The Faculty of Graduate Studies provides the special opportunity to students, with a proven track record, of registering in an Individual Interdisciplinary Studies (IIS) program¹. Such a program combines substantial aspects of the existing programs of at least two, but no more than four departments/units into a unique program, which lies outside of established department/unit boundaries. Since the Individual Interdisciplinary Studies program places additional demands and responsibilities upon the applicant to assemble an advisory committee, to formulate a research proposal in advance of admission and, to negotiate a program of study with their advisory committee, the eligibility requirements are more stringent than those for discipline based graduate programs.

The regulations presented below and all general regulations of the Faculty of Graduate Studies apply to Individual Interdisciplinary Studies programs. Each department/unit currently offering a discipline-based graduate level program is eligible to offer an Individual Interdisciplinary Studies program² in which the subject area of that department/unit is the major focus³ of the Individual Interdisciplinary Studies program⁴. The department/unit is thus considered the "home" department/unit of the Individual Interdisciplinary Studies student⁵. (Note: the department/unit should be contacted ahead of time to ensure their participation in the Individual Interdisciplinary Studies program).

The "home" department/unit Head (or designate) will ensure that the student and the advisor receive information regarding scholarship, relevant Faculty procedures, and the like (i.e., information that would normally be distributed to department/unit Heads and/or Chairs of graduate programs).

It is anticipated that substantial grounding will be in the major focus area; if not, then justification must be given for consideration.

¹

Where the word department/unit appears, the word Faculty or Institute is to be assumed where appropriate.

²

A department /unit’s eligibility to offer an Individual Interdisciplinary Studies program is limited to the level of the degree currently being offered by the department/unit. For example, if only a Master’s level program is offered by the department/unit, that department/unit is eligible to be the “home” department/unit for students in a Master’s level Individual Interdisciplinary Studies program, only. Although this particular department/unit may participate as a supporting department/unit in a Ph.D. level Individual Interdisciplinary Studies program, it is not eligible to be the “home” department/unit of a Ph.D. Individual Interdisciplinary Studies program student. A Faculty member in a department/unit without a graduate program at the level he/she wishes to supervise an Individual Interdisciplinary Studies program student may do so providing that the Faculty member is a member of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and holds an appointment in the “home" department/unit. Note: the supervisor may need to be appointed as an adjunct to the “home” department/unit.

³

"Major Focus" refers to the subject area/discipline of a department/unit in which the credit hours of instruction to be taken are more than or equal to those to be taken in any other participating department/unit. In a two-department/unit combination, assuming a 15 credit hour program, 9 credit hours of course work would be taken in the major focus area, with a minimum of 6 credit hours to be at the 7000 level.

⁴

The intent of an Individual Interdisciplinary Studies program is to bring together existing discipline-based programs in such a way as to form a unique program tailored to an individual research project and/or study aim that cannot otherwise be accommodated by existing discipline-based programs.  Master’s programs are used to construct a Master’s level Individual Interdisciplinary Studies program and the Ph.D. programs are the building blocks for a Ph.D. level Individual Interdisciplinary Studies program.  While there is some flexibility in the actual programs used to construct an Individual Interdisciplinary Studies program, it is imperative that a Master’s level Individual Interdisciplinary Studies program contain mostly existing Master’s level programs, and Ph.D. programs must make up the majority if not all the component programs in a Ph.D. level Individual Interdisciplinary Studies  program.

⁵

The "home" department/unit counts this student as part of their complement for statistics purposes and would indicate them as "Individual Interdisciplinary Studies program" students.

Degree Requirements

In addition to the minimum program requirements of the Faculty of Graduate Studies found in the Graduate Studies Regulations Section of this Calendar, please consult the Faculty of Graduate Studies website for Individual Interdisciplinary Studies program supplementary regulations.

All Individual Interdisciplinary Studies Master's program students must complete 12 credit hours of coursework at the 7000 level and successfully complete a Master’s thesis.  There is no practicum route.

All students must complete the GRAD 7500.  Students newly admitted to a graduate program must successfully complete this course within the first term of registration.

All students must complete the GRAD 7300.  Students must successfully complete this course within the first year of study or prior to applying to any ethics boards which are appropriate to the student’s research.

Expected Time to Graduate: 2 years. 

Registration Information

Students should familiarize themselves with the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies ‘GRAD’ courses applicable to their program. If you have questions about which GRAD course(s) to register in, please consult your home department/unit.

Regulations

General Regulations

All students must:

• maintain a minimum degree grade point average of 3.0 with no grade below C+,
• meet the minimum and not exceed the maximum course requirements, and
• meet the minimum and not exceed the maximum time requirements (in terms of time in program and lapse or expiration of credit of courses).

Bona Fide Academic Requirements (BFAR)

Bona Fide Academic Requirements (BFAR) represent the core academic requirements a graduate student must acquire in order to gain, and demonstrate acquisition of, essential knowledge and skills.

All students must successfully complete:

• GRAD 7300 prior to applying to any ethics boards which are appropriate to the student’s research or within the student’s first year, whichever comes first; and
• GRAD 7500 within the first term of registration;

unless these courses have been completed previously, as per Mandatory Academic Integrity Course and Mandatory Research Integrity Online Course.

Students must also meet additional BFAR requirements that may be specified for their program.

Students must meet the requirements as outlined in both Supplementary Regulation and BFAR documents as approved by Senate.

Supplementary Regulations

Individual units may require specific requirements above and beyond those of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, and students should consult unit supplementary regulations for these specific regulations.