Dissertation research is directed and advised by a Doctoral Committee.
For the defence of the dissertation (final oral examination), the Doctoral Committee will be supplemented by an independent, external examiner who, as an expert in the field in which the candidate's research is carried out, will appraise the dissertation and ordinarily will also be present at the final oral examination.
The external examiner will be recommended by the doctoral committee, subject to the approval of the program area and the Dean of Graduate Studies. The external examiner must not be involved in the preparation of the dissertation before it is submitted to him or her for final evaluation.
Please note that the student’s dissertation and Approval to Submit Form must be submitted to the Faculty of Graduate studies at least 4 weeks and 2 days prior to the scheduled or tentative defence date. Additionally, the External Examiner’s report must be received 9 days prior to the scheduled defence. A maximum of a 2-day extension can be granted if the External Examiner cannot submit the report to meet the 9-day deadline. If the report is not received by Graduate Studies at least 7 days prior to the defence, the defence must be rescheduled.
PhD Dissertation Submission and Defence Timeline Tracker:
For your planning purposes, we have provided a timeline tracker form for PhD Dissertation and Submission and Defence Timelines (updated May 2026). If you require accessibility accommodations, please do not hesitate to contact the Faculty of Graduate Studies at adminfgs@uwindsor.ca.
Please note that the timeline form is for personal use only and should not be returned to the Faculty of Graduate Studies.