The Senate of the University confers a degree or a diploma to students who have fulfilled all requirements of the relevant program or diploma, and who have complied with all applicable University regulations.
The Faculty recommends the granting of the degree or diploma for final approval by the Senate.
C-9.1 Conditions for obtaining a degree or diploma at the graduate level
To obtain a degree or diploma, students must:
- Successfully complete the majority of their program requirements while enrolled in a degree or graduate diploma at the University of Ottawa or at Saint Paul University.
- Students are responsible for ensuring that they meet all their program requirements.
C-9.2 Receipt of the parchment and convocation ceremony
Students who expect to complete their program requirements must register online so that their degree is conferred, and their parchment is issued. Students must indicate their intention to attend the convocation ceremony.
There are four possible annual registration periods to receive your parchment. To find out the registration dates, as well as any relevant information to obtain your parchment, consult the section Students about to graduate.
C.9.2.1 Program with thesis
As stipulated in the Academic Regulation C-7 on thesis, no student may be recommended for graduation until an acceptable final version of the thesis has been approved by the student’s faculty and electronically submitted to uOResearch.
C-9.3 Medals
The University recognizes student merit by awarding several distinctions at convocation.
Governor General’s Gold Medals - graduate level
At the graduate level, three gold medals are awarded each year at the convocation ceremony.
One is awarded to the student who has submitted the best doctoral thesis in one of the following schools or faculties: Telfer School of Management; the faculties of Arts, Social Sciences, Law or Education. The second medal is awarded to the student who has submitted the best doctoral thesis in the faculties of Science or Engineering. The third medal is awarded to the student who has submitted the best doctoral thesis in the faculties of Health Sciences or Medicine or in an interdisciplinary program.
Recipients are chosen by a selection committee under the authority of the Office of the Vice-Provost of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
C-9.4 Obtaining an official document
A student who has an outstanding balance or other financial obligations to the University cannot obtain any official document from the University (certification, transcript, diploma, etc.) attesting to the completion of a degree or diploma.