BUILDING SCIENCE GRADUATE PROGRAM
D EPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURAL SCIENCE
Building Science Graduate Program
Procedures for completion of the Major Research Project
Introduction
This document outlines the requirements, procedures, and timelines associated with completion of the
Major Research Project (MRP) as required for the successful completion of the Master of Building Science
(MBSc) full-time or part-time program.
Students in the Master of Building Science (course based MBSc) who will have completed most or all of their
courses should agree on a subject for their Major Research Project. For full time students this is usually
carried out during the Spring/Summer term.
Masters Major Research Paper or Project (MRP Scope)
The Major Research Paper allows students to conduct specialized study of a topic related to building science
and sustainable design. It is the longest, most in-depth project the student will undertake in the program,
and should therefore be on a subject the student is prepared to work intensively on for several months. The
MRP embodies the results of the student's approved research program and exposes the work to scholarly
criticism. It must represent a single body of work, with integrated material, and should not be solely a
collection of articles. It is intended to test the student’s ability to carry out independent work and reach a
satisfactory conclusion. The range of acceptable research topics and methodologies is broad. An MRP topic
may be academic or applied in nature and should be approved by the student’s Supervisor.
Regardless of the topic, the key to a successful MRP is developing a clear focus for the research. Each student
should identify a central research question that the MRP will address. Unlike a Master’s Thesis, a MRP need
not involve original research. Project studies may incorporate the synthesis and application of existing
information, involve pre-determined use of specified analytic techniques, or encompass a well- defined study
approach. Consequently, the scope and/or depth of study would normally be significantly less than that
required for thesis research. An annotated bibliography or other form of literature search would NOT be
deemed satisfactory, but would require a critical review and analysis and/or synthesis of the literature in the
field of study. An MRP may include a design component as part of the research.
There is no required length for an MRP, and an appropriate scope and length should be agreed between the
student and Supervisor. However, typically documents should aim to be 60 to 80 pages (plus appendices,
references, TOC, appendix). The work will be written under the guidance of a faculty Supervisor, and
evaluated by the Supervisor and a second (faculty) reader. A MRP normally constitutes a level of effort
equivalent to full-time study from May to August.
Where research with human subjects is planned (including questionnaires and surveys), ethics review
approval is required in advance from the University’s Ethics Review Board. Note that ethics review
applications take time to process – typically about six weeks so plan accordingly. The student should consult
their Supervisor about this.
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Role of the MRP Supervisor
Students will write their MRP under the guidance of a Supervisor who will normally be a faculty member who
has expertise in building science. In some cases a Supervisor or co-Supervisor may be from another
department where appropriate.
Typically the MRP Supervisor’s responsibilities include:
1. Approving the Research Abstract and final Research Proposal that guide the MRP.
2. Guiding the student’s research/writing and requiring revisions as necessary. Students should
recognize that producing multiple drafts is a normal and expected aspect of writing a MRP. With a
MRP, the Supervisor is guiding the student to produce the strongest possible academic work before
it is submitted for evaluation. However the student is responsible for the work. Typically the
Supervisor and student will hold regular meetings through the Spring/Summer term, and be in
email contact. The Supervisor will establish the schedule of contact with the student.
3. Declaring a completed draft ready for Oral Review.
4. Determining, in consultation with the student and Program Director, which faculty member will
serve as Second Reader of the MRP. The Second Reader may be from other department but
should be a member of YSGS
(http://www.ryerson.ca/graduate/facultyandstaff/membership.html) .
5. Based on the Oral Review, advising the student of any revisions required to the MRP and ensuring
the proposed revisions are accommodated before the final version is submitted.
6. Organizing a public presentation by the student.
For more information about the Student-Supervisor relationship and defining/discussing the expectations,
see YSGS Student-Supervisor Discussion Checklist:
http://www.ryerson.ca/graduate/facultyandstaff/student-supervisor-checklist.html
Use this list as a guideline and not as a formal document. Building Science Graduate Program does not require
formal signatures on this document as of this time.
Second Reader
The student and Supervisor will confer on the selection of a Second Reader, who normally will be a member
of the University’s graduate faculty, either as a full of adjunct member. The Second Reader represents an
additional academic review of the student’s work. However, the Second Reader is not a co-Supervisor. The
timing of the Second Reader’s involvement is best determined by the Supervisor. Normally the Second
Reader will read a MRP only when the Supervisor has deemed a completed draft satisfactory. Based on the
MRP Oral Review discussion, both the Supervisor and Second Reader may identify additional revisions to the
MRP before it is approved. The Second Reader should be confirmed by the first working day in July.
Process
Students are advised to find out about the current research topics/areas of the faculty members, check out
faculty profiles on the departmental web site and discuss with faculty potential research projects. A list of
research interests of faculty members is included in the Appendix of this document. Individual faculty may
have specific projects that they are looking for students to participate in.
Students should discuss the topics of interest with the relevant faculty. Students can express a preference for
working with a particular faculty member, but this cannot be guaranteed so that an even distribution of
students among faculty members can be achieved.
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Summarized below are the major steps that students should take in the process of a MRP. A separate
schedule will be published with dates appropriate for completion by September of each year:
Step 1: Research Abstract
Students intending to start their MRP are required to submit an electronic copy of 1 page research abstract to
the Supervisor, Program Administrator and the Program Director. This should include the following:
 Student name
 Proposed project title
 Proposed Supervisor (the project should be discussed and agreed in general with the proposed
Supervisor before this date)
 Objectives
 Proposed Methodology
This document will be reviewed by the Supervisor and Program Director. If any changes are required or the
Supervisor is unable to supervise the project the student will be notified within 2 weeks.
Step 2: Research Proposal
Students should develop the details of the proposed MRP with the guidance of their Supervisor. Students are
expected to submit a more comprehensive research proposal to the Supervisor, the Program Administrator
and the Program Director.
This document should include the following sections:
 Title, name of student and supervisor
 Introduction – set the context for your project
 Literature review – not a full review at this stage but mention key texts and studies that are relevant
to you project.
 State the specific objectives of the study - clear statement of the study question and why it is
important?
 Methodology and approach - What methods and tools will be used?
 A detailed work plan - List the stages of your project in a table format, indicating dates and outputs
 Anticipated research output
 List of references.
This document should be no more than 10 pages, excluding the list of references.
Students will be asked to present their research proposal in a public forum for discussion and feedback from
faculty and other students. The research proposal must be approved by the Supervisor.
Step 3: Undertake work
The student should proceed with the research work under the guidance of their Supervisor. During this
stage students are expected to be in regular contact with their Supervisor and to discuss progress. The
Supervisor will decide if the MRP is ready for examination. Second reader should be confirmed to Program
Administrator and Program Director by the student.
For help with writing, the development of other academic skill and support, visit
http://www.ryerson.ca/studentlearningsupport/graduate-student-support/index.html
Step 4: Examination
 The MRP is examined by the Supervisor and Second Reader through a detailed discussion of the
project report during a public Oral Review.
 Student are responsible for delivering printed, unbound copies of the final draft of their MRP (edited
and correctly formatted in accordance with SGS regulations) to their Supervisor and Second Reader,
with a digital copy to the Program Administrator and Program Director.
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The Supervisor will agree a schedule for the Oral Review with the student, Second Reader and
Program Administrator/Program Director. To graduate in the Fall the Oral Review must be held
before the end of August.
The Oral Review is a public presentation and discussion of the MRP, between the student, Supervisor
and Second Reader and is open to others to attend. Typically this session will last 50-60 minutes. It
will begin with a brief (approx. 20 minute) presentation by the student, followed by questions from
faculty. This review is an opportunity for the student to engage in a focused, in-depth discussion of
their research with the faculty members. This is a valuable graduate learning experience.
The MRP (and Thesis) is graded pass/fail. No letter grades are assigned in this course. Assessment will
be jointly determined by the Supervisor and Second Reader (examining committee for a thesis). In the
event of a disagreement between Supervisor and Second Reader, the matter will be referred to the
Program Director who will constitute a formal examining panel in accordance with the guidelines of
the School of Graduate Studies, with the Program Director serving as Examination Committee Chair.
The outcome of the Oral Review is that the student may Pass outright, Fail, or Pass subject to major
or minor revisions that the student is required to make to the MRP. Minor revisions will be approved
by the Supervisor. If major revisions are required the second reader will also need to approve these.
A second oral review may be required.
The student should make any final revisions after the Oral Review before the deadline to clear
graduation requirements set by the School of Graduate Studies (see Important Dates below). If the
revisions are more substantial, students may have to register for the following term (and pay the
fees) to allow them to complete the revisions.
When satisfied, the Supervisor will confirm to the Program Administrator and Program Director that
all final revisions arising from the Oral Review have been completed.
Graduation
The MRP Milestone completion will not be recorded in a student’s academic record (in RAMSS) until the
student has submitted the following items to the Program Administrator:
 The MRP Supervisor and Second Reader Report completed and signed by the MRP Supervisor and
the Second Reader.
 One required digital copy of the MRP in the correct format (see below). This version must be the final
corrected version that has been approved by the MRP Supervisor after the post-Oral Review
corrections have been made.
 This final submission should be done before the deadline set by SGS.
The MRP must be formatted using Ryerson YSGS guidelines. See also the YSGS document: THESIS
REGULATIONS for copyright information and directions about formatting the MRP document.
http://www.ryerson.ca/content/dam/graduate/policies/documents/Thesis_MRP_Dissertation_Guidelines.pdf
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321
hdoshi
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Dr. Mark Gorgolewski
322
mgorgo
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200N mhorvat
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Dr. Miljana Horvat
Dr. Zaiyi Liao
323
Prof Jennifer McArthur
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Jennifer.m
carthur
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327
rramakri
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Dr. Russell Richman
308
richman
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Prof. Vera Straka
326
vstraka
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zliao
Dr. Ramani
Ramakrishnan
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POE
Prof. Hitesh Doshi
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Fire Safety
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Renewable Energy
Energy efficiency
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Architectural Acoustics
Envelope
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Lighting
Green Building Technology
uberardi
Building Automation
Email ( @ryerson.ca)
320
HVAC
Office
Dr. Umberto Berardi
Resource efficiency
Name
APPENDIX A: General Information of the Building Science Faculty
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Students may also discuss building science related projects with other faculty from the Department of
Architectural Science or from other departments.
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