• Timeline

• Digital Archives

Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research

The University of Alberta has been offering graduate programs since 1908. Today’s structure for the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research has been in place since 1957.

From the time a graduate student applies to the University of Alberta until Convocation, the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research manages the general administration of graduate programs and of the graduate awards program. Along with admissions and registration, the Faculty manages documentation related to course grades, exams, awards, and theses. It is also responsible for the general administration of the University’s 110 Masters degrees and more than 60 doctoral programs in over 300 research areas.

The Faculty sets minimum entrance requirements and requirements for academic standing and also ensures that minimum standards are met. Prior to a student’s graduation, the Faculty is responsible for certifying that the student has satisfactorily completed the program. The Faculty maintains student records for all students registered in the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research.

When students enroll in graduate programs, they are under the supervision of a particular department, which acts as liaison with the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research. Regulations relating to the student and individual supervisor are explained in the University of Alberta Calendar. The departments are responsible for seeing that all graduate students enrolled in their programs are receiving appropriate supervision and that the rules and regulations set out by the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research are met.

All changes to student programs are approved through the Faculty, as are all supervisors and supervisory and examination committees. Any changes to program policy, degree regulations, and so on must also be approved by the Faculty.

As a subcommittee of the General Faculties Council, the Council of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research is composed of members from each department offering a graduate program and the Dean of the Faculty, the President, and other members appointed by the General Faculties Council. The Council meets once a month between September and May. The meetings are open to members and invited guests. Others may attend if the Council approves their attendance. A member of the Graduate Students' Association may attend meetings. The Council has a number of committees: Scholarship, Academic Appeals, Standing Committee on Specialization and Individual Programs, and the Dean’s Advisory Committee.

The Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research provides a number of workshops and opportunities to promote career-building knowledge for graduate students so that, upon graduation, they leave equipped with knowledge to help them to compete in the job market.

The Faculty also offers a University Teaching Program for students who anticipate a career in post-secondary teaching. This program is free of charge and optional. Within students' departments, the program provides Masters and Doctoral students with teaching opportunities them develop self-confidence and teaching effectiveness. This two-year commitment promotes the ethical, philosophical, and practical foundation for pursuing a teaching career at the post-secondary level. Students who participate in the program promote the University’s objective of demonstrating a commitment to excellence for undergraduates and graduates alike, and of helping to nourish the sense of community the University strives to enhance.

The Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research operates an Outreach Program that promotes teaching experience beyond the University campus. Graduate students enrolled in this program are provided with opportunities to teach at elementary, junior, and senior high levels, as well as at colleges, within community groups, and within industry. The Outreach Program brings the community and the University together in a very tangible way.

The Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research offers other professional development opportunities to graduate students so that they may pursue career development while completing their degrees. As with the University Teaching Program, the professional development opportunities promote the development of ethical practice in student research—a skill highly valued by potential employers. Portfolio development through these professional development opportunities, from communications experience to leadership development, will add to the graduate students’ employability upon graduation.

The Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research's Ethics Training Requirement is relatively new (2004), but it is a requirement for all graduate students at the University of Alberta. This web-based, eight-hour course covers issues such as conflict of interest, conflict resolution, intellectual property, integrity and scholarship, and graduate student-supervisor relationships.

Visit the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research website for more information.