Graduate program and course/milestone changes

The following are the required approval steps to make changes to a graduate program. These changes may include admission requirements, course or milestone requirements, changes to fields or specializations, or the introduction of a new program option, such as co-op. All program changes require the completion of the Graduate Studies Program Revision Template (docx) .

1. GSPA consultation: A department/school representative (Graduate Coordinator/Officer) seeking to make program/course changes will contact GSPA’s Academic Officer (Trevor Clews) to discuss the proposed changes, to identify whether changes are major or minor, and to avoid implementation issues early in the approval process. The consultation discussion will review all required implementation steps (e.g., required consultations, documentation, academic requirements, etc.).
2. Complete required documentation and submit to GSPA: Prior to department/school review and approval, a department/school representative (Graduate Coordinator/Officer) will complete the required documentation outlining the proposed changes and submit to GSPA’s Academic Officer (Trevor Clews) for review (the Academic Officer can offer support in completing the documentation). GSPA’s Academic Officer will confirm endorsement, and advise of any feedback, if required. Note: Proposed changes to courses/milestone requirements may also require the submission of the SGRC Graduate Studies Course/Milestone Form (instructions below).
3. Obtain Department/School approvals, notify GSPA of approval status: Prior to Graduate Faculty Sub-Committee approval, the department/school representative (Graduate Coordinator/Officer) submits the proposed changes to their department/school approval committee and then notifies the GSPA’s Academic Officer (Trevor Clews) of the approval status. Once approved, GSPA’s Academic Officer will advance the proposal to the next step in the approval process.
4. Graduate Faculty Sub-Committee and Faculty Council approval: After department/school approval, following notification from GSPA’s Academic Officer, the Graduate Faculty Administrator/Graduate Associate Dean (or designate) submits the proposed changes to a) Graduate Faculty Sub-Committee, and then b) Faculty Council for approval. The Graduate Faculty Administrator/Graduate Associate Dean (or designate) advances the proposed changes to the next step in the approval process.
5. Obtain SGRC/Senate approval: After Faculty Council-level approval, the Graduate Faculty Administrator/Graduate Associate Dean (or designate) submits the proposed changes to the Secretariat (Tim Weber-Kraljevski) for SGRC approval (and Senate as required), as per the SGRC submission schedule. The Graduate Faculty Administrator/Graduate Associate Dean (or delegate) advances the proposed changes to the next step in the approval process and advises the department/school representatives of the approval status.

Questions regarding the process or required documentation can be directed to Trevor Clews, Academic Officer.

Following approval of the program/course/milestone changes at SGRC or Senate, the Academic Officer will update the Graduate Studies Academic Calendar (GSAC) based on the approved effective date (all changes requested must be for future terms and will be implemented according to the GSAC publication dates). The Academic Officer will ensure implementation of the changes within GSPA (e.g. GSPA website, graduate online application system, Quest, etc.). Graduate programs are responsible for updating their own websites according to the effective date of the changes.

Certain changes to a graduate program are characterized as Major Modifications under the University’s Institutional Quality Assurance Process (IQAP). The Academic Quality Enhancement Office website provides further details, including examples of Major Modifications. Major modifications require student consultation and Senate approval, and are reported to the Ontario Universities Council on Quality Assurance in an annual report.

The Graduate Studies Program Revision Template requires that department/school representatives indicate whether a change is Minor or Major. This section of the template should be completed after consulting with the GSPA Academic Officer.

The completion of the SGRC Graduate Studies Course/Milestone Form (docx) is required in the following circumstances:

1. When a program change (above) results in a change to a course or milestone. For example, a Graduate Studies Program Revision Template may indicate the removal of a milestone, which will also require the SGRC Graduate Studies Course/Milestone Form to be submitted.
2. If a new course is being created or revisions are being made to a course or milestone which do not impact the program requirements in the Graduate Studies Academic Calendar (GSAC), only the SGRC Graduate Studies Course/Milestone Form is required. Examples include a change to a course description which does not result in a change to the program requirements in the GSAC, or a new elective course which does not need to be listed in the program requirements in the GSAC.

Completion of the form requires detailed information including effective date/academic term. Please see the Quest Glossary of Terms for definitions of the required fields on the form. 

Courses:

• Have a subject code, course number, title, description, credit weight and grading basis. Grades assigned to courses at the graduate level can be numerical, credit/no credit or Audit.
• May or may not have requisites (prerequisites, corequisites, antirequisites).
• May be cross-listed with another graduate course.
• May be held with an undergraduate course (this information does not appear in the course catalogue).
• Appear on the student record in the term in which they have enrolled in the course.
• Are assigned a grade and calculated in the GPA on the student’s unofficial transcript only (averages are not included on official transcripts).
• Normally worth a single credit (0.50) but may be worth up to 2.00 credits.

Milestones:

• Non-course degree requirements (e.g., thesis, comprehensive examination, master's research paper, etc.).
• Not term driven, i.e. are not “scheduled” at a set time or term.
• Appear at the bottom of the student’s academic record, typically indicating “in progress” until completed.
• Do not typically follow the same structure as a course (e.g. regular meet times); credit weight is not required.
• May or may not be graded, but if they are, the grade does not calculate in the student’s average on the unofficial transcript (averages are not included on official transcripts).