Graduate policies and forms

You will find the following on this page:

  • Information on key departmental policies
  • Links to forms from the department and the registrar's office.

Policies

A complete overview of policies related to graduate studies is available from the Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs website. In addition, students, instructors, and supervisors should be particularly aware of the following departmental policies.

*NEW* INC grade procedure

Course attendance policy

Graduate school is distinguished from undergraduate study both in the amount of independent study you will undertake, from writing capstone projects to weekly readings for seminars, and by the smaller size but greater intensity of coursework. To reflect this intensity, graduate students generally enroll in no more than three courses per term. Graduate seminars are generally limited to a maximum of 15 students, to ensure a rich experience for all. Graduate seminars meet once per week, for three hours, over 12 weeks. Each course meeting comprises a substantial part of the work of the term, and each student is a meaningful participant in the class learning environment.

Diligent attendance as well as careful preparation are thus vital. Students who miss one or two class meetings may find themselves at a significant disadvantage and face penalties related to participation; students who miss three or more class meetings will not generally be granted credit for the course. If you are ill or otherwise must miss one or more classes, be sure to contact the instructor as soon as possible; for more than one absence, please speak to the Associate Chair, Graduate Studies to discuss your options for academic accommodation, to complete or withdraw from the course.

Cross-appointed faculty supervision

Cross-appointed faculty cannot sole-supervise English doctoral candidates, but may act as co-supervisors.