In accordance with the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) Institutional Quality Assurance Process (IQAP), the Program Self-Study Report was completed on 11 December 2023. Two arm's-length external reviewers (Dr. Carlos Filipe, PhD, Department of Chemical Engineering, McMaster University and Dr. Charles Dubois, PhD, Department of Chemical Engineering, Polytechnique Montréal) were selected from a list of possible reviewers and approved by the Deans of Graduate Studies. An internal reviewer, Dr. Ali Ghanbarpour-Dizboni from the Faculty of Political Science and Economics was also selected for participation in the ERC. They reviewed the self-study documentation and conducted an on-site visit to RMC from 14 to 15 November 2023. The reviewers submitted their report on 19 February 2024.
In their report, the ERC stated that the graduate programs in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering provides excellent education and training for graduate students. The ERC identified a number of strengths of the programs under review including the deep passion and commitment from the department to delivering quality graduate level programs, the programs are structured to meet the objectives and desired learning outcomes, the programs are similar to other engineering graduate programs across the country, and quality, dedication and investment of faculty members and department. The ERC also identified several areas of concern such as: the need to expressly reflect the importance the institution places on innovation and discovery; the need to harmonize various services for all students in the program; the need to consider substantially decreasing potential course offerings; the need to monitor the progress of graduate students; the need to increase the support to very active research groups; and the need to create a one-stop service at RMC for supporting graduate students.
The Program Chair consulted with the program's faculty and staff and submitted a response to the ERC Report on 17 June 2024. The Dean of Graduate Studies prepared a Final Assessment Report on 26 July 2024. The report contains specific recommendations, action items and a timeline. RMC will continue to work toward program enhancement and improve student success in the graduate programs in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering.