General regulations

The entire program of study must be outlined prior to approval, and final approval for the admission shall be by the Graduate Academic Affairs Committee of CGPS.

  1. Candidates for special‐case admissions should be excellent students as demonstrated by a weighted cumulative average of at least 75% over the last two years (60 credit units).

  2. The proposed program must provide the names of a full Advisory Committee. The advisory committee must include at least one faculty member from a cognate department. Curricula vitae for those members of the proposed advisory committee who are not currently members of the Faculty of the College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies must be provided.

  3. A two‐page statement must be provided outlining the proposed research or scholarly work, the methodology to be used or developed and the significance of the work to be done. A case must be made that the proposed research is within the grasp of the student.

  4. The Dean of the Academic College must have indicated that the necessary resources are either available or will be supplied by the College/academic unit budget.

  5. Funding for the student must be in place and described.

  6. The time required for completion of a special‐ case program will be an important consideration with respect to admitting students.

  7. After an academic unit has successfully offered a graduate program to 8-10 students, it should proceed to propose a regular program. Special Case provisions should be used to admit the occasional special student or in the development stages of a regular graduate program. They are not meant to be used on an ongoing basis. 

Application procedures

Application for special case admission is made by the academic unit on behalf of the applicant. The application must include the following:

  1. A hard copy application form signed by the applicant, official transcripts of all university‐level studies, and proof of English proficiency if applicable.

  2. Three letters of recommendation from individuals who can attest to the applicant’s scholarly ability.

  3. A statement from the Dean of the academic college with regard to item 4 above.

  4. Any special topic or reading courses associated with the program must have approval of the head of the academic unit.

  5. A statement from the academic unit which outlines the resources available to support the student’s research and a comment on the support available to the student (Items 4 and 5 above).

  6. A brief statement from the academic unit describing the topic or area of research (Item 3 above).

  7. A recommendation for a Program of Studies including expected timelines for completion. Any other requirements such as internships, performances, exhibitions, papers or seminars must be included.

  8. When one of the proposed members of the Advisory Committee is not a member of the Graduate Faculty, the proposed member’s cv and a written rationale as to why the person should be involved must be provided. Please note that this is a one‐time exception for that person to serve on this committee only