Faculty and staff

Graduate Studies at Waterloo would not be the same without the hundreds of faculty and staff who support graduate students. The information below has been compiled to guide Graduate Co-ordinators, Graduate Officers/Chairs, Associate Deans, supervisors and other faculty in assisting grad students.

Help us keep track of who you are! Use the Graduate department contact change form to officially notify Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs of a change to graduate administrative staff/faculty within your department/Faculty. The form also includes information on how to gain access to Quest/Sharepoint.

Academic reviews/new programs
Approved Doctoral Dissertation Supervisor Status (ADDS)
Chairing a PhD examination
Data requests
Graduate Studies resources website
Graduate student communications
Guide to Graduate Research and Supervision
Guidelines for creating extracts of student data
International Visiting Graduate Students (IVGS)
Managing difficult situations
Program and course milestone changes
Rooms on campus with video conference capability
Supporting graduate students
Taskforce on Graduate Supervision
Verifying a University of Waterloo degree

Academic reviews/new programs

The Office of the Associate Vice-President, Academic (AVPA) and the Associate Vice-President, Graduate Studies (AVPGS) are responsible for a broad range of matters including overseeing the University of Waterloo’s Institutional Quality Assurance Process (IQAP) (PDF) and the review and approval of:

new academic programs
cyclical reviews
proposals to change existing academic programs (major modifications)
expedited reviews and
closure of existing degrees and programs

For more information on the above topics, visit the Academic Reviews website.

Approved Doctoral Dissertation Supervisor Status (ADDS)

The Approved Doctoral Dissertation Supervisor (ADDS) status is governed by a series of regulations governing how faculty members gain the privilege of sole-supervising PhD students.

For more information surrounding ADDS status, visit the organization of graduate studies page.
The Centre for Teaching Excellence (CTE) and the GSPA offer a series of workshops on graduate supervision practices, primarily for those seeking Approved Doctoral Dissertation Supervision (ADDS) Status. For more information visit the CTE website.

Chairing a PhD Examination

For information on chairing a PhD examination, visit our Guide for chairing a PhD examination webpage.

Data requests

For any data inquiries related to Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs, please use this data request form and we will contact you within two business days for confirmation.

Graduate Studies Resources website

The Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs Resources website is a CAS-authenticated site designed specifically for graduate studies staff and faculty. It is currently under construction. Stay tuned!

Graduate student communications

GSPA communicates to graduate students using the following platforms:

The Graduate student e-news is sent weekly to all registered graduate students. Use the Graduate student e-news submission request (web form) to contribute a submission.
Sign up for the Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs Facebook page
Keep up to date with Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs Twitter. @UWaterlooGSPA
GSPA also maintains a webpage of requests for participants for graduate student research.

Guide to Graduate Research and Supervision

The Guide for Graduate Research and Supervision has been developed as a resource to define the roles/responsibilities of various stakeholders in graduate education at UWaterloo.

The Taskforce on Graduate Supervision and the University of Waterloo Student Experience Review may provide additional information and refinements to this guide. Further suggestions about the Guide are welcome; an online form has been set up to capture feedback.

Guidelines for creating extracts of student data

It is important that student data is protected in compliance with appropriate legislation, regulations, and standards, as outlined in Policy 46. Visit the Guidelines for creating extracts of student data web page on the Quest website to learn more about how to appropriately manage data.

International Visiting Graduate Students (IVGS)

The International Visiting Graduate Student (IVGS) acceptance process facilitates the acceptance of an international graduate student attending a university outside of Canada to participate in research activities at the University of Waterloo and be recognized as a legitimate visitor under the supervision of a University of Waterloo faculty member and academic unit.

IVGS procedures and resources for faculty and department use are posted to the Graduate Studies Admissions SharePoint. Your nexus\WatIam User ID and password are required.

For more information on the IVGS program, contact Stephanie Forsyth.

Program and course/milestone changes

For information about making changes to graduate programs and course milestones, visit the Graduate program and course/milestone changes web page.

Managing difficult situations

As a supervisor, instructor or graduate administrator, you may encounter difficult situations with graduate students. Here are some resources on campus to support you as you navigate these situations:

The Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion Office has several departments available to assist all staff in navigating a variety of situations:
- Conflict Management and Human Rights Office (CMAHRO): Services include one-on-one coaching, resolution support, and third party dispute resolution processes. Online resources are also available and provide introductory information on University of Waterloo policies, harassment, human rights, and avoiding miscommunication.
- Equity Office: Assists members of the University of Waterloo community with equity concerns to navigate University of Waterloo structures and systems and provides consulting and advising on equity issues, including the duty to accommodate.
- Sexual Violence Response Co-ordinator: Supports all members of the University of Waterloo community who have experienced or been impacted by sexual violence, including those who have been accused of perpetrating sexual violence
The Graduate Studies Academic Calendar provides information on dispute resolution channels and responsibilities of various members of the graduate community:
- Resolution of disputes between TAs and instructors and RAs and supervisors
- Responsibilities of graduate studies administrators
The University of Waterloo has many policies that may relate to situations of conflict, including:
- Policy 30 - Employment of Graduate Students Teaching Assistants
- Policy 33 - Ethical Behaviour
- Policy 42 - Prevention and Response to Sexual Violence
The Petitions process for graduate students outlines the most frequently asked questions by students when they are seeking relief from normal faculty rules or regulations.
The Centre for Teaching Excellence has many useful online resources, including helpful tips on dealing with conflict in the classroom.

Rooms on campus with video conference capability

The following rooms on campus have video conferencing capability.

Supporting graduate students

There are a variety of resources and training opportunities on campus available for faculty and staff to assist you in supporting graduate students, including:

Mental health training: The Student Success Office collaborates with Campus Wellness to offer Mental Health First Aid training exclusively for those in advising roles, including sessions specific for grad coordinators. There are several other opportunities for mental health training available regularly through Campus Wellness and online resources for supporting student's in distress.
Resources listing: Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs has compiled a list of commonly used campus resources and services for graduate students.
Guidelines on graduate student support

Task force on Graduate Student Supervision

A Task Force on Graduate Student Supervision has been established to investigate the mechanisms by which the quality of graduate supervision at both the master's and doctoral levels are assessed at the university. Visit the Task Force web page for more detailed information.

Verifying a University of Waterloo degree

The University of Waterloo has partnered with MyCreds^TM, a leading digital credential expert and platform for certifying, sharing, and verifying academic credentials. MyCreds^TM is owned by the Association of Registrars of the Universities and Colleges of Canada (ARUCC). It is a national credential wallet for post-secondary learners that has been created by Canadian higher education leadership. For more information on the process, visit The Centre website.