curriculum Vitae .

International Applicants

The required  b accalaureate degree in nursing must be equivalent to a 4-year Canadian program.

In addition to the academic requirements, applicants must provide:

Proof of registration as a registered nurse in own country (will not be required to register with College of Nurses of Ontario). International students who are not registered in Ontario will be unable to conduct thesis research that requires registration;

Proficiency in English . Applicants whose first language is not English or who have not recently studied for at least one complete year at a post-secondary institution where English is the official language of instruction, will be required to obtain satisfactory results in an English language proficiency test, as part of the application process, and before their application will be considered complete.

Please visit the   School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs for more details.

Frequently Asked Questions

I am an international student who is not registered with the college of nurses of ontario, can i still apply.

As an international applicant you are not required to be registered with the College of Nurses of Ontario, but must be registered as a nurse in your own country.  If you are not registered as a nurse in Ontario during the program you will be unable to conduct thesis research that requires registration.  This limitation on thesis research topics should be considered and discussed with a potential thesis supervisor prior to submitting your application.

Can I take the program part-time?

No, this is a full-time program only. Most of the course work involved in the program occurs in the first year and most classes are organized for Mondays and Tuesdays.

How do I decide on a thesis supervisor?

The decision on a supervisor is made by the Graduate Program Committee, following discussions between you and a potential faculty supervisor. A faculty member must be able to supervise thesis research in your area of interest and be willing to do so, given their current work commitments. It is recommended that you review profiles of faculty members on the  School of Nursing website  to determine if there is someone who conducts research in your area.

Do I have to have a thesis topic before I come?

Normally, you should have a general area of research interest before you begin the program, but a specific thesis topic is developed as you engage in course work and discussions with your thesis supervisor. On occasion, an applicant may have a specific plan for research, but this is not typical.

Are there scholarships available?

The Graduate Program Committee nominates individual applicants and students for internal scholarships and awards for which they are eligible. In order to be considered for awards in the first year, your application should be completed by February 1st. You are also encouraged to apply for external scholarships and fellowships as early as possible, as some of these may then be available to you during your first year of study. These are often offered by professional organizations or associations in nursing. You may also have the opportunity to work as a teaching assistant and/or research assistant.   Contact us  if you would like more information about potential external funding. 

My experience as a student in the Doctorate of Philosophy in Nursing was so many things. The courses were taught by brilliant professors who are experts in the subject matter. I learned the fundamental skills necessary to be a successful researcher and academic. The program encourages dissemination of student research and provides opportunities for national and international networking. After completing the program, I was recruited for a tenure-track faculty position at my university of choice. I have a career that I love and the knowledge and ability to help make a difference.

Amanda Vandyk , RN, PHD (Queen’s 2013) Assistant Professor, School of Nursing, University of Ottawa

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Program overview.

As a PhD student, you can play a vital role in future developments in the field of mechanical and materials engineering. You will have many opportunities for multi-disciplinary, collaborative research with faculty in other departments, other facilities, universities, and projects throughout the community.

The PhD program is a research-based program that also includes a thesis. It provides candidates with advanced knowledge, preparing them for a career in research in university, government, or industry sectors. The minimum requirements beyond a master’s degree are four graduate-level courses, passing comprehensive exams, and a satisfactorily defended thesis. The candidate must make an original contribution to the existing knowledge of the subject and is expected to publish the findings in refereed journals. Generally, the PhD program takes four years to complete.

Degree Requirements

• Successful completion of 3 graduate-level courses
• Successful completion of  MECH 997  (regular attendance and presenting of your research)
• Successful completion of Part A Comprehensive Exam  (3 oral exams – 4 months after the start of the program)
• Successful completion of Part B Comprehensive Exam  (written report and oral presentation of your research – typically 16 months after the start of the program).
• Successful completion of Final Thesis Exam (oral presentation of your body of written research)

For all three graduate-level programs, once a student is admitted, they must maintain their registration for each term and pay tuition until completion of the degree. This is applicable whether the student is enrolled in a course during the term or not.

Frequently Asked Questions

Admission and Application

Master’s degree in Applied Science (MASc) or Engineering (MEng)

English Proficiency Requirements

If required, a TOEFL score of 550 (paper-based) or TOEFL iBT minimum scores of: writing (24/30); speaking (22/30); reading (22/30); listening (20/30), for a total of 88/120. OR IELTS minimum score of 7.0

To begin your application or learn more about the process, please review the School of Graduate Studies Application Guide .

The School of Graduate Studies is responsible for the initial application process. 

Full details, including Awards/Scholarships, testing requirements, preparing for graduate studies, and other documentation, are outlined on the  School of Graduate Studies  website.

Applicants are responsible for monitoring their application process via the  School of Graduate Studies portal . The department does not send updates on application status. Only successful applicants will be contacted.

The Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering (MME) does not use Graduate Record Examination (GRE) to assess applications. We ask that you do not submit GREs with your application. Applicants are asked to submit two references/referees. This is to be done after the application fee is paid. At this point, an email will be sent to your references, asking them to respond. 

Students can upload their transcript electronically to the Graduate School's website. If the MME department determines we are willing to admit you, you will be asked to mail or courier an official, original transcript to the Queen's School of Graduate Studies at: 

School of Graduate Studies  Gordon Hall, Room 425 74 Union Street Queen's University Kingston, Ontario, Canada K7L 3N6

Application Deadline:  There is no hard deadline; however, we encourage you to apply before March 1 to improve your odds of qualifying for internal awards.

Notification of Acceptance:  End of March to July for September admissions.

Finding a Supervisor

We encourage you to identify an area of research interest and contact potential supervisor(s) before applying. Visit research groups  and faculty profiles . When you find a faculty member with similar research interests to yours, contact them to let them know about your interest in graduate work, area of research and related experience.

Graduate students admitted to a PhD program are provided financial support in the form of a teaching and research assistantship and/or Queen's Graduate Award. Scholarships and fellowships are also available to eligible students through NSERC, Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS) and the School of Graduate Studies.

PhD funding: minimum $25,000 per year.

We encourage you to apply for additional funding through external scholarships (NSERC, OGS, etc.). Entering PhD students who win federal government tri-council awards are automatically provided with a $7,500 award by Queen’s.

Our department has concentrated its research and advanced technical courses in four fields which the Engineering Profession recognizes as components of Mechanical Engineering. Areas of study include:

• Biomechanical Engineering : Biomechanical device development and testing, computer-assisted surgery, motion analysis, occupational biomechanics/ergonomics, spine biomechanics, and tissue engineering.
• Energy and Fluid Systems : Alternative energy, fuel cells, combustion, computational and experimental fluid dynamics, explosion physics and prevention, gas turbine, heat transfer, low-speed fluid flow, solar calorimetry, thermal hazards, thermographics, and turbulence.
• Design and Manufacturing : Automatic controls, design optimization, manufacturing analysis, MEMS, metal processing, nanosize mechanical devices, noise and vibration control, rapid laminated tooling, robotics, structural and multidisciplinary systems design, system dynamics, and machine condition monitoring.
• Materials Engineering : Ceramics and polymers, electrochemistry and biomaterials, materials characterization, materials processing, and nuclear materials.

  Our Research

Graduate Supervisors

Career Opportunities

A PhD in Mechanical and Materials Engineering can take your career in many directions. Our graduates have found employment in:

• Research Scientist - simulation engineer
• Government - e.g., defence scientist
• Industry - design engineer
• Consulting - sustainable energy

Interested in learning more about becoming a postdoctoral fellow? Learn more through Queen’s School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs .  

Program Contact

Graduate Assistant Jane Davies [email protected] 613-533-6928 McLaughlin Hall, Room 201

More Mechanical and Materials Engineering Graduate Programs

Master of engineering (meng), mechanical and materials engineering.

Master of Applied Science (MASc), Mechanical and Materials Engineering

Nuclear Engineering

Advanced Design & Manufacturing Institute

Biomedical Engineering

This program is offered in collaboration by the departments of chemical, electrical and mechanical engineering.

Search type

University Wide

Faculty / School Portals

• Grad Studies

Funding Packages

Funding your graduate studies.

Ensuring you have sufficient funding while you complete your graduate degree is essential to maintaining wellbeing and remaining focused on your academic progress. Across funding sources, our graduate students receive nearly $28 million in overall funding each year. As a graduate student, it is important that you understand how your funding works and the options available to you. On this page you will find essential information related to how funding works for graduate students at Queen’s. Our Graduate Funding Guide further outlines resources and financial supports for your graduate studies.

How does Graduate Funding work at Queen’s?

Our full-time  PhD students  receive a guaranteed minimum funding package of $20,000 a year, with many departments setting higher minimum funding packages and all departments offering higher average funding packages for doctoral students within funding eligible years of study (i.e., typically years 1-4).

The majority of  Master's students  in full-time non-professional programs also receive funding support (i.e., in year one for one-year programs, and in years one and two for two-year programs). Given the variations in funding for master’s programs, please consult program specific information and discuss funding with your academic advisor, supervisor, or program coordinator.

Funded students will receive what is called a ‘funding package’, which details their committed funding for each academic year. Typically, students are notified of their funding package in the summer (July/August) preceding their funded academic year (i.e., September-onwards). Funding packages are comprised of funding from a variety of sources.

What sources of funding comprise a graduate student’s funding package?

A funding package can comprise funding from any combination of the following sources:

• Internal Awards or Fellowships: These are Queen’s based funds (e.g., Queen’s Graduate Award) that support students. They can be merit based (e.g., most donor-based fellowships) or not.
• External Awards: These are competitive awards (e.g., Tri-council funding, Ontario Graduate Scholarship) that students need to apply to, and which are competitive based on merit. To reduce inequities in funding packages across students, if an external award is received, these awards will be included in a student’s funding package and contribute towards the University’s minimum funding commitment (i.e., these awards are not considered additional to the funding minimum).
• Teaching Assistantships (TAs) or Teaching Fellowships (TFs): TAs and TFs are employment-based funding opportunities to apply and learn skills in teaching contexts.
• Research Assistantships (RAs): RAs are employment-based funding opportunities to apply and learn research skills while working on faculty-based research projects.
• Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF): Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF): Distinct from a RA, the GRF is funding, typically from a supervisor, is for students to complete research tasks that are directly related to the completion of their own thesis, degree or program requirements. Provided the research activities are directly related to the completion of the student's own thesis, degree or program requirements, the GRF may be contributing to the faculty member's research program as well. For a distinction between RA and GRF see the following  Faculty Relations  website.

Importantly, if a student does not elect to accept a TA, TF, or RA position that is part of their funding package, their committed funding amount will be decreased.

In addition to funding committed to in a student’s funding package, there may be other funding opportunities that arise throughout the academic year – additional TAs, RAs, or award opportunities – to which you may apply.

Students should apply for all scholarships and awards for which they are eligible. See our Awards and Bursaries website for more information.

For PhD students to receive a funding package, they must meet the following eligibility requirements:

• The guaranteed minimum will apply to all full-time doctoral students registered in years 1 – 4 (ie. new and continuing students) of their programs.
• Eligible doctoral students must maintain good academic standing in order to qualify.
• Eligible doctoral students must be qualified to receive the usual sources offered by their home department as part of a funding package. This implies that, particularly in the case of a TA position, the student must be in residence for enough of the full academic year in order to be reasonably available for employment. In addition, students must apply for all major external and internal (where appropriate) scholarships for which they are eligible in order to qualify for the minimum guarantee.

Students must have requested financial support upon their initial application for admission to a Queen’s doctoral program in order to be eligible. It is assumed that the information provided in terms of a Yes or No in response to the query ‘Do you require financial support from Queen's University’ applies throughout the student's academic program.

Is tuition covered as part of a student’s funding package?

No, tuition and ancillary fees are not included or paid for by the university as part of a student’s funding package. Students need to pay for tuition and fees from their funding, savings, and/or other income.

Can graduate students apply for OSAP or equivalent funding?

In addition to funding provided by Queen’s and external awards, eligible graduate student can apply for the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP), including the non-repayable grant portion of OSAP. OSAP is a financial aid program assisting students with the costs of post-secondary studies. OSAP consists of funding from both the federal and Ontario governments and includes both repayable loans and non-repayable grant funding as based on financial need. To learn more about OSAP, review our OSAP website. All Ontario graduate students should explore OSAP funding, and consider applying. If received, students can elect to accept the grant portion (i.e., no repayment required) only.

For international students, OSAP-equivalent funding, if available from your home country should be explored. Many countries offer funding for students to study abroad, including non-repayable grant programs.

When is Queen’s funding distributed?

Distribution of funds depends on the source of funding. Internal and external awards are typically distributed at the beginning of each term (i.e., Fall, Winter, Summer), if received for each term. Funding from TAs and RAs will be distributed for the duration of their contract. Some TA and RA contracts may be a term in length and others may be longer or shorter. Details on the length of the contract (i.e., number of hours) will be provided within the funding package letter. Distribution of funding for TAs and RAs is typically monthly, however, in some cases can be bi-weekly. Once you receive your funding package and in preparation for your first disbursement of funds, you will be asked to provide information about your banking details so that funds can be deposited directly into your bank account.

How do external awards impact funding packages?

Queen’s graduate students are highly competitive in external award competitions, and we strongly encourage you to apply for all scholarships and awards for which you are eligible. See our Awards and Bursaries website for more information on available awards.

If you receive an external award (e.g., a Tri-Council award or an Ontario Graduate Scholarship), it will be considered as part of your funding package (i.e., included as a component of your minimum funding guarantee). This practice aligns with the majority of graduate schools across Canada to reduce inequities in the distribution of internal funding for all Queen’s students. Pursuing and receiving external awards is of significant value to you, not solely for financial gain, but also because these awards are competitively adjudicated based on merit (i.e., these awards are valuable contributions to a graduate student’s academic record of accomplishments).

The University recognizes the success of those who receive Tri-Council awards as incoming students by offering Tri-Agency Recipient Recognition Awards of $5,000 to incoming Master’s students (i.e., MA or MSc year 1) and $10,000 to incoming PhD students (i.e., PhD year 1), both as one-time payments.

How does study, enrollment, or leave status impact graduate student funding?

If a student who is within their funding eligible period and who has received a funding package changes their study status (i.e., changes from full-time to part-time or inactive), enrollment status (i.e., withdraws from program), or takes leave (e.g., medical, maternity or parental), their funding may be impacted. Information on study, enrollment, and leave status options is outlined in the Graduate Studies Academic Calendar (see: Admission & Registration, Study Status, Medical Leave, and Maternity and Parental Leave). The following table outlines funding implications for changes in study, enrollment or leave status.

What happens to funding?

Considerations

Change from full-time to part-time

Queen’s does not guarantee funding for part-time students as it is understood that part-time students are working full-time. If a student moves to part-time status mid-way through an academic year once a funding package has been assigned to them, the student may be able to complete any remaining work assignments and receive any remaining awards affiliated with their existing funding package; however, future funding packages will be impacted by their change to part-time status. Normally, teaching assistantship (TAs) and research assistantships (RAs) are limited to full-time students.

Students should discuss changes in study status with their supervisor and consider the funding implications for such a change as well as implications to any provincial or national loan assistance, health or dental insurance, or visa status.

Change from full-time to inactive

Queen’s does not guarantee funding for inactive students. If a student moves to inactive status mid-way through an academic year once a funding package has been assigned to them, the student may be able to complete any remaining work assignments and receive any remaining awards affiliated with their existing funding package. The student will not receive a future funding package until they resume full-time studies.

Withdraw from program

Once a student withdraws from a program, their funding is terminated.

Students should discuss withdrawing from their program with their supervisor, if they are considering this change.

Takes medical leave

Graduate students on medical leave are not eligible to receive awards or financial support from the resources of the School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs.  This includes any and all internal awards (awards, prizes, bursaries, scholarships, fellowships) all of which will be suspended at the onset and for the duration of, and reinstated at the termination of, the medical leave period.  Upon return of the student to active status, every effort will be made to make up and maintain the total financial support originally granted. For external awards, graduate students must observe the regulations prescribed by the granting agency concerned.