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Graduate Programme in Interdisciplinary Studies Faculty of Graduate Studies
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INST 5000 A 3.0 – “Interdisciplinary Seminar” is a required, core course comprised of regular meetings and discussions with the Supervisory Committee in the Candidate’s specific areas of study. These discussions fulfill the function of an interdisciplinary seminar and are graded as a regular course. Normally students meet with each supervisor once a month and with the full Supervisory Committee at least once each term. Progress reports must be submitted to the program office each term.  The final grade for this course also includes a student’s “Thesis Proposal,” a “Colloquium Presentation” (or oral seminar) and the “Oral Examination” of the thesis.  IS 5000 A is graded like a regular course. 

INST 5000 B 3.0 – “Interdisciplinary Studies: Theory/Practice” is a required core course that examines representative ways of thinking in interdisciplinary terms and studies selected methodological approaches to interdisciplinary research, which students apply to their own intellectual or artistic praxis.  This course also requires students to professionalize their academic development by submitting some combination of a conference proposal/paper, a grant application, an ethics proposal, a CV or resume, or a draft application for a professional position.  This course is graded pass/fail. 

IS students have the option of taking a Directed Reading (DR) Course. The DR can become an option when a suitable graduate course is not available in the current curriculum. This course cannot overlap significantly with a course taken previously by the student and shall be directly relevant to the students’ thesis project.  We ask that students propose the DR to their supervisors and do some of the leg work in suggesting its subject area/s, bibliography, and assignments.  

The first draft of the thesis proposal is normally due January 30th of a full-time student’s first year. The final thesis proposal along with research ethics is usually submitted around April 15th. Please refer to the proposal guidelines (.pdf) for the requested structure. 

Conventional IS manuscript-based theses will be around 120 pages in length. Students also have the option of writing an MA thesis that combines a creative element with a shorter written component (about 80 pages). The programme realizes that some flexibility is needed to accommodate individual projects: in extraordinary circumstances, we suggest a maximum of 150 pages and a minimum of 80 pages. 

Full-time students in their 6th semester (and part-time students in their 9th semester) come forward for their colloquium if they have an approved thesis proposal and have commenced their research. Normally this happens over a six-week time period after Reading Week. You are asked to attend and participate in the colloquium. Visit the Courses  page for more information.  

Oral Examination 

An IS student is ready to come forward for defence once there have been edits to their thesis based on rounds of collaborative feedback from all supervisors. Please fill in the Recommendation for Oral Examination form (.pdf) once the committee recognizes that the thesis is ready for defence and submit it to the programme office along with three hard copies of the thesis. 

The make-up of an IS Oral Examination Committee differs from a conventional one employed by the majority of MA programs. Every examining committee consists of four voting members: An External Examiner, A Chair (normally the GPD or designate), An Inside York Arm’s Length Examiner and ONE member of the Supervisory Committee. While all members of the student’s committee are invited and encouraged to attend, only members of the examining committee can vote and deliberate.  

Scheduling the IS Oral Examination normally proceeds in stages: 

  • Four months before the projected date of the Oral Examination, as an examinable draft of the thesis takes shape, every IS student should meet with the full Supervisory Committee to map out a timeline for proceeding to the Oral Examination. Any impediments to progressing forward should be raised and discussed at this meeting. 
  • The Supervisory Committee is asked to nominate one supervisor to represent them as a voting member at the Oral Examination. Additionally, the committee shall agree to at least two potential candidates for both the Inside York Arm’s Length Examiner (formally the Dean’s Rep) and External Examiner and submit their names to the GPD. 
  • If the Coordinating Supervisor has not been able to secure a commitment from candidates for the External Examiner and the York Arm’s Length Examiner, alternate candidates shall be nominated, and the process of recruitment is repeated. 
  • Three months before the projected date of the Oral Examination, final revisions should be confirmed with the full Supervisory Committee. 
  • Eight weeks before the projected date of the Oral Exam, every IS student should meet with the full Supervisory Committee to confirm that the final draft of the thesis is worthy of proceeding to the Oral Examination. 

During the MA Oral Examination, everyone but the examining committee is excused temporarily from the exam room while the committee briefly discusses the examinability of the thesis and speaker order. The Oral Examination will start with the External Examiner asking questions, then the York Arm’s Length Examiner, and then the Committee Member. At times, questions are welcomed from the student’s other supervisors if they are present—always yielding time to the four core examiners. Once questioning is done, only members of the examination committee stay in the room and deliberate. Following that, the student and others are called back, and the decision is shared with comments being read from the Chair of the examination.  

Supervisory Guidelines and Forms  

If there are further questions, we welcome discussion between any supervisor and our GPD. We are here to support you and your much-valued work. 

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The Graduate Programme in Interdisciplinary Studies at York is an exciting environment to pursue innovative, socially engaging, career-ready education. Contact our Graduate Programme Administrator to learn more.

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