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Guidelines, Policies & Forms

These documents must be filled out in order to document progress through the program.

They appear in the order in which they are typically required.

PDF files require Adobe Reader. Download Adobe Reader.

MA Forms and Documents

  • MA Degree Requirements (.pdf)
    Outline of courses required for the degree.
  • MA Timeline to Completion (.pdf)
    Guideline for what needs to be accomplished and when.
  • MA Degree Audit (.pdf)
    The degree audit should be completed when you are in the final stages of your course work, just prior to embarking on your Master’s Thesis/Project/Research Paper. The degree audit is very similar to the annual progress report. It is a way of confirming that you have indeed completed all the degree requirements–or received a waiver–and that we are all in agreement about your record. Please make sure that you will in all sections–course number, session taken, title, course director, etc…and jot down any relevant notes.

Each student is required to complete an Annual Progress Report [APR] at the end of each winter term, until all course work requirements are completed. This report is used for advising purposes to ensure you are on track for your particular program of study. Students will not be able to register for the summer term until an APR has been received.

First Steps to Directed Readings/Research:
In preparation for a DR course, you should approach the faculty member with an outline of what you wish to cover. Having a one page outline to present to a potential course director shows you have given some thought to your topic and is a great help in discussions. Once you have a supervisor on board, you would work together to produce the final proposal for submission to the program. Please see instructions on the DR form for what information is required in the proposal.

  • Directed Readings Form (.pdf)
    A Directed Readings course is intended to provide the student with the opportunity to review critically a body of literature and to prepare an annotated bibliography, reading log, or critical review essay or essays.
  • Directed Research Form (.pdf)
    A Directed Research course involves the preparation of a substantial research paper, normally involving at least some use of primary materials (archival collections, media analysis, secondary analysis of polls, focus groups, interviews, participant observations, etc).
  • Directed Group Study Guidelines (.pdf)
    Under this heading, a group of students, with the agreement of a faculty member, may organize a seminar in an area not covered in the course offerings. The faculty member acts as a monitor, helping students develop a bibiography and facilitate discussions, but does not act as an instrutor. As the title suggests, students are expected to study as a group, taking the initiative in course participation and seminar presentations. The faculty member will grade presentations and written work.

These documents are used to initiate various requests.

  • Course Substitution Form (.pdf)
    Use this form if you are requesting a course substitution or a course waiver.
  • Request to Add/Drop Courses Out-of-Program Enrollment Request Form (.pdf)
    For York Com Cult students who wish to take a course in another graduate program at Toronto Metropolitan University.
  • Information Regarding Incomplete Grades (.pdf)
    Grades must be reported within a couple of weeks of the start of a new term for courses which ended the term before. For Communication & Culture students at both Toronto Metropolitan University and York these deadlines are:
    • January 15 for a fall term course;
    • May 15 or a winter term course or a fall-winter course; and
    • September 15 for a summer courseImportant: Please download the file above to view detailed information about incomplete grades. If you still have questions after viewing this information, please contact the program administrator directly.
  • Course Transaction Form
    The student requests course work extension from the course director and submits the form to the Program office.
    Students are fully responsible for the download, completion, and submission of the form to their graduate program. Students must attach any correspondence (including medical documentation) that supports their request at the time of submission.

In conjunction to the Field Placement Request form you must complete the Course Required Placement Agreement Form, Health & Safety Checklist, and the Student Obligation Agreement Form for Insurance purposes. Contact the program administrator or the program secretary for form.

Further information and resources relating to graduate research at York.

  • Human Participants Research Procedures
    Human Participants Research Procedures must be adhered to for all courses, projects, theses and dissertations. A complete listing of the York University policies can be found on the FGS website.

PhD Forms and Documents

These documents must be filled out in order to document progress through the program. They appear in the order in which they are typically required.

PDF files require Adobe Reader. Doc(x) files require Microsoft Word.

  • PhD Degree Requirements (.pdf)
    Outline of courses required for the degree.
  • PhD Timeline To Completion (.pdf)
    Guideline for what needs to be accomplished and when.
  • PhD Degree Audit (.pdf)
    The degree audit should be completed when you are in the final stages of your course work, just prior to embarking on your Master’s Thesis/Project/Research Paper or prior to preparing for PhD qualifying examinations. The degree audit is very similar to the annual progress report. It is a way of confirming that you have indeed completed all the degree requirements–or received a waiver–and that we are all in agreement about your record. Please make sure that you fill in all sections–course number, session taken, title, course director, etc…and jot down any relevant notes.

Each student is required to complete an Annual Progress Report [APR] at the end of each winter term. This report is used for advising purposes to ensure you are on track for your particular program of study. Students will not be able to register for the summer term until an APR has been received.

First Steps to Directed Readings/Research:
In preparation for a DR course, you should approach the faculty member with an outline of what you wish to cover. Having a one page outline to present to a potential course director shows you have given some thought to your topic and is a great help in discussions. Once you have a supervisor on board, you would work together to produce the final proposal for submission to the program. Please see instructions on the DR form for what information is required in the proposal.

  • Directed Readings Form (.pdf)
    A Directed Readings course is intended to provide the student with the opportunity to review critically a body of literature and to prepare an annotated bibliography, reading log, or critical review essay or essays.
  • Directed Research Form (.pdf)
    A Directed Research course involves the preparation of a substantial research paper, normally involving at least some use of primary materials (archival collections, media analysis, secondary analysis of polls, focus groups, interviews, participant observations, etc).
  • Directed Group Study Guidelines (.pdf)
    Under this heading, a group of students, with the agreement of a faculty member, may organize a seminar in an area not covered in the course offerings. The faculty member acts as a monitor, helping students develop a bibliography and facilitate discussions, but does not act as an instructor. As the title suggests, students are expected to study as a group, taking the initiative in course participation and seminar presentations. The faculty member will grade presentations and written work.

These documents are used to initiate requests for various kinds.

  • Request to Add/Drop Courses Out-of-Program Enrollment Request Form (.pdf)
    For York Com Cult students who wish to take a course in another graduate program at Toronto Metropolitan University.
  • Course Substitution Form (.pdf)
    Use this form if you are requesting a course substitution or course waiver.
  • Information Regarding Incomplete Grades (.pdf)
    Grades must be reported within a couple of weeks of the start of a new term for courses which ended the term before. For Communication & Culture students at both Toronto Metropolitan University and York these deadlines are:
    • January 15 for a fall term course;
    • May 15 or a winter term course or a fall-winter course; and
    • September 15 for a summer courseImportant: Please download the above file to view detailed information about incomplete grades. If you still have questions after viewing this information, please contact the program administrator directly.
  • Course Transaction Form
    The student requests course work extension from the course director and submits the form to the Program office.
    Students are fully responsible for the download, completion, and submission of the form to their graduate program. Students must attach any correspondence (including medical documentation) that supports their request at the time of submission.

Further information and resources relating to graduate research at York.

  • Human Participants Research Procedures
    Human Participants Research Procedures must be adhered to for all courses, projects, theses and dissertations. A complete listing of the York University policies can be found on the FGS website.

Faculty of Graduate Studies Forms

The following forms can be found the Faculty of Graduate Studies website:

  • Academic Affairs
  • Student Affairs
  • Thesis and Dissertation
  • Student Finances
  • Graduate & Postdoctoral Professional Skills (GPPS)

Learn More

The York & Toronto Metropolitan University Joint Graduate Program in Communication & Culture at York is an exciting environment to pursue innovative, socially engaging, career-ready education.